Little Buddy is 8-and-a-half months old, and life with him is very busy. He loves to be active and move around, but he’s also very inquisitive and enjoys playing with his toys and other things that he finds around the house. Sometimes things like boxes and cabinet handles provide more excitement than baby toys, though.
For the past few months, he’s been mobile but has only been doing the army crawl. Just this week he has started trying to crawling on his knees. It’s fun to watch him master new skills. He is becoming more and more stable on his feet when he pulls up on things. Unfortunately, he has also learned how to climb onto the hearth, so my project this week has been to find a screen to keep him out of the fireplace.
As far as food goes, Little Buddy still has no teeth, so we do mostly baby food, in addition to breast milk. For protein, I’ve started giving him tiny pieces of cheese or mixing moist scrambled eggs into baby purée. To help him learn how to chew, I give him gluten-free veggie baby puffs. He still loves avocado, and I’ve started feeding him small amounts of plain yogurt.
I haven’t yet allowed Little Buddy to feed himself finger food because I think that would be confusing to him, to give him small pieces of food on his highchair and tell them to eat them but to tell him not to put choking hazards in his mouth that he finds on the floor. So to avoid that confusion, for now I just feed him everything with a spoon or my clean hands. He has good fine motor skills, so he’s not missing out on any development.
We really can’t believe that the one-year mark is coming up in just over three months. Parenthood is challenging–I think it’s one of the greatest challenges a person can face in life. It requires so much mental and physical energy. But it’s also incredibly rewarding. Watching Little Buddy’s baby milestones has been incredible. I can’t even begin imagine what it will be like to watch him learn to read, write, and ride a bike.
Anonymous
Hey Ellie, you are doing such a great job. My little girl is almost 1 year old now. From 6 months I started giving her solids and she has never had puree. I do a mixture of finger foods, baby led weaning and spoon feeding depending on what she is having. She didn’t get her first tooth until 10 months so those gums are really strong for chewing, the only thing she couldn’t really eat was chicken, it is a little dry. You should try Buddy with pasta, fusilli is great for them to pick up i make mine with fresh pesto or a pea and spinach sauce, fritatta is another firm favourite with my baby and a great way to get lots of extra veg into her. Fresh fish and eggs are another excellent source of protein, I use organic. In terms of yogurt I give Greek yogurt as the texture is thicker so less messy and it is delicious too! Babies have an excellent gag reflex, and yes it is scary the first time they start gagging but it’s better to get him used to texture and complex flavours now. My doctor said food should be fun until they’re one so it doesn’t matter if they don’t get much in as long as they are showing an interest and having fun although for us mamas that does mean a lot of extra cleaning. Having said all that it is your baby and whatever choice you make will be best for your family!
Ellie
Thank you for the great ideas! It’s definitely scary watching them gag and hoping it doesn’t turn into an emergency. I really like the idea of fish. I tried a little piece of salmon, but I think the flavor was just too much. White fish would be a better choice, I think. Thanks for the idea! What are you doing to celebrate your daughter’s 1st birthday? I know some parents do a big party, but some keep it small.
Ellie
Anonymous
At a baby group I want to they educated us that gagging us a good thing and babies usually choke silently. I put lemon juice on the fish and she loves it. We are going to do a small gathering of 3 other babies and one of our aunt’s. Our family lives overseas and our baby prefers quieter environments. She is going to try cake for the first time but I’m going to make it myself as she’s never had processed sugar before so I don’t want to overload her! Another thing to consider is that chewing textured food helps their jaw muscles develop which aids speech later down the line.
Ellie
Sounds like a great party, and it will be fun to include other babies. Do you think you’ll do a smash cake for the babies?
Ellie
Anonymous
I’m not sure yet about a smash cake. I waste so much food every day feeding the baby, so much ends up on the floor, that it doesn’t feel right to wilfully get food with aim of thrashing it. I might just make a simple sponge cake and donate the money I would have spent on a smash cake to a children’s charity in my baby’s name to assuage my guilt. I am not rich but I have enough and I know there are many babies who don’t have enough. Am I overthinking it lol?!
Ellie
Love that idea! Nope, you’re not overthinking it at all.
Ellie
Anna
What is a smash cake? Just curious 🙂 Greetings from Europe
Ellie
Hi Anna,
It’s a craze in the US where parents give their babies a little cake on their first birthday to eat on their own. Some kids end up smashing it and making a huge mess.
