So. Close. You’re in the home stretch of reaching that 1-year mark, and the time between 9 and 11 months can feel squishy as you transition your babe from a diet of milk (or formula!) and purees to the world of solid food. Even though I’m on my third baby, I recently had a moment where I asked myself, “What I should be feeding Waverly, and when?”.
The truth is, all babies are a little bit different, so you should definitely base the timing off of what works best for your baby’s needs.
Some babies may be ready for non-pureed solids as soon as 8 months, and others might be closer to 10. In my son’s case, he hated purees, so we did baby-led weaning with him, resulting in him eating table food solids earlier in the game. Waverly still doesn’t have teeth at 10 months, and has been super content with chunky purees, so we’re really venturing more into the world of solid table foods at 10 months.
Some Great Starter Foods
- Bananas – I like to cut them into quarters
- Sweet potatoes – stick them in the Instant Pot, cut them in bite-sized pieces, and let them go to town! These are Waverly’s favorite.
- Avocado – such a great, healthy fat for growing babes!
- Fish – get a soft, white, wild-caught fish like flounder. It’s super mild, and falls apart in your mouth, making it easy for them to eat. I season mine with a bit of garlic powder and Himalayan pink salt!
- Eggs – just do scrambled eggs and pop some small bites on their tray
- Cheese – we take sliced, organic cheese and break it into smaller pieces that she can pick up
- Apples – core and peel the apples, cook them in water to soften them, then cut them in bite-sized pieces
Our Favorite Snacks
We don’t do a lot of pre-packaged snacks, but when we need something for on the go or to keep her occupied for a few minutes, we love Happy Baby Snacks! All of them.
They’re organic, and I feel good about giving them to her. Here are some links to our favorites (Prime is literally a mom’s lifesaver).
Also, this little snack carrier is great for little hands and snack-y things! I love that it’s made out of stainless steel instead of plastic.
The Schedule
Waverly’s schedule at 10 months looks pretty much the same every day. While we do keep a schedule, we’re not super strict with it, so it’ll sometimes vary depending on what we have going on.
6:30am – Wake up, nurse. I don’t know exactly how much she drinks since I’m still breastfeeding, but I assume it’s around 4-6 ounces
8am – Breakfast of bananas, eggs, cheese, and/or avocado
10am – Snack of yogurt bites, puffs, apples, and/or cheese
12pm – Bottle at school or nurse at home on weekends (4 ounces)
12:30pm – Lunch of a chunky puree with chicken, bone broth, sweet potato, apples, brussles sprouts, and broccoli (we cook all of this together in the instant pot, pulse in the blender, and put in small containers in the freezer to grab for quick meals)
2pm – Snack of yogurt bites, puffs, apples, and/or cheese
4pm – Bottle at school or nurse at home on weekends (4 ounces)
6pm – Dinner of flounder, sweet potato, and avocado
7:15pm – Nurse and bed (4 ounces)
Some things to keep in mind
- Coughing is Normal – When babies first start on solid foods, you’ll notice some coughing. While it can be scary, it’s totally normal as long as it’s a productive cough and their airway isn’t being blocked. Keep a close eye, but know that it’s a part of the process as they learn to eat solids.
- Try and Try Again – Oh man, sometimes it can be easy to only feed your babe the foods that they like immediately, but doing that will limit their palate as they grow older. Keep trying new foods, even when they don’t like them at first. It can take more than 15 tries before they like it, so don’t give up!
- This is Your Journey – Whether you breastfeed or formula feed, start table solids early or later, plan to wean at 12 months or nurse well into toddlerhood, own this journey as one that’s shared between you and your baby, and don’t be afraid to do what feels right for you.
I hope this is helpful to those of you asking the same questions I’ve been asking myself over the past couple of months. Let me know in the comments if there’s anything that helped you make the transition, or any first foods you recommend!
Love,
Lauren
Hill Family Farmstead 