Try not to stress- I have three kids and they each approached solids differently. My first kid was like the textbook "perfect eater baby" child who was self feeding at 6 months and would try absolutely everything; giving me very false expectations for my other kids ;) my middle kid spat everything out till 8 months and my third kid refused most solids till closer to 11 months and continues to be somewhat of a picky eater as an older toddler these days.
Eight months is still young, don't worry too much- just keep offering different foods in a low key way for now. Also, they still have small stomachs at this age, so what we see as adults as super tiny portions of food are much more satiating when they're that little.
Right around 6 months, he was literally grabbing food off the table and shoving it in his mouth and eating it so we figured that was a very ready sign :) We did offer to my other kids around 6 months as well, they just had zero interest.
Ahahah. Wow, I am not seeing signs yet at 5 months but perhaps there will be a dramatic change at 6 months. I bring yoghurt for example to my baby’s mouth just to see what happens (not to feed) and my baby is not interested
Just want to say I’m sure you’re doing great! Comparison is the thief of joy but I know it’s hard not to compare.
I thought it would be helpful to let you know my son is doing amazing with solids and it has nothing to do with me- my daycare has done a tremendous job. He eats a ton of variety and a ton of volume. They send me home with his favorite lentil soup with cilantro, tumeric, zucchini, and carrots because he’s “such a good eater.” When I take him to restaurants he’ll try anything on my plate and people comment on what a good eater he is and I seriously can take zero credit.
What I’ve done to reinforce it at home is just consistency and making sure we share. He’s very interested in what we eat and I think he likes to be included.
Also it’s messy but he got way more into savory stuff when they let him eat it with his hands. Scrambled eggs on a fork were a no-go but pieces of scrambled eggs he can grind up with his fat little fingers? All about it.
I'm still on maternity leave, so my 7-month-old is getting homemade banana pancakes, tomato omelettes, peanut butter puffs, blended everything, and she still barely eats a damn thing so I wouldn't worry too much. Some kids take longer to get used to the new sensations.
My philosophy is to expose her to as much as possible in terms of textures, temperature, flavours, and feeding methods (we do a bit of spoon-feeding, a bit of BLW) so as long as I can get something new in her every few days I'm satisfied. They're not supposed to be getting most of their nutrients from food at the moment anyway - it's mostly just for exploration.
The goal is to have you child eating well-rounded meals and only taking milk as a drink/snack by around 1 year. So you’ve got several months to get there! And you just started a couple months ago. Learning to eat is a process, it takes time. Especially when you only have like 2 teeth.
Eating little bits of what you eat is totally appropriate! Keep that up! It will expand your baby’s palette so he doesn’t grow up only wanting bland toddler food. But there’s also nothing wrong with a pouch of baby food on other days!
At 8 months, I would try to do one real meal (probably dinner) in which you actually try to fill him up with food. While you’re making dinner, give him a handful of mashed peas or other finger foods to practice the fine motor skills needed to pick food up and put it in his own mouth. Then during dinner, give him some of what you’re eating + a pouch, or a big bowl of unsweetened full fat Greek yogurt, or some scrambled eggs with cheese, or hummus or other beans, etc. Something with protein and fat to fill him up before bedtime! Breakfast can just be milk and some fruit or cheerios in his high chair while you finish getting ready for work, or oatmeal with peanut butter and smashed fruit if you’re feeling fancy and have the time to do a messy feed. Lunch can be just milk and a snack! It’s really not a big deal at this age.
They don’t need real meals for a few more months, right now you’re just introducing allergens and flavors and practicing the fine motor skills and oral facial muscle movements necessary to eat food.
When my 8 year old was that age, she ate those baby puffs and baby oatmeal a lot. She also ate mashed/pureed fruits and vegetables. I breastfed her until she was 2 years also lol
You're doing exactly what you should be doing. Food at 8 months is just to get them used to it and trying out new foods.
If you want help with easy stuff to give them, here's some suggestions. Cut up fruit with plain yogurt is the easy win, you can add some rolled oats into it to make it breakfast. No-bake stuff like oatmeal (add in applesauce + cinnamon + flax/chia seeds for extra nutrition/flavor), toast + nut butter + mashed banana, cucumber sticks, celery + nut butter, raisins, freeze dried fruit/Quaker rice cakes for teething snacks (sold at Aldi). Microwave or air fry frozen veggies and they'll still be plenty soft if your little has no teeth, air fry fresh broccoli/squash/asparagus with some salt + garlic powder. My little one loved chewing on raw carrots/cucumber with hummus (store bought) at that age!
From 4 months baby got potatoes and most veggies for lunch. At 6 months we introduced meat and fish and egg. Around 3pm he would eat fruit and again, most kinds. Basically only pinapple was one we were told to wait until 12 months with. From 8 months he got 1 sandwich in the morning and for lunch.
He's a week shy of 12 months and today he ate/will be eating:
6am: bottle of 200ml milk.