Ellie
Lauren
I applaud you introducing a major food allergen (egg) so early! Both of my kids have food allergies, so we had to start the major allergen introduction early. If you haven’t already, I would suggest giving him a little taste of peanut butter. Even if you eat peanuts while nursing, your child can still develop a peanut allergy. I ate peanuts/peanut butter nearly every day while pregnant and she has one of the strongest reactions to peanut that her allergist has ever seen.
Ellie
Very interesting! My 1-year-old niece loves peanut butter. Great idea to give him a taste of it.
Ellie
Jessica
He’s growing so fast, I’m sure. It’s exciting seeing their little personalities develop more. I love the newborn stage, but it’s so sweet seeing them interact and develop more into their own little person as they grow. It’s so sweet seeing my baby interact with his siblings. He loves laughing at them, talking to them, and just watching them.
My baby is 7 months old and he has 7 teeth. None of my other children had teeth this soon. He eats mostly table food with a little baby food. My other children switched to all baby food by like 9 or 10 months.
Every baby and family is different. It’s great there’s not just one way to raise your children. I always think parents know what’s best for their own family. It’s such a wonderful journey.
Ellie
Wow, that’s incredible, 7 teeth at 7 months. That’s got to be a record. 🙂 I’m sure it’s neat to see the differences (as well as similarities) in all your kids. Do you think your younger children walked and talked sooner than the older ones? I always wonder if that’s going to be the case with ours, as they want to keep up with the older kids.
Ellie
Jessica
It’s definitely a record in our house. He got his first tooth at 4 months. He still nurses but he hasn’t bitten me much. I am thankful for that. It would be painful with seven teeth.
My smaller kids seem to be bigger than the older ones as far as size. They are definitely growing faster. I also think they try to copy the sibling closet in age so they grow and develop sooner. But they don’t walk any sooner. I think they all walk about the same age. So as far as the babies they just develop normally. It’s when they get 1 1/2 and on that they try to act older so to speak.
When my 2 year was 14 months he was already potty trained. He was in underwear and didn’t have any accidents. I didn’t push him. I was pregnant and wanted him to wait, but he kept going potty so I couldn’t hold him back.
We homeschool, and he likes to say the phonics sounds and even asks to say them with his 4 year old brother.
He is best buds with his 4 year old brother. He tries to act just like him. It’s funny because they are the two kids that are farthest apart. I think it’s so precious seeing older kids interacting with their younger siblings. I like having them all close in age. Besides the two I just mentioned, they are all 14-20 months apart. It’s so special seeing my 9-year-old daughter with all of her little brothers.
I say all of that to say, that I believe God’s timetable for our family is way better than what I could imagine. I always wanted them closer, ( I know they are less than 2 years apart but still.) but God knows best. And their age doesn’t take away from their bond or closeness.
I think I wrote too much. Maybe I should just email you next time instead of making long comments. 🙂
Ellie
I love hearing about your family, Jessica! Your kids sound so precious. I honestly wish I could spend a day at your house learning from you. Potty training at 14 months is incredible, especially for boys. (I’ve heard from a lot of moms that boys are usually later than girls.) Not sure if I’ve asked you this before, but are open to having more kiddos?
Ellie
Jessica
If you lived closer, we’d definitely love your company. But my kids fuss and fight. We are definitely real here.
My boys have all potty trained before two. I like to start at 12 months. We don’t use pull-ups. They wear underwear and if they wet them, I just change then and wash them. It’s easier to tell about being wet when they have underwear on.
I would love 8 children. I don’t know if that will ever happen. We have 6 now. I’d love two girls and 6 boys. So one more girl and one more boy. People think I’m crazy because I want another boy. But they are all precious. And I’ll take whatever God blesses us with.
Ellie
Thanks for sharing about your potty training, Jessica. That’s definitely a daunting task for a first-time mom. You sound like a very devoted mama! 🙂
Ellie
Jessica
Oh, and I can email you my blog if you ever have time, and you want to look at it. I have a few pictures on there. I’m not posting it here. I’m not advertising here for my blog. 😃 It’s not up to date. But you can see a family picture.
