For those of you who have gone to table food with your little ones: what does dinner time look like for you? DD is doing about 3/4 baby food and 1/4 table food each day, finger feeds well, and we just started giving her whatever we're having at dinner time.
If it's a slippery food that isn't easily gotten to the mouth by fingers, do you spoon feed that food in between your own bites? How do you make sure that the table food is enough? Up to this point her normal 'dinner' is around 4:30, while *our* time is around 6:00, so I've still been giving her the baby food at 4:30 (along with bottle of course) because I want to make sure she's getting enough.
Also, what time do you eat dinner? Should I try only giving her the bottle at 4:30 and our food at 6:00? I just don't know how much will fill her up when it's not in a jar - I know that probably sound silly! Thanks!!!

By Reds9298 on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 - 08:24 pm:

PS: We're in the process of trying to transition to all table food. Andi- You might be the go-to girl for this subject!!!

By Tonya on Thursday, March 24, 2005 - 10:01 am:

Jade went onto table food at around 8-9 months she is now 13 months. We have always portioned a plate of her own so we know how much she has eaten. And for the messy stuff we let her do it herself adn she gets a bath after dinner. We usually do a snack around 4-5 and dinner around 6pm in our house and her night milk is right at bedtime around 7-8. Hope this helps.

By Frasersmama on Thursday, March 24, 2005 - 10:18 pm:

We give our dd table food (she is one year, but has been eating what we eat since probably about 9 months), never did the baby food in jars thing we just gave her steamed veggies and rice/ well-cooked meat ground in a blender. I don't really worry about her getting enough in terms of portions. Babies will naturally eat until they are full, and then just turn their head away or refuse to open their mouth. A nutritionist once told me that when we try to force them to eat more, they lose that natural ability to know when they are full and that is when you run into problems that can later lead to obesity (ie. eating to please others etc).

I nurse dd and then give her a snack anywhere from 3:30 to 4:30 and we have dinner together at 6, then bedtime nurse at 7:30 and to sleep at 8.
And to answer your question, yes, if she isn't managing on her own we spoon feed her between our bites. Trust me, the sooner you get her eating dinner with you and eating what you are having the better, it makes life MUCH easier.

By Mrsheidi on Friday, March 25, 2005 - 09:36 am:

It's amazing how much we worry about our child's nutrition and yet, it all pans out in the end!
Connor had his first spaghetti dinner last Thursday and had a blast! I'll feed him a bottle at around 5pm when he wakes up from his 3rd nap and then it's table food and a bottle (sometimes just a rice bottle if we are having steak, or something he can't digest) at 7:30pm, right after his daily bath.
He doesn't wake up hungry and just talks in bed to let us know he's awake at around 7:15- 7:30am.
Oh, and I also know how much is enough when he just plain stops eating. I always put more food out there on his high chair and when he stops, that's it! Just make sure she is having enough wet diapers and a BM at least every 3 days. If BM's aren't that frequent, up her veg/fruit intake because they have more fiber.
Have you tried the canned carrots yet? I'm going to try them again and see if he'll eat them this time around! He's finally understanding the sippy cup concept and likes apple juice (diluted) more than the white grape juice.
I can thank Andi for giving me the courage to try all of these things!!

By Reds9298 on Friday, March 25, 2005 - 10:15 am:

She loves canned carrots and we are having a LOT more luck with a straw cup than the sippy so she's drinking more, too. She also had her first spaghetti dinner this week and loved it.

Thanks everyone! It sounds like we are on the right track. Natalie sits between us in her high chair, finger feeds some and we feed other foods between our bites. I really appreciate you sharing your experiences.

PS, Heidi: You know my other post re: cereal at bedtime? Since Natalie cut teeth a couple of weeks ago she started chewing on her bedtime cereal bottle and wouldn't drink it, so I went to jar cereal and she LOVES it. She's sleeping a half hour longer at night also. She has about 3/4 jar of cereal and a 7oz. bottle of formula now at bedtime and it's working better for us. You might want to try it!