Hi all,

Okay my son recently started eating solids, and he's just over 5 months old (cereal and veggies so far). Now, my mother told us that when my sisters and I first started eating solids (and had our bottom teeth), she would give us stuff that we could hold in our hands and grate off pieces of and mush up, like the crust on toast. But I know that we nowadays are told to do things very differently than they did years ago, but what are your opinions on when to start giving babies stuff like this? I have also heard so many times about "teething cookies" (I think Arrow root, they're called), however I'm not too keen on giving him sugary stuff at this age. Anyways, any opinions will be appreciated! Thanks!

Whiskers :wave:

I gave my kids the Biter Biscuits and Zwieback toast. But beware, THEY ARE MESSY!!

5 months might be a little young. I think I started the Zwieback toast at 6 or 7 months. Yes, they are messy, but babies love them.

What you can use as a guide to let you know when your child MIGHT be ready is crawling. If your child is crawling and grabbing things on his/her tray, then I would see no problem with giving them something like toast or cheerios. Gerber makes the puffs too that are great. They disintegrate right away. and my kids loved them!

Thanks for the replies! The reason I ask is because my in-laws (unbeknownst to me) gave my son one of those teething biscuits (I think it was a Farley's) and he loved it... But like I said, I don't want him having anything sugary at this point. I think one of the reasons he liked it so much though was because he was able to hold himself. And he really grabs for anything he can put into his mouth and try and eat (phones, the remote control, his burp pad, toys, anything and everything). I'm kind of back at the same point I was before I began feeding him baby food--I feel so bad for him because when he sees us eating, he makes chewing motions and puts his hands in his mouth like he's trying to eat... But I will hold off for awhile yet on giving him stuff he can hold and eat himself.

Whiskers :)

i think my little one was aroung 6 months when i first give her toast i put put a little bit of jam on it aswell (reduced sugar though) and she loves it rusks are also great there farleys you can get reduced sugar ones again but if you dont feel ready to take the next stage wait untill you actually are good luck :)

My 6 month old LOVES arrowroot biscuits. I haven't tried toast yet ... hmmm, perhaps he would like that too ? He loves to feed himself teething rusks and the look of joy on his face when he has a biscuit - priceless ... but yes .. MESSY !!

i think if he did well with what your in-laws gave him, give it to him again! the theory about they won't like their veggies if you give them fruits and sugary stuff is kind of ridiculous. there are very few foods my girls won't eat (at the moment, i can't think of any!), and they started out on fruits, honey nut cheerios and biter biscuits. the trick to getting a kid to eat the healthy stuff is to keep on giving it to them and let them know you expect them to eat it. i did the same thing with the kids i used to teach in daycare, and you wouldn't believe the absolute shock on the parents' faces when i would tell them "oh your kids ate [healthy stuff] today and just loved it..." and they can only get their kids to eat mcdonalds!

anyway (sorry for the tangent, i'm a bit tired and cranky tonight!).... point is, i wouldn't worry so much about it. if he did well with what your in-laws gave him, give it to him again because those things were made for teething babies. it feels good on his gums and it will help his teeth to break through easier.