Each age and stage offers fun new experiences
and one of my favorites is when my children transition from baby food to table
food. Baby food is all fine and dandy, but for me it got really old really fast
– especially the more children I had to prepare meals for. And while everyone
grows and develops at their own pace I have found that having a self feeding 10
month old makes the world of difference at meal times. We now eat meals as a
family where everyone gets to eat at the same time; which is nice because I am
not a big fan of cold dinners.
Since I love this stage of development so
much I have decided to put together a little list of tips for making this
transition as easy as possible. It is a process and not something that happens
overnight. We started this process with my daughter when she was 8 months old and
now that she is 10 months old she is self feeding while sitting at the dinner
table with the whole family and we are all eating together at the SAME TIME! And
thanks to Boon, she is doing it in style {Thank you Boon for sending us samples
for the purpose of review}!
My 5 tips and tricks for making the transition
to table food:
I
have found with each of my children that they were ready to make this
transition to table foods around 8-9 months of age. While this time frame
worked for us, it may not work for you. Each child is different. You will know that
they aren't quite ready to make this transition yet if they gag, or cough a lot
when you try to feed them thicker foods. Sometimes they might even outright
refuse to try.
Start preparing for this transition by
thickening up the baby food. I did this about a week before introducing solids.
You can increase thickness by adding cereal to prepared
baby food, by adding freshly pureed foods into prepared baby foods, or by
simply adding less liquid to homemade pureed baby foods.
The first table foods we introduced to our children
were ones that dissolved quickly in their mouths. I am terrified at the thought
my children choking, as I am sure most parents are when they introduce solid
foods. This is why we chose puffs and yogurt bites that dissolve in saliva as
the first foods to try. They start out solid, so that baby can feel that there
is something in their mouth and move it around with their tongue, but since
they dissolve so quickly I don’t worry too much about them not chewing
(gumming) it. Also- they are a great size for little ones learning to pick up
objects on their own.
We
treated the introduction of table food similarly to how we introduced baby food;
we introduced one new table food at a time and slowly increased the variety of
foods they were eating. This helped us to monitor for food allergies. Some examples of softer foods we progressed to are
banana, scrambles egg, cooked carrot & potato, pasta, and deli meat. We slowly introduced new textures like toast
with jam on it and cubed fruits.
I always made sure that all foods were cubed
or cut up into very small pieces since my children like to shovel food in their
mouths rapidly and without thought to chewing and swallowing. I cannot tell you
how often I still tell them to slow down, take small bites, and to chew and
swallow first! Food larger than a pea can easily cause an airway obstruction,
thus everything gets chopped up into little pieces. This has also made it
easier for my children to grasp the food and feed themselves. I avoid foods
like hot dogs, grapes, and popcorn until they have mastered the whole chewing
thing as these types of foods are more of a choking hazard and require more
skill to eat.
Making the transition from baby food to table
food can be a messy business. It can be very very messy. My friends over at Boon introduced me to their toddler tableware
as well as their FLAIR highchair and I have to say I am a big fan. Not only are
these products easy to clean, but they make the process of making a mess just a
little bit harder.
FLAIR:
First and foremost, the Boon FLAIR pedestal highchair
with pneumatic lift is fun! It is cool looking… really cool looking. My boys
call it the space ship and ask to sit in it when their baby sister is not
occupying it. It adds a bit whimsy to our traditional dinner table. I received the
gray Boon Flair high chair with the blue seat pad and tray liner and I love it.
The seat pad can easily be removed or switched out, and now I am thinking that
I may need more seat pads… to accessorize. The color combinations pop!
The FLAIR high chair is ridiculously
easy to clean. Since there are no cracks or crevices there is nowhere for those
pieces of oozy gooey jelly toast to hide. Since the shape of the highchair hugs
my daughter, the food that misses her mouth ends up either back on the tray or
on her seat. Very little of her food ends up on the floor, which means easy
clean up for mom! Hooray!
My absolute favorite feature about the FLAIR
is the tray height. Almost every other highchair we have tried has had a high
tray height; making eating uncomfortable and awkward for my children. Since the
FLAIR tray height is so low my daughter can easily see her food and pick up her
food {this is a big deal for self feeding children}. The tray cover fits in my
dishwasher for easy cleaning and the tray itself can be used/removed one handed
by an adult.
