Baby Parenting Guide

When did you start feeding your baby real food?

My daughter is almost 7 months old. The only thing she has ever had is formula, rice cereal, and baby foods. On Thanksgiving every one was trying to get me to give her mashed potatoes or jell-o or something. And were kind of crappy about it, telling me that she should be able to have that stuff. I stood my ground and didn't. They are all just pushy. So, when did you start giving your baby bites of food from your plate? And what did you allow them to have?

Public Response to When did you start feeding your baby real food?

1. I started just giving taste tests of easy food for them to swallow at ur babies age if not a little bit older. But not a lot. Still give them the baby food and rice and formula. I would switch to whole milk at one year and then start really giving the real food...Good luck...Its ur baby so its ur choice
2. My son is 6 months and he gets small bites from my plate which have been mashed well. He gets broccoli, potatoes, corn, carrots, meats - everything but seafood.
3. about 9-10 month i started little finger foods, she will be fine to eat from ur plate if the food is mashed or soft lumps
4. you can start giving solid foods to ur baby at 6mos onwards, when she learns to sit up, seems ready to chew (with or without teeth), desires for solids, picks up food and brings it to her mouth, and when she has lost her tongue-thrust reflex whre she automatically pushes solids outtuf her mouth
5. My baby is also 7 months and just recently I've been giving her more tastes of things. It's one step close to only having to prepare one meal for the whole family.
6. hi there, my daughter has always been a hungry baby and so i started her on rice cereal at 5 months according to my home nurses advice and we went from there. she's 7 months now and she eats veggies, with chicken that i blend in the processor, rice and pasta, all mixed up with those stir through sauces for babies you can buy. she has rice cereal for brekky and usually custard or fruit for lunch and she has the occasional arrowroot bicckie in the daytime as well. when we first started i gave her pureed pumpkin that i made at home and moved it up from there. however that being said her pead told me that if i didn't want to start her on solids i could just giver her more bottles in the day and that would be perfectly ample nutrients for her till she was around 12 months old. so if you don't feel ready to give your baby solids yet then don't let ppl pester you into it. my mil was trying to tell me weet bix was good for my 7 month old and told me she gave her a few spoon fulls while she watched her while i went to the store. needless to say she wont be babysitting again, lol. you need to do what you think is right for your child not what pushy family members think is right. good luck
7. i started feeding my baby REAL food just after i stopped feeding her pretend food.lol you can feed her food now anything but no added salt
8. My baby is 8 months and has just started having 'adult' food. He has toast and pasta and mashed veges, but I still give him mashed and pureed baby food (jars or home made) as well and of course he still has breast milk/ formula. However I do not feed him straight from my plate. I am still slowly introducing new foods to him- for example he has not had any pieces of meat or dairy yet. I would not feel happy with him having jell-o or anything that is technically a desert. I was asked by someone if he had tried chocolate yet. Chocolate!! Who gives chocolate to an 8 month old? Good on you for not caving! It's your baby, don't ever feel pressured to do something you are not comfortable with.
9. Well, we had a hungry son, so around five months. Once he tasted 'people food' with real flavour, there was no going back to baby food. At your daughter's age, she would have totally been fine participating in the Thanksgiving meal - it would have been so nice! Actually, having her have mashed potatoes and other veggies you have made yourself is really healthy for her!
10. i started feeding my son at 6 months i started off with rice and cereal and then i started giving him whatever i ate either mashed up or cut up into small pieces but you can basically feed them anything apart from eggs and nuts until there 12 months
11. At 7 months I was feeding my son home cooked foods. He doesn't have much supermarket 'baby' food at all. I just steamed fruits and vegetables etc. I also gave him fish, chicken etc - so long as the meat is thoroughly cooked then it should be fine for them. He didn't have much but I gave him some. Once he has built up his list of foods you know he isn't allergic to you can start mixing different things together. My son is now 9 months and I am just starting to give him 'table' foods. Like spaghetti, and stuff like that. Just try to avoid sugary foods and salt and you will be fine. He also gets cows milk on cereal in the morning and in things like mashed potato if he ever has that since that is how we do ours. Good Luck with it - don't rush it if you are not comfortable though, and stand your ground - it is your baby not theirs! Been through similar with my partners family wanting to shove food down my boys throat for their own enjoyment.
