Homemade Baby Food

Hi everyone,

I'm kinda new to the boards and wondered if you have any suggestions...?  My 11 month old son loves his purees...  he'd rather not feed himself but have me feed him.  I'm wondering what I can do to help him learn to eat on his own a bit more, and also what sort of menu ideas I should have for him?  I'm running out of ideas.  I've made all of his food thus far and so am not all that creative as to what else I can do for him.  He just recently got his teeth (two bottom teeth) so I feel my options are somewhat limited with him not being able to chew too much... 

Any suggestions??

Frustrated!!

My son is almost 13 months old, and eats a combination of table food and home-made baby food. One of his current favorite recipes that I make is "pumpkin pie chicken." My husband gave it that name. I chop up a chicken breast into really small pieces, then peel and chop a sweet potato into small pieces also (about 1/2 inch pieces). I brown the chicken in a little bit of olive oil, then add the sweet potato. I add about a cup of chicken broth, then 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ginger, 1/4 tsp allspice. I cook it until the chicken is done, and the sweet potatoes are mushy.

I kind of mash it up for my son, but if your son likes purees, you could blend it. I also add some applesauce sometimes, right before I serve it, and Tyler gobbles it down!

For finger foods, I just offer him bits of colorful foods. I found that he is drawn into color, and loves thawed peas! I also steam carrots, sweet potatoes, and green beans, then cut them into small pieces. He also LOVES cheese, and will eat string cheese and other cheeses cut into pieces. Just give it time, and keep offering! Oh, have you tried the gerber yogurt melts? Those are a big hit around here also.