How can this little boy be 10 month old already?
It feels like this month, Theo became such a person. His babbling game is so strong and he’s showing so much personality, it almost worries me. He has four serious teeth. He knows how to sass. He can play games with me. He giggles like a maniac. And this boy, he eats.
This month, we moved from pureed foods to chopped foods and eating with our fingers. I basically knew he was ready for it when he could pick up any spec of dirt on the floor and bring it to his mouth successfully while I ran from across the room to stop him. Now if we can spot dirt and pick it up, why not carrots?
Last month, I talked all about how I prepare the baby food—from the vegetables to the grains to the proteins, I shared my method that ensures I’ve got a freezer packed with wonderful food for the boy. Preparing the chopped food is really no different, with the exception of not mashing it (or running it through a food processor) at the end but just chopping it. I still freeze it all in a tray and transfer it to a plastic bag for easy storage when it’s done.
In addition to all the things he’s already eaten, we’ve also started giving him bits and pieces of fruit and berries (apples, pears, blackberries, raspberries, and more). We’e added Brussels sprouts and acorn squash to his vegetable rotation. He’s eating small amounts of bread. He’s also snacking on some Cheerios and loving it like all babies do.
And of course, there is the infamous Russian sushki that my parents gave him at their house which is essentially a hard bagel that babies work at until their entire face is covered in wet crumbs. Let’s just say it keeps them occupied while the rest of us are eating Thanksgiving dinner.
Meals have slowed down a little bit, as eating with his hands certainly takes more time than when I shovel food into his mouth with a spoon. I’ve also been amazed at the variety of textures he’s accepted—I was highly skeptical about chopped broccoli, but he ate it with vigor.
Mommas with older kids, what should we try next?
Hey Vicky, have you tried nut butters yet? Our allergist told us that research is now showing that feeding them earlier is actually reducing allergies (same applies to any common allergens). When my oldest was Theo’s age, she loved a thin layer of nut butter on toast cut into fingers. And for baby J right now (almost 8 months) I mix nut butters in with his oatmeal. An easy way to bump up healthy fat and protein.
writes CarissaThat’s great advice! We’ll try that next :)
writes VickySilas loved beans (black, pinto, white). We also did a lot of oatmeal, and peas. Green beans are also pretty easy for them to pick up, and he loved to gnaw at carrots. Basically whatever meal we were eating, I would save a little bit of the ingredients and serve it to him all deconstructed.
writes angela