When Did Your LO Start Eating Table Food?

[sere234]

DS will be 5 months this weekend and 4 days ago (yes, that suddenly!) wanted table food BADLY!! :) The past few weeks he started watching us so closely while we ate so over the weekend, we gave it a try. Not only does he keep the food down, he grunts/whines for more, grabs at it, and on his first try chewed and swallowed effortlessly. He can seat with support and we feed him in his high chair or Bumbo. I wanted to do BLW with him but he still can't grab things well.  And now I really can't hold him while I eat because he wants to eat too!

SO, 2 questions: What do you do for a kid who can't pinch food yet? Start BLW in a month or two but give him spooned mushy food until then?

AND: When did your kid start eating table food? Based on what I've read, not yet 5 months seems young to me to start eating table food!

TIA!

[Knitting Mama]

We started with BLW near (a week or two after) 6 months, not because I had predetermined that we were going to start then (though I was very reluctant to consider starting earlier due to immature gut worries) but because she was exhibiting all the signs of being ready-- sitting independently, loss of tongue thrust, ability to self-feed and eagerness to try food.

I would honestly worry about starting as young as your baby only because I really feel that the gut being more developed makes it easier for babies to process food. I don't know if he is showing all the above signs, either, but if he isn't, that would stop me from going with more. I would do things like breastmilk pops or slushies in the meantime. I am also of the mindset that purees are fine if you want to use them but that they are not "necessary," meaning that there isn't a stage between having nothing but breastmilk and being ready for self-feeding solids, in my eyes.

[PatioGardener]

Have you tried breastmilk popsicles?  (Or momsicles, as I call them)

I gave my DS these when he was teething (5-7 months) and then started BLW at 7 months.  I froze my milk in an icecube tray and then put the cubes (usually two  half-filled cubes as they thawed faster) into a mesh feeder bag.  He LOVES to chew/suck on it, and the feeder is easy to hold and get to the mouth.  The mesh bags are sort of like this: http://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-Fresh-Food-Feeder-Pack/dp/B000GK5XY2/ref=pd_cp_ba_1

ETA: I think this may be a suitable 'step' between liquid breastmilk only and solid foods :)

[Knitting Mama]

I agree! That's why I suggested that or slushies!

[Knitting Mama]

double post...grr!

[sk8boarder15]

This is interesting to me as my ds is 4 months now. I want to wait till 6 months and DH doesn't..... I don't think he's ready at all yet. I told DH there's no way I will give him anything before his 5mo check up. At least he's in agreement to not use any commercial baby foods or purees. We will just give him things that we have already that he can handle. We want to start with sweet potato (my FAVORITE food)! 

[Buzzer Beater]

I voted 8 months but that's not the most accurate... we TRIED to start earlier, over a month ago, but Georgia isn't interested more than to suck on an apple wedge. She has managed to get down a small amount of sweet potato accidentally, and the OT fed her pureed pears to watch her swallow. She loved those! So now (8 months), we're not really feeding her anything because she's not ready. She sits well by herself, has a pincer grasp, but can't move solids in her mouth well according to the OT. We try her on something every other day or so. I don't want to do purees after struggling through those with DD1... what a PIA.

[PatioGardener]

Originally Posted by Cecilia's Mama 

I agree! That's why I suggested that or slushies!

Ah Aimee, can you tell that we are still having sleep regression here and I am a bit tired?    I obviously didn't read your post well at all!  Good idea with the popsicles/slushies!

[katelove]

We started at 6 months (well 6 months, one week and one day actually  ). As Amiee mentioned, I too have concerns about gut maturity before then. We give J table food but we don't give her anything and everything. She has no grains or meats and has only had dairy products a couple of times in very small amounts.

She doesn't swallow much but that is of no concern to us. "Food before one is just for fun" is our motto. I would say she gets 99.9% of her nutrition from BM (she's 8 months now). However, she has an absolute ball exploring foods and will taste anything we offer. For us, this is what it is all about, exploring good quality, whole foods.

Interestingly, the other day  I was sitting with her and eating a yoghurt which I didn't want her to have (dairy, sweetened etc). She kept grabbing for the spoon and I gave it to her. That's all she wanted. Even when I got another spoon and kept eating. She didn't want the yoghurt, not surprisingly as she didn't know what it was, she just wanted the intersting thing in Mummy's hand. This little bit of anecdata helped to validate my, long-held, view that "interest in food" is actually interest in the brightly coloured things which Mummy and Daddy pay so much attention to. They don't know what food is. They can't relate a feeling of hunger to the act of eating table food. They put everything in their mouths. As one mama on here put it "if I had a crack pipe in my hand she's want that too. Doesn't mean she's ready." If I'd given her food at 4 months she would have put it in her mouth, and maybe even swallowed some but it doesn't hurt to wait IMO. We used to put J in her highchair, at the table with us and give her a toy or a spoon to play with. It made her part of the activity, she was happy and we could eat with both hands.

