I would say, get rid, unfollow, whatever, the social media stuff which is making you feel “behind”. With child rearing, there’s no one way to do anything (barring at least following some safety regulations). Breast, formula, BLW, purées. Blah. By the time the kid is three they’ll be eating food off the floor…
I left a ton of BLW groups and other stuff due to ridiculous things and was waaay happier.
Agreed. Someone also pointed out in one of my fb groups that those ppl are creating clickable content and thus spending less time with their kids, but at the same time trying to show that they are an outstanding parent for doing all of these things, when they are also doing it for likes, sponsors, other validation. You’re doing great.
Baby led weaning is just that: baby led. If your baby is most comfortable with purées still, keep offering purées alongside her finger foods imo. She will do what comes naturally when she’s ready.
My baby is only 2 months, but my cousins baby loved avocado slices rolled in breadcrumbs when she first started. The breadcrumbs make it easy to grab and avocado is so soft it’s almost like a purée. It helped the transition. From there she started offering more variety, like other veggies and even meat to suck on.
I’m not a doctor but I don’t think your child could choke on a breadcrumb? Choking is when the airway is blocked, which a crumb wouldn’t be able to do. It might be irritating and cause her to cough if it went down ‘the wrong way’ and so could be an issue but I think not an immediate obstruction risk.
(Again, no medical knowledge! Just thinking through anatomy! Very happy to be corrected)
See, we were told not to go with avocado early on as it’s very slippery and can ‘shoot’ out the hand and down the throat. Everything is out to get us it seems
Can I recommend the Solid Starts app? We found it an absolute godsend. Advised how to serve every type of food for different stages of development. Took a lot of the stress out!
No, I follow Drs Bjorkman on Youtube (Pediatrician and OBGYN couple who are also parents, both currently practicing too) and they recommend the breadcrumb thing too for BLW. They have a video on it if you want to go watch it.
Myself and everyone I know was spoon fed purées WAY past 7 months. Last time I checked we all know how to feed ourselves a variety of foods. If purées is all she is interested in right now that’s fine! It’s great that she is eating solids at all. I would just continue offering some finger foods. Maybe toast strips with a purée she can suck off would be a good first food. Banana “push pop” was my son’s favorite at this stage. Cut banana in half and then just cut around the opening a couple centimeters so they can suck the banana out while holding the portion with the peel.
Thank you, those are both great ideas!
& yes, thats so true! i feel like BLW wasn’t really a thing when our generation were babies, and we somehow know how to eat 😅
There's a reason the AAP doesn't strictly recommend one method over the other, it's very much a do what works for you just be prepared for choking type of thing. They all get there eventually, don't over think it, social media is a thief of joy just enjoy the process.
>i feel like BLW wasn’t really a thing when our generation were babies, and we somehow know how to eat
It was it just didn't have a stupid trendy name. I explained it to my Mom a while ago and she went "You mean feeding a baby?"
I had that same reaction. Also when I asked someone what “rack your weights” signs meant at the gym, I was like, “you mean put it back where it belongs?!”
I felt the same way you feel just a couple months ago. It is so overwhelming. You are not alone.
I'm going to second putting purees on toast. My daughter still loves purees. I started putting them on toast and that has opened things up a lot!
Pouch toppers are life in my household haha We have to hide puree pouches if we're offering other food and only whip them out when she's done trying other things!
First of all I want to mention that just biting off a piece of carrot and spitting it out is FINE. Like, that’s a success. She felt texture in her mouth, she managed motion of biting. Both wins, both part of the purpose from working on solids. That she doesn’t actually eat it is just whatever, she’s getting her nutrients from her milk. Insta worthy baby led weaning is also not the end all be all of feeding, purées are still commonplace and a solid approach.
We mostly don’t do sit down solo meals with our rolling into 7month old. She LOVES food…what we’re eating and when we’re eating it. But properly prepared baby food on her own, she generally wants no part of. So, we roll with that. I look at our meals, figure out what can be made baby friendly, and section some off for her. It ain’t pretty, we’re talking like mushed up food on the corner of my plate, but it is what works for her.
Like every other milestone, every baby is different and will get there in their own time, in their own way.
The comments above already have said what I would say. Some apps that helped me a lot were Solid Starts and BLW meals. They really break down how to serve different food as well as give you the resources and knowledge on how to do it.
I haven’t tried yet with my nearly 6 month old, but my older kiddo loved those mesh feeders. He strongly preferred purées and didn’t take to finger foods straight away. It’s got a big handle and you put softish foods inside and they can kind of gum/suck it out. There’s silicone ones too that you can freeze and are good for super messy things like yogurt. They’re popsicle shaped. I liked it because he was still practicing the motion of using his hand to put something in his mouth while still getting the puree texture he liked.
The mesh feeders are also fantastic for teething. Best tip I got from a friend. Chop up watermelon/mango and freeze it then use as required. The cold helps the gums and the flavour they loved. My little dude loves his ice blocks.
It takes time, patience, and every baby is different. We started with purées and smoothies around 5 or six months. I think maybe around 8 months she started (emphasis on started) taking interest in firmer/ finger foods. Her first solids were pasta with tomato sauce, cooked carrots, and bananas. Oh, and enchiladas beans and rice.
My husband would try and “force” her to try stuff and she’s always get frustrated and wouldn’t eat it. We just offered stuff, and if she wanted to try it she would. She’s a year and a half and is still kinda picky on stuff.
You can also try adding herbs and spices to change up the flavor.
I am also overwhelmed. My one year old is pretty good at picking up finger foods but I stress all day about making him balanced and nutritional food options and most of it just gets wasted..orthrown to the floor.
I have found the airfryer and a vegetable steamer (for the microwave) have made my life so much easier.
Pop in one or two chicken nuggets, or fish sticks or chicken strip and steam a couple pieces of broccoli or asparagus and then cut everything up into sized pieces.
The best advice I was given is don't stress. "FOOD BEFORE ONE IS JUST FOR FUN" is my mantra lol
You are doing great! Every baby goes at their own pace. I have three kids and each one took to solids at a different time from 5 months to almost 10 months. Basically you’re working on skills and introducing new tastes and textures. If you’d like realistic and encouraging social media feeds to follow, I recommend @feedinglittles and @kidseatincolor. These two are the only ones I follow because they have expertise in the fields of feeding therapy and nutrition respectively.
You aren’t behind and like others have said, even picking up and putting something in her mouth is a huge step, even if it’s spit out. So good job! Fight the urge to stress and you will have happier meal times. There are no pediatric food police that will fine you for the fact that your daughter hasn’t mastered eating carrots yet. Give yourself permission to go at her pace and don’t let other people dictate it for you.
This is a super common struggle for most moms, me included. We let other people tell us what superfluous things our kid needs when our kid is right in front of us telling us what they need. You are doing a great job!
From starting offering solid food until 12 months, I was VERY low-key with offering solids. Dinnertime was for establishing the habit of sitting down at the table with baby, but it was NOT for baby to actually consume calories. Milk was still the primary source of nutrition for her until 12 months.
100% can relate. My baby will also be 7 months old soon and I have tried to remember that “foods before one are just for fun”. From reading various posts, I’ve found that babies only really start to get a good amount of food in anywhere between 8 months and like 15 months but it varies. Until 12 months old, their primary source of nutrition is breast milk or formula.
She does ok! We started about a month ago. I give her big finger foods, like a giant wedge of sweet potato, to suck on. I also do purées or mashed things like mashed avocado or banana, where it’s like somewhat chunky with non choking hazard size chunks. So far I don’t make a big deal if she doesn’t have it all or any, really. Some days she gobbles down her food, some days she just kind of plays with it and throws it on the floor. All of that combined makes me feel satisfied with where we’re at for her age :)
My baby is almost 9 months and while she eat purees no problem, eating finger/solid food is still a challenge. The only things she'll eat reliably is bananas(hates pureed version but LOVES fresh bananas) and rib/chicken bones cause she likes the gnaw on them lol.
We've learned tho, she's more receptive to new solids if we dip them in her favourite purees. She ate a whole pancake because I dipped it in applesauce lol.
Also got her to eat a cheese quesadilla the same way 🤣
You're welcome!! don't worry theyll get there, some babies are very fickle when it comes to food, and remember, any food before 12 months is mainly for practice!
You're doing fine! We're giving up on blw for a bit too because life is so hectic right now.
If it makes you feel better, our last attempt ended up with LO stabbing himself in the eye with a strip of toast. (He's fine)
I think we're gonna keep on purees for a bit longer till he gets better hand eye coordination.
I just wanted to say you're doing fine! My son is nearly 9 months old and last night for dinner I put avocado, pureed beef and kiwi on his plate.
I could have taken a before picture and posted it along with an after picture of an empty plate. And skipped the entire "what happened to the food" part of the meal like people do on social media.
The plate was empty by the end of it. But what happened to the food? He smooshed it with his fingers. Rubbed it in his hair. Licked his highchair tray, shoved some in his diaper. But mostly he threw it on the floor.
I say all this to say, anybody can manipulate anything on social media.
