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Switching to more "Real" food - HELP!!!!!
excited_4_baby posted:
Ok, I need help. DH is super protective and paranoid. DD will be 1 on Tuesday and I feel like she should be eating more real foods now and less baby cereal and jars of baby food. But DH freaks out every time I give her anything new. Is thing is that she only has like 6 teeth (4 front top and 2 in the bottom front). And because he doesn't let me try more, she doesn't understand that you take just small bites and instead she crams her mouth full of whatever is in front of her as fast as she can. Can any of you give me some good ideas on what all I should be trying with her at this point? We've tried cheerios, cheese puffs, Gerber Puffs, little bites of breading, any soft potatoes or veggies I make at dinner. Still doesn't seem like much of a variety though. And seeing as how she can switch off of formula to regular milk this week, do I really want to keep holding onto the baby food? Any techniques you recommend to help her learn to eat big girl foods alone? and how do I keep DH from freaking out???? I work a demanding job and a lot of hours, so he is with her more than me. But she can't be eating baby food til she's 6!!! PLEASE, please, please help!!! I really appreciate any ideas and suggestions. 
7 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:Switching to more "Real" food - HELP!!!!!Ok, I need help. DH is super protective and paranoid. DD will be 1 on Tuesday and I feel like she should be eating more real foods now and less baby cereal and jars of baby food. But DH freaks out every time I give her anything new. Is thing is that she only has like 6 teeth (4 front top and 2 in the bottom front). And because he doesn't let me try more, she doesn't understand that you take just small bites and instead she crams her mouth full of whatever is in front of her as fast as she can. Can any of you give me some good ideas on what all I should be trying with her at this point? We've tried cheerios, cheese puffs, Gerber Puffs, little bites of breading, any soft potatoes or veggies I make at dinner. Still doesn't seem like much of a variety though. And seeing as how she can switch off of formula to regular milk this week, do I really want to keep holding onto the baby food? Any techniques you recommend to help her learn to eat big girl foods alone? and how do I keep DH from freaking out???? I work a demanding job and a lot of hours, so he is with her more than me. But she can't be eating baby food til she's 6!!! PLEASE, please, please help!!! I really appreciate any ideas and suggestions. <img src="http://img.webmd.com/community/images/smile.gif" align="top" border="0">
An_240941 responded:
Well 1st of all, she could have been eating more soft solids a long time ago. 2nd now that she is 1 you can feed her anything because the chances of food related allergies has gone down, still be careful to introduce things like peanut butter, fish, whole eggs only 1 thing at a time so you can watch for reactions. 3rd make sure her food is cut small enough so she doesn't gag, but remember she will be able to "chew" her food & brake it down to some extent using her gums (she doesn't use her teeth for much right now). & last if she is shoving food in her mouth & it is obviously problematic, then don't put it all in front of her at once. Give her 2-3 pieces at a time & when she finishes those give her 2-3 more. As for DH tell him she has to learn to eat at some point & ask if it would ease his mind if you 2 took a infant cpr class together.
MY oldest DD is 3 & my LO is 1. They eat what I eat. I refuse to buy jar foods with a ton of preservatives when I can make healthier options for them myself at home & it's cheaper. I also took a CPR class before my oldest was born with my DH which helped both of us feel better about the "solids stage" because we were more informed. Hope that helps.
MY oldest DD is 3 & my LO is 1. They eat what I eat. I refuse to buy jar foods with a ton of preservatives when I can make healthier options for them myself at home & it's cheaper. I also took a CPR class before my oldest was born with my DH which helped both of us feel better about the "solids stage" because we were more informed. Hope that helps.
Report This| Share this:Switching to more "Real" food - HELP!!!!!Well 1st of all, she could have been eating more soft solids a long time ago. 2nd now that she is 1 you can feed her anything because the chances of food related allergies has gone down, still be careful to introduce things like peanut butter, fish, whole eggs only 1 thing at a time so you can watch for reactions. 3rd make sure her food is cut small enough so she doesn't gag, but remember she will be able to "chew" her food & brake it down to some extent using her gums (she doesn't use her teeth for much right now). & last if she is shoving food in her mouth & it is obviously problematic, then don't put it all in front of her at once. Give her 2-3 pieces at a time & when she finishes those give her 2-3 more. As for DH tell him she has to learn to eat at some point & ask if it would ease his mind if you 2 took a infant cpr class together.<br /><br />MY oldest DD is 3 & my LO is 1. They eat what I eat. I refuse to buy jar foods with a ton of preservatives when I can make healthier options for them myself at home & it's cheaper. I also took a CPR class before my oldest was born with my DH which helped both of us feel better about the "solids stage" because we were more informed. Hope that helps.
