My dd is just over 11 months. She still eats the jarred Gerber stage 2 baby food. We occassionally give her regular table food, but find that sometimes it's just easier to give her the actual baby food because it's quicker when we feed her.
She LOVES to eat whatever we eat and I like giving it to her. This morning, she ate french toast and scrambled eggs, but it took quite a while to eat! It was only a quarter of a piece of bread and maybe a quarter of an egg too. I just feel like she's not getting enough to eat! Also, she tends to "hoard" food in her mouth like a little chipmunk. I have to really get her to swallow before giving her another bite. She doesn't do this with baby food.
My question is, when did most of you transition your little ones from baby food to "people" food?
Ella will be a year old on Thursday and she's been on 100% people food since the beginning of June. We kept her on baby food mostly only while she was at daycare (because it was just so much easier to bring a jar of baby food rather than trying to fix food, and pack it etc.) Even while she was in daycare she mostly got table food at home with baby food at daycare. We did this slowly. She preferred table food and has had 8+ teeth since she was 8 months old...so she had plenty of chompers to bite the food. We would supplement her table food with baby food while we were introducing table foods. So if she didn't have enough fruits for a day she'd have a jar of fruit with her dinner (same with veggie, protein, etc.) Eventually she was totally on adult food. The way I try to make sure she's getting enough of each food is by having a fruit with at least 2 meals, veggie with 2 meals, protein with 2 meals and dairy with 2 meals. The carbs she gets MORE than enough during one day so I don't really worry about that. I also do a give and take- if she doesn't get enough veggies one day I make sure she has a few extra the next.
I believe my pedi told me at her last appointment (9 months) that he recommends being totally on table food by a year, and no later than 18 months. I notice some days she eats a ton...and others she is just not interested. I also make sure to give her the protein and veggies before the fruit because she loves her fruit so much that once she has that she won't touch anythign else the rest of the meal.
My best advice would be to not worry too much about it. My DS will be 16 months and has always had an aversion to textures. He was still mostly eating pureed foods at 12 months. He is just lately comming around to our food making up most of his diet. I completely know what you mean about feeling like they're not getting enough, I went through the same thing.
What you should do is offer her our food first. Let her eat what she wants, then top her off with baby food or yogourt. Eventually you will see her making the transition on her own. People food is ALOT more time consuming, work and mess, however at some point this is a necessary transition so you might as well start getting used to it! Try giving her sips of juice in between bites if you find her hoarding it. Don't fret about this though, every baby is different. Good luck!
My ds is almost 14 mo, and still eats a lot of jarred foods, but he is making the transition to "people" food, and doing very well. Like the previous poster, he's always had problems with different textures, and a very sensitive gag reflex as well. But we're slowly transitioning him to "people" food. My issue is that I feel like we don't eat healthy enough for him to be 100% on our food! I know that sounds really terrible, and we are changing that, so that he will be getting all the nutrients he needs for his growing body. Up until a couple months ago we would rarely cook a meal and sit down to eat as a family, we would just kind of eat what we felt like, when we felt like eating. Not to mention how convienient it is to just open a jar of food and heat it... So anyways, I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone! And I wouldn't worry about it too much. When you feel she's ready, begin the transition, but don't rush it. She is still a baby, after all!
Laura,
Just within the last month and a half Ella has started refusing her baby food, besides formula of course. She always wants what we are eating, so I kind of had to give in and just go with it. She never gets baby food anymore by her own choice. I actually just got home from taking her to her one year checkup this morning and her pedi said all table food at this point is just fine. He suggested doing 1/2 fruits and veggies per meal, 1/4 meat or protein, and 1/4 starches. He also gave me the go ahead to take away her formula and go completely to milk. She has still been taking between two to three bottles a day, but he suggested to just leave it that way this week, next week, get rid of her morning bottle and the week after get rid of the one before bed. I am a little nervous because I am hoping she will be ok with this. Although she really likes whole milk, she LOVES LOVES LOVES her bottle. I am just praying that it goes smoothly.
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***Anna***
~Ella Ann, July 2, 2007~
~Madilyn Mya, September 21, 2008~
What wrong with having some milk before bed??? I myself do! Once Tanner is able to use a sippy cup I will start giving him his milk in a cup but I think I will still continue to give him some milk before bed.