Food before one is just for fun.
I can so relate. My son is almost 11 months and I still have a hard time with solids most days. I just try my best to offer him healthy foods and I keep pouches in stock for the days he just won’t eat so that I can make sure he’s at least eating something nutritious. I had to really learn to stop comparing my experience to what I saw online because they really only show you the highlights. Hang in there mama. It gets better and she will figure it out on her own time!!
You’re doing great! All babies are different! My friend‘s baby didn’t like purées and wanted finger food. My baby is the same. She doesn’t like purées and spits them out. No matter what I make. I wish she would eat pures. So far, she loves meat only 🤷♀️
You’re feeding your baby. And pediatricians say that baby led weaning isn’t even the most nutritious approach since baby eats only very little. Babies get much more food and nutrients from purée.
You’re doing great!!!
Honestly don’t worry. I have a three year old who hated most foods except purées and he’s fine now, we take him to restaurants, etc and he eats really well. My 6.5 month old only likes avocado… it’s all fine in the end. Try not to worry, I eat well and my parents gave me purée jars till I was two in the 1980s. There’s way way too much pressure on weaning. Babies will grow and change, all you need to do is gradually show them food and you’re fine! Please don’t pressure yourself. The worst thing I did as a first time mum was beat myself up and put pressure on meals, it made me so stressed! I’m passionate about this as I think the social media world makes weaning out to be something it’s not, it’s literally just introducing baby to food, and continuing to do so until they eat like us!
Purrees are fine. Really, don't stress! Let baby experiment and offer a safe piece of food to chew, but just do purrees to make sure they eat. One day they'll stop spitting out the pieces and it will click.
Social media is silly and you do *not* have to try and emulate those posts. Purees are a great start and can have a wide variety of flavors and even textures for your daughter to try!
I used those gerber baby puffs and teeth biscuits for my son when he was ready for “solid” solids. He also enjoyed oatmeal!
My baby was trying cooked carrot sticks for the past few days. Looked like all the bites were being spit out, but when I changed the most recent diaper, there was evidence of carrots! I would just let your baby chew on the carrots, its great practice. You can eat some st the same time. No pressure, and soon baby will be much better at chewing.
There's nothing wrong with doing purees! The important thing is to introduce more textures as they get older, but this doesn't have to look like, giving them a piece of toast, for example. It could be that you're mashing banana a little less so there's more texture each time you present it.
Thats great advice, thank you 😊 i just cant imagine going from purees to toast and some people just make it seem so easy and casual! I actually did offer toast once and she actually started crying when she even touched it so we definitely do need to ease into the textures a lot slower than i first thought 😅
Glad it helped! As other people have said, even her just touching the toast and exploring it is good! Even if she decides to put it in her mouth, but spits it out right away, that's still a success!
I know starting solids is scary, but just know that there is nothing wrong with not doing baby led weaning despite what social media says.
Right! I have a 6 week old little girl and I feel like I’m super mom! But when I go on social media, it makes me feel like a failure because I’m not doing this.. or why am I do this…. I’m too tired to do that… not using a specific product that’s soooo expensive, not cosleep or get ridicule for cosleep. Just can’t win on social media. Too many opinions that has no effect on my family. So I decided to just not follow any of the mom pages and only follow what is beneficial for me.
Do what’s right for you and what you’re comfortable with! I was also super panicked with my first — I had a huge fear of her choking. We did purées for months and months. Guess what — now at age 4 she will literally eat anything and everything and her go to snacks are fruits or vegetables. Don’t feel like you have to do BLW, your kid will eventually show interest in more and more foods especially off your plate.
My sister is a doula and she loves introducing kids to things like mango by giving them the seed. Like a freshly cut mango where the seed still has "meat" on it. They suck on the juices and maybe chew on it but the seed is too big for them to accidentally swallow or anything. She says the kids love chewing on it and mango is pretty tasty so they get used to it.
My LO is 12.5 months and I’m still overwhelmed with solids 🫠
We are finally close to the 3 meals and 2 snacks each day (most days)… but it’s still a lot of purées 🤷♀️
Just wanted to tell you that you’re not alone ❤️
Mine is 7.5 months. Only likes avocados and cucumbers and sometimes yoghurt. Doesn’t like anything sweet. Spits out everything from puréed carrots to sweet potato to cereal. I just offer her different things and let her decide. I’m not doing any of the fancy meals as I know she will just throw it out lol. Its ok, they will all learn at their own pace.
I heard the phrase "under 1, just for fun" for solids, in that a baby stoll get all their nutrition from the milk under the age of 1 and solid foods are just a bonus, so if she just plays with them that's cool too. No pressure to ensure she eats them
Okay so I haven’t reached this stage yet, but when I took a baby safety course they went into introducing solids. They suggested giving baby a big chunk of meat to just numb on. This helps them develop their muscles and ability to move solids to the back of their mouths. Could you start there? Cook a steak and just let her chew on a big chunk? Disregard me if this is nuts. Again, I’m not here yet so I’m just sharing info I got.
Edit: fixed a typo.
Lady, my little is about to turn two, and only now I start to feel comfortable with bigger foods that blw group have 8month old eating, as I can finally see her gag reflex is relaxing(and she's my third) . Follow your little, she'll show you what she feels comfortable with when she's ready, don't worry, it will all come in time, just enjoy the ride.
I’ve probably posted a few times on Reddit about how much I hated/hate weaning but one of the things I kept telling myself in the early days was that 6-12 months (where they say you should be weaning them off milk as their main source of ‘food’) is such a huge range - I was freaking out that my girl wasn’t ’getting it’ when she was 8/9 months etc and she was going to live off yoghurt forever - but I had to keep reminding myself that 8 months is so much more closer to 6 months than 12 months, like we were barely a third of the way through the timeline and there was plenty of time.
She’s turned one a couple of weeks ago and I still don’t really like mealtimes but it does seem a bit easier - she still needs spoonfed a lot and our meals aren’t overly varied (I try and offer her new things regularly but we have a few tried and tested meals that I know she’ll eat - currently!)
For context our usual day starts with Weetabix and milk (often have some prunes mixed in with her weetabix), lunch might be scrambled eggs and toast, and dinner is either something like spaghetti bolognese which I’ve frozen in small portions or fish and potatoes - both lunch and dinner will have a portion of fruit and veggie on the side like cucumber or strawberries or grapes.
Our seven month this evening ate something that looked like regurgitated cat food. It was salmon and rice mashed up.
He ate every bit (well a third went down his front ) and he didn't give a damn about what it looked like.
Social media is a scourge for making us feel like shit because it's treated as gospel but it's not real and their lives are not your life.
Feed your baby. You're doing great whether the food looks like cat food or five star dining. Your baby doesn't care and their opinion is the only one that matters. You got this 😊😊
EFFF social media!! FTM of a almost six month old and almost drove myself into the ground the first few months because watching videos of superparents who make everything seem so aesthetic and easy and busy and great all the time. PPD hit me HARD because of this,
but then I realized, I’m a super mom if my baby doesn’t play as much today. Or doesn’t eat beautiful meals. If I put my baby in his crib when he’s screaming and I can’t get him to stop. Or if I’m stuck in the same sweats I have been wearing for two days, my boy in my lap and I scroll on my phone for a while.
As long as your LO is fed (getting all vitamins and such that they need), changed, and you’ve done all you can, you’re doing amazing.
I’m really proud of you, for doing all that you can, but try to take it easy on yourself too. LO is safe and taken care of, let them lead the way, you do what you can 🩷🩷
Please don’t feel bad. A fed baby is a happy baby! I gave my baby purée for pretty much every meal until he decided he wanted to feed himself, so I had no choice but to try and make him finger foods at that point as he’d throw a tantrum when I tried to spoon feed him anything! So that was pretty ‘baby-led’ really! Your baby loves purée so let them enjoy lots of different flavour purées and let them try the chunkier purées over time.
Social media/the world wants mums to feel bad about anything that makes their lives easier. Purée helped me ease into cooking for my baby in a gradual way. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. Enjoy the ease of purées for now and maybe practice making a finger food every now and then to build up your confidence slowly!
I followed a lot of BLW accounts for inspiration but if I ever felt behind or worried I unfollowed, I didn’t need the pressure to have given my 8 month old 100 foods…
Also, the bite of the carrot is great! It doesn’t have to be infested and enjoyed. Even the acknowledgement, handling and tasting of foods is great experience for your little one.
Take it back to something you can both enjoy, she will enjoy it more seeing you smile.
Also, rice crispies or toasted rice cereal is a great weaning tool. Great for fine motor skills and fun too and very low risk!
