What is your baby eating at 11-12 months?

[Melisa1985]

My baby has no teeth & i'm scared and unsure of what to start feeing her of our cooked foods?? how do i make food for her to be able to swallow??
Also, she isn't drinking water, just does not want it and unsure of what to do in order to make her start drinking water.
She drinks juice sometimes, but no water at all.

 

[KAH1990]

What have you been feeding her upto now? You can try her on finger foods my LO is 6 months old an he loves to suck on toast, carrot sticks (cooked so soft), avocado, banana etc he has no teeth yet but he's fine I just keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't take in any big pieces! I've also started blending our dinner and giving him spoon fulls he loves to feed himself though so just ends up everywhere and him sucking the spoon lol

 

[Melisa1985]

I been feeding her the 2nd and 3rd foods that you can purchase in a store mostly & formula. & yogurts, give her a little bit on my finger sometimes of the soft stuff we eat, or soup, but so scared to give her bananas to chew herself or some other stuff. I think the fear comes mostly from when she was a small baby she would choke a lot on formula feeding and would give me a scare...
What are some soft foods i could possibly try right now that i can make at home?

 

[JenX]

My 11.5 month old loves turkey, corn, peas, strawberries, and more. We have to just cut things up and give them to her as she refuses to be fed. She only wants to feed herself. She does have teeth, though. She has 8 in the front and is starting to get her molars. That being said, it doesn't seem like she does much chewing, except to bite pieces off when I give her something like sticks of apple. She has been drinking water since 6 months old.

Can you try just giving her small pieces of steamed vegetables or meat? Like something that will fall apart easily if gummed? Fish is another thing that is pretty easy for them to eat. Or maybe try grated cheese if she has no problems with dairy.

I would keep persevering with water in the hopes that eventually she will start drinking it. I know my LO doesn't like it if the water is too cold; she prefers room temperature. Are you using a bottle to give water? If so, could you try a straw cup?

 

[HKateH]

My 11 month old eats everything except honey and whole nuts! He even munches down cheese and crackers with his four teeth!

 

[catty]

My lo eats anything really. He is 9 months.
Usualy day would be breakfast - cereal which I feed him as it causes such a mess then a selection of fruit which he feeds himself. He will eat any fruit except I wont give him grapes.

lunch - somthing like brocolli, potato in a cheese sauce which I feed him, then il give him a few things to eat himself like a cheese sandwich or breadstick, alot ends up on the floor

dinner - spag bol. Or similar which I feed him and then he will feed himself either fruit,veg or bread.

they are really clever he could shive a massive bit of strawberry into his mouth and he knows its too much so he will pull it out.
I think your lo would get the hang of finger foods very quickly and they will need to know when there older.

he has choked twice before and these were both from very pureed foods, chunky things hes never choked on but sometimes gags and removes the food.

 

[_jellybean_]

At 11 months, my lo was eating everything that we eat. I'd just try...give her a piece of toast to start maybe. I know that it's scary, but I don't think it's good to wait too long to let them have food, but I'm not sure about that. What has your lo's pediatrician said?

 

[irish_cob]

It doesn't matter that she doesn't have teeth, she'll have rock hard gums as the teeth will be just below the surface. She's more likely to choke on puréed stuff, just give her some pasta shells and some pieces of veg or fruit and see how she goes.

 

[HKateH]

If it makes you feel any better, the whole principle behind the safety of baby led weaning from six months is that babies' fine motor skills develop in line with their ability to handle food in their mouths - basically by the time babies can pick up small food, they are able to chew and swallow it properly. I'm not sure if that is the case with babies who haven't had finger foods, but I imagine by 11 months, your LO will be fine. You could start with soft foods like avocado, mango or sweet potato so that they can be mushed up easily.