Ellie
I would love that! Please do! 🙂
Ellie
Jessica
With five boys, I have alot of potty training stories that would make potty training horrifying. 🙂 Just joking. I start training early. But most kids won’t be in diapers when they are 4 and up. So, it’s like anything else, it’ll come. And when we push them, it doesn’t go well. It just makes one tired mommy.
Anyways, I messaged you .
AmyRyb
I think if you only give him finger food when you’re in the kitchen and he’s in his high chair, he will get the idea that we only pick up and eat things there, particularly if you emphasize that distinction when he tries to pick up something from the floor. I know babies don’t always make those connections, but it’s worth thinking about because the phase of picking up stuff from the floor lasts a while! No time like the present to make that distinction! He’s probably also missing out on prime time to adjust to certain tastes and textures, so either way I wouldn’t delay it too long! I have a kid with some very specific sensory issues around food–but no other areas–and it makes me wonder whether my hesitance around introducing foods during a time when he had a suspected food intolerance (6-12 months) could have impacted that. Not to scare you– and by all means, you do you 🙂 –but just food for thought!
Ellie
Thanks for the comment, Amy! Can you remember any specific foods that you fed your babies around 8 months? I’m always looking for ideas. 🙂
Ellie
anonymous
You have been having such a wonderful experience!
Thanks for sharing this. Once I fed my baby cheese puffs, but they all came back out. If you were to see everything that goes in come back out like that it would make you wonder if you over fed something. Jill the matriarch from living on a dime . com emphasizes what are portion sizes, really, in little ones. Not much.
Ellie
Oh my, that must have been messy!
I’ll have to check that out. Thanks!
Ellie
Anonymous
I would try tuna fish that’s what my sister gave her kids at 8 months.
My sister gave her kids regular cake from the store and they didn’t get to much sugar. She brought a small cake or cupcake and gave to her kids. Processed sugar won’t hurt the baby Kids Need sugar to live.
Sarah
I put my cats pet taxi in front of my fireplace so she could get in to the fireplace. And never went near it.
Ellie
Good idea!
anon
i’m so glad you mentioned not giving him finger foods yet. i was the same way and again with my grandson, my granddaughter was always trying to give him puffs in his play area and i had to explain that he didnt know what was ok to eat yet, and if he saw something on the floor and put it in his mouth, he could choke, which she could understand. and she loved helping feed him. plus my daughter insists meals are around a table, even if its a bowl of cereal, so nothing lands on the floor if possible! he’ll be 2 this weekend and he has excellent hand/eye coordination so it certainly didnt do anything wrong to him!
my daughter got a baby bullet as a shower gift and loved it! carrots and squash were his favorites but we did most fruits and veggies in it. not going to lie, i had a blast making up foods for her to have when i went home from babysitting lol (she’s a kitchen mgr in a gluten free cafe & cooks pretty much the same at home, ie wholesome foods) animal crackers work as well as toddler cookies and after he was a year old, because of the honey, i gave him graham crackers, which he loved
Ellie
I have heard good things about baby bullets.
At 2, what are some of your grandson’s newest milestones?
Ellie
anon
going to the potty! (he’s the youngest so no more diapers & wipes) and he’s so good about it that he came into the bathroom as i was finishing and pulled out the step stool that he uses, for me, so i could wash my hands! he’s very ‘big boy’ and matter of fact about it lol.
Anonymous
Seriously, I can’t believe that’s the reason that you’re not letting the baby learn to feed himself.
Anonymous
I agree with you 2:17.
Amy
Hi Ellie, I would speak with your doctor if you haven’t about introducing more foods to little man. Food is an important developmental milestone – pincher grasp, hand eye coordination, general table and meal behavior. Those gums are hard and great for chewing plus it helps develop the mouth for speech. I know its a scary thing but choking is actually rare when children are given appropriate food.
Federica
As a mother myself (one 21 month-old, one in Heaven), I loved reading this post and the comments! My little guy has always spit out “bland” foods, but likes flavorful foods. When he started out with solids, at around the 6 month mark, I remember he spit out cream of rice a couple of times, but loved applesauce with mint, sweet potato puree with ginger, cumin, and sugar -free coconut milk. I was flabbergasted! Every baby is different 🙂 Now he’s not a super fan of meat, but you can get him to eat almost any meat of you cover it with tomato sauce – must be the Italian gene, hehehe 😉 being a parent is the best adventure!