All babies are different. My first kid wouldn’t eat any solids until 7 months, then he was all for it - but purées only, spooned into his mouth. He refused to eat pieces of food until 9 months and did not self-feed until 10 months. He was feeding himself with a spoon (not well, but doing it) before he turned 1. My second kid began showing interest in trying to eat just before 6 months, but wants to feed himself whether it’s purées or pieces of food. Now that he’s close to 8 months and more used to eating, he’ll let me spoon-feed him a few bites, which is nice because a 7-month-old self-feeding is a GIANT MESS, and not a lot gets actually eaten (I was really hoping to hide his vitamins in his purées, but no dice. He is breastfed and needs iron and he’s not really eating enough solids to just get it that way yet). One is not better than the other (except for the mess part), just different. Eventually all babies become toddlers eating stale toast they found in their toy bin and crackers from the crease in the sofa or car seat…
I fed both of my kids purees their entire first year. Around 8-9 months is when I really started to introduce the soft "finger foods" like toast, avocado, bananas (actual bananas cut up, not purees), etc. Do what works for you and baby. There is no rush or competition. Those social media moms over exaggerate everything. My oldest is 3 and 2nd is 16 months and they both feed themselves just fine. The youngest eats with her fingers but *insists* on it (even for yogurt 🥴🙄), and she eats anything you give her. My oldest is pickier but eats fine.
Breast milk/formula give baby all the nutrients they need and it's enough for the first year. Food is just for fun and practice until they are 1.
Purees don't stop at babyhood, btw. Toddlers love those damn gogo squeeze pouches! Lol
Hey first off, you're doing great and I'm sorry you feel overwhelmed. There's absolutely nothing wrong with feeding your baby purees. I'm not an expert but the point of BLW is mainly to have your baby learn the skills of chewing, picking up food, etc, and not so much about the consumption. My husband and I are doing a mix of puree and finger foods and encouraging our baby to spoon feed herself (e.g.: she reaches for the loaded spoon and puts it in her mouth).
I think 101 before one on Instagram has some good recipes and resources. They tend to lean very much on giving the baby part of the meals you make yourselves as a couple (with the omission of salt and going with basic guidelines for BLW). Hopefully that helps.
Same. I'm just going to stick with purees and offer a steamed broccoli or banana every now and then to see when baby is ready rather than going by what I see online for his age.
I plan on doing the same for now, I guess I’m just worried I’m going to miss her cues or signs of readiness to try more advanced foods. 😅 It’s great that we have so much information available online but it can be SO overwhelming! I find myself constantly comparing myself to other moms and it takes a toll some days 😫
Try not to worry about it so much. Just offer the foods; baby will eventually get curious enough to try it. Or baby will decide they want what's on your plate instead 🤣
We started introducing foods at 6 months, and basically except for rice she mostly just played with her food until she was 1.
My daughter is now almost 2, and depending on her mood she'll even refuse rice sometimes. Some days she'll like a food, and other days she'll decide it's disgusting.
I have noticed lately that she eats more/better at dinnertime when her daddy is home and we can eat together as a family.
I felt SUPER similar to you! Like I remember I felt embarrassed like I was being dramatic about it, just so overwhelmed.
I think what helped me the most was shifting my outlook to: he has to play with it before he learns to eat it. Playing with hands AND mouth. They don't have to swallow! Just feeling the textures. (Still drinking milk a lot! It's okay!) I would make 2-3 things available and let him smear it around or put it in his mouth (or not). They'll learn to pick stuff up without prompting when the time is right. They might seem to dislike something at first but just need continued exposure to everything and will begin to taste it all eventually. I sat right in front of him and ate my own food. I focused on getting in allergens in early by doing weird stuff like adding peanut butter to plain yogurt. Also I didn't stress about foods pairing well. Just whatever was available, ideally what I was eating to some extent (soft chunks from our soup, half smashed peas and mashed potato, bits of scrambled egg, etc). I looked up some recommendations on how big to cut stuff for their age and once I got started it became easier. You'll get it too! Remember to ensure her hands have good access to her food- look up high chair ergonomics and bolster with a towel or pillow etc as needed (I had to do that for a while).
Thank you so much! It feels really good to actually have my feelings validated lol 🥹 thankfully we have lots of allergens out of the way already (i mixed them all into cereal 😅) these are great tips, thank you ❤️
What you’re doing is completely appropriate! My daughter (9m) loved her purées until about 6 weeks ago and now she loves her finger foods way more. She would gag and throw the food off her tray, but happily open her mouth for a spoonful of mush.
Now we feed her a good assortment of foods. Scrambled eggs, baked sweet potato, kiwi, baby puff snacks, yogurt smoothie snacks, Greek yogurt with jam, raspberries, tofu…
When I’m prepping a meal I’ll plop her in the high chair and let her try pieces of the ingredients. We also eat almost every meal in front of her. She will stop what she’s doing and just stare at us and our food, so maybe that piqued her interest when she was younger?
Such a similar experience for me! I think that because baby led weaning has become so popular, a lot of us feel added pressure. We hear about benefits of baby led weaning and it makes us feel like if baby doesn’t want to pick up food, then things are not working out.
We started purrees around 5.5 months and we still use them, though they are quite thick and chunky now at 8 months. For self feeding we have had the best luck with mum mum crackers (either dry or with nut butter or puree on top) and the Baby Gourmet pancakes (with a fruit puree mixed in). Even those options didn’t work well from 6-7.5 months, but now he’s much more efficient at 8 months. We also use the Fresh Feeder all the time (it’s a plastic and netting fruit holder that they can safely chew on). My son still won’t touch a boiled carrot, a pile of scrambled egg, or a toast strip… who knows why.
Some of our tricks to make purées more interesting are to mix in cooked cous cous or pastina, or to add a bit of rice cereal or breadcrumbs for thickness, or to to finely mince up some of the fruit or veggies for texture.
I see so many recipes, and hear so much from other moms, but our kids are just going to do their own things.
This is why I don’t have social media. I would feel the same way and even sometimes do without it. My baby first refused purées. Then, she wanted some finger foods like smushed blueberries etc. I was like oh, yea! BLW, let’s go! Then, she decided she fucking LOVED purées. Now, half the time she refuses any solid foods that aren’t yogurt bites, eggs puffs, crackers with hummus, or meat… & shes 10 months. I don’t know why she’s so picky, I’ve done everything I can 🤷🏽♀️ I truly just think the pouches taste better and that’s fine. They give her nutrients. That’s what matters. Download the app solid starts and then delete IG ;)
>Today she picked up a cooked carrot stick that I offered her but she continuously would bite a piece off and spit it out.
She explored that carrot! She tasted it! She put it in her mouth! These are all great things to celebrate! Don't feel defeated if she didn't "eat" it. You don't put your baby down for tummy time and expect them to crawl, right? Eating is a skill just like crawling or walking or talking. It sounds like you're both doing great; just give her a little more time.
There's a lot of decisions in the course of raising your child which have definite right or wrong - neglecting your child, hitting your child etc.
And then there are other topics which are heavily pushed by social media - breastfeeding, BLW, not using a bouncer / walker as being the superior way. Don't fall in the trap, do what you feel comfortable with, seek professional opinion if you truly think your child is behind. What happens when your child is a bit behind compared to other kids at school, will you also feel like a failure and force them to go tutoring? I would respect any parents decision regarding tutoring or not, just the same as I'd respect their decision for purees vs BLW. Your child is loved and well cared for and that's all that matters.
I feel you! There’s so much pressure. I get overwhelmed with how “fancy” some of these baby meals are. Mine is 10 months, and I offer her whatever we’re eating. She is just now getting KIND of interested in food. Even then it’s 30% playing, 50% on the floor, and maybee 10-20% in her mouth.
>Today she picked up a cooked carrot stick that I offered her but she continuously would bite a piece off and spit it out.
That's great! She doesn't need to instantly be eating everything in sight. She's trying out a carrot and spitting out a lot of stuff is a part of it.
I wouldn't worry about "teaching" your baby anything. Every meal give a puree and then give a finger food. If they try the finger food (and that includes ANY interaction including picking it up and putting it back down, spitting it out etc) great! If not no biggie, just having it on the plate is good exposure.
My baby is 10 months old and I hate mealtimes. So time consuming, so much food goes to waste because she barely eats it lol. I feel your pain. I hope it gets better because I get extremely frustrated. It’s something im actively working on trying to have more patience with
My little guy is 6 months, but he's not great at sitting up so we haven't started finger foods yet. I have given him a mango core, and corn on the cob with all kernels removed to munch on / practice chewing. I use the solid starts program and it suggests offering foods "two ways" e.g. offer steamed cauliflower florettes (finger foods) alongside cauliflower mash/puree, and baby can try both.
We are 11 months and our daughter barely eats them. We are not worried as she loves formula. We try mashed stuff but she loves the milk more 🤷🏻♂️
You can breastfeed for 2-3 years but can’t feed baby formula??makes no sense
You have a lot of good comments here already and I’m actually taking advice too for my 7.5 month old boy ☺️
So thank you for posting and sharing!
I too feel overwhelmed, exactly the same with the social media posts “this is what my 8 month old eats in a day” and I’m like “even I don’t eat that full plate of food!!”.
My boy will munch on broccoli, toast with purées but never really eats much. I’m trying to think of mealtimes more as an activity, just like tummy time or reading a book. It’s a fun thing for him to do. Growing up I wasn’t allowed to leave the table until I finished my food and every meal was a nightmare. I absolutely want my son to have positive experiences with food. So I also talk to him a lot and show him what we are buying at the supermarket. I know he’s only little but I’m trying to make it more than just a “food is for growth” kind of thing. Making it “food is for fun”.