12. My baby is 9 months. She gets bits off of our plate every now and then.. She still doesnt have any teeth so it is hard to find things that she can eat ok. I started feeding her mashed food when she was 7 months. Its really your choice. You have to feel that she is ready.
13. You stand your ground and introduce foods when you think your baby is ready. She will show signs when she's ready such as picking up things with her finger and thumb and putting everything in her mouth. Biting down on the spoon when you feed her and grabbing the spoon wanting to feed herself are all signs. I would start with lumpy food such as mashed banana before you go to finger food. My daughter is 10 months old and she has just started to eat more solid food, still very tiny pieces of soft food such as potato, carrot, broccoli and tiny pieces of chicken and loves mashed banana and crunchy carrot sticks that dissolve in the mouth made by Organics from Asda or Tesco. I was encouraged by health visitors and guide lines but she just wasn't ready and I knew. You know your baby better than anyone, don't be pushed.
14. my baby was 6 months, her first was a piece of watermelon. we tried baby food but she hated it and I wasnt gonna force her to eat it. there is no right or wrong way to do it, if you dont want her having real food, dont let her, you're the mom
15. Don't let anyone pressure you to feed your baby adult foods! Many adults think it's fun to give babies tastes of all sorts of unsuitable foods, but it's not good for the baby. My daughter didn't have anything with added sugar, salt or fat until she was 12 months old and, at 21 months, doesn't eat sweet biscuits, cakes, lollies, chocolate or fast food. I will let her eat them sometimes when she is older, but at this stage she doesn't feel that she's missing out and certainly doesn't need them. She is well fed, happy and healthy and likes most foods.
16. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby-led_weaning http://babyledweaning.blogware.com/ Baby-led weaning...A more "natural" approach to infant/toddler feeding here is my little guy teething on some zwieback toast at 6 months old(he started getting it at about 5 months though) http://www.flickr.com/photos/8345732@N02/1434052021/in/set-72157600360880890/ He is now almost 21 months old and has been eating off our plates since about 6 months old...
17. "I stood my ground and didn't." But why? She doesn't need that crap from the baby food aisle. It's there for the convenience of parents, not for the benefit of infants.
18. my son will be 7 months old on Dec 6th. on thanksgiving i gave him mashed potatoes. we have the ok from his doctor to start him on table foods because hes got in pincher thing down pat. he eats pancakes for breakfast and sometiems i just give him his baby food in a blob cause hed rather feed himself. i would check with your doctor to make sure shes ready and then start with soft things in small pieces. do you give her gerber puffs? my son loves the sweet potato and strawberry apple
19. I have made his food at home since starting solids but I have just recently started to give my son table food because he has no interest in the spoon anymore. He wants to do it himself and he is 7 1/2 months old. I am very cautious about what I give him- it has to be very soft and cut very small. I give him semi-mashed sweet potato, green beans, peaches, bananas, avocado etc. Sometimes he coughs while eating and I go into panic mode but he is able to do it and I just watch him closely. I absolutlely hate it when other people question my parenting! Don't feel like you have to start this now because other people are. I am glad you are able to stand up for yourself too.
20. When she was 5.5 months and stealing it off our plate lol. As long as it's not a choking hazard, there's no reason why a baby can't have your food. All jarred food is processed, blended, ultra-heated, untasting rubbish. There's no reason to feed a baby jars at all, apart from convenience. There is absolutely no reason why she can't have real food, she should be eating it to be honest. It's much better for her. Apart from the jell-o lol. My daughter' 8 months, and eeats what we eat. Chilli chicken with pasta, chilli and rice, roast veg etc.
21. Never listen to other people! tell them to worry about their own kids! I hate people like this!!! arrrg...Go by your insticts