[stephbrownthinks]

Our Ped recommended waiting until 8 or 9 months which was in line with what we'd wanted to do. Around 5 months our DS started getting REALLY interested in what we were eating, so I'd give him his own spoon, cup, and napkin which seemed to satisfy him. Sometimes I'd give him a whole apple but he couldn't actually eat it... he's just lick the outside and try to bite it. We ended up starting at 8 months and went right to table food. His favorites so far have been enchiladas (no cheese), and a spicy quinoa salad with cilantro, avocado, and red onions. He also likes sweet potatoes and bananas, just not nearly as much.

[MJB]

I started my sons (now 8 and 5) at 6 mos. I started my 6 mo. old at 4 mos. We have done a mix of spoonfeeding homemade mushy foods and table foods with her (having tried each with one kid before her). She just hit 6 mos. and can easily feed herself now but she was frustrated by it at 4 mos. and would insist that we feed her (whether by spoonfeeding or putting chunks in her mouth. She'd put her arms behind her back and open her mouth wide. It was pretty funny. As an ex-BLW-zealot, I think the best thing to do is listen to your baby. 

[stephbrownthinks]

Originally Posted by katelove 

Interestingly, the other day  I was sitting with her and eating a yoghurt which I didn't want her to have (dairy, sweetened etc). She kept grabbing for the spoon and I gave it to her. That's all she wanted. Even when I got another spoon and kept eating. She didn't want the yoghurt, not surprisingly as she didn't know what it was, she just wanted the intersting thing in Mummy's hand. This little bit of anecdata helped to validate my, long-held, view that "interest in food" is actually interest in the brightly coloured things which Mummy and Daddy pay so much attention to. They don't know what food is. They can't relate a feeling of hunger to the act of eating table food. They put everything in their mouths. As one mama on here put it "if I had a crack pipe in my hand she's want that too. Doesn't mean she's ready." If I'd given her food at 4 months she would have put it in her mouth, and maybe even swallowed some but it doesn't hurt to wait IMO. We used to put J in her highchair, at the table with us and give her a toy or a spoon to play with. It made her part of the activity, she was happy and we could eat with both hands.

Absolutely! My son is OBSESSED with my cell phone. He will watch me intently when I'm using it and grab for it the second he thinks he can. It doesn't mean he's ready for his own phone yet:) The same with wine. He knows what glasses are for and will reach out to grab and drink it. I get him his own cup (with no wine of course) and then he's happy.

[Mis Trae]

We introduced cereal at 4 1/2 months but it really wasn't until DS was 6 mo that he really was able to move the food to the back of his mouth(no tongue thrust). The only reason we started "early" was taht we were going to have a swallow study done (long story) and I didn't want the OT/SLP to be the first one to give my DS cereal. Of course, most of his nutrition was through BM and more recently formula and breastmilk. That being said, he ate baby food up until about a week ago (at 11 mo) and went on a baby food strike. Now he will only eat what he can get into his mouth himself. Up until then, I would put finger food (a variety) on the tray but he really didn't have much interest in it unless it was crunchy. So, that being said, I'd say follow the lead of your LO. Provide opportunity as you're comfortable but once your LO is ready, he/she will let you know.

[laneysprout]

DD was 10 months.  DS is almost 7 months and not at all interested in solids yet.

[P.J.]

If you're doing BLW I wouldn't start until he showed all the signs of readiness, which includes being able to feed himself (not necessarily with pincer grasp, but just by holding in the fist and getting food to the mouth) and sitting unassisted. Even if you do purees, supposedly their intestines aren't mature enough until about 6 months, so that also kept us waiting until 6+ months.

I second the momsicles idea ( great word for that!), or just keeping him occupied with toys or teethers or whatever.

Then again, people have been feeding 4month old babies purees for decades, and I'm sure many of them come to no harm from it. There sure are lots of digestive disorders out there, and there may be studies linking early feeding to that, but none that I'm aware of. If it really becomes a struggle during meals, after having tried the ideas offered here, then maybe just go ahead and offer him food and/or purees.

