"Meal" ideas for a 9 month old?

[melimcn]

Hi all,
I know many of you out here are moms with kids of all different ages. Does anyone have any good ideas for quick "meals" to feed my little guy who is just starting into "adult" food? It has to be quick, and there are many nights when dinner is after his bedtime, so I don't have the luxury of feeding him whatever we're eating.
It does have to be squishy, since he doesn't have many teeth yet.
I'm just fumbling a bit with this stage and can't think of anything other than grabbing random stuff out of the fridge to see what he'll eat.

Help?

 

[jodijodi]

One thing you could do is pre-cook a few things to keep in the fridge to feed him, like leftovers of any meals that you've eaten that have soft foods, like pasta or well-cooked veggies. You can cook up small amounts of fresh or frozen veggies until they are soft (make sure they are in small pieces). We used some canned veggies when our kids were little, but make sure to get salt-free versions...canned often have a lot of salt in them. (Salt-free Veg All was a popular one...it's so colorful!)

In general, though, the best thing is to make every effort to feed him when you're eating, rather than eating after he's in bed. Part of what he's learning at mealtime is the social interaction of eating with Mom and Dad, and seeing you both eating a variety of foods is important too. I know sometimes that's hard to schedule, but it will be helpful as he gets older.

 

[Stebby]

I always swore by little pieces of cheese (cut into very small cubes) and whole wheat bread. I would put them in front of my daughter in her high chair and she would play with and eat them. She also loved bananas (which we cut into slices before serving to her).

 

[orphylea]

I used to steam a ton of baby carrots, chop them up and freeze them in ice cube trays. Then I would defrost a few cubes when I needed them. I also liked to serve whole wheat pasta with meatballs cut up. Soft fruits like pears and peaches are also good. Sweet potatoes are also a favorite at this age- easy to mash them or just cut them into small chunks.

 

[kgalas]

What about French toast made with the yoke only? Grilled cheese sandwiches cut into small pieces, macaroni noodles with a little parmesan, canned yams-no syrup-cut into small pieces, plain yogurt with a little applesauce mixed in. My three dds used to eat a lot of cheese, wheat bread, and some cooked veggies for dinner a lot.