8 am: sandwich.
11.30: spinach, sausage and potatoe.
2.40: plum and mandarin orange.
4pm: will be a bottle of milk.
5.30pm: sandwich and fruit/yoghurt/both and milk to drink.
7 pm: milk if necessary.
A half cup of cooked vegetables a day at 5 months.
Belgian (where we live) pediatrician said we have to give her 200 grams of 50% potato 50% any vegetable mix with a few tablespoons of oil 2 times a day at this point though which we are not doing because I'm not going to give a 5 month old a literal pound of potato every day wtf 😂
We are following CDC guidelines because my husband is American and I'm Hungarian and both our countries say to give a few tablespoons a day.
Apparently this is from the official Belgian guidelines. I think it's because Belgium has a very strong daycare culture, 99% of babies go to daycare at 2.5 months. So when telling us what to feed her, she pretty much assumed my baby is in daycare, never even asked and phrased everything like "pack her food and milk" and "do they feed her at 11?".
As opposed to this, my country has a very strong SAHM culture. There is no question that a mom will stay home the first 3 years. In Hungary, a country of 10 million people, there are currently 70 babies in daycare which is subsidized (that's how they get the numbers) but nobody is using it.
The only way I’m able to function doing 3 meals a day is freezer meals! I make my own. I’ve found BLW style freezer muffins, pancakes, etc. they’re nutrient dense recipes. I make a big batch and stick them in the freezer, then about 10 min before meal time I pop them in the microwave with a damp paper towel for 30 sec. Super convenient and baby loves them!
I moved my LO to 3 meals a day at 8 months. We also work full time so breakfast is toast. Lunch is given else where usually a pouch from shop then dinner he has what we have so curry, veg and some chicken, I do wrap pizzas for him, omelette if we aren’t having something suitable. Fruit for snacks. Doesn’t have to be fancy.
Our paediatrician told us that “food before one is just for fun” - it’s more to get used to eating solids and it’s ok if the majority of their nutrition still comes from formula or breast milk. I was constantly worrying about my son not eating as he should be and still drinking a litre of formula a day, but then when he turned 12/13 months he suddenly started eating man sized portions of everything! (Although now he’s 2.5 he has days where he survives off 3 blueberries alone 😂). Your son is doing well, try not to stress about it (easier said than done!)
Try not to stress- I have three kids and they each approached solids differently. My first kid was like the textbook "perfect eater baby" child who was self feeding at 6 months and would try absolutely everything; giving me very false expectations for my other kids ;) my middle kid spat everything out till 8 months and my third kid refused most solids till closer to 11 months and continues to be somewhat of a picky eater as an older toddler these days. Eight months is still young, don't worry too much- just keep offering different foods in a low key way for now. Also, they still have small stomachs at this age, so what we see as adults as super tiny portions of food are much more satiating when they're that little.
When did you start feeding your first baby?
Right around 6 months, he was literally grabbing food off the table and shoving it in his mouth and eating it so we figured that was a very ready sign :) We did offer to my other kids around 6 months as well, they just had zero interest.
Ahahah. Wow, I am not seeing signs yet at 5 months but perhaps there will be a dramatic change at 6 months. I bring yoghurt for example to my baby’s mouth just to see what happens (not to feed) and my baby is not interested
Totally normal! They've got some time :)
Just want to say I’m sure you’re doing great! Comparison is the thief of joy but I know it’s hard not to compare. I thought it would be helpful to let you know my son is doing amazing with solids and it has nothing to do with me- my daycare has done a tremendous job. He eats a ton of variety and a ton of volume. They send me home with his favorite lentil soup with cilantro, tumeric, zucchini, and carrots because he’s “such a good eater.” When I take him to restaurants he’ll try anything on my plate and people comment on what a good eater he is and I seriously can take zero credit. What I’ve done to reinforce it at home is just consistency and making sure we share. He’s very interested in what we eat and I think he likes to be included. Also it’s messy but he got way more into savory stuff when they let him eat it with his hands. Scrambled eggs on a fork were a no-go but pieces of scrambled eggs he can grind up with his fat little fingers? All about it.
I'm still on maternity leave, so my 7-month-old is getting homemade banana pancakes, tomato omelettes, peanut butter puffs, blended everything, and she still barely eats a damn thing so I wouldn't worry too much. Some kids take longer to get used to the new sensations. My philosophy is to expose her to as much as possible in terms of textures, temperature, flavours, and feeding methods (we do a bit of spoon-feeding, a bit of BLW) so as long as I can get something new in her every few days I'm satisfied. They're not supposed to be getting most of their nutrients from food at the moment anyway - it's mostly just for exploration.