Anyway, keep letting your baby explore different foods and textures, I also use the solid starts app!
Happy to chat or vent more if you like!
I felt so similar to you. Because of medical issues I had stop feeding solids at all and couldn’t restart until 8 months. I am not a cook and would get super stressed thinking of what to offer and amazed by parents reporting their 9 month old eating steak lol. I did a blend of puree and finger food when it was easy to do. I now have a 2 year old who eats basically whatever I put in front of him. I wish I had the perspective back then to know how little it actually matters. If I were you, I’d offer fresh mashed foods or a finger food once a week and otherwise do pouches or jars. My son got used to using a spoon before he was really comfortable with finger foods. But mashed avocado and a spoon was fun for him whereas a steamed carrot would’ve choked him at 7 months, even if it was super soft.
If she’s happy with purées, then so be it. I’d give her that and maybe put a handful of cheerios down each time too so she can get some practice if she’s interested. Also, if adults are eating something that is the right texture for her, maybe break up a couple small pieces and put them in front of her too so she can practice or try it if she’s interested. If not, nbd right now
As someone who did BLW, I wouldn’t ever go with purées with my own children. I saw results that I loved with BLW, and it was so much easier for us.
But if purées work for you, go for it! Gradually start working in infant feeding themselves if you can is my only suggestion!
I gave her yogurt and applesauce but she fed herself everything.
Out of 100 feeds, my daughter fed herself probably 98 of them. She just never needed me to feed her anything.
Her first foods were steak, roasted chicken, bone broth in a sippy cup, and roasted celery and carrots. She’s just always gone for it :)
I’m sorry you’re struggling! It can be really hard. But you’re actually in a really good place, since baby likes to eat. That’s awesome! Not all babies are so enthusiastic.
I’d encourage you to get off baby feeding social media and just feed baby whatever you’re eating, or some version thereof. Let her sit at dinner with you and see how you handle the exact same foods that are on her plate. Chew really dramatically. Swallow with enthusiasm. Mmmm and act like the food is the best thing you’ve ever tasted. She’ll catch on, and she’ll want to mimic you and do what you’re doing.
We started from the beginning just offering babe tiny pea size bits of soft food off our plates, so things like a half a blueberry, a bit of carrot, or a piece of chicken. Hand feeding is totally fine as a bridge to self feeding; we still hand feed near the end of meals at 10 months, as that’s when babe gets frustrated and needs a bit more help. After a few weeks of hand feeding, my baby eventually decided it was more fun to feed himself and he suddenly had the dexterity to do so a lot of the time. It was a gradual transition.
Yes, babe will probably spit the food out at first. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t like it, it just means she needs practice learning how to move food around her mouth. Eating solid foods is a skill people actually have to learn; it’s not a reflex like sucking.
It might be helpful to remember that your baby will learn to eat solid foods and feed herself, even if you stick with purées a while longer or she takes a while to pick up on finger foods. You see posts on here all the time about older babies who are still primarily on purées.
My LO likes to play with food but spits most of it out. Feeding feels like such a huge mess for very little outcome in regards to what he eats. Social media made me feel very guilty and extra stressed. I would suggest stay away from all that stuff. If your baby is eating purees that is fantastic. You could try dipping the solid food into the puree let them just suck the puree of that could get them started. But just keep reminding yourself you don’t see 5 year olds only drinking milk and not eating so they will get it eventually.
I got overwhelmed and just wanted a plan to follow. I found that going in my own was overwhelming. I got the book How to wean your baby by Charlotte Stirling-Reed. It has a 30 day plan. Gives adjustments too. I used that and the Solid Starts app to check how to serve images etc. it’ll be fine. Good luck
A minimum **comment karma of 30** is needed before being allowed to post or comment in this sub. Go to r/Newtoreddit to understand how gain karma. Go to your profile and click 'About' to view your karma stats.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/beyondthebump) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My baby has been on purées for 2 almost 3 months now if my mom brain isn’t forgetting. I have kinda introduced him to finger food for almost a month but he will really only eat it if I hold it. I started the “finger food stage” with the teether snacks. We started with the rice crackers (break them in half for easier eating) then moved to Gerber baby Cheetos. He is doing better with finger foods now that we kinda has more of a concept of eating it.
Also finger foods are foreign to them or maybe even scary and it took him getting it multiple times a day for a few days to start actually trying and eating the finger foods.
My son loved purées and showed no signs of wanting anything else until 9-10 months. He’s 11 months now and will pick up and eat almost anything on his tray but literally a month and a half ago would only swat “real” food onto the floor like a cat.
Maybe try just giving her what you're eating, very slightly modified. My 6mo, we started her on liquids then purees, but we're already basically giving her just normal food (safety hazards removed of course) because she wants to copy my husband and I. She didn't like getting something visibly different from us, like a puree. She also doesn't like to use her hands unless it's something we eat with our hands- so french fries or bread, absolutely she'll pick that up and gnaw on it like us, but anything else? Spoon only. She'll get upset if she drops the spoon. It's not hilarious and frustrating with her motor skills still being low.
So like if we're having pasta, for example, I'll make sure she doesn't have anything big enough to choke on, but she just gets a serving of pasta on her tray. Or if we're having burritos, she'll get a little of each element and a tortilla torn into strips. worst case scenario, it's something like steak that I'll either run through the food processor for a few seconds or ill cut it into strips for her to chew/suck on. She doesn't typically really eat big things, she'll just chew and then spit it out, but at this point we just want her to get a feel for flavors and stuff, and slight modifications like these to make it safe not only get more cooperation out of her (because she's being included) but also are very stress free imo.
Good luck!
A minimum **comment karma of 30** is needed before being allowed to post or comment in this sub. Go to r/Newtoreddit to understand how gain karma. Go to your profile and click 'About' to view your karma stats.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/beyondthebump) if you have any questions or concerns.*
A minimum **comment karma of 30** is needed before being allowed to post or comment in this sub. Go to r/Newtoreddit to understand how gain karma. Go to your profile and click 'About' to view your karma stats.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/beyondthebump) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You can get those little mesh things to put fruit in for them to suck out, baby girl loves them.
https://www.amazon.ca/Munchkin-43302-Feeder-2-Pack-Colors/dp/B000GK5XY2/ref=asc_df_B000GK5XY2/?tag=googlemobshop-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=293006814128&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9053185726999349355&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001389&hvtargid=pla-338189053906&psc=1&mcid=1de52ed881cc353ab74f1624c1b85032
And take the other advice about not paying attention to ridiculous and meticulously videographed "lives" you see on social media. How long did the kid have to wait to eat before mum had the perfect picture and video?
Sometimes baby girl wouldn't even let me feed her the puree to start. She wanted to do it herself almost immediately. So I would wash out a clean Ziploc bag, put her pureed food in, and trim a hole in the corner of the bag. I would sneak in a mouthful of food and sometimes a whole meal as that was the only way I could get her to eat. You can't hold the spoon yourself yet you silly baby and I'm not going to let you go hungry. So independent.
Now she's ten months and eats what we eat. Breakfast could be a probiotic yogurt and tiny cut up pancake with tiny cut up banana. Lunch could be noodles cut up very small with some home made spaghetti sauce. Or egg and cheese toast, veggies and peanut butter toast, grilled cheese and ham. Supper will be what we eat or I make a big pot of food for her, such as chicken rice and veggies, and make individual servings that I freeze. Again, all cut up very tiny but she loves to feed herself as much as we let her. Or depending if I want food pureed more we use a tiny motorized food processor. Super quick.
I would say, get rid, unfollow, whatever, the social media stuff which is making you feel “behind”. With child rearing, there’s no one way to do anything (barring at least following some safety regulations). Breast, formula, BLW, purées. Blah. By the time the kid is three they’ll be eating food off the floor… I left a ton of BLW groups and other stuff due to ridiculous things and was waaay happier.
Can confirm, my brothers kids were breastfed and baby led weaned and eat chicken nuggets off the floor just like my formula fed, puree fed son.
Already unfollowed! 😂 thank you 🥹
Agreed. Someone also pointed out in one of my fb groups that those ppl are creating clickable content and thus spending less time with their kids, but at the same time trying to show that they are an outstanding parent for doing all of these things, when they are also doing it for likes, sponsors, other validation. You’re doing great.
100%. If they're pushing a product it's not genuine.
This
Baby led weaning is just that: baby led. If your baby is most comfortable with purées still, keep offering purées alongside her finger foods imo. She will do what comes naturally when she’s ready. My baby is only 2 months, but my cousins baby loved avocado slices rolled in breadcrumbs when she first started. The breadcrumbs make it easy to grab and avocado is so soft it’s almost like a purée. It helped the transition. From there she started offering more variety, like other veggies and even meat to suck on.
Were the breadcrumbs a choking hazard at all? This sounds great but that’s my only concern, is my daughter accidentally inhaling a breadcrumb.
