First Foods

My pediatrician says food before one is just for fun! Meaning most nutrition is going to be coming from breast milk or formula still. I’d definitely try to stay away from the more salty, sugary, and greasy items but little tastes shouldn’t hurt!

Little tastes should be fine. Everything in moderation. A tiny piece of bacon or a French fry every now and then aren’t going to be the end of the world especially if they eat healthy the rest of the day.

Id encourage you to talk to your pediatrician for guidance. I know we have a 9 month appointment coming up soon, and it’s a great time to bring up any concerns or questions you have.

As for French fries, unsalted fries are pretty much the same as giving a potato, just with more oil. They are the perfect finger food as they are so easy to hold. Make your own if you're concerned about fat/salt intake.

Sounds to me like your husband is showing he isnt as educated on the subject. Clearly you've done the research so I would say trust your gut. I personally wouldnt offer an 8 month old bacon or french fries. Remind your husband of the phrase "food before 1 is just for fun". Food before 1 years old is more about learning and exploration, not necessarily for nutrition. Everyone does whatever works for them and their baby but if you're feeling off about giving him certain foods, there's probably a good reason. Your anxiety level is just right, trust your gut!

Agreed just have fun and be safe . Most nutrients come from formula, right now your just discovering the likes and dislikes as long as your paying attention looking for allergies your doing good

Limiting salt content is so important so personally I wouldn’t be doing fries unless you’re at home or they are salt free, bacon is okay at this stage in very small amounts occasionally, ours has had some mixed into pasta so it’s not like he’s eating a whole rasher of bacon just a few small pieces the main meal bulk is other things.
Solid starts is really useful for checking serving things and I make my other half look at it as well

Limiting salt etc is really important but as someone who kept my son away from fast food/ anything that wasn’t home cooked I sort of regret it at 2 as he literally will not eat chips/ nuggets etc. In one way yes it’s a really good thing but it makes going out for the day really hard as I always have to make sure I have more than enough food to cover meals as he won’t eat out. Isn’t like I could give him a McDonald’s or some nuggets and chips in a short spot as a treat because he literally won’t touch it x

Be as controlling as you like. My daughter is 2.5 years now and I was strict on salt/takeaway food (with my partners support), she’s only ever had one takeaway and that’s when we were on holiday very recently. We do sweet treats in moderation, and she has an interesting and varied home cooked diet. Now she’s over two I’m not averse to giving her the odd fry if we were having them, or ordering a kids nuggets meal at a restaurant. She doesn’t go mad for them, but I’d happily pack her food she’ll eat all day long.
If she’s happy eating as healthily as I can provide for as long as possible, then why would I change that?
Not saying she’ll never have a McDonald’s but I want her to grow up appreciating and enjoying healthy food as I was raised on crap and still struggle with that now.

It won’t do any harm to have a taste. Don’t stress so much and don’t overthink it. They will be eating off the floor soon enough anyway no matter what you try to do so give yourself some grace and enjoy the process.

The foods you've described are high in saturated fats, salt, and preservatives - you're not being controlling. I'm still cautious giving my 2yo bacon because of the nitrites.

It is true that a little taste here and there probably won't hurt him but the question is - why? Why does he need to have those things? No one does. There's absolutely no harm in focusing on healthy foods early on. It's not like he's missing out. As soon as he knows what greasy foods taste like, he'll want it, and even in adults, our gut biome is constantly talking to our brain, and when we eat more salty and fatty food, it tells us we want more of that food - which makes it addictive. In a baby's gut that's still developing, this can definitely do harm, where there is no downside to sticking with healthy foods. I just don't see the point.

For what it's worth, we've generally stuck with a healthy diet and I never allowed salty, fatty foods or high sugar foods like ice cream - even a taste - before 1 year of age. At 2, we're becoming more relaxed, and my kid likes cake and ice cream, but she gets just as excited about pineapple or grapes, and she will not touch things like chicken nuggets or any of the types of high preservative foods toddlers typically like. She prefers whole foods because she's always been raised on them.