Ellie
It’s interesting to see what different kids like/don’t like. Is your 21-month-old saying some words?
Ellie
Federica
He is saying a few words each in Italian, German, and English. I speak to him exclusively in Italian, my German husband in his mother tongue, and he is exposed to English in daily life, as we live in the USA. He understands instructions in all three, but has not connected the dots yet on who to respond to with which language. Example: someone in any language will ask him if he wants some water, and, regardless who asked him, he will respond “acqua, acqua” (Italian for water), but when it’s time for sleeping, regardless of who says “let’s go to sleep”, he will respond “schlafen” (German for sleeping). He also likes to use the English “more” and “bye bye”. Who knows what goes on in his little brain…It’s fascinating, and very cute.
Ellie
That’s adorable! I love that you are teaching him to be trilingual. Wish we could do that for our kids–sadly my high school French isn’t good enough to teach it to them.
Ellie
TwinMama
I have a friend that has experience as an ER nurse and he said it’s not the babies that come in to the ER because of choking. It the 3-5 year olds. He said babies have a God-given gag reflex that will safety rid them of all the many things they put in their mouth. ( I’m not saying that we don’t need to be careful! It just help me to worry less!)
My now-eight year old was over a year before she had any teeth and she liked baby food the least of any of my children! When she was your baby’s age I fed her tiny pieces of cheese toast because I was at my wits end as to what to give her for breakfast! Also tiny chunks of banana, little pieces of green beans etc. Good luck! You are going through one of the many adventurous time-consuming (but fun!) stages of baby to toddlerhood!
Ellie
That’s really interesting! Wonder what your friend says are the most common causes of choking in the 3-5 year olds? I suppose it could be food pieces that are too big, or maybe laughing/giggling while eating. I wouldn’t think that it would be non-food items because you would expect children in that age group to know better than to eat something that isn’t food, but perhaps. I’d be interested to hear more from your friend. 🙂
Ellie
Anonymous
I think you are right to marvel at the milestones and try to do what’s right as you go. But think way ahead to all that YOU hope for and work to those goals. If you want your child to eat lots of raw vegetables one day start in the beginning. Try now bit by bit to get him accepting your plans for him, as from his mother and father in charge. Don’t be afraid to be strong leaders. It means a lot to a child to be given certain influence from their parents. Discipline is key. Make your child eat right and do lots of chores and work and behave well in everything from the very start. And teach your child the facts of life, don’t just feed and clothe, leaving the soul trained, in the basics.
Drill important things repeatedly in because people can be very dense. Outside influences and just watching the child grow up to any and all things can take over your home, if you don’t stand for what you want. And your child can end up not really agreeing with what you hoped for and be very stubborn and telling you off a lot and just going the way that they tended to in everything as you just watched on as they grew.
anonymous
Love one another with intense love. It is good to share all the hours of the day somehow. Dont just abandon the poor kid to many hours of being left to play with other children. Care about what your own little child experiences from his perspective. And let him know you care and want him to share. My mom was busy and did not micro manage and that leaves a feeling of not really being cared about much, even though one is in a structured home environment and gets their meals and all that. But consistent loving attention focused on the child as an individual important developing member of the family is good.
Anon
I agree with you all the way! I’ve heard too that everything you give food wise to your baby now will affect their body weight later as they grow up and on into adulthood. Feed em junk food now or introduce only junk food to them as they start eating real food their palate is bent/formed towards that and hence as their growing up and grown up they can only tolerate junk food and la ti da, yes, they’re overweight, diabetes, etc when they’re adult. Basically you did say that in your msg. I just wanted to emphasize it a little more that we as parents have the biggest choice when they’re babies to how they will be when they are adults. Most of the time. And it’s so sad when we don’t care enough as parents and give them anything or candy to get them off our backs because later the child can’t hardly do anything to change their bodies metabolism or else have a lifetime of hard work to stay ahead of all the maladies. So introduce those veggies, stay away from so many sweetened drinks, and most importantly eat right yourself! Our children WILL eat like we do! So give a good example!
MarriedUK
It sounds like you’re doing an amazing job and little buddy is obviously thriving.