Since the FLAIR high chair has a pneumatic
lift it can be adjusted for the height you need. Counter height or table height
makes no difference… push the button and adjust accordingly! My children really
like this feature. They also really like that the FLAIR is on casters and can
be rolled around. I happen to really like that I can easily step on the “lock”
and stop my children from rolling the FLAIR around my house. Can you tell we
have been having a bit of fun with our FLAIR?
PLATTER vs. PLATE:
Both the PLATTER and the PLATE have a
fabulous rubbery slip-resistant bottom. This feature makes them just a little
bit harder to toss onto the floor. A slip of the arm has sent plenty of
tableware overboard in my house and I cannot tell you how many times a full
meal has made it onto my floor simply because of a misplaced hand. The rubbery
slip-resistant bottom on the toddler tableware makes a big difference. Now if
my daughter wants to send her plate flying through the air with the greatest of
ease it takes quite a bit more effort on her part… and I can usually get to her
well before her PLATE or PLATTER have been lifted off her FLAIR.
The PLATTER is a great
little dish that has four divided edgeless sections. It is perfect for the
picky eater who refuses to eat food if it is touching other food. My 10 month
old daughter loves it because she can attack her favorite foods one at a time.
My older boys enjoy using the different sections for dips and sauces – so the
ketchup never touches their chicken and the carrots are free from ranch
dressing until just before they are eaten.
The PLATE is an edgeless
dish that makes scooping cubed carrots and sliced strawberries a breeze for my
little self feeder. There are no sections to navigate, which can be a blessing
on days where she is super hungry and low on patience.
MODWARE:
Transitioning to table foods can be tricky. It
can be especially tricky when dealing with messy foods and a little one who
does not want to have sticky fingers. I love having toddler utensils for my
children who are not ready for adult utensils of their own. The soft grip on
the MODWARE spoons
and forks make holding these utensils easy for little fingers and since there
are no sharp pointy edges I don’t worry about my tots hurting themselves while
trying to navigate their food to their mouths. Dishwasher safe is also a plus! They
are also BpA-free, Phthalate-free, and PVC-free.
SWIG vs. MODSTER:
Transitioning from a bottle to a sippy cup has
always been harder for us than transitioning from baby food to table food. My
daughter is in the process of making this transition right now. Although she is
very interested in the sippy cups, she hasn’t quite gotten the use of them down
quite yet. She is especially drawn to the SWIG sippy cup – I think it may have
to do with the fact that this sippy cup closely resembles her bottle, making it
a good choice for her and for making the transition from bottle to sippy cup.
The SWIG has an easy
to hold shape and it can either come with a flip-top straw or a spout {I am
told these are interchangeable}. Since the spout is recommended for 9+ months
and the flip-top straw for 12+ months we tried the spout cover and have enjoyed
it thus far. The pivoting lid on the spout cover stays attached to the cup so
it is easy to pop open and close and there are no parts being left random
places or getting lost during playtime. When put to the spill test the SWIG did
not make a mess, making it my favorite. The SWIG is BpA-free,
Phthalate-free, and PVC-free.
The MODSTER is a ridiculously
cute cup. I mean seriously, it is adorable. Not only is it adorable to look at
it is also fun to carry around. The handles on the side this sippy cup make it
easy for my boys to hold and carry with them wherever they may go. While my
daughter liked to use the SWIG sippy cup more; my older boys like the look of
the MODSTER which includes a cap for on the go tots. The MODSTER is Latex-free, BPA-free,
phthalate-free, and PVC-free.
GNAW:
This is my new best friend. If you have ever
played the “drop it” game {you know… the game where your child takes something
and then drops it and then proceeds to cry until you retrieve said item –only to
be dropped again. It is a vicious circle.} this will quickly become your new
best friend too. I have been using it to hold the MODSTER utensils during meal
time. It is awesome. It can clip to clothing, but I clip it to the harness on
the FLAIR high chair and use it to keep forks and spoons within my daughters
reach. No more “drop it” game. The GNAW can be used to hold onto
snacks and teethers as well and it is BpA-free, Phthalate-free, and PVC-free.
To
learn more about the products mentioned above you can visit the Boon website or chat with them on Facebook or @booninc on twitter.
Do you have any tips or tricks for transitioning to table
foods?
