How long to mash or puree foods for baby

[Sol_y_Paz]

Baby is EBF and won't start solids until 6 months or later.  I am in no rush.  Baby might be in a bit more rush than mama and is already reaching for foods and very interested in food in general.  But then again baby is interested in everything going on all around 

Should I invest in a baby bullet? 

I am not into baby led weaning with a 6 month old.  Later, sure. 

Foods intending to introduce (in no particular order):

sweet potato

avocado

green beans

pinto beans

egg yolk

peas

oatmeal cereal

apple

pear

Of those, which would you introduce first and when?  And how long do I feed each food and wait for an reactions before introducing a new food. 

[Blue Lotus]

I wouldn't bother with the baby blender. Cooked Sweet potatoes cut into chunks, avocado, egg yolk, banana, etc. are all great foods to start with.

I am sure someone else has more info on allergies; I have forgotten most of it since my youngest babe is now 4!  To be honest, we let them try foods that we ate, and didn't stress too much about allergies since food allergies don't run in either of our families. We also never mushed them up or fed "baby foods".

[MrsGregory]

Hi there!  I was also very hesitant to allow my 6 month old to just "chow down", and I did puree foods for her at the start.  We have no history of allergies to any foods on either side of her family.  She was "beyond ready" at 6 months, and we started solids at 6 1/2 months.

I waited 4 days in between each new food for the first 4-6 foods.  Then I only waited on new foods if I'd introduced something possibly allergenic, like eggs or strawberries.  I started with peas, carrots, brown rice, sweet potatoes, green beans, oatmeal, avocado, apples and pears.  I also gave yogurt (full fat Greek-style) at this age.  Be aware that apples with their skins on are binding, so I mixed pears and apples for her 1:1 after both were on the menu.  Closer to 8 months I added eggs and all kind of legumes.  At about that time I stopped pureeing and started just giving her appropriate table food.

Food + babies = awesome.  Have a blast! 
 

Edited to add/  I own a blender already, and a food mill, so I never bothered with a baby blender.  The only mama I know that did was selling it on Craigslist in "like new" condition before her baby was a year old.  Just a thought there.

Hey, another edit here/  I also never bought packaged baby oatmeal or what have you, I whizzed our instant oats and overcooked them, adding lots more liquid.  Packaged baby oats cereal and the like isn't strictly needed if you have that adult blender we've mentioned.

[sageowl]

Whether or not to mash or puree depends a lot on the kid in question.  Some kids don't need it.  Mine definitely did.  

DS didn't like applesauce or apples by themselves as a baby (too acidic, maybe?) but liked them better mixed with other things like squash, sweet potato, bananas, etc.  Now, of course, he loves them...go figure. 
 

[avismama24]

MY DS had a really stron aversion to "chunky" textures when we started solids (around 8 months) We did very pureed foods for about a month, almost liquid and I followed Mrs. Gregories feeding schedule, spacing foods out between 3 and 4 days. We have no history of allergies so it wasn't a major concern for us, but I was more cautious with eggs, wheat, dairy, and soy and made sure ds was healthy so I could clearly detect any allergies.

We started with only veggies, then fruits. Sweet potatoes, carrots, and spinach were big hits for us. Just an FYI...I gave ds avocado early on, as we all adore avocado and thought it was a good mushy baby food, and he HATED it...like crying/screaming...it was such a odd reaction that I mentioned it to our dr and she told us that avocado is related to latex and really shouldn't be offered to kiddos until they are over one, this was really interesting to me as DH is allergic to latex!

Also I would not do a special blender. Our puree stage was SO short lived, and now ds just eats soft, small pieces of food all on his own. They transition from puree to realy food really quickly. I actually wish I would have skipped purees all together and just done BLW. HAVE FUN!

[inkslinger]

I started with mashed banana and avocado, then transitioned to finely diced/chopped table food pretty early on. I would mix some of the food with purees, sometimes not. It all depends on your baby, but all three of mine did well starting table foods pretty early on.

[MDoc]

I was very cautious at first when introducing solids to dd. I did pureed foods spaced four days apart in recommended order. I didn't think I would be comfortable with blw. But dd was so wanting to eat what I was eating and she handled food very well. Blw just kind of happened for us and it felt so natural.
Go with your instincts and do what is best for your baby. I would not reccomend the baby blender- use your food processor for those pureed meals (they won't last long)

[lanamommyphd07]

I put out a few slices of avocado and let her go to town with her hands as soon as she was sitting up well--around 5 months. But mine never did like spoon feeding or purees....even though I came up with oh so cool recipes with the mashers and ricers and meuli thingers. She wanted to do it herself, so I went with it.

[Sol_y_Paz]

if my baby isn't sitting unassisted should I start trying solids or wait?

[avismama24]

DEF wait! There is NO need for solids at this point in time, enjoy nursing......it goes by way to quickly  My Ds started late, and in hindsight I wish I would have waited longer, and just skipped purees all together.

[Mummoth]

A cheese grater is a good tool for cutting food into little pieces quickly and easily. The side with the little holes *almost* purees some textures.

[Sol_y_Paz]

Thanks for the great advice!