another food question

I'm wondering when you all have given your kids the following things:
whole peas (out of the pod, obviously, but the whole round pea in the hull)
kernels of corn
lunch meat

With the first two I'm wondering about choking....and I think I heard something somewhere about no lunch meat until a year old? Right now, I am cooking the peas and mashing them in the blender just enough to break up the hulls....I can cook and shred chicken, but I'd like to expand their meat options (ham, turkey, etc.) - they can't have any dairy at all, so meat is our best protein option (I'm scared to try beans because they are very gassy anyway). Cooking ham and beef is a bit more time consuming that chicken, obviously. Corn I just don't know about period - I haven't tried to mash that in the blender any, but they have had it blended with squash and a few other things.

 

I think I remember hearing no lunch meat until after one year too. I would ask the pedi. Once the kids could eat regular table food I just served up peas and corn on their plates. I remember with my first I gave him some stage 2 dinner with corn in it. I think it had like three things in it. Well he HATED it. He actually made himself puke it back up. He was about six months old. I tried the next day and he did the same thing. He never had a problem with eating foods so I knew he didn't like it. Later when he was about 9-10mos and feeding himself he would eat corn when I cut it off the cob.

 

So were you giving them corn and peas around 10 months? Our LO's have just finally gotten to the point that they don't just gag and spit pieces out, so I'm just starting chunks of food - I guess that is why I'm so paranoid about the peas and corn! They have had stage 2 corn and squash blend, and they seem to like it. And they love peas. I think those might be some easy veggies to introduce for them.

 

Corn-I believe I waited on. I too think I worried about the choking hazard to it. We waited until after a year for that.

Peas-I gave around the time they started table foods-it was an easy food for them to pick up. And it was cooked to mush, or could be.

Deli meats-I gave them before a year old. But it wasn't often at all-maybe once/month. I just never buy them that often because they are expensive, and I usually waste them. If I was at the store and they were on sale, great. It was nice to have something different. You can certainly check with the pedi though!

 

I can definately see where corn could be a choking hazzard. If your babies have a problem with chewing and gag easily I might hold off on the corn for now. My kids did eat it before a year but I served it cut off the cob and I think it was a bit softer than the frozen. I don't like frozen corn so I don't buy it. I think peas are great when they are learning to feed themselves. They were for my kids at least. They were small and they could pick them up and they were easy for them to chew. I started my son on table foods at 9mos and my girls at 6-7mos.

 

I started peas at 7 months when they started finger foods. I was told by the girls pedi that it was not a choking hazard because the peas are so small. Lunchmeat can carry lysteria I believe and thats why many people advise waiting to give until babies are a year old or microwaving it before serving. I waited for a year for lunchmeat and still rarely give it. I have never done corn, but not because of the choking hazard. It's just not something we eat.

 

Thanks ladies. I think I will try some peas this week then. I hope they will still like them whole. I have found that while they loved the pureed pears, they hate them in chunks - I guess maybe because of the texture - so I'm wondering what will happen with other foods as we swtich from purees. I think I will wait on the corn and lunchmeat....they haven't been too crazy about green beans, but I may try that, too - I think they might like them better if they can feed themselves.

 

When my son was a baby he would eat anything he could feed himself. He loved baby food but loved feeding himself even more. I know some people aren't crazy about canned foods but my pedi is okay with it. She just likes me to rinse them first. Anyway, I used to buy those little cans of veggies. Perfect serving size for my son. He loved lima beans, green beans, peas, and the mixed veggies. I would just warm it and serve it up and he loved it.