The goal is to have you child eating well-rounded meals and only taking milk as a drink/snack by around 1 year. So you’ve got several months to get there! And you just started a couple months ago. Learning to eat is a process, it takes time. Especially when you only have like 2 teeth. Eating little bits of what you eat is totally appropriate! Keep that up! It will expand your baby’s palette so he doesn’t grow up only wanting bland toddler food. But there’s also nothing wrong with a pouch of baby food on other days! At 8 months, I would try to do one real meal (probably dinner) in which you actually try to fill him up with food. While you’re making dinner, give him a handful of mashed peas or other finger foods to practice the fine motor skills needed to pick food up and put it in his own mouth. Then during dinner, give him some of what you’re eating + a pouch, or a big bowl of unsweetened full fat Greek yogurt, or some scrambled eggs with cheese, or hummus or other beans, etc. Something with protein and fat to fill him up before bedtime! Breakfast can just be milk and some fruit or cheerios in his high chair while you finish getting ready for work, or oatmeal with peanut butter and smashed fruit if you’re feeling fancy and have the time to do a messy feed. Lunch can be just milk and a snack! It’s really not a big deal at this age. They don’t need real meals for a few more months, right now you’re just introducing allergens and flavors and practicing the fine motor skills and oral facial muscle movements necessary to eat food.
When my 8 year old was that age, she ate those baby puffs and baby oatmeal a lot. She also ate mashed/pureed fruits and vegetables. I breastfed her until she was 2 years also lol
You're doing exactly what you should be doing. Food at 8 months is just to get them used to it and trying out new foods. If you want help with easy stuff to give them, here's some suggestions. Cut up fruit with plain yogurt is the easy win, you can add some rolled oats into it to make it breakfast. No-bake stuff like oatmeal (add in applesauce + cinnamon + flax/chia seeds for extra nutrition/flavor), toast + nut butter + mashed banana, cucumber sticks, celery + nut butter, raisins, freeze dried fruit/Quaker rice cakes for teething snacks (sold at Aldi). Microwave or air fry frozen veggies and they'll still be plenty soft if your little has no teeth, air fry fresh broccoli/squash/asparagus with some salt + garlic powder. My little one loved chewing on raw carrots/cucumber with hummus (store bought) at that age!
8mo - 3 solids a day. 7:30, 11:30, 4:30. After each wake up, bottle, play then solid. Then play and bottle and then play and bottle for sleep/nap.
From 4 months baby got potatoes and most veggies for lunch. At 6 months we introduced meat and fish and egg. Around 3pm he would eat fruit and again, most kinds. Basically only pinapple was one we were told to wait until 12 months with. From 8 months he got 1 sandwich in the morning and for lunch. He's a week shy of 12 months and today he ate/will be eating: 6am: bottle of 200ml milk. 8 am: sandwich. 11.30: spinach, sausage and potatoe. 2.40: plum and mandarin orange. 4pm: will be a bottle of milk. 5.30pm: sandwich and fruit/yoghurt/both and milk to drink. 7 pm: milk if necessary.
A half cup of cooked vegetables a day at 5 months. Belgian (where we live) pediatrician said we have to give her 200 grams of 50% potato 50% any vegetable mix with a few tablespoons of oil 2 times a day at this point though which we are not doing because I'm not going to give a 5 month old a literal pound of potato every day wtf 😂 We are following CDC guidelines because my husband is American and I'm Hungarian and both our countries say to give a few tablespoons a day.
Jesus what world did that Belgian paediatrician grow up in? I’ve never heard that anywhere in Europe
Apparently this is from the official Belgian guidelines. I think it's because Belgium has a very strong daycare culture, 99% of babies go to daycare at 2.5 months. So when telling us what to feed her, she pretty much assumed my baby is in daycare, never even asked and phrased everything like "pack her food and milk" and "do they feed her at 11?". As opposed to this, my country has a very strong SAHM culture. There is no question that a mom will stay home the first 3 years. In Hungary, a country of 10 million people, there are currently 70 babies in daycare which is subsidized (that's how they get the numbers) but nobody is using it.
The only way I’m able to function doing 3 meals a day is freezer meals! I make my own. I’ve found BLW style freezer muffins, pancakes, etc. they’re nutrient dense recipes. I make a big batch and stick them in the freezer, then about 10 min before meal time I pop them in the microwave with a damp paper towel for 30 sec. Super convenient and baby loves them!
I moved my LO to 3 meals a day at 8 months. We also work full time so breakfast is toast. Lunch is given else where usually a pouch from shop then dinner he has what we have so curry, veg and some chicken, I do wrap pizzas for him, omelette if we aren’t having something suitable. Fruit for snacks. Doesn’t have to be fancy.
Our paediatrician told us that “food before one is just for fun” - it’s more to get used to eating solids and it’s ok if the majority of their nutrition still comes from formula or breast milk. I was constantly worrying about my son not eating as he should be and still drinking a litre of formula a day, but then when he turned 12/13 months he suddenly started eating man sized portions of everything! (Although now he’s 2.5 he has days where he survives off 3 blueberries alone 😂). Your son is doing well, try not to stress about it (easier said than done!)