KSHoh responded:
I would say any soft fruits and veggies should be fine. Soft pasta is good too. Chicken, turkey, ground beef is also fine. Be sure to cut it up small( but not so small that she can not pick it up by herself). It is also good at this time to let her have a go at feeding with a spoon, one made for toddlers, to fed themselves. I will say I still do some veggie purees with my son( 15 months) because 2 months ago he went on a strike from eating veggies but the last 2 weeks he has started eating peas again.
Report This| Share this:Switching to more "Real" food - HELP!!!!!I would say any soft fruits and veggies should be fine. Soft pasta is good too. Chicken, turkey, ground beef is also fine. Be sure to cut it up small( but not so small that she can not pick it up by herself). It is also good at this time to let her have a go at feeding with a spoon, one made for toddlers, to fed themselves. I will say I still do some veggie purees with my son( 15 months) because 2 months ago he went on a strike from eating veggies but the last 2 weeks he has started eating peas again.
orin34 responded:
This may be an over-generalization... because I am sure there are exceptions and every child is different.... but I think you may have missed your window of opportunity on "solid food likability". My nephew and several cousins of mine were fed only the jar food for the first year or so and they ended up being SUPER PICKY eaters..... It is still a nightmare trying to get my nephew to eat (he is 3 1/2 yrs).
My son NEVER had jar food... I pureed any food we ate and started feeding him solids as soon as he could handle it. . . He is 19 months now and is able to use a fork and spoon like a pro and eats whatever we eat, he will eat anything.
We never really got concerned about the choking thing, 9 times our of 10 they can get it up on their own if you give them a minute... and I am CPR certified as well.
I would suggest your DH take a CPR class so he will feel more confident in case there is an emergency.... and I agree with the other pp about giving her only a little at a time. You could also start by having the pieces of whatever cut up really small... and over time cut them slightly bigger... kind of "work her up" to handling bigger things on her own.
My son NEVER had jar food... I pureed any food we ate and started feeding him solids as soon as he could handle it. . . He is 19 months now and is able to use a fork and spoon like a pro and eats whatever we eat, he will eat anything.
We never really got concerned about the choking thing, 9 times our of 10 they can get it up on their own if you give them a minute... and I am CPR certified as well.
I would suggest your DH take a CPR class so he will feel more confident in case there is an emergency.... and I agree with the other pp about giving her only a little at a time. You could also start by having the pieces of whatever cut up really small... and over time cut them slightly bigger... kind of "work her up" to handling bigger things on her own.
Report This| Share this:Switching to more "Real" food - HELP!!!!!This may be an over-generalization... because I am sure there are exceptions and every child is different.... but I think you may have missed your window of opportunity on "solid food likability". My nephew and several cousins of mine were fed only the jar food for the first year or so and they ended up being SUPER PICKY eaters..... It is still a nightmare trying to get my nephew to eat (he is 3 1/2 yrs). <br />My son NEVER had jar food... I pureed any food we ate and started feeding him solids as soon as he could handle it. . . He is 19 months now and is able to use a fork and spoon like a pro and eats whatever we eat, he will eat anything. <br />We never really got concerned about the choking thing, 9 times our of 10 they can get it up on their own if you give them a minute... and I am CPR certified as well. <br />I would suggest your DH take a CPR class so he will feel more confident in case there is an emergency.... and I agree with the other pp about giving her only a little at a time. You could also start by having the pieces of whatever cut up really small... and over time cut them slightly bigger... kind of "work her up" to handling bigger things on her own.
Ihgirl1066 replied to orin34's response:
Our son was eating what we were eating by 10.5 months, we stopped with the baby food altogether, we just made sure everything was cut up small and it wasnt any kind of tough meat or anything really hard.
If he feels safer id start by feeding her this stuff when you are both home. I think most kids take a while to figure out what size bites to take, my son still sometimes takes to big of a bite and he knows it so he spits it out.
