Please help with food ideas!!

amother

Wed, Feb 02 2022, 8:36 pm

My 12 month old is asking for more food! He only has 2 teeth (and 2 coming in) any ideas?
He's been getting Gerber oatmeal with a jar for lunch but he's still hungry when he's done
I don't think he can chew a sandwich yet (or can he even if he has only 2 teeth?

Rachel Shira

Wed, Feb 02 2022, 8:43 pm

A 12 month old can (and in my opinion should) be eating everything an older kid would eat. Why can’t he eat a sandwich? Babies with no teeth can eat. Gums are strong. Give him anything you’re having and he wants. Eggs, chicken, yogurt, pasta, meatballs, rice cakes with stuff on them, string cheese, any shabbos food… anything. It doesn’t have to be soft and he can feed himself.

amother

Mistyrose

Wed, Feb 02 2022, 8:44 pm

Of course he can chew a sandwich (as long as the bread is soft)! And you can start by giving him small pieces…

amother

Mistyrose

Wed, Feb 02 2022, 8:45 pm

To add to Rachel Shira, if you see he still wants more after a proper meal you can always offer fruits or veggies

amother

Wed, Feb 02 2022, 9:08 pm

I never dreamed he'd be able to eat all that
I give him pureed foods

amother

Chartreuse

Wed, Feb 02 2022, 9:17 pm

Look up baby led weaning. He can definitely eat regular food. Just be careful with soft bread that it doesn’t get stuck in his palate.

amother

Lavender

Wed, Feb 02 2022, 9:25 pm

Pasta and bamba were my kids favorites.
Ripe pears are quite soft, banana(not mashed), avocado, cheese, yogurt,chicken....
They can really eat just about anything. Even harder things are ok as long as they are sliced/cut up like an apple are ok.

FranticFrummie

Wed, Feb 02 2022, 10:04 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I never dreamed he'd be able to eat all that
I give him pureed foods

DD never ate jarred foods, or even pureed. She would eat soft foods that were cubed, and she could pick them up with her fingers. Well cooked carrots, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, watermelon, pears, peaches, pretty much anything I was eating, she was eating in a more kid friendly form. She always wanted what was on my plate, anyway.

Letting your child use their hands to feed themselves is a very important stage in development. It helps with hand eye coordination, and gives them the grip strength to be ready to move on to utensils. In a few months you can give your child a baby fork, and let them try to stab food and maneuver it into their mouth. Once they seem to be doing well with the fork, then you can try giving the spoon and letting them scoop food out of a bowl.

Be prepared for a lot of mess, it's a learning process! I highly recommend you put a cheap shower curtain under the high chair. You'll thank me later.

As your child transitions to more foods, you'll see some weird patterns, but it's OK. Always look at the big picture, instead of focusing on how much gets eaten each meal or each day. Look at it over the course of a week, and you'll see that things even out pretty well.

Some days your child will be super picky, and the next day they will be eating as much as a large teenage boy. Then there will be a GIANT poop like you've never seen before in your life! Your baby will eat a lot, get chubby, and then have a big growth spurt and suddenly grow an inch. Your baby may be really skinny sometimes, and really chunky others, and height usually follows proportionately.

If your child is refusing to eat, don't stress. They may be fighting off a virus. Nobody ever died from missing a meal. Your child's body knows what to do, and they will eat when they feel up to it.

amother

Junglegreen

Wed, Feb 02 2022, 10:09 pm

By that age he should def be on finger foods and learning to feed himself. If you're nervous you can start with soft foods, (pear slices, banana, hard boiled or scrambled eggs, avocado, meatballs, soup chicken and veg, pasta, fish, cheese) like others said, and also small things he can use the pincer grasp on--Cheerios, peas, beans, etc. You can do crackers or toast with pb or hummus, and as you get more comfortable with it you can really give anything as long as it's prepared safely (like cutting grapes small)

amother

Wed, Feb 02 2022, 10:47 pm

Thanks! He does eat finger foods like rice cakes, cereal, some snacks

tichellady

Wed, Feb 02 2022, 10:56 pm

He can eat regular food, except for maybe steak and fish with bones. Just give him what you make for dinner.

devorah1231

Wed, Feb 02 2022, 11:24 pm

My rule with my kids is I never expect them to eat anything I wouldn't want to eat. With my first I went and made soups and added spices just to my portions... By my third first foods were all just regular Shabbos food.

amother

Steelblue

Wed, Feb 02 2022, 11:39 pm

By 12 months my babies were eating all the same food as us, with very few teeth. One only got their first tooth after their first birthday.
You can definitely start introducing regular foods.
Meatballs with pasta is a favourite, chicken soup with chicken, vegetable and noodles or matza balls, chicken, cooked vegetables, milchig pasta, lasagna with lots of veggies, tuna patties etc etc
Have fun with it!

#BestBubby

Thu, Feb 03 2022, 12:04 am

cream cheese sandwiches

avocado smeared sandwiches

cheerios

yogurt

banana

cottage cheese

oatmeal (regular quick oats)

scrambled eggs

mashed hard boiled eggs

chopped liver

mashed potatoes

chicken soup with shredded chicken, mashed carrots and other soup veggies

amother

Periwinkle

Thu, Feb 03 2022, 3:01 am

Avoid Choking hazards - nuts, raw carrots, whole grapes, hot dogs etc…
(And yes, bread can get stuck and it can be hard for baby to manage. Definitely stay nearby while she is learning and not too much in her mouth at a time.

SuperWify

Thu, Feb 03 2022, 3:24 am

My 12 month old eats regular food and has been eating regular since 8 months old. We just make sure to cut it small obviously.

Fish, avocado, chicken, eggs, bread, fruit cut very small, vegetables from the soup ect.

Snacks on bamba, veggi straws, Corn Pops

Phoebe31

Tue, Jun 21 2022, 2:01 pm

By 12 months, your baby can eat the same food as everyone else in the house. Look up Solid Starts to find out what is a choking hazard and how to prepare food in a safe way for his age. Be prepared for a mess and also since he is used to smooth purees, he may have a hard time with all the new textures at first.

amother

Maple

Wed, Jun 22 2022, 9:18 am

I love giving baby’s salmon, the grains are so small so really easy to break up and doesn’t need a lot of chewing to break down.