Please no judgement, first time mom here. We recently started doing solid foods now that my son is 7 months old. We stick to basics cereal, apples carrots etc. I feed him 2 “meals” a day in addition to his bottles. I have no idea where to go from here. Do I introduce a new food often? Does he have to try all the fruits and veggies? What do I avoid? Do I do meats? Cheese? Do I just do jar baby food? Do I make my own? What do i have to watch out for? I am at such a loss and feel dumb asking my doctor too many questions since I’m literally CLUELESS.
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It’s up to you mama. I was giving my son when he was 7 months old all the 1st and 2nd baby far foods. He loved mostly everything. And I made him mashed potatoes and mashed sweet potatoes and whatever vegetables smashed and let him try what he likes. It’s up to you and whatever baby likes
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I started at 4 months, by 5 introduced meats. By all means introduce food 3x a day but I suggest keeping it simple so you will know if something doesn’t agree with him. Also don’t do jarred combos as all have carrots and can cause carotenemia lol which is just a vitamin overdose and orange skin
My pediatrician gave me charts and information sheets for food stages. Try connecting with your baby’s dr and see if they can help.
My baby is 7 months old and I also started the baby led weaning method. I suggest researching. Its very interesting. But at the end of the day, you do what you feel is best.
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Google different feelings methods. Find your favorite and YouTube it. Find a good mom you like and follow her on her routine and just get more info. I do that for a lot of things. I follow a few moms. And they teach me new stuff everyday!
I’d stick to a need food every other week or more just to make sure babes tummy doesn’t get upset don’t worry about jarred food take some bananas mash them avocados mashed plane potatoes mashed I never liked the baby food meats 
neither did my kids
I’d stick to a need food every other week or more just to make sure babes tummy doesn’t get upset don’t worry about jarred food take some bananas mash them avocados mashed plane potatoes mashed I never liked the baby food meats neither did my kids
Never feel dumb to ask questions that’s key to learning! Ask your doctor as many questions as you want thats’what there there for. My son I just kept introducing new soft foods to see what he likes don’t like. It’s scary being a first time mom but you will get the hang of it and just know what to do after awhile. But never be afraid to ask away😊 you got this
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Baby led weaning. Just give baby what your eatting. I didn’t do ceral or jar food.
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My little is 7 months, he eats everything I eat ! Except honey…
check out “baby lead weaning”
I don’t follow it entirely, but your little can have everything you have.
He eats every meal with me, and then has a bottle before or after to make sure he’s getting enough 
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Introduce single foods first to check for allergies. Each food should be fed to babes at least for 3-5 days to get used to it. That’s how I did it for mine. You can do 1st and 2nds depending on how he responds to it. Try not to go to thick at first. I gradually introduced in my table foods that were safe like mashed potatoes and beans which were thicker. It’s all up to you. I’d recommend once he has eaten baby food for a bit to try mashed avocado plain of course and mashed potatoes as a first for big people food. I do fruits for breakfast, veggies for lunch, and mixed veggies with meat or plain veggies for dinner. I’d avoid cheese for a bit. (This is what I did. But you are the mom, you do what you feel is right! You got this!)
I actually gave our daughter a lot of what we were eating, especially after she had a few teeth. Things that dissolve easily (Graham crackers, Ritz crackers) and anything the we ate that could easily be squished between my fingers (cut up super tiny).
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Do not hesitate about asking questions I had a notebook being a first time mom wrote down questions nd then wrote their answers lol. So go nuts with the multiple questions
When my daughter was 5-6 months old I started introducing her to baby food with bottles then as she got to 7 months I started leaning her off baby food so much and giving her actual food like bananas and strawberries , meat , veggies, mashed potatoes things like that
Avoid egg whites and anything with honey, if your wanting to start regular food. I’ve never done the whole “wait” thing to check for allergies, all my kids have just ate whatever they liked best.
What we did is only one new food a week and started with veggies first. to be able to pinpoint any allergic reactions. And we did a big can of baby food a day (half each feeding). Half for lunch and half for dinner. We started with veggies first (to try and prevent fruit preference) and after about a month of that, we switched it up. Started doing a small can of baby food fruit for lunch and a small can of familiar veggies for dinner (stuff we knew he was okay with). Any time we wanted to introduce something new, that’s the only food he got for the week - to make sure he wasn’t allergic
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Making food is always healthier, but it’s not required. You should try as many things as possible to expand their pallet but don’t introduce too close together cause you want to make sure no allergies happen so give a day or two at least for rashes or tummy trouble.
