Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Why do I feel guilty all the time?

What aculady says! Also, though, there's absolutely no reason your DD should be getting purees or any special food, and actually, every reason why she shouldn't. So please don't feel guilty about that! Teeth are absolutely not necessary for dealing with lumps - feel those gums! (The teeth that arrive early are not even helpful for dealing with lumps, if you think about it.) I basically never cooked special food for my DS; he sat at the table with us and had a bit of whatever we were eating that I thought he might fancy, maybe mashed with a fork if I thought he wouldn't be able to handle it otherwise. (Babies do apparently differ in how prone they are to choking, and you do of course have to avoid serving food with non-squashable lumps of the size that could easily block the windpipe; that means no slices of frankfurter or whole grapes, though, not avoiding lumps in the mashed potato ;-) Admittedly I did occasionally decide what we were eating on the basis that I wanted to introduce something to DS! Under a year the point of food is not really nutrition, apart maybe from topping up iron stores if you're otherwise exclusively breastfeeding; it's all about being exposed to different tastes and textures and to the fun experience of eating. In fact if she doesn't get any solid food one day, it's not a big deal. Chill, and enjoy your baby!