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

Jade managed all sorts before she got teeth xx

 

[zorak]

You really do need to let LO try other foods. Finger foods is a good way to go as it puts LO more in control. Personally, I mix spoon feeding and finger foods as it works for us. At your LO's age they should really be well established on solids so you need to try and calm your fears to allow LO to move on. Try and familiarise yourself with infant CPR if it will help you feel more in control,

 

[BellaBoo0512]

My LO eats the majority of things that me and OH eat and has been doing for the past couple of months. He only has 4 teeth but seems to manage to eat things fine and did before his teeth popped through I was petrified of letting him feed himself at first because he choked on his bottle when he was tiny but he hasn't choked once *touch wood* he has gagged a couple of times but I think that's normal?

My LO also doesn't drink a lot of water. He has a bottle in a morning and one before he goes to bed. During the day I give him lots of fruit to get his fluid levels up that way. Melon is great x

 

[special_kala]

Anything he can get his flipping hands on!

F has eaten normal food from 6 months, he got teeth at 8 months. None of mine have ever been offered juice. They drink water when they are thirsty.

 

[Melisa1985]

So I tried giving her an apple to just press with gums and maybe just get some juice out of it while i supervised her yesterday because I see other moms doing it, ugh I got a little scare, she bit a really small piece of with her gums and than started choking on it...Urgh : ( my husband flipped her and got it out with his finger, but I was terrified, my heart stopped for a second. I guess it was a bad mistake to give her something so hard to start off with. I just didn't think she was gonna bite a small piece off or start choking on such a tiny piece. We will try more softer stuff.

Thank you ladies for all your input.

 

[Julesillini8]

Hi Hun! Remember me from the pregnancy boards?
Anyhow, I know it's scarey with your first, but now is as good as a time as ever to start. ( They have to eat real food eventually and they have to learn how by experience!)I would definitely do something softer than apple. Or, just cook the apple ( steam ) for a few minutes to soften it ( it also tastes a bit sweeter). Tiny chunks of banana / avocado, baked sweet potato pieces are great starters. They have baby friendly favors and are soft so they can mush them. My baby actually would " chew" finger foods before she got any teeth in, they just somehow start to chomp with their gums, really I think you will be surprised the more you offer.
Also Cheerios/ toast bits, or baby puffs may help to break you in, they get mushy when they get wet by babies saliva, so not going to choke. It's good for pincher grip development and for learning to move food around with tongue and to swallow ( different skills than swallowing purée/ thin foods). I do think you should keep offering as the more " practice" the better your baby will be at eating them!
I know it's scarey as a first timer, but just keep foods soft and small. keep us updated, you can do it!

 

[BellaBoo0512]

Banana was one of the things I tried first as it's mushy, I used to cut the banana in half then cut each half in half lengthways and then in half lengthways again so they looked like fries. Rice cakes are another good one also boiled carrot sticks and broccoli florets are another. I know it's petrifying when your baby chokes but please don't put your fingers in her mouth to get the food out as I've read it can make the choking worse as it can push the food further down the throat. Good luck with the finger foods. Let us all know how you get on

 

[_jellybean_]

One more thing... since you're really concerned about choking, your lo's pediatrician might be a great resource. You can ask what you should start with first, and I'd bet they'd be encouraging, and give you peace of mind. I've gotten incredible advice on b&b, but I always like to check with lo's doctor if there's something going on that I'm really worried about.

We started with baby mum mums b/c they basically melt in your mouth. Oh, and have you seen yogurt melts? They melt too. You could try things like that--Gerber has a whole line of baby food. Might be less stressful. Nope...I wouldn't start with apples or anything hard. I'd try toast cut into strips with some jelly or something (lo will end up sucking on it b/c the jelly is sweet, and making it soft, so you won't worry about choking). Have you given cheerios? Actually--that was both of my lo's first food--Cheerios! I'd try them first, lol!

Do you give your lo all stages of baby food, or just the first stage? Has lo had the jarred spaghetti, meats, etc., or do you just give the ultra pureed foods? Just curious if your lo has had any variety of texture?

 

[tristansmum]

Try soft fruits like banana or ripe pears. If you want to do Apple then cook it for 5 minutes first to soften it... My 10 1/2 month old has only just started eating slithers of uncooked Apple and we have been feeding him solid foods since 5 months. Also try well cooked veg like carrot batons or broccoli. Toast is another good one to try. Small pieces of chicken.... Roast is best as its lovely and moist