Also work on veggies/meats first so they don’t only want the sweet fruits and yogurts and refuse everything else.
Good luck! 
I mashed up what I ate. The meats in the baby food jars were good enough until age 1 when they have more teeth and their 1st set of molars in.
Usually wait 2-3 days between new foods, in case of an allergy. But yeah, try everything. The more you feed your lo now, it can help them not be so picky as they age… I mean into teen and adult years. Every toddler is picky.
I started jar baby food with both of mine at 6 months till 1yr, then started introducing table foods. I started with the pureed vegetables, then fruits then the baby meat (bc i was breastfeeding).
If you want to do baby food you can introduce a new kind every 48 hours to make sure he is not allergic. I have a 9 month old and they feed her baby food twice a day but when she gets home she eats mostly what we eat such as mashed potatoes, mac n cheese, collard greens, potato salad, beans, hotdog, cans of pasta, and anything else that is soft. I even give her a chicken bone to gum on since she is teething.
Hes old enough to taste what you eat… we started our kids early. Less food allergies less pickiness…
At 7 months he can eat mashed potatoes… eggs. Yogurt… he can eat what you eat.
They make next step baby food too. He can eat cheerios…
Look up baby led weaning
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I made all of my little grandsons food. I have a baby cookbook and did it all. He never had any her food at all. I made just about everything I could think of.
He is so dag gone smart and he has been very healthy.
I would say, make your own food
Wait about 3 days between new foods to keep an eye on possible allergies
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In all reality- stop pushing until they start picking off your plate. That’s when they are “ready”.
I second baby led weaning. It’s not worth the money buying baby food. Just give baby what you eat. Look up baby led weaning for beginners
Add a Baby Led Weaning page, it will provide all the answers you need!
My son is just hit 8 months, barely one tooth, he’s been eating baby food for awhile now so we started just letting him do like the exploration diet, basically if he shows interest in something I let home try it safely. But he sees his bigger sister (she’s 3.5) eating stuff and if it’s squishy I just let him try it (guacamole, humus, soft cheese, bananas, raspberries, cottage cheese, soft crackers-ones that will dissolve easily, peeled cucumbers, waffles, cauliflower mash -his personal fav!!- even meatballs lol). I don’t use these as meals but just kind of snacks or treats just so he kind of get an idea of what he likes. Just let him try anything he seems to be drawn too 
The only rules they have now is no cows milk until at least 12 months old and no honey until 2 years old.
Everything else is fair game. If you want to start off slow so that you can keep better track of what baby is trying (just in case there is an allergy) try one new food a week. It’s easier to pinpoint what may not agree with baby if you slowly introduce foods. Good luck!
Also, never feel dumb for asking the doctor questions. Any questions. They would rather you understood everything before leaving the office than you holding back for fear of sounding dumb. You’ve got this!
Why do you feel dumb for asking your doctor? That’s what they are there for.
Avoid eggs, milk peanut butter, and honey
When my daughter was at that point…we started with rice cereal mixed with apple sauce and a bit of cinnamon.that was breakfast every morning. I would do about a jar of a veggie (the smaller ones), the meats didn’t work out for her so much so I would blend some chicken soup and give him about a quarter can of that. With each meal, I would supplement with a smaller bottle of formula. We didn’t start out with three meals this size a day, but we worked up to that. My daughter is a very skinny little (no so little…she’s almost 12) thing. She ate well. She just was always on the light side. She was terribly picky so we kept her on whole milk, pediasure along with the foods we could get her to eat. Hope that helps.
My doctor said wait about 3 days between new foods to look out for any allergies. And as far as WHAT to feed them. They can eat anything we eat (obviously as long as it’s not spicy or something within reason) and to just use a food processor to make it as thick as we’re comfortable with!
