What are some good foods to feed a 12 month old that's just starting to feed himself?

Question

My 12 month old just recently started feeding himself. He does not chew very good and has a tendency to swallow things whole. What are some foods that I could let him eat that he wouldn't be able to choke as easy on? He's no longer interested in baby food and I want to be sure he's getting adequate nutrition.

Answer 1

You need to teach him to chew before he chokes on something. You can be feeding him the softest foods and he can still easily choke on them if he doesn't chew them.

Sit down at the table with him and take a bite of something. Show him how mommy chews and see if he can mimic you. When he's eating, repeatedly tell him "chew" so he can remember. Eventually chewing will just become a habit and he'll do it without being told to just like everyone else.

Answer 2

What we've done with our kids is cut the food into VERY small pieces and only give him one little piece at a time. This can be challenging when he's hungry, which might be part of the reason why he's trying to swallow things without chewing. I know it's time consuming, but safety has to come first.

As for types of food, try peas, corn, diced green beans, whole wheat bread, shredded cheese (much better than the cubes which are bad for choking on), carrot peels and those Gerber baby puffs that dissolve in their mouths.

I know some kids just go through that stage for a while. My oldest child had a friend who, at 22 months, started choking on pancake (we were out to eat on vacation) and I freaked out! Apparently he did it all the time and the parents just coached him to cough and he was fine. As with anything, just ask your doctor if it goes on for more than a couple months. He should get the hang of eating soon!

Susan
www.JoyFilledHome.com

Answer 3

Try grapes - I peeled the skin off and cut them in quarters to be safe. Fruits in general are the best, because most are very sweet and the babies think they are eating candy! :) I also gave him canned pears, because they are softer, as well as peaches, bananas, mangos, etc. He LOVED all of it. Now that your son is 12 mos., you can also give him strawberries. You can also try hot dogs - I peeled the skin off of the hot dogs and cut each little slice in quarters, which is not too messy and easy for them to pick up - it sounds like a lot of work but my son loved that too... and the pay off is the little yummy sounds they make! As for vegetables, cook carrots so they are soft and cut those into thin slices, or try potatoes. Just make sure the pieces are small enough. You'll be surprised at how many (healthy) things your son can eat at this young age!

Answer 4

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Answer 5

My son loved grated mozzerella cheese when he was learning to eat. He could pick it up himself but the small pieces were not hard for him to gum and swallow. His ped also reccommended toast, it is easier to eat than soft bread and less of a choking hazard. We used fortified whole grain bread for extra nutrition and he loved it (still does!) We cut it into little strips that he can pick up. My son also loves Yo Baby fruit and cereal yogurt - although that needs to be spooned.

Answer 6

We served alot of pasta and fruit cocktail. We just had to cut it up small. But those go down pretty well. In the baby food aisle there are foods in a microwave container (like chef boyardee) and there is quite a selection, our son loved those. They have veggies and pasta pockets. The meat in the entrees is diced very fine. They worked great!

Answer 7

We have been feeding our now 1 year old with homemade food since he started on solids. I got the book Super foods for babies and toddlers by Annabelle Karmel and it has the greates sample foods in it. She also tells you what food is good for what. I love it!
I don't want my baby to get used to any hamburgers or fries, so we only feed him veggies and fruits with meat homemade.

Answer 8

There are alot of foods he/she can eat... Applesauce(without added sugar), mashpotatoes, you can put any thing in a blender and chop it up so the pieces are smaller. They also enjoy bannanas( you may want to watch them on that so the pieces are not too big. There are Arrow root biscuit(brand name) that are used for teething that works well. Really anything that is soft works well. DD

Answer 9

At that age, I fed my daughter little bits of whatever I was eating (as long as it wasn't hard or a choking hazard).

I would break up bits and put a few at a time onto her high chair tray.

She loved meatballs, french fries, green beans, bits of broccoli, waffles, french toast, grilled cheese, etc. She loved feeding herself.

If your son will mash a bunch at a time into his mouth, then just give him a couple of pieces at a time.

Answer 10

some may not agree, but one of the best starters we've found are mashed potatoes. Its something you make anyway, you can make it as coarse or whipped as you want, and as he baby progresses you can add in gravy the give him meats or whatever you like. We did this with our kids, and they loved it, and had no problems with digestion or anything. Also it seems to fill them up so it cut down on late night feedings and things.