E,
Were you asking this regarding my post? I didn't mean milk period before bed, Ella's pedi just said to try and get rid of her formula and/or bottles at this point. So far so good. She has gotten rid of all but the one before bed. I hate taking it away from her because she is so happy at bed time to get that bottle. But it was his suggestion that she no longer be on formula, so I guess I will take his advice.
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***Anna***
~Ella Ann, July 2, 2007~
~Madilyn Mya, September 21, 2008~
The whole thing is just so difficult on both children and parents I think. (And maybe just a little confusing...). So not to sound completely ignorant, but Delia, it's ok to give regular milk before bed, just not formula, right? And preferrably in a sippy cup?
My Ella gets a sippy cup of milk during our night-time routine. She usually has a sippy cup of milk...then a bit later brush our teeth, read a book, and get into bed. So I don't think it's bad that they have milk before bed, I think Delia was just talking about taking away the bottle and/or formula before bed and switching it to regular milk. Ella's no longer on a bottle, but I know our pedi recommended that if she has milk before bed to use a cup.
Laura,
Hey! Now of course I am by no means an expert, I am just going off of what my pedi said for us to do. Yours or anyone else's may differ on opinions, I am not sure. However, he just suggested that it's time she quit taking the formula. I don't know, my guess would be just because they don't need all of that fat anymore and should be getting nutrition from the other foods they are eating throughout the day. He never said to NOT give her something to eat or drink before bed, he just said to get rid of the bottles/formula. He suggested she get two to three cups of whole or vitamin D milk a day and no more than six ounces of juice (which she hates anyway so that is not a problem) He also said she could have as much water as needed throughout the day. So to sum up, milk is fine before bed, according to him, just get rid of the formula/bottles. Again, you may want to wait until talking to Madeline's pedi. I did even though a few of my friends took their kids off of formula before their one year check up. I just wanted to follow his advice and not do what all my friends were doing with their kids. I just know that sometimes, depending on the child, they may have you keep them on formula longer for whatever reason. I know my oldest brother was small so he stayed on his formula for quite a while longer than my other brother and I did. Just because he NEEDED that extra fat. Just my advice though.
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***Anna***
~Ella Ann, July 2, 2007~
~Madilyn Mya, September 21, 2008~
Delia & Sarah ~ Thanks! Yes, this all makes sense now! I thought this was "right" all along (not that there's some magic notion of what is "right"). I just needed that extra clarification!
We have been trying Madeline on regular food for the past week and she's been doing pretty well with it. I'm so proud of my big girl. I swear she's a little "vulture," always wanting what we have. I know that I just need to supplement as needed until she gets the hang of it. What's tough is that my fiance's brother has a son who just turned one at the end of June and has been eating "regular food" forever! His mother makes me feel like Madeline should be breaking her own crab legs at family BBQs, lol.
Anyway...Sarah, Happy Birthday to your Ella!!!!!!!!! What a wonderful journey it's been! Enjoy this very special day with her!
Laura,
I know what you mean. DH works with a lady who has three or four kids. She told him that all of her children were on table food way before Ella started it, like she was right and we were wrong. She pretty much gives them whatever they want and according to DH they are all a bit "big." Not that it's my buisness but I just say, do what YOU think is best and don't try to spout it off to the world and change people's minds to think like you do. I just think that if you believe in something, that is great for you, but it doesn't mean that everyone else has to follow that same way of thinking, nor should you try to make them. A very good friend of mine doesn't do immunizations at all with her children, but she has NEVER made me feel like a bad mother or person because I do, nor has she ever tried to change my mind to stop doing them just because she believes in not doing them. Likewise, I don't try to nor have I ever even thought that she was a bad person for not. We just have different opinions. I just think everyone should do things the way they think is right and when they are ready. Just my way of living though.
Sarah,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ELLA!!!! I still can't believe they are all turning a year old! Seems like just yesterday that we were all still wondering what they would be like when they finally got here. What a year it's been.
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***Anna***
~Ella Ann, July 2, 2007~
~Madilyn Mya, September 21, 2008~