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I would definitely try veggies before fruits, as they will prefer the sweetness of fruit over vegetables. Let them get a good taste of veggies before introducing a ton of fruit because babies need veggies too! I did this, and my daughter LOVES vegetables, she will eat broccoli, carrots, peas, any vegetable with our complain, either cooked or raw now. Also make sure you give it atleast 3/4 days between introducing anything new Incase baby develops an allergy. And honestly, as far as making your own, you can feed baby what you eat as long as it’s small enough and they are able to chew. And please remember FOOD BEFORE ONE IS JUST FOR FUN!!! it’s ok if they do not get a “meal” a day as long as they get formula or breast milk, some days can be a hit and miss with solids and that’s ok because the main source of nutrition before one is still either formula or breast milk. You got this momma, don’t be embarrasse!!
Try one new food every week. This helps rule out any allergies if the little one has any.
Make your own, you will need a good blender. Boil the veggies and mash down in blender. Like carrots, peas, apple sauce.
Skip purées and do solid foods, it’s more work now but is so worth it in the end. You only have to avoid eggs and honey until after 1.
Try new foods about once a week. (As soon as 4 days, you really just wanna keep an eye out for allergies) You can keep going woth ones he already likes. You can try the meats veggies fruits, do a wide combo so he’ll like different things. Slowly add more food and less bottles as the year goes on (look for signs of not being satisfied with the bottle to know when to do more babyfood in the day) as foor making it vs store that’s whatever fits your lifestyle best. I got the jars from the store. Really didnt have time to worry about making my own.
I will tell you what I normally do( 4 kids:blush:) : start with fruits and veggies puréed, introduce one new food every 3-5 days, so you can make sure they are digesting each food well! I watch mine while others are eating in front of them, and when you see them reaching for, drooling over, and begging for table food (lol) you could either purée whatever you are eating for dinner in the blender and give them a baby food, or cut it up into very tiny chunks and feed them that. They always wanted “real” food some time between 8 and 10 months! When they can start feeding themselves, you could also move onto snack type foods that they can feed themselves, like puff snacks! All of my kids LOVED puffs 
and were so darn cute asking for them as well lol. Pinterest has a LOT of posts on starting baby out on different foods, feeding schedules, and meal ideas for toddlers. I would browse through. It would be very helpful!
At 4 months my daughter was eating mashed up baked ziti. It’s totally up to what your baby can handle I made baby food but honestly it’s very time consuming when your trying to make a variety. After I broke my blender I started jars. I used to just purée up whatever we were having for dinner within reason of course and slowly started leaving it slightly chunkier.
Try new foods and wait 2/3 days for a reaction to allergies. My baby started eating solids at 2 months
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Check out Baby Led Weaning for Beginners & Beyond (BLWBB) baby can eat anything you’re eating with a few exceptions!
By next month you will be mashing everything u eat for him. It all works out 
Introduce a new food each week so you can check for any reactions.
Making stuff myself was easy. I’d chuck it in the blender, pour into ice cube trays whatever I wasn’t using right away, froze them & could thaw however many cubes my kids would eat in the microwave whenever I wanted. Easiest: bananas, pears, apples, potatoes, brown rice, squashes of all kinds (including eggplant & zucchini), peas, cooked beans of all kinds, especially chick peas & lentils. Also scrambled eggs and silken tofu are good baby foods. Could not grind meats to the right consistency though, and yes, jarred meats seem disgusting!
Everyone is a rookie the first time around! Don’t be shy to ask, all moms had to ask questions, & new info comes out all the time. Good for you for asking on this forum!
We have an almost 1 year old and we’ve mixed the suggested serving of baby cereal with her jar solids so it has a more thick consistency. But over time, we’ve added table foods. Little pieces of bread, eggs, cheese, olives, salsa, tiny pieces of meat. I mean the list goes on… and as they get older, you’ll have more of a feel of what to give them. Just make sure to stay away from honey, fruits with skins/seeds. The wic website has wonderful information on how to introduce table foods, what to introduce and when. Also a complete list for what to avoid. I remember feeling like that too when we started our daughter on solids. It’ll get easier as you get more used to it. Our daughter eats anything we give her lol she hasn’t turned down one specific food yet.
Eventually you can get them little “snack” like foods like puffs. The packaging should have an age on when it’s safe to give.
Good luck!
Be careful of choking hazards like bread & grapes.
Baby led weaning, eat soft foods your eating.
