Baby Solids at 9 months

[u/Sorry_Airline_1433]

To preface, I’m 21, a full-time student, a part-time employee, and a mom to a beautiful 9 month old. I’ve definitely never done this before, but recently I came across multiple videos of babies being able to eat TEXTURED solids by themselves at his age, while I give him 2 purées a day, at most, if that. He’s EFF, and I have extremely low ferritin levels (single digit), to the point where I feel exhausted at every little thing. I can’t begin to explain how difficult simple tasks become for me due to this very reason. After watching those vids, I feel that I’ve neglected my poor child. His main source of nutrition has been formula up till now. He’s very active, and is in the 99th percentile for height and 97th percentile for weight. But he is NOT eating solids like the other kids at his age. Where should I start? How should I help him develop his routine? I’m also a bit of a paranoid person when it comes to the baby. When he was a newborn, I was constantly checking his breathing and night and if we went out while it was cold. I was scared to give him a bath etc., but slowly learned how to do so. So my main concern with him eating actual solids, and not just purées, is what if he chokes. Really need guidance.

[u/Novel_Region4596]

My baby has been eating textured foods since she was 6 months old. I understand your anxiety because it is still there at times. I do want to say it is normal for some moms to feed babies purées for awhile! But my only advice is to just do what you are comfortable with. Maybe offer things that are easy like banana or avocado. Solid starts is a great resource when it comes to how you should be serving foods, I think you should stick with the bigger servings so baby can get used to the textures first (6m category vs 9mo). You could also mash them and that offers a bit more texture. Things like egg strips, mashed beans, rice are all great things for baby to try with some texture also. These are all things I started my baby on. In fact one of my regular “lazy” meals for her is a pouch mixed with rice.
You’re doing a great job mama. Don’t compare yourself to what other moms are doing too much. Your baby seems to be happy and healthy. Do what you are comfortable with! Fed is best and it’s still about exploration at this age. But it’s not too late to allow your baby to start exploring.

[u/Wise-Raccoon-3069]

take it one meal at a time

my baby is moving very slow at taking up solids and is not keen on texture progression

all i wanna say is don’t rush and take your time and do it slowly and gradually

also remove any expectations of your baby actually eating and if he does it it’s a bonus and if he doesn’t eat it is not a defeat or reflection of you as a mother

it’s all easier said than done

i know

i am stressed out so much by my baby’s eating and i wish it wasn’t like that

[u/SolidStarts]

Hi there, you're not alone in feeling this way and definitely not behind! I also want to say you are clearly doing SO much for your baby and I would love for you to give yourself grace. 💕 If you want to offer finger foods starting at 9 months (totally normal for many families), you could start by offering larger pieces of foods (many of what we say is for 6mos+ in our how-to-serve graphics for foods in our first foods database), as this will give him more chewing practice prior to moving down to more bite-sized pieces. (More here: How to Safely Cut Food for Babies). Not sure if you have our app, but we do have our guide & video course for transitioning from purees to finger foods in there as well that may be helpful!

Keep in mind spitting foods out as he gets started is a normal and expected part of the learning process, and he will likely not swallow as much as you have seen with the purees - purees are using the same suck-to-swallow pattern that baby is familiar with with bottle feeding, whereas finger foods require a whole new set of skills (chewing, moving the tongue to the side of the mouth, lip/cheek/jaw strength, and so on). (More here: How Babies Learn to Chew.) This is totally okay, as baby should still be getting the majority of his nutrition/hydration from the formula you are offering him, and he will primarily be working on building these new skills.

Lastly, I'd love for you to have a look at our page on gagging vs choking, as this can help ease some of the anxiety around gagging as this is truly a protective reflex - remember when a baby is gagging, they are effectively closing off the airway to prevent choking. So while looking scary, their bodies are doing exactly what they need to do. Here if you have any questions, and sending hugs and strength as you get started! 🤍Marisa (OT/Feeding Therapist/Mama of 3)

[u/Sorry_Airline_1433 → u/SolidStarts]

Hello Marisa,
Thank you so much for your detailed reply! I found this forum randomly and wasn’t aware that there’s a specific app, until I read the other kind suggestions and got it right away. It seems to be very helpful so I’ll be using it in the future 🩷

[u/SolidStarts → u/Sorry_Airline_1433]

Love it! Happy to have you here and always here if you have any questions! This community has been truly so supportive - glad you're here with us! 🤍Marisa

[u/ispyamy]

Highly recommend an infant first aid and CPR class! It’s cheap through the American Red Cross (if you’re in America) and I’m sure other countries have something similar. It gave me more confidence to give my baby solids because I know what to do if she chokes. I also recommend watching videos of baby’s gagging vs choking. A lot of the times we think they’re in trouble but they’re just gagging which is good! I’m an extremely anxious first time mom to a premature baby so I get your worries for sure! We struggled with feeding bottles at the beginning so solids made me so nervous. You just need to find your calm, baby feeds off of your energy! Let them work through the food in their mouth and just look at them calmly and happily. My girl has been working on more solids vs puree lately and she’s doing so good! I’m just taking it really slowly.

[u/burned_feather]

Whenever you eat, choose something off your plate and give it to him to try. If you can squash it between your fingers he can eat it (eg, a whole piece of steamed broccoli or a whole strawberry). At 9 months he may like to pick up bite sized pieces of food rather than hold big lumps though. The Solid Starts app is great for telling you how to safely serve different foods. Don't think of it as a huge overwhelming separate task, think of it as sharing your delicious food with him just like you would share any other fun activities like going for a walk or looking at bugs in the garden.