I like green beans and cooked carrots when we started out, pork in the slow cooker was also really tender. buy some lil O noodles and make spaghetti out of it, theres a lot of things you can try. Small piece of baked fish is also really soft.
If he feels safer id start by feeding her this stuff when you are both home. I think most kids take a while to figure out what size bites to take, my son still sometimes takes to big of a bite and he knows it so he spits it out.
I like green beans and cooked carrots when we started out, pork in the slow cooker was also really tender. buy some lil O noodles and make spaghetti out of it, theres a lot of things you can try. Small piece of baked fish is also really soft.
Report This| Share this:Switching to more "Real" food - HELP!!!!!Our son was eating what we were eating by 10.5 months, we stopped with the baby food altogether, we just made sure everything was cut up small and it wasnt any kind of tough meat or anything really hard.<br /> <br />If he feels safer id start by feeding her this stuff when you are both home. I think most kids take a while to figure out what size bites to take, my son still sometimes takes to big of a bite and he knows it so he spits it out.<br /> <br />I like green beans and cooked carrots when we started out, pork in the slow cooker was also really tender. buy some lil O noodles and make spaghetti out of it, theres a lot of things you can try. Small piece of baked fish is also really soft.
hlvmom10 responded:
My son loves the mini bow tie pasta. He is 18 months old. He also likes ground beef and diced hot dogs, diced chicken. Anything you eat she can eat, just make it baby / toddler friendly. He also loves black olives, they are soft and i just dice them. Give a variety so you hopefully will not have a picky eater!! My son eats anything and I belive it's because he has eaten what we eat since he was 9 months old. And if she doesnt like somthing, dont give up!! Try it a few times..you will be suprised!!
Report This| Share this:Switching to more "Real" food - HELP!!!!!My son loves the mini bow tie pasta. He is 18 months old. He also likes ground beef and diced hot dogs, diced chicken. Anything you eat she can eat, just make it baby / toddler friendly. He also loves black olives, they are soft and i just dice them. Give a variety so you hopefully will not have a picky eater!! My son eats anything and I belive it's because he has eaten what we eat since he was 9 months old. And if she doesnt like somthing, dont give up!! Try it a few times..you will be suprised!!
mwhite80 responded:
graduates dinners are good since they are soft cooked and made for beginign eaters. Soft cooked pasta with spagetti sause or cheese, soft cooked veggies, small cut up fruits that she already eats. cut up chicken nuggets and hot dogs(small pieces) are also good. Pancakes, scrambled eggs, soft grilled cheese. You can pretty much look at any food and as long as it is tender and easy to chew then try it. Like everyone else commented give her a little at a time. My son was that way when he started eating solid food, he would stuff his face if i would watch.
Report This| Share this:Switching to more "Real" food - HELP!!!!!graduates dinners are good since they are soft cooked and made for beginign eaters. Soft cooked pasta with spagetti sause or cheese, soft cooked veggies, small cut up fruits that she already eats. cut up chicken nuggets and hot dogs(small pieces) are also good. Pancakes, scrambled eggs, soft grilled cheese. You can pretty much look at any food and as long as it is tender and easy to chew then try it. Like everyone else commented give her a little at a time. My son was that way when he started eating solid food, he would stuff his face if i would watch.
tchance55 responded:
I agree with PPs. I started both my sons on solid food when they were able to use their hands to feed themselves. I also switched them to whole milk early since they were doing so well with eating. What I did find was that my oldest son went through a phase where he didn't want to eat anything but junk and now my youngest son is doing the same. I supplemented with nutrition drinks to ensure they were getting what they needed. Also, I found that feeding them when they said they are hungry, they tend to eat whatever I make for them. If I try to make them sit down when I want them to eat they will just play in their food.
Report This| Share this:Switching to more "Real" food - HELP!!!!!I agree with PPs. I started both my sons on solid food when they were able to use their hands to feed themselves. I also switched them to whole milk early since they were doing so well with eating. What I did find was that my oldest son went through a phase where he didn't want to eat anything but junk and now my youngest son is doing the same. I supplemented with nutrition drinks to ensure they were getting what they needed. Also, I found that feeding them when they said they are hungry, they tend to eat whatever I make for them. If I try to make them sit down when I want them to eat they will just play in their food.
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