when is it okay to start baby on baby food?

Question

my daughter is 4 months old and my cousin and i have been at each others throats during the discussion of when to start babies on baby food.she started her daughter at 31/2 months on sweet potatoes 1/2 stage 1 jar every other day. i have heard you should wait until 6 months can anyone help solve this problem between us thanks.

Answer 1

Never, ever before 6 months old. *Every* health organization worldwide today recommends *no* solids before the age of 6 months old because babies *cannot* digest anything other than human milk before that age, and it poses significant health risks (potentially throughout the baby's life).

Answer 2

As a nurse and a mother of 3, I can tell you that at 2 1/2 moths I started my kids on cereal and at about 4 months started them on stage 1 jar foods and they did very well and it is just fine to do it! The reason some docs say 6 mths is that some babies don't know how to swollow thicker foods than milk until around 6 mths and that some babies have problems will digesting foods until after 6 mths but that is rare! If you do start baby on foods early it is perfectly fine just make sure you start with one food at a time and a certain color first like orange veg . or fruits and then a week later introduce the next color just so you can make sure there are no allergic reactions. Have fun with feeding it is neat to experience feeding foods! they only are small once! good luck and enjoy! if you have any questions feel free to contact me! [e-mail]

Answer 3

A baby is perfectly fine on formula or breast milk for the first six months. Sometimes a little thin cereal is added, (but spoon fed to aquaint the baby to eating this way), if baby seems to be unsatisfied with just milk, or if more calories are needed for some special condition or circumstance. The reason for withholding other foods is that there is a greater tendency for baby to develop allergies if they are introduced earlier, and also because their digestive systems are not yet completely ready to accept these foods. Yes, many babies have no problems or reactions, but why risk it or force it when it isn't needed for adequate nutrition. It may even lead to increased tendency toward obesity.

Most pediatricians that I have been associated with do not encourage introducing baby foods into the diet before six months. If in doubt, ask your personal practitioner, and go with their recommendation.

Congratulations on your new daughter and good luck.

Answer 4

wow..so many answers. Don't know if you'll get to read this, but I'll try to make it short. Before 4 months is almost always TOO EARLY. I have read between 4-6 months. I personally think 4 months is also kinda' early, so I started gradually giving my son some baby cereal at 5 months. If a baby is big, then starting BEFORE 6 months is best. Start with cereal gradually..(even if it's just to taste it) and maybe a little pureed fruit. pureed peaches for example.

Answer 5

Most doctors recommend about 6 months, but I think my kids were about 3- 31/2 months when I started them on just a little cereal mixed with formula. I probably wouldn't start on jarred baby food yet.
For that matter, I found that when I used less baby food, and more just pureed or mashed table food, my children were much less picky as they got older. They really liked smushed bananas, green beans, peas, that sort of thing. Just see what works for you.
And remember, all babies are different, so what is good for your cousin's baby may not be right for yours. It doesn't mean either of you are doing anything wrong.

Answer 6

My pediatrician said that you can start a baby on baby food when the baby is not pooping after every feeding (at least 4 months old). If the baby is breast fed he needs to not eat any cereal or bananas because my pediatrician said that those can cause constipation. He told me to start my son on a veggie (the same one) for 10 days then a fruit for 10 days and then a different veggie for 10 days and a different fruit for the next 10 days. Then he can have cereal and bananas. But you need to try each new food for at least 10 days straight to see if there is a allergic reaction.

Answer 7

You start them on baby cereal at 4months, or when they can sit up straight. You gradually introduce different foods waiting 3 days before giving something new (just to be sure there is no allergy) By 6months your baby should be starting finger food, cheerios etc. the best thing for that is the Gerber fruit and veggie puffs, they dissolve in the mouth so it teaches the baby to chew.. Also, baby food is numbered 1-2-3 and tells you at what age you should be giving these certain foods. sorry but your cousin is correct.

Answer 8

Initially, my doctor indicated it would be at 6 months, but after DD doubled her birthweight at 4 mos old, he said OK to rice cereal, then veggies, then fruits. I'm very happy to report she took to it well and hasn't had any issues with allergies.

I think the doubled weight thing is key, as well as watching baby's reaction. If baby gags, try again in a few days/weeks. If you'd rather wait, then wait. There's no nutritional benefit to solid foods; the benefit is merely making the baby comfortable with the process of eating (as opposed to drinking).

For that reason, I would definitely start before 6 months, as I have known one-year-olds who wouldn't eat even Cheerios because they gagged whenever something more solid than milk was put in their mouth! Also, I wouldn't recommend cereal in the bottle because it is not teaching a baby how to eat solids.

Answer 9

You can start now. If your child is not getting enough food when eating the milk or needs too much cereal in the milk then go ahead and start feeding the baby cereal and fruit. You have to do one jar at a time to be sure that the baby is not allergic to anything. It really just depends on ur child appetite.

Answer 10

Doctors say around 4-6 months. But who listens to ther doctor? Whenever you feel your baby is ready for baby food thats when it's best. But start out small with just fruit and cereal, then move to veggies and so on. I started my daughter on baby food at 3 1/2 months and she was fine.

Answer 11

Doctors say the best time to start babies on solids is between 4-6 months. It's usually suggested to start with rice cereal first slowly adding fruits, veggies, and other cereals. My son is 7 months old and started rice cereal at 4 months and now eats several kinds of fruits and veggies and he's perfectly healthy.