It’s a good thing to ask questions you’re new at this and learning everyday along with your baby. It shows that your concerned and trust me you’re not the only mom to ask a million questions! You don’t want to keep introducing new foods to close together Incase he has an allergic reaction to something you will be able to figure it out a lot faster if he is eating the same thing for 2-3 days in a row. But definitely introduce cheese or tiny pieces of meat that he won’t choke on. Give him mashed potatoes mashed bananas and veggie that you can cook and mash up or any fruit that you can mash up I always thought fresh fruits and veggies were better because they aren’t complete mosh in a jar! Good luck mommy you’re doing a great job!!! KEEP ASKING QUESTIONS!!!
I did my own but definitely used new jar when going out…being it was sealed I didn’t have to worry any bacteria being in food because it Sat out for couple hours…you will find out what works best for you…I also started other than baby cereal veggies first…then meat…then fruits…
Look for the books weaning sense or baby led weaning, you can also Google recipes
My baby is just about 8 months, we started with oatmeal, worked up to purée by 6 months then she was so interested in our food that we just started giving her what we eat, I supplement with the purée if she can’t eat what were eating or she can only eat the protein, I also do baby led weaning and I chew food up for her if it’s too tough (seems gross maybe) but they don’t know the difference and it’s easier than making your own! I do a snack (some fruits and baby snacks) and a meal at night right now just because they say formula or breasts milk is more important before one but it’s totally up to you!
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My son loved fruits and veggies, I put fruits in his cereal so he would eat it but meats are not necessary yet and just because they like it dislike some of the baby food doesn’t mean it’ll be the same for it in solid form so don’t rely on that. Try some finger foods like the baby cookies and things French toast sticks. Don’t stress it too much just watch how the handle different things and go from there.
No honey until he’s about 3, especially if it’s pure, raw honey. With eggs and peanut butter, give him just a little bit and wait to see if he has a reaction. If he turns out to not be allergic, then feel free to give it to him. I didn’t really do jar foods because they aren’t very yummy. It’s ridiculous to spend money on something that doesn’t taste good. I just mashed up a little of whatever I was having, as long as it wasn’t too salty or spicy. Just try to feed him a balanced diet, just as you would with an older child, only this food needs to be mashed for him. Avoid juices. His bottle should only be breast milk or formula.
Try and avoid jars if you can.
I started with blended veggies, seperate…then mixed, sweet potato seperate, then mixed with veggies, then eventually added meats. I also tries normal potato seperate and mixed but he didn’t like them. He’s almost 3 and still won’t eat normal potato. I also cut up veggies into sticks and boiled them and let him hold them to eat them. I also used to cut peppers up and let him chew on them, cucumber aswel.
Just blend stuff up and freeze it and label it… That’s what I done and It was so much better than using jars. Especially cause my little one had dairy intolerance xx
You should ask your pediatrician
Don’t feel dumb asking your doctor, that’s what they are there for. We were recommended to stay on the same food for at least 4 days to test for a reaction or allergen. Symptoms are vomiting, rash, diarrhea. Watch out for constipation and give half fruit juice half water.
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Never feel stupid for asking your doctor. Literally why pediatricians are pediatricians. They are there to help you and your baby. You can introduce new foods often. You should offer all fruits and veggies as baby is able to chew them. For now, soft foods that you are eatting can definitely be offered. You can buy jarred baby food, my kids did well with them. But you can also puree your own of you have the time to do so. You can look online for baby food recipes if you wanna go that route. Meat is ok when they are able to chew it well. If you do hotdogs or any food that is round, cut it into fourths or smaller so they dont choke. Ask you doctor at the next well check too. They will be happy to offer suggestions and give you a good idea of what the baby should be having at this point. You got this! 
Honey is just about the only thing that should be avoided.
At 6 months id shred meat and “big people food” and let her taste it. She also had 5 teeth at the moment. She loved big people food so much she wouldnt eat her baby food. i had to buy the gerber baby food trays with the soft meat & veggies and she went to town on those
Start with veggies than go to fruits after that add in meat than go to table food introduce peanut butter as soon as he can handle chewing put it on toast than add eggs and cheese along with juice in his diet every day and you can give him some water too good luck momma
Only try one new thing a week. So you can catch an allergy. And I would have him eat all different types that way when hes older he wont be so picky.