Thread: nutrition for an almost 1 year old?

What type of things do you feed your 11month old and up??
My daughter is almost 11 months old and I know I should be giving her more "real" food, but it seems like everything my husband and I eat are full of salt/sugar/other crap like preservatives. I try to give her fresh fruit and veggies, but she is still missing teeth and I'm worried to give her certain things (although she gums really really well). So I end up giving her more bottles than I think she needs.
Do I really need to shop somewhere else for her (trader joe's, ect...)??
Make her meals seperately??

I've been making changes so my husband and I eat healthier, but everything still seems loaded with all this bad stuff.

what do you do for your older babies meals??

Or am I just over reacting/thinking??

I would like to introduce her to good things and a good variety (mexican, italian, etc) but I'm scared.

Thanks for any help!!

I know what you mean! I became SOOO aware of the crap that I was eating when my twins started table foods. They are also about to be 11 months old and I will give you just a bit of my wisdom as far as nutrition and feeding is concerned.
Watch the sugar content of stuff--I was amazed when I picked up one of my yogurts to feed the babies....26 g of sugar! Yikes I wouldnt dare feed that much sugar to a baby so I have started to buy plain yogurt and I cut up fruit and throw it in..and its a yummy breakfast the babies love
Try to stay away from pre-packaged stuff. I mean a little wont hurt them but like buy slow cook oatmeal instead of instant...it really is better for them. I dont freak too much when their dad feeds them chicken nuggets for dinner (Im in college evenings) But whats best is fresh cooked chicken and veggies.
Dont go anywhere special to buy baby stuff...the regular grocery store is just fine.
The only meal that I make seperate from my babies is lunch..(because I spoon feed them lunch so they dont get their clothes too dirty) that way I have whatever I want while they are napping and they have a nice lunch when they wake up.
Dinner I usually have them eat the same thing, just add a veggie or a fruit.

gerber does make phases but i give my kids what i eat since about 8 mos old....

We skipped most of the Gerber "toddler" dinners and other packaged stuff - it's got a ton of crap in it and tastes terrible!

Good for you for reconsidering your own diet - nothing like having a baby to make you examine your own habits!

We fed our son a huge variety of table foods, spices, etc as soon as he was able to chew them. As a baby he loved hot & sour soup! Of course, we watched to see if anything gave him digestive problems (nothing did), but as a result, he eats just about everything and will generally try new things (except salad or anything that resembles a salad). We went somewhere and his kids meal came with both french fries and carrot/celery sticks. How happy I was when he reached for the celery first!

If you're concerned about her lack of teeth, buy a food mill from amazon.com ($12) to grind up table food.

Here are some things my son loved as he was learning to eat solids:
Black olives, chopped
Imitation crab meat
Sauted mushrooms
Ground beef
Fish
Yogurt
Tofu

It's a bad habit to make her meals separately - she'll get used to being "catered to". Far better to bite the bullet and eat meals yourself that you feel good sharing with your daughter. There is nothing wrong with her having the occasional Chinese takeout, though.

ps: Trader Joe's does have a lot of "convenience foods" that have less sugar/salt/crap in them. It's the next best thing to making it yourself.