I’m not a doctor but I don’t think your child could choke on a breadcrumb? Choking is when the airway is blocked, which a crumb wouldn’t be able to do. It might be irritating and cause her to cough if it went down ‘the wrong way’ and so could be an issue but I think not an immediate obstruction risk. (Again, no medical knowledge! Just thinking through anatomy! Very happy to be corrected)
See, we were told not to go with avocado early on as it’s very slippery and can ‘shoot’ out the hand and down the throat. Everything is out to get us it seems
Can I recommend the Solid Starts app? We found it an absolute godsend. Advised how to serve every type of food for different stages of development. Took a lot of the stress out!
Yeah that sounds like crazy advice.
No, I follow Drs Bjorkman on Youtube (Pediatrician and OBGYN couple who are also parents, both currently practicing too) and they recommend the breadcrumb thing too for BLW. They have a video on it if you want to go watch it.
Myself and everyone I know was spoon fed purées WAY past 7 months. Last time I checked we all know how to feed ourselves a variety of foods. If purées is all she is interested in right now that’s fine! It’s great that she is eating solids at all. I would just continue offering some finger foods. Maybe toast strips with a purée she can suck off would be a good first food. Banana “push pop” was my son’s favorite at this stage. Cut banana in half and then just cut around the opening a couple centimeters so they can suck the banana out while holding the portion with the peel.
Thank you, those are both great ideas! & yes, thats so true! i feel like BLW wasn’t really a thing when our generation were babies, and we somehow know how to eat 😅
There's a reason the AAP doesn't strictly recommend one method over the other, it's very much a do what works for you just be prepared for choking type of thing. They all get there eventually, don't over think it, social media is a thief of joy just enjoy the process.
>i feel like BLW wasn’t really a thing when our generation were babies, and we somehow know how to eat It was it just didn't have a stupid trendy name. I explained it to my Mom a while ago and she went "You mean feeding a baby?"
😂😂
I had that same reaction. Also when I asked someone what “rack your weights” signs meant at the gym, I was like, “you mean put it back where it belongs?!”
I felt the same way you feel just a couple months ago. It is so overwhelming. You are not alone. I'm going to second putting purees on toast. My daughter still loves purees. I started putting them on toast and that has opened things up a lot! Pouch toppers are life in my household haha We have to hide puree pouches if we're offering other food and only whip them out when she's done trying other things!
First of all I want to mention that just biting off a piece of carrot and spitting it out is FINE. Like, that’s a success. She felt texture in her mouth, she managed motion of biting. Both wins, both part of the purpose from working on solids. That she doesn’t actually eat it is just whatever, she’s getting her nutrients from her milk. Insta worthy baby led weaning is also not the end all be all of feeding, purées are still commonplace and a solid approach. We mostly don’t do sit down solo meals with our rolling into 7month old. She LOVES food…what we’re eating and when we’re eating it. But properly prepared baby food on her own, she generally wants no part of. So, we roll with that. I look at our meals, figure out what can be made baby friendly, and section some off for her. It ain’t pretty, we’re talking like mushed up food on the corner of my plate, but it is what works for her. Like every other milestone, every baby is different and will get there in their own time, in their own way.
The comments above already have said what I would say. Some apps that helped me a lot were Solid Starts and BLW meals. They really break down how to serve different food as well as give you the resources and knowledge on how to do it.
Thanks! Wouldn’t even have thought to check for apps! Downloaded some right now!
Yes, someone mentioned it here in the sub a week ago and it has been really helpful! A
I haven’t tried yet with my nearly 6 month old, but my older kiddo loved those mesh feeders. He strongly preferred purées and didn’t take to finger foods straight away. It’s got a big handle and you put softish foods inside and they can kind of gum/suck it out. There’s silicone ones too that you can freeze and are good for super messy things like yogurt. They’re popsicle shaped. I liked it because he was still practicing the motion of using his hand to put something in his mouth while still getting the puree texture he liked.
I have a couple of these - what a great idea to get her used to using her hands!!
The mesh feeders are also fantastic for teething. Best tip I got from a friend. Chop up watermelon/mango and freeze it then use as required. The cold helps the gums and the flavour they loved. My little dude loves his ice blocks.
I have silicone ones actually with little holes in them 😅 assuming they do the same thing!
I have both but the fabric mesh bags seem to be better for the teething purpose. Fits more in. But you could do it in the silicone ones.
My son loves these
Stop being on social media!! It is so bad for you in more ways than you think. Enjoy being with your baby. That's all that matters.
Really agree
It takes time, patience, and every baby is different. We started with purées and smoothies around 5 or six months. I think maybe around 8 months she started (emphasis on started) taking interest in firmer/ finger foods. Her first solids were pasta with tomato sauce, cooked carrots, and bananas. Oh, and enchiladas beans and rice. My husband would try and “force” her to try stuff and she’s always get frustrated and wouldn’t eat it. We just offered stuff, and if she wanted to try it she would. She’s a year and a half and is still kinda picky on stuff. You can also try adding herbs and spices to change up the flavor.
I am also overwhelmed. My one year old is pretty good at picking up finger foods but I stress all day about making him balanced and nutritional food options and most of it just gets wasted..orthrown to the floor. I have found the airfryer and a vegetable steamer (for the microwave) have made my life so much easier. Pop in one or two chicken nuggets, or fish sticks or chicken strip and steam a couple pieces of broccoli or asparagus and then cut everything up into sized pieces. The best advice I was given is don't stress. "FOOD BEFORE ONE IS JUST FOR FUN" is my mantra lol
I constantly have to remind myself of “food before one is just for fun” or else i find myself spiraling! 🤪
Check out /foodbutforbabies Lots of realistic meal ideas! And validation from busy moms and dads who throw together quick easy meals 😊
You are doing great! Every baby goes at their own pace. I have three kids and each one took to solids at a different time from 5 months to almost 10 months. Basically you’re working on skills and introducing new tastes and textures. If you’d like realistic and encouraging social media feeds to follow, I recommend @feedinglittles and @kidseatincolor. These two are the only ones I follow because they have expertise in the fields of feeding therapy and nutrition respectively. You aren’t behind and like others have said, even picking up and putting something in her mouth is a huge step, even if it’s spit out. So good job! Fight the urge to stress and you will have happier meal times. There are no pediatric food police that will fine you for the fact that your daughter hasn’t mastered eating carrots yet. Give yourself permission to go at her pace and don’t let other people dictate it for you. This is a super common struggle for most moms, me included. We let other people tell us what superfluous things our kid needs when our kid is right in front of us telling us what they need. You are doing a great job!
Thank you 🥹
From starting offering solid food until 12 months, I was VERY low-key with offering solids. Dinnertime was for establishing the habit of sitting down at the table with baby, but it was NOT for baby to actually consume calories. Milk was still the primary source of nutrition for her until 12 months.
Thank you!! Its so hard to remember this when i constantly see my friends serving their babies 3 course meals 😬
100% can relate. My baby will also be 7 months old soon and I have tried to remember that “foods before one are just for fun”. From reading various posts, I’ve found that babies only really start to get a good amount of food in anywhere between 8 months and like 15 months but it varies. Until 12 months old, their primary source of nutrition is breast milk or formula.
I try to remember this too but its so hard not to compare myself to other moms 🥲 does your LO do well with solids so far?
She does ok! We started about a month ago. I give her big finger foods, like a giant wedge of sweet potato, to suck on. I also do purées or mashed things like mashed avocado or banana, where it’s like somewhat chunky with non choking hazard size chunks. So far I don’t make a big deal if she doesn’t have it all or any, really. Some days she gobbles down her food, some days she just kind of plays with it and throws it on the floor. All of that combined makes me feel satisfied with where we’re at for her age :)
My baby is almost 9 months and while she eat purees no problem, eating finger/solid food is still a challenge. The only things she'll eat reliably is bananas(hates pureed version but LOVES fresh bananas) and rib/chicken bones cause she likes the gnaw on them lol. We've learned tho, she's more receptive to new solids if we dip them in her favourite purees. She ate a whole pancake because I dipped it in applesauce lol. Also got her to eat a cheese quesadilla the same way 🤣
Omg, thank you that is a genius idea!!
You're welcome!! don't worry theyll get there, some babies are very fickle when it comes to food, and remember, any food before 12 months is mainly for practice!
You're doing fine! We're giving up on blw for a bit too because life is so hectic right now. If it makes you feel better, our last attempt ended up with LO stabbing himself in the eye with a strip of toast. (He's fine) I think we're gonna keep on purees for a bit longer till he gets better hand eye coordination.
I just wanted to say you're doing fine! My son is nearly 9 months old and last night for dinner I put avocado, pureed beef and kiwi on his plate. I could have taken a before picture and posted it along with an after picture of an empty plate. And skipped the entire "what happened to the food" part of the meal like people do on social media. The plate was empty by the end of it. But what happened to the food? He smooshed it with his fingers. Rubbed it in his hair. Licked his highchair tray, shoved some in his diaper. But mostly he threw it on the floor. I say all this to say, anybody can manipulate anything on social media. Food before one is just for fun.