Things my 8 month olds have loved:
1. Fritters – sweet corn, beetroot, sweet potato: they can pick them up and they’re healthy
2. Baby flapjacks- made from blueberries, bananas, oats and yoghurt
3. Chicken slow cooked with butternut squash and sweet potato (can be made into purée)
4. Scrambled eggs with avocado
5. Penne Bolognese- LOVED IT!
6. Homemade pizza
7. natural unsweetened yoghurt
8. Mild curry (avoid turmeric as it isn’t safe go babies!) but mine adored Indian chicken curry or a mild green curry. I also made lots of Dahl with red lentils!
I don’t think you can train a baby out of putting things into their mouths, so I wouldn’t worry about confusing him! I have been told that 7-12 months is the time to broaden the palate! It moulds the brain’s response to food! Mainly,
I try to feed my bubbas the same food as me!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying little man. I had PND after my first and struggled a lot!
Xxx
Ellie
Thank you so much for all the ideas. I bought red lentils the other day and am looking forward to giving him a taste.
Ellie
MarriedUK
Oh, I just remembered arancini balls- they go down a treat.
So does risotto!
Marilyn
Ellie, It is hard to believe that Little Buddy i s 8.5 months already. Where has the time gone? Thank You for the update. God Bless Little buddy.
Joan,Marion and Marilyn
Ellie
Glad you enjoyed the update. 🙂 I feel the same way! It feels like just yesterday we were finding out we were expecting.
Ellie
anonymous
A coffee grinder can grin things besides coffee like organic flax seeds to a nice powder. Organic flax seeds are one of those wonder health foods and we are supposed to eat a tablespoon or so per day. I have understood there are 93 nutrients. Foods rich in them are important to health.
Benita
Many yrs ago my grandmother told me that mothers would just chew up the food and then give it to their babies.
Ellie
Hmm, sounds a little gross, but that does make sense. Back in the day before blenders were around, that would have been the only way to do it. Guess I’m grateful for modern technology! LOL
Ellie
MarriedUK
I actually do this. It’s gross but I’ve read it’s good for their immune system and they trust it because it comes out of your mouth. Plus the temperature will be perfect…
Ellie
That’s very true about the temperature! Maybe I’ll have to give it a try. 🙂
Ellie
Florence
Then teach him to use a spoon. Feeding baby’s by just putting food on a tray is so USA. Babies can learn to use a spoon or fork from six months up. You teach him to get his own food in his mouth and he will be less fussy, more focused on feeding himself. And please stop freaking out about germs; you don’t clean the handlebar of a shopping cart before you use it (or else we would have had ten posts about that) so don’t be so fussy about germs. They’re good for you.
Eileen
I clean the handlebars of shoppings carts all the time and I am not “freaky” about germs. It just makes good sense, especially with a little one in the seat of the cart who may bend down and put their mouth to it. The pic with this post makes me chuckle every time (I assume it is Little Buddy; and brings back memories of my own children exploring the world around them and learning as they did.
I too am amazed how big your son is getting. I did lots of finger foods at this age and chicken and cooked veggies were a big part of it. I did not consider confusion a factor for letting them feed themselves and I was hyper aware of choking hazards. We try so hard to do the right things for our kids and you have got this Ellie. You research and inform yourself about so many things; there are lots of books about child development and all stages. Find a trusted author and check in with that source for what to feed at what age, etc. Then listen to what your head and heart tells you. I know you are a great mother. Eileen
Ellie
Thank you for your kind words, Eileen. 🙂 And I agree about sanitizing the cart handle. I don’t always do it when I’m alone (unless it’s flu season) but Little Buddy loves to suck on things, so I think it’s pretty important.
Ellie
Barb
Ellie, You are such a good mama. Little Buddy seems so content. One piece of advice a grandma like me can give is not to rush or worry about potty training as he gets older. Too often moms compare themselves to others when it comes to potty training. But each child is different. You’ll get a sense of when Little Buddy is ready. And if you try and he doesn’t seem ready, it’s ok to wait. Your greatest successes with your children will be the content of their character, not the age they were potty-trained. I’ve never seen a college admission form ask, “At what age were you potty trained?”😏
Ellie
Thank you for your encouragement, Barb! 🙂 And that would be a pretty odd college admission question, wouldn’t it? LOL
Ellie
Molly
My cousin were potty train by the time the she was 5 months old. I don’t know how my aunt did it.