We DID start feeding rice cereal with vitamin D drops at 4 months old. We tried a variety of purees. Avocado, green bean, pea, carrot, squash, sweet potato, pumpkin, pear, apple, banana and plum. Every time we tried something that wasn't 100% smooth like peas or lentils, our baby would gag and spit up. THE BIG BOOK OF ORGANIC BABY FOOD says single ingredient purees start at 6 months. Once baby has been exposed to the ingredient 3x then it's considered safe. Smooth combination purees are for 6-8 months. We skipped this. Chunky combination purees were for 9-12 months. We also skipped this.
Strangely, around 13 months, Albert would shriek through meals and refuse to eat. I figured he wanted more control over his eating. The best thing I did was to eat WITH him in his play yard, giving him some of my meal. It started with a bit of tortilla, then some tomato and cucumber, and even some meat. He does gag a bit but he is more determined to swallow and he keeps the food down, which is a BIG relief.
So that brings us to "finger food" which the book says is appropriate for 10 months and up. "Toddler meals" are marked for 12-18 months. "Family meals" are marked 12 months and up. I feel like I'm almost skipping ahead to this. Yesterday we had pork taquitos and our toddler enjoyed the cheesy meat filling, the baked crispy tortilla, guacamole, tomato pieces, and yogurt (in place of sour cream). It was messy but so much more fun than listening to a screeching kiddo while trying to shovel puree into his mouth.
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