Baby Likes Food

So I got my daycarista in "trouble" this week.

She's state-licensed which means the state inspectors visit her. This week the inspector informed her she needs a written eating plan for the 8+-month-old (that's my daughter). Pretty tough to do since she's breast-fed and, last I checked, my tits don't have an ounce-gauge printed on the side. She also, ahem, doesn't eat baby food.

WHAT??? NO BABY FOOD?

Well, I supplement her with purchased baby food at home if, say, the meal I've prepared (and I use those terms "meal" and "prepared" so loosely....) is missing something or is something she can't eat. Like the lunch we had fried egg and bacon sandwiches... she had toast and baby food from a plastic tub.... because, much as I love her, she doesn't get fried eggs or meat.... yet.

But the girl prefers to feed herself and she prefers to eat what everyone else is eating.... and who am I, parenting the path of least resistance, to say no?? Besides... it makes us eat better. She only has two teeth so the babyfood grinder gets a workout and she likes to "feed herself" so sometimes it is messy. (I can't wait for spring so I can take the high chair outside and just hose it off....) But, really, we mostly eat things she can have.... tortillas, noodles, sweet potatoes, corn, apples, cooked carrots, cottage cheese, yogurt, smooshed peas, grilled cheese, graham crackers. So far I haven't found anything (including green peppers) that she won't eat.... I don't eat bananas but she loves them mushed up. I haven't figured out how to give her "salad" type stuff yet but she loves ground up steamed spinach.

So different from her picky "I-won't-eat-a-bean" brother.

I will write a "letter" to put in the diaper bag noting her general eating habits and "plan" to satisfy the state inspector but it got me wondering.... how do other people feed their kids?

So do/did your kids eat a lot of purchased baby food? When did you stop giving them the jar/tub stuff? What were your big worries? Any great recipe suggestions?