Babies: 9 - 12 Months

Help this paranoid mom...table foods

Ok so DD is about 8.5 months old and she is starting to grab at our food. I think she is getting bored with purees...I tried googling on how big, or small, pieces of food should be for her to eat. So what is the consensus? Is it better to give her bigger chunks to gum or smaller pieces so she can just swallow and not risk choking? Sooo confused...I am so afraid she is going to choke that I hate feeding her solids and I know she needs to start to be consistently given them...Thank you :-)

Re: Help this paranoid mom...table foods

  • I keep them small.  I even break up puffs into 3 pieces or so.
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  • Cut them up small. 
    "Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
    ~Benjamin Franklin

    Lilypie Third Birthday tickers
    DS dx with celiac disease 5/28/10

  • When DD started, she gagged A LOT.  I just watched her like a hawk with my heart in my throat.  For us, it was better to give chunks to gum, and then I would look at her and make chewing motions and "nom nom nom" noises while she ate.  She caught on pretty fast, and for a while actually said "nom nom nom" while she chewed.  Pretty funny:-)  Now she shoves multiple "bites" of things into her mouth at once and despite giving me palpitations, has had no problems.

    Edit:  by chunks, I mean pieces the size of my index fingernail, thumbnail at the biggest.  Not huge by any means.

  • Thank you...that's what I though...ummm ok dumb question of the day...how small is small? Seriously..total clueless over here...
  • I do a mod version of Baby Lead Weaning so I give soft things whole.
  • It's ok. I was the same way. We did puffs from 6-9 months and then around 9.5-10 months I really hit it hard with finger foods and within 2 weeks that is all she was eating. I know she was ready because she didn't have any issues at all and she was rejecting purees. We started with bananas, avocado, pancakes, salt free canned veggies b/c they are so soft, potatoes/sweet potatoes, and really soft things. I cut/tear everything into small pieces - probably the size of a puff or smaller. I've moved toward larger pieces now that she is almost one, but still do small pieces. She likes to swallow things whole, so I keep that in mind and try to do pieces and things that can be swallowed whole while she learns to actually chew her food. Now, she loves bluberries (cut in half or quarters), any carbs - quesadilla, grilled cheese, pasta (diatlini is perfect), etc. HTH. I tried to just offer one finger food option at each meal and went from there.
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  • Start with half pieces of Puffs and as soon as she gets used to picking them up and actually chewing then move to small bits of soft whatever. I give DS small pieces of everything I eat that is soft. He's getting pretty good at gumming so I think I'll start moving to slightly firmer foods like soft cooked veggies and chicken.
  • imageohwhattheheck:
    I keep them small.  I even break up puffs into 3 pieces or so.

    I was still breaking up puffs into 3 pieces until I caught DH feeding them to him whole.  I had a mild freak-out, and DH said, "What?  I've been giving them to him whole every time I feed him."  Turns out he could handle them better than I thought!

  • The reason you want to start with Puffs is they melt...no worries about choking.
  • I started VERY small.  Like a quarter of a puff.  Then when he could pick them up, I gave them whole.  He gagged a couple of days (he would move it around and be to far back to chew and he would cough, then puke), but then was fine.  Now I make food cheerio/puff size for him.  I also only give him 1 at a time.  He has a tendency to pick up 3 or 4 at a time and shove them in his mouth. LOL
  • imagebetsnup:

    imageohwhattheheck:
    I keep them small.  I even break up puffs into 3 pieces or so.

    I was still breaking up puffs into 3 pieces until I caught DH feeding them to him whole.  I had a mild freak-out, and DH said, "What?  I've been giving them to him whole every time I feed him."  Turns out he could handle them better than I thought!

    That's so funny -- we moved to bigger pieces the same way.  DH was giving DD whole yogurt bites (and those are big) and I didn't know it!

  • You all are so great for helping me with this. I really appreciate all the suggestions! :-) Thanks again
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