Baby food to table food: How to switch?

Regular home cooked food can be introduced to your baby as early as 8 to 9 months of age. My infant is 10 months old and she now enjoys regular food made for the whole family!A little planning from the beginning can significantly reducetheextra effort you need to make baby food.

I am an ayurvedic doctor and mother of two children. I have an 8 year old son and a 10 month old daughter.I have never given bottle feed to both my babies.This is how I made the gradual shift from breastfeeding to baby food to regular food with my children…

6-7 months

Breastfeeding has helped me in introducing solid food earlier. I introduced mashed and pureed food from 6 to 7 months of age. This included mashed banana, vegetable soup, sooji kheer etc.

8-9 months

By 8 to 9 months my baby was fed every 2 to 3 hours, though in small quantities. Every time we would eat anything, my little one would stop eating her baby food which included oatmeal, steamed finger foods like carrot, and would stare at our food.I felt she wanted to taste the normal food. So, I started by giving her a piece of chapatti.

My then 8/12 month old started to bite with her gums. She kept doing so until the chapati became soft enough for her to swallow. Next, I tried cucumber and again she started chewing it - first with her front gums, and making it soft. This also helps infants with teething problems as solid foods massage the infants’ gums. I started with chapati and cucumber as part of her daily routine diet along with other baby foods. By 9 months my little one had mastered the art of making the food soft with her saliva andswallowingit without choking herself.

9-11 months

My next step was to give her small pieces of soft vegetables cooked for the family. I gave her lauki, tori, and potato. Today she is 10 1/2 months and she eats normal food with the whole family, which includes daal and rice, roti and vegetables with curd.

No more does my infant want or need to have plain steamed baby food! I hope these tips help you and your baby make that shift from baby food to regular food. Please remember, it’s agradual process that requires a bit of planning– and that all babies are different. And soon your baby can enjoy the same meal as the whole family!

Did you find Sunita’s tips on helping your baby transition from baby food to regular fooduseful? How did/ do you help you baby make this change? Do share your experiences and learnings with us in the comments section below. We love hearing from you!