[Knitting Mama]

Then again, people have been feeding 4month old babies purees for decades, and I'm sure many of them come to no harm from it. There sure are lots of digestive disorders out there, and there may be studies linking early feeding to that, but none that I'm aware of. If it really becomes a struggle during meals, after having tried the ideas offered here, then maybe just go ahead and offer him food and/or purees.
 

See, and this makes me wonder. Obviously, I'm no scientist, and I do know that correlation does not equal causation, but I have to wonder-- who ever heard of IBS, for example, before a few decades ago? Is it possible that there is a correlation between that and putting food into an immature digestive track? I am curious about these things! At any rate, I am glad we waited until after 6 months for my own peace of mind!

[mom2happy]

Originally Posted by stephbrownthinks 

Our Ped recommended waiting until 8 or 9 months which was in line with what we'd wanted to do. Around 5 months our DS started getting REALLY interested in what we were eating, so I'd give him his own spoon, cup, and napkin which seemed to satisfy him. Sometimes I'd give him a whole apple but he couldn't actually eat it... he's just lick the outside and try to bite it. We ended up starting at 8 months and went right to table food. His favorites so far have been enchiladas (no cheese), and a spicy quinoa salad with cilantro, avocado, and red onions. He also likes sweet potatoes and bananas, just not nearly as much.

Wow, I cant believe your ped actually said this. That's pretty cool. Usually they are wanting moms to shove food down the hatch when the baby can't even sit up yet.

My DD2 will be 9 months next week and is JUST ready! My other one's were not ready till about 1yr.

[mom2happy]

Originally Posted by Cecilia's Mama 

Then again, people have been feeding 4month old babies purees for decades, and I'm sure many of them come to no harm from it. There sure are lots of digestive disorders out there, and there may be studies linking early feeding to that, but none that I'm aware of. If it really becomes a struggle during meals, after having tried the ideas offered here, then maybe just go ahead and offer him food and/or purees.
 

See, and this makes me wonder. Obviously, I'm no scientist, and I do know that correlation does not equal causation, but I have to wonder-- who ever heard of IBS, for example, before a few decades ago? Is it possible that there is a correlation between that and putting food into an immature digestive track? I am curious about these things! At any rate, I am glad we waited until after 6 months for my own peace of mind!

Everyone, well way too many people have  IBS and digestive problems these days.

With a diet full of processed grains and meat with fresh veg and fruit served practically as a condiment- who wouldnt?

So yeah, I think spoon feeding cereals and processed stuff in jars with NO nutrients could jumpstart the rollercoster of unhealth for any mammal.

[mom2happy]

Originally Posted by katelove 

 She kept grabbing for the spoon and I gave it to her. That's all she wanted. Even when I got another spoon and kept eating. She didn't want the yoghurt, not surprisingly as she didn't know what it was, she just wanted the intersting thing in Mummy's hand. This little bit of anecdata helped to validate my, long-held, view that "interest in food" is actually interest in the brightly coloured things which Mummy and Daddy pay so much attention to. They don't know what food is. They can't relate a feeling of hunger to the act of eating table food. They put everything in their mouths. As one mama on here put it "if I had a crack pipe in my hand she's want that too. Doesn't mean she's ready." If I'd given her food at 4 months she would have put it in her mouth, and maybe even swallowed some but it doesn't hurt to wait IMO. We used to put J in her highchair, at the table with us and give her a toy or a spoon to play with. It made her part of the activity, she was happy and we could eat with both hands.

Exactly!

I am so tired of this misconception!!

3rd baby later, I just ignore it.

For my first 2, I would get so upset when MIL would come over and had fear in her eyes that my (tremendously fat) breastfed babies were starving.

She would constantly drop comments like "Oh look how that baby is looking at your sandwich, he/ she really wants it", in a sad voice.

I wanted to say "oh look how this baby is staring and reaching for your GIANT pirate looking hoop earrings- she really wants those".

I didnt say it though.

That was crazy fun to post.

[rightkindofme]

Uhm, I'm not sure where y'all are getting the idea that feeding kids early is a recent thing.  My mom was told to put rice cereal in the bottle at 2 *weeks* with my now 42 year old sister.  She says that is what is done with her.  I am pretty darn sure that if anything people are waiting significantly longer recently.  And if you look at historical stuff you often see mentions of brand new babies having regular food mushed up.  The expression I am thinking of is, "A baby can eat whatever his mother eats, it just needs to be softer."