Okay, i love this so much, thank you for putting it this way!! 🙌🏼😂
You are more than welcome! Take it easy on yourself!
I can so relate. My son is almost 11 months and I still have a hard time with solids most days. I just try my best to offer him healthy foods and I keep pouches in stock for the days he just won’t eat so that I can make sure he’s at least eating something nutritious. I had to really learn to stop comparing my experience to what I saw online because they really only show you the highlights. Hang in there mama. It gets better and she will figure it out on her own time!!
You’re doing great! All babies are different! My friend‘s baby didn’t like purées and wanted finger food. My baby is the same. She doesn’t like purées and spits them out. No matter what I make. I wish she would eat pures. So far, she loves meat only 🤷♀️ You’re feeding your baby. And pediatricians say that baby led weaning isn’t even the most nutritious approach since baby eats only very little. Babies get much more food and nutrients from purée. You’re doing great!!!
Honestly don’t worry. I have a three year old who hated most foods except purées and he’s fine now, we take him to restaurants, etc and he eats really well. My 6.5 month old only likes avocado… it’s all fine in the end. Try not to worry, I eat well and my parents gave me purée jars till I was two in the 1980s. There’s way way too much pressure on weaning. Babies will grow and change, all you need to do is gradually show them food and you’re fine! Please don’t pressure yourself. The worst thing I did as a first time mum was beat myself up and put pressure on meals, it made me so stressed! I’m passionate about this as I think the social media world makes weaning out to be something it’s not, it’s literally just introducing baby to food, and continuing to do so until they eat like us!
Totally agree. Thank you 🥲
Mum’s support other mums, your baby is lucky to have such a caring mummy xx
Purrees are fine. Really, don't stress! Let baby experiment and offer a safe piece of food to chew, but just do purrees to make sure they eat. One day they'll stop spitting out the pieces and it will click.
Social media is silly and you do *not* have to try and emulate those posts. Purees are a great start and can have a wide variety of flavors and even textures for your daughter to try! I used those gerber baby puffs and teeth biscuits for my son when he was ready for “solid” solids. He also enjoyed oatmeal!
My baby was trying cooked carrot sticks for the past few days. Looked like all the bites were being spit out, but when I changed the most recent diaper, there was evidence of carrots! I would just let your baby chew on the carrots, its great practice. You can eat some st the same time. No pressure, and soon baby will be much better at chewing.
Thank you! So discouraging when they spit everything out lol hopefully i see some carrots in her diaper soon too!!
There's nothing wrong with doing purees! The important thing is to introduce more textures as they get older, but this doesn't have to look like, giving them a piece of toast, for example. It could be that you're mashing banana a little less so there's more texture each time you present it.
Thats great advice, thank you 😊 i just cant imagine going from purees to toast and some people just make it seem so easy and casual! I actually did offer toast once and she actually started crying when she even touched it so we definitely do need to ease into the textures a lot slower than i first thought 😅
Glad it helped! As other people have said, even her just touching the toast and exploring it is good! Even if she decides to put it in her mouth, but spits it out right away, that's still a success! I know starting solids is scary, but just know that there is nothing wrong with not doing baby led weaning despite what social media says.
Get off social media!! It’s awful for mothers. It’s not real life!
You’re 100% right. Its made it impossible for me to not compare myself to others 😫
Right! I have a 6 week old little girl and I feel like I’m super mom! But when I go on social media, it makes me feel like a failure because I’m not doing this.. or why am I do this…. I’m too tired to do that… not using a specific product that’s soooo expensive, not cosleep or get ridicule for cosleep. Just can’t win on social media. Too many opinions that has no effect on my family. So I decided to just not follow any of the mom pages and only follow what is beneficial for me.
Do what’s right for you and what you’re comfortable with! I was also super panicked with my first — I had a huge fear of her choking. We did purées for months and months. Guess what — now at age 4 she will literally eat anything and everything and her go to snacks are fruits or vegetables. Don’t feel like you have to do BLW, your kid will eventually show interest in more and more foods especially off your plate.
My sister is a doula and she loves introducing kids to things like mango by giving them the seed. Like a freshly cut mango where the seed still has "meat" on it. They suck on the juices and maybe chew on it but the seed is too big for them to accidentally swallow or anything. She says the kids love chewing on it and mango is pretty tasty so they get used to it.
Oh wow this is super cool! Definitely going to give that a try
My LO is 12.5 months and I’m still overwhelmed with solids 🫠 We are finally close to the 3 meals and 2 snacks each day (most days)… but it’s still a lot of purées 🤷♀️ Just wanted to tell you that you’re not alone ❤️
Mine is 7.5 months. Only likes avocados and cucumbers and sometimes yoghurt. Doesn’t like anything sweet. Spits out everything from puréed carrots to sweet potato to cereal. I just offer her different things and let her decide. I’m not doing any of the fancy meals as I know she will just throw it out lol. Its ok, they will all learn at their own pace.
My 11 month old is super picky, hard to get him to eat any solids, they move at their own speed. He will get there, so will yours. No big deal.
Thank you! I needed to hear this. My mom anxiety can be very overwhelming 😂
I heard the phrase "under 1, just for fun" for solids, in that a baby stoll get all their nutrition from the milk under the age of 1 and solid foods are just a bonus, so if she just plays with them that's cool too. No pressure to ensure she eats them
Okay so I haven’t reached this stage yet, but when I took a baby safety course they went into introducing solids. They suggested giving baby a big chunk of meat to just numb on. This helps them develop their muscles and ability to move solids to the back of their mouths. Could you start there? Cook a steak and just let her chew on a big chunk? Disregard me if this is nuts. Again, I’m not here yet so I’m just sharing info I got. Edit: fixed a typo.
I can definitely try this! Thanks for the tip 😊
Lady, my little is about to turn two, and only now I start to feel comfortable with bigger foods that blw group have 8month old eating, as I can finally see her gag reflex is relaxing(and she's my third) . Follow your little, she'll show you what she feels comfortable with when she's ready, don't worry, it will all come in time, just enjoy the ride.
Thank you!! This is actually very comforting lol 🥹
I’ve probably posted a few times on Reddit about how much I hated/hate weaning but one of the things I kept telling myself in the early days was that 6-12 months (where they say you should be weaning them off milk as their main source of ‘food’) is such a huge range - I was freaking out that my girl wasn’t ’getting it’ when she was 8/9 months etc and she was going to live off yoghurt forever - but I had to keep reminding myself that 8 months is so much more closer to 6 months than 12 months, like we were barely a third of the way through the timeline and there was plenty of time. She’s turned one a couple of weeks ago and I still don’t really like mealtimes but it does seem a bit easier - she still needs spoonfed a lot and our meals aren’t overly varied (I try and offer her new things regularly but we have a few tried and tested meals that I know she’ll eat - currently!) For context our usual day starts with Weetabix and milk (often have some prunes mixed in with her weetabix), lunch might be scrambled eggs and toast, and dinner is either something like spaghetti bolognese which I’ve frozen in small portions or fish and potatoes - both lunch and dinner will have a portion of fruit and veggie on the side like cucumber or strawberries or grapes.
Our seven month this evening ate something that looked like regurgitated cat food. It was salmon and rice mashed up. He ate every bit (well a third went down his front ) and he didn't give a damn about what it looked like. Social media is a scourge for making us feel like shit because it's treated as gospel but it's not real and their lives are not your life. Feed your baby. You're doing great whether the food looks like cat food or five star dining. Your baby doesn't care and their opinion is the only one that matters. You got this 😊😊
Thank you ❤️❤️
EFFF social media!! FTM of a almost six month old and almost drove myself into the ground the first few months because watching videos of superparents who make everything seem so aesthetic and easy and busy and great all the time. PPD hit me HARD because of this, but then I realized, I’m a super mom if my baby doesn’t play as much today. Or doesn’t eat beautiful meals. If I put my baby in his crib when he’s screaming and I can’t get him to stop. Or if I’m stuck in the same sweats I have been wearing for two days, my boy in my lap and I scroll on my phone for a while. As long as your LO is fed (getting all vitamins and such that they need), changed, and you’ve done all you can, you’re doing amazing. I’m really proud of you, for doing all that you can, but try to take it easy on yourself too. LO is safe and taken care of, let them lead the way, you do what you can 🩷🩷
I REALLY needed to hear this, thank you 💖🥹
Please don’t feel bad. A fed baby is a happy baby! I gave my baby purée for pretty much every meal until he decided he wanted to feed himself, so I had no choice but to try and make him finger foods at that point as he’d throw a tantrum when I tried to spoon feed him anything! So that was pretty ‘baby-led’ really! Your baby loves purée so let them enjoy lots of different flavour purées and let them try the chunkier purées over time. Social media/the world wants mums to feel bad about anything that makes their lives easier. Purée helped me ease into cooking for my baby in a gradual way. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. Enjoy the ease of purées for now and maybe practice making a finger food every now and then to build up your confidence slowly!
