Feeding Solids and Sleep Pattern

Hi J.! I'm paranoid about the solids, too. Our daughter just turned one and I still tear up her food into pea-sized pieces, even though she has molars now and can have a little bit larger bites. Have you seen the mesh bags with a handle? Those are great for carrots, apples - hard foods that they could choke on. Our daughter loved that when she was teething and it makes it so only pieces that are small enough to get through the mesh get out.

Also, I agree that the sleeping and eating are connected. I'm a big fan of the book "Good Night, Sleep Tight: The Sleep Lady's Gentle Guide to Helping Your Child Go to Sleep, Stay Asleep and Wake Up Happy" by Kim West.

Best of luck!!

Hi J.,

This may be long so bear with me, lol.
I think 1 problem will solve the other eating = sleeping
OK, First thing the food......here is what I would start with
Breakfast:
fruit puffies, cheerios (also promotes hand an eye cordination)
Toast, biscuits, waffles, pancakes, frencn toast sticks (extra butter makes it nice and soggy, easy to chew - no syrup), fruit cups, bananas sliced, applesauce

Lunch:
mac and cheese, mashed potatoes w/butter (instant are easy for now), cheese sticks, deli sliced turkey/ham, pizza, bread sticks, grilled cheese, spaghetti any kind of noodles, noodles of any kind, soup (I like to take crackers and crunch them up in the soup and it soaks up the broth), meat loaf, cheeseburger cut in small chunks, fish sticks, any canned or frozen vegetables, any canned or frozen fruit, bananas, fruit cups, applesauce

Dinner:
Anything you are eating for lunch or dinner he can have - make sure it isn't to spicy for him and cut it up in small chunks. If he can eat it you can eat it - with in reason of course.

For snack: crackers, animal cookies, pop tarts, cereal bars, dry cereal, fruit puffies, add in a fruit cup, anywhere in her you could add yogurt or yogurt burst cheerios.
Now as far as the sleeping make sure his daily routine is the same every day for example:
Breakfast 7:30 am a bread, fruit and a bottle or sippy cup of milk
Morning nap 8:30 am - 9:30 am or 10:00 am (if needed)
Morning snack 10:30 am milk and a snack
Lunch 12:00 noon - 12:30 pm a main dish, fruit and veggie and milk
Nap 1:00 pm - 3:00 or 4:00 pm
Snack 4:00 pm or when he wakes up a fruit or juice and crackers or cereal one of those
Dinner 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm main course, fruit and vegetable and milk
playtime 6:00 - 7:30
Bedtime routine starts around 7:30 - 8:00 you may eve ad in a small snack before bath time
Bath, Bottle and milk again, Book, Bed your goal for bedtime would be between 8:30 - 9:00

I think eating more will help him sleep more. Try for 1 long nap then 2 small naps. It's possible that when he is waking up he is still exhausted but he is also hungry so the 2 are fighting each other. Now the routine that I out up top may not jive with what goes on in you house hold so tweak it to your needs. Idealy you want him up more during the day then at night. You want him to be ready for bed with in a couple hours after of eating dinner.

Also to get him to go to sleep on his own - whatever you are doing now .... keep doing it but cut it down by 5 minutes each naptime and/or bedtime. To where you only hold him for 5 minutes, give him hugs and kisses, lay him in bed and say good night, turn out the lights and walk out. Don't walk back in unless absolutely necessary and try at all cost to not pick him up. If you do have to walk in there let him no it is "bedtime". And when you lay him down at naptime let him know "naptime" he will begin to understand nap time is shorter then bedtime. Be consistent with and it should work. All of these things work together ....eating = sleeping = happy baby. W. B.

I understand being hesitant but he's ready! As long as you monitor and sit with him while he eats, you can prevent choking. If you're really concerned, take an infant CPR class (offered at most hospitals) to ease your worry. Anything soft and mushy is great for beginners! Just go for it!

I understand I was always worried about my daughter chocking on new foods. I agree with what someone said above and take a cpr class. I did and it really made me feel better. Also, just be careful. Only give soft easy to eat foods. My ped said they could have small amounts of meats, as long as they were no larger than the size of the tip of your sons pinky finger. We did that & it worked well.

As for the sleeping thing... It sounds to me like you already had a good routine and he was sleeping well, so this crying thing is new? Well if that is the case then it sounds to me like a ear infection. Ear infections have ran in my family with my dad being the leader. He has always told me that you never can tell a baby has an ear infection until they wake up screaming as you have described. It has something to do with the pressure that builds up when they are laying down. I have 5 nieces & my dad can guess everytime one of them had an ear infection. I may be wrong, but you might want to have the dr look at his ears.

As for the falling asleep on his own, I know every parent is different. I have never been a fan of letting them cry themself asleep. I don't think babys understand at 9 months old, so we never did, and my daughter is two years old now & goes to sleep all on her own at nap time & bed time. We did lay her down awake and if she cried we would go in to confort her, but never pick her up. It worked for us & she never had to be left screaming by herself.

Good luck