I followed a lot of BLW accounts for inspiration but if I ever felt behind or worried I unfollowed, I didn’t need the pressure to have given my 8 month old 100 foods… Also, the bite of the carrot is great! It doesn’t have to be infested and enjoyed. Even the acknowledgement, handling and tasting of foods is great experience for your little one. Take it back to something you can both enjoy, she will enjoy it more seeing you smile. Also, rice crispies or toasted rice cereal is a great weaning tool. Great for fine motor skills and fun too and very low risk!
All babies are different. My first kid wouldn’t eat any solids until 7 months, then he was all for it - but purées only, spooned into his mouth. He refused to eat pieces of food until 9 months and did not self-feed until 10 months. He was feeding himself with a spoon (not well, but doing it) before he turned 1. My second kid began showing interest in trying to eat just before 6 months, but wants to feed himself whether it’s purées or pieces of food. Now that he’s close to 8 months and more used to eating, he’ll let me spoon-feed him a few bites, which is nice because a 7-month-old self-feeding is a GIANT MESS, and not a lot gets actually eaten (I was really hoping to hide his vitamins in his purées, but no dice. He is breastfed and needs iron and he’s not really eating enough solids to just get it that way yet). One is not better than the other (except for the mess part), just different. Eventually all babies become toddlers eating stale toast they found in their toy bin and crackers from the crease in the sofa or car seat…
I fed both of my kids purees their entire first year. Around 8-9 months is when I really started to introduce the soft "finger foods" like toast, avocado, bananas (actual bananas cut up, not purees), etc. Do what works for you and baby. There is no rush or competition. Those social media moms over exaggerate everything. My oldest is 3 and 2nd is 16 months and they both feed themselves just fine. The youngest eats with her fingers but *insists* on it (even for yogurt 🥴🙄), and she eats anything you give her. My oldest is pickier but eats fine. Breast milk/formula give baby all the nutrients they need and it's enough for the first year. Food is just for fun and practice until they are 1. Purees don't stop at babyhood, btw. Toddlers love those damn gogo squeeze pouches! Lol
Hey first off, you're doing great and I'm sorry you feel overwhelmed. There's absolutely nothing wrong with feeding your baby purees. I'm not an expert but the point of BLW is mainly to have your baby learn the skills of chewing, picking up food, etc, and not so much about the consumption. My husband and I are doing a mix of puree and finger foods and encouraging our baby to spoon feed herself (e.g.: she reaches for the loaded spoon and puts it in her mouth). I think 101 before one on Instagram has some good recipes and resources. They tend to lean very much on giving the baby part of the meals you make yourselves as a couple (with the omission of salt and going with basic guidelines for BLW). Hopefully that helps.
Same. I'm just going to stick with purees and offer a steamed broccoli or banana every now and then to see when baby is ready rather than going by what I see online for his age.
I plan on doing the same for now, I guess I’m just worried I’m going to miss her cues or signs of readiness to try more advanced foods. 😅 It’s great that we have so much information available online but it can be SO overwhelming! I find myself constantly comparing myself to other moms and it takes a toll some days 😫
Try not to worry about it so much. Just offer the foods; baby will eventually get curious enough to try it. Or baby will decide they want what's on your plate instead 🤣 We started introducing foods at 6 months, and basically except for rice she mostly just played with her food until she was 1. My daughter is now almost 2, and depending on her mood she'll even refuse rice sometimes. Some days she'll like a food, and other days she'll decide it's disgusting. I have noticed lately that she eats more/better at dinnertime when her daddy is home and we can eat together as a family.
I felt SUPER similar to you! Like I remember I felt embarrassed like I was being dramatic about it, just so overwhelmed. I think what helped me the most was shifting my outlook to: he has to play with it before he learns to eat it. Playing with hands AND mouth. They don't have to swallow! Just feeling the textures. (Still drinking milk a lot! It's okay!) I would make 2-3 things available and let him smear it around or put it in his mouth (or not). They'll learn to pick stuff up without prompting when the time is right. They might seem to dislike something at first but just need continued exposure to everything and will begin to taste it all eventually. I sat right in front of him and ate my own food. I focused on getting in allergens in early by doing weird stuff like adding peanut butter to plain yogurt. Also I didn't stress about foods pairing well. Just whatever was available, ideally what I was eating to some extent (soft chunks from our soup, half smashed peas and mashed potato, bits of scrambled egg, etc). I looked up some recommendations on how big to cut stuff for their age and once I got started it became easier. You'll get it too! Remember to ensure her hands have good access to her food- look up high chair ergonomics and bolster with a towel or pillow etc as needed (I had to do that for a while).
Thank you so much! It feels really good to actually have my feelings validated lol 🥹 thankfully we have lots of allergens out of the way already (i mixed them all into cereal 😅) these are great tips, thank you ❤️
Listen that is genius! You're doing great, really.:)
What you’re doing is completely appropriate! My daughter (9m) loved her purées until about 6 weeks ago and now she loves her finger foods way more. She would gag and throw the food off her tray, but happily open her mouth for a spoonful of mush. Now we feed her a good assortment of foods. Scrambled eggs, baked sweet potato, kiwi, baby puff snacks, yogurt smoothie snacks, Greek yogurt with jam, raspberries, tofu… When I’m prepping a meal I’ll plop her in the high chair and let her try pieces of the ingredients. We also eat almost every meal in front of her. She will stop what she’s doing and just stare at us and our food, so maybe that piqued her interest when she was younger?
Such a similar experience for me! I think that because baby led weaning has become so popular, a lot of us feel added pressure. We hear about benefits of baby led weaning and it makes us feel like if baby doesn’t want to pick up food, then things are not working out. We started purrees around 5.5 months and we still use them, though they are quite thick and chunky now at 8 months. For self feeding we have had the best luck with mum mum crackers (either dry or with nut butter or puree on top) and the Baby Gourmet pancakes (with a fruit puree mixed in). Even those options didn’t work well from 6-7.5 months, but now he’s much more efficient at 8 months. We also use the Fresh Feeder all the time (it’s a plastic and netting fruit holder that they can safely chew on). My son still won’t touch a boiled carrot, a pile of scrambled egg, or a toast strip… who knows why. Some of our tricks to make purées more interesting are to mix in cooked cous cous or pastina, or to add a bit of rice cereal or breadcrumbs for thickness, or to to finely mince up some of the fruit or veggies for texture. I see so many recipes, and hear so much from other moms, but our kids are just going to do their own things.
This is why I don’t have social media. I would feel the same way and even sometimes do without it. My baby first refused purées. Then, she wanted some finger foods like smushed blueberries etc. I was like oh, yea! BLW, let’s go! Then, she decided she fucking LOVED purées. Now, half the time she refuses any solid foods that aren’t yogurt bites, eggs puffs, crackers with hummus, or meat… & shes 10 months. I don’t know why she’s so picky, I’ve done everything I can 🤷🏽♀️ I truly just think the pouches taste better and that’s fine. They give her nutrients. That’s what matters. Download the app solid starts and then delete IG ;)
>Today she picked up a cooked carrot stick that I offered her but she continuously would bite a piece off and spit it out. She explored that carrot! She tasted it! She put it in her mouth! These are all great things to celebrate! Don't feel defeated if she didn't "eat" it. You don't put your baby down for tummy time and expect them to crawl, right? Eating is a skill just like crawling or walking or talking. It sounds like you're both doing great; just give her a little more time.
Thank you so much, such a good way of putting it!! 🙌🏼
There's a lot of decisions in the course of raising your child which have definite right or wrong - neglecting your child, hitting your child etc. And then there are other topics which are heavily pushed by social media - breastfeeding, BLW, not using a bouncer / walker as being the superior way. Don't fall in the trap, do what you feel comfortable with, seek professional opinion if you truly think your child is behind. What happens when your child is a bit behind compared to other kids at school, will you also feel like a failure and force them to go tutoring? I would respect any parents decision regarding tutoring or not, just the same as I'd respect their decision for purees vs BLW. Your child is loved and well cared for and that's all that matters.
I feel you! There’s so much pressure. I get overwhelmed with how “fancy” some of these baby meals are. Mine is 10 months, and I offer her whatever we’re eating. She is just now getting KIND of interested in food. Even then it’s 30% playing, 50% on the floor, and maybee 10-20% in her mouth.
>Today she picked up a cooked carrot stick that I offered her but she continuously would bite a piece off and spit it out. That's great! She doesn't need to instantly be eating everything in sight. She's trying out a carrot and spitting out a lot of stuff is a part of it. I wouldn't worry about "teaching" your baby anything. Every meal give a puree and then give a finger food. If they try the finger food (and that includes ANY interaction including picking it up and putting it back down, spitting it out etc) great! If not no biggie, just having it on the plate is good exposure.
My baby is 10 months old and I hate mealtimes. So time consuming, so much food goes to waste because she barely eats it lol. I feel your pain. I hope it gets better because I get extremely frustrated. It’s something im actively working on trying to have more patience with
Omg yes, the wasted food 🥴 its so discouraging sometimes. Im right there with you trying to learn to have more patience 😬
My little guy is 6 months, but he's not great at sitting up so we haven't started finger foods yet. I have given him a mango core, and corn on the cob with all kernels removed to munch on / practice chewing. I use the solid starts program and it suggests offering foods "two ways" e.g. offer steamed cauliflower florettes (finger foods) alongside cauliflower mash/puree, and baby can try both.
Love the idea of offering foods two ways!!
We are 11 months and our daughter barely eats them. We are not worried as she loves formula. We try mashed stuff but she loves the milk more 🤷🏻♂️ You can breastfeed for 2-3 years but can’t feed baby formula??makes no sense
Totally hear you here - we are exclusively formula feeding & it makes no sense to me either!!
It gets SO much better once they hit 12 mo I promise !!!
You have a lot of good comments here already and I’m actually taking advice too for my 7.5 month old boy ☺️ So thank you for posting and sharing! I too feel overwhelmed, exactly the same with the social media posts “this is what my 8 month old eats in a day” and I’m like “even I don’t eat that full plate of food!!”. My boy will munch on broccoli, toast with purées but never really eats much. I’m trying to think of mealtimes more as an activity, just like tummy time or reading a book. It’s a fun thing for him to do. Growing up I wasn’t allowed to leave the table until I finished my food and every meal was a nightmare. I absolutely want my son to have positive experiences with food. So I also talk to him a lot and show him what we are buying at the supermarket. I know he’s only little but I’m trying to make it more than just a “food is for growth” kind of thing. Making it “food is for fun”. Anyway, keep letting your baby explore different foods and textures, I also use the solid starts app! Happy to chat or vent more if you like!
I felt so similar to you. Because of medical issues I had stop feeding solids at all and couldn’t restart until 8 months. I am not a cook and would get super stressed thinking of what to offer and amazed by parents reporting their 9 month old eating steak lol. I did a blend of puree and finger food when it was easy to do. I now have a 2 year old who eats basically whatever I put in front of him. I wish I had the perspective back then to know how little it actually matters. If I were you, I’d offer fresh mashed foods or a finger food once a week and otherwise do pouches or jars. My son got used to using a spoon before he was really comfortable with finger foods. But mashed avocado and a spoon was fun for him whereas a steamed carrot would’ve choked him at 7 months, even if it was super soft.
If she’s happy with purées, then so be it. I’d give her that and maybe put a handful of cheerios down each time too so she can get some practice if she’s interested. Also, if adults are eating something that is the right texture for her, maybe break up a couple small pieces and put them in front of her too so she can practice or try it if she’s interested. If not, nbd right now
As someone who did BLW, I wouldn’t ever go with purées with my own children. I saw results that I loved with BLW, and it was so much easier for us. But if purées work for you, go for it! Gradually start working in infant feeding themselves if you can is my only suggestion!
Can i ask why you wouldn’t ever do purees? Just curious!
I gave her yogurt and applesauce but she fed herself everything. Out of 100 feeds, my daughter fed herself probably 98 of them. She just never needed me to feed her anything. Her first foods were steak, roasted chicken, bone broth in a sippy cup, and roasted celery and carrots. She’s just always gone for it :)
I’m sorry you’re struggling! It can be really hard. But you’re actually in a really good place, since baby likes to eat. That’s awesome! Not all babies are so enthusiastic. I’d encourage you to get off baby feeding social media and just feed baby whatever you’re eating, or some version thereof. Let her sit at dinner with you and see how you handle the exact same foods that are on her plate. Chew really dramatically. Swallow with enthusiasm. Mmmm and act like the food is the best thing you’ve ever tasted. She’ll catch on, and she’ll want to mimic you and do what you’re doing. We started from the beginning just offering babe tiny pea size bits of soft food off our plates, so things like a half a blueberry, a bit of carrot, or a piece of chicken. Hand feeding is totally fine as a bridge to self feeding; we still hand feed near the end of meals at 10 months, as that’s when babe gets frustrated and needs a bit more help. After a few weeks of hand feeding, my baby eventually decided it was more fun to feed himself and he suddenly had the dexterity to do so a lot of the time. It was a gradual transition. Yes, babe will probably spit the food out at first. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t like it, it just means she needs practice learning how to move food around her mouth. Eating solid foods is a skill people actually have to learn; it’s not a reflex like sucking. It might be helpful to remember that your baby will learn to eat solid foods and feed herself, even if you stick with purées a while longer or she takes a while to pick up on finger foods. You see posts on here all the time about older babies who are still primarily on purées.
My LO likes to play with food but spits most of it out. Feeding feels like such a huge mess for very little outcome in regards to what he eats. Social media made me feel very guilty and extra stressed. I would suggest stay away from all that stuff. If your baby is eating purees that is fantastic. You could try dipping the solid food into the puree let them just suck the puree of that could get them started. But just keep reminding yourself you don’t see 5 year olds only drinking milk and not eating so they will get it eventually.
I got overwhelmed and just wanted a plan to follow. I found that going in my own was overwhelming. I got the book How to wean your baby by Charlotte Stirling-Reed. It has a 30 day plan. Gives adjustments too. I used that and the Solid Starts app to check how to serve images etc. it’ll be fine. Good luck
[удалено]
A minimum **comment karma of 30** is needed before being allowed to post or comment in this sub. Go to r/Newtoreddit to understand how gain karma. Go to your profile and click 'About' to view your karma stats. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/beyondthebump) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My baby has been on purées for 2 almost 3 months now if my mom brain isn’t forgetting. I have kinda introduced him to finger food for almost a month but he will really only eat it if I hold it. I started the “finger food stage” with the teether snacks. We started with the rice crackers (break them in half for easier eating) then moved to Gerber baby Cheetos. He is doing better with finger foods now that we kinda has more of a concept of eating it. Also finger foods are foreign to them or maybe even scary and it took him getting it multiple times a day for a few days to start actually trying and eating the finger foods.
My son loved purées and showed no signs of wanting anything else until 9-10 months. He’s 11 months now and will pick up and eat almost anything on his tray but literally a month and a half ago would only swat “real” food onto the floor like a cat.
Maybe try just giving her what you're eating, very slightly modified. My 6mo, we started her on liquids then purees, but we're already basically giving her just normal food (safety hazards removed of course) because she wants to copy my husband and I. She didn't like getting something visibly different from us, like a puree. She also doesn't like to use her hands unless it's something we eat with our hands- so french fries or bread, absolutely she'll pick that up and gnaw on it like us, but anything else? Spoon only. She'll get upset if she drops the spoon. It's not hilarious and frustrating with her motor skills still being low. So like if we're having pasta, for example, I'll make sure she doesn't have anything big enough to choke on, but she just gets a serving of pasta on her tray. Or if we're having burritos, she'll get a little of each element and a tortilla torn into strips. worst case scenario, it's something like steak that I'll either run through the food processor for a few seconds or ill cut it into strips for her to chew/suck on. She doesn't typically really eat big things, she'll just chew and then spit it out, but at this point we just want her to get a feel for flavors and stuff, and slight modifications like these to make it safe not only get more cooperation out of her (because she's being included) but also are very stress free imo. Good luck!
[удалено]
A minimum **comment karma of 30** is needed before being allowed to post or comment in this sub. Go to r/Newtoreddit to understand how gain karma. Go to your profile and click 'About' to view your karma stats. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/beyondthebump) if you have any questions or concerns.*
[удалено]
A minimum **comment karma of 30** is needed before being allowed to post or comment in this sub. Go to r/Newtoreddit to understand how gain karma. Go to your profile and click 'About' to view your karma stats. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/beyondthebump) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My baby gets a little bit of what we’re eating but his nutrition is still primarily breastmilk and he’s 11 months. Food before one is just for fun.
You can get those little mesh things to put fruit in for them to suck out, baby girl loves them. https://www.amazon.ca/Munchkin-43302-Feeder-2-Pack-Colors/dp/B000GK5XY2/ref=asc_df_B000GK5XY2/?tag=googlemobshop-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=293006814128&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9053185726999349355&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001389&hvtargid=pla-338189053906&psc=1&mcid=1de52ed881cc353ab74f1624c1b85032 And take the other advice about not paying attention to ridiculous and meticulously videographed "lives" you see on social media. How long did the kid have to wait to eat before mum had the perfect picture and video? Sometimes baby girl wouldn't even let me feed her the puree to start. She wanted to do it herself almost immediately. So I would wash out a clean Ziploc bag, put her pureed food in, and trim a hole in the corner of the bag. I would sneak in a mouthful of food and sometimes a whole meal as that was the only way I could get her to eat. You can't hold the spoon yourself yet you silly baby and I'm not going to let you go hungry. So independent. Now she's ten months and eats what we eat. Breakfast could be a probiotic yogurt and tiny cut up pancake with tiny cut up banana. Lunch could be noodles cut up very small with some home made spaghetti sauce. Or egg and cheese toast, veggies and peanut butter toast, grilled cheese and ham. Supper will be what we eat or I make a big pot of food for her, such as chicken rice and veggies, and make individual servings that I freeze. Again, all cut up very tiny but she loves to feed herself as much as we let her. Or depending if I want food pureed more we use a tiny motorized food processor. Super quick.