how do i start my baby on baby food?

Question

He's been eating cereal before bed for over a week, we're going to start feeding him cereal in the a.m. too, now, but what about starting him on baby food? Do I replace a bottle in the afternoon w/ a jar of baby food, or do I do both? And how (baby food first, bottle second?)?

Answer 1

I am a nutritionist

For when your baby is digestively ready to start solids:
Stage 1 (6-9 months)

At 6 months solid foods can be introduced but the weaning process should not be hurried if baby is content with breast milk alone. Pay attention to the signals baby gives out e.g. baby will probably be ready for solid food if they cry after breast-feedings or chew on the nipple. Even then, breastfeeding should be continued (alongside the introduction of solids) for as long as is comfortable for mother and baby.

The best time to introduce solid foods to baby is just before breast or bottle-feeding. Starting solids is a very gradual process so be patient and go slowly. The classic 'first food' is mashed banana, which is very digestible, sweet and a good introduction to foods. Suitable first foods are baby rice or pureed vegetables. Fruits are usually introduced after vegetables in order to allow acceptance of vegetables before the sweet tastes of fruits is experienced. Other popular first foods are carrot, sweet potatoes, parsnip, apples, bananas and pears. When they have had enough babies will turn away their head, clamp their mouth shut or spit the food out! These are signs that they have had enough.

When introducing solids to baby offer one type of food only and then observe how well it is tolerated. Start with around 1-2 tsp of food and gradually increase up to 6 tsp. How is fed to baby depends entirely on how much they will eat. A rough guide might be a quarter of a very ripe mushy banana for a few days (or for a week) and the following week another soft fruit such as apple sauce. This gives the baby's digestive system time to get used to each new food before the introduction of additional ones. If two or more foods are introduced at the same time and baby has diarrhoea, colic or other digestive problems, it will be difficult to identify the culprit. The foods during this first stage should be bland with a smooth consistency.

If the baby is not interested the first few times solids are introduced it is advised to try again in another week. When baby is ready they will let you know. Baby might be hungry at any time of the day or night. Babies cannot tell the time but they know what they need.

Prepare cooked vegetables plainly, do not add salt, sugar or spices. Good introductory vegetables are parsnips, sweet potatoes, yams and carrots. Still start feeds with breast or bottle but now very gradually increase the amount of solid food given afterwards. Solids should only be given by spoon or hand and never added to a bottle of feed.

Typical feed for one day at stage 1


* 1st feed - breast or bottle
* 2nd feed - breast or bottle
* 3rd feed - 1-2 tsp baby rice mixed with 1 tbs milk from feed or 1-2 tsp unsweetened fruit puree
* 4th feed - breast or bottle
* 5th feed - breast or bottle

Stage 2: (9-12 months)

Try and move gradually from solid food at one feed in the day to solid food at two and then three feeds. Follow baby's appetite and move at baby's pace.

Avoid all baby foods that contain sugar or artificial sweeteners. Sugar contains no vitamins, minerals or protein and can lead to obesity, both now and later in the child's life. Sweetened foods also confuse and seduce the appetite tending to satisfy hunger quickly and displace healthful foods. Do not add salt to foods.

Typical feed for one day at stage 2:


* 1st feed - breast or bottle
* 2nd feed - breast or bottle followed by 1-2 tsp baby rice mixed with 1 tbs milk from feed or 1-2 tsp unsweetened fruit puree
* 3rd feed - breast or bottle followed by 1-2 tsp vegetable puree or 1-2 tsp pureed fruit
* 4th feed - breast or bottle followed by 1-2 tsp pureed fruit
* 5th feed - breast or bottle

I also wanted to include the following:
The American Academy of Pediatrics, the World Health Organization, and many other health organizations recommend that babies be exclusively breastfed (no cereal, juice or other foods) for the first 6 months of life. Some doctors may recommend delaying solids for the first year if there is a family history of allergies. I'm not going into the many health benefits of delaying solids here

Solids readiness depends on both the maturity of baby’s digestive tract and baby’s developmental readiness for solids. Although the maturity of baby’s digestive system is not something that we can readily observe, research indicates that 6 months appears to be ideal for avoiding the allergies and other health risks of too-early solids. After this point, different babies are ready for solids at different times -- developmental readiness for solids cannot be determined using a calendar. Most babies are developmentally ready for solids somewhere between 6 and 8 months.

Signs that indicate baby is developmentally ready for solids include:

* Baby can sit up well without support.
* Baby has lost the tongue-thrust reflex and does not automatically push solids out of his mouth with his tongue.
* Baby is ready and willing to chew.
* Baby is developing a “pincer” grasp, where he picks up food or other objects between thumb and forefinger. Using the fingers and scraping the food into the palm of the hand (palmar grasp) does not substitute for pincer grasp development.
* Baby is eager to participate in mealtime and may try to grab food and put it in his mouth.

We often state that a sign of solids readiness is when baby exhibits a long-term increased demand to nurse (sometime around 6 months or later) that is unrelated to illness, teething pain, a change in routine or a growth spurt. However, it can be hard to judge whether baby’s increased nursing is related to readiness for solids. Many (if not most) 6-month-old babies are teething, growth spurting and experiencing many developmental changes that can lead to increased nursing – sometimes all at once! Make sure you look at all the signs of solids readiness as a whole, because increased nursing alone is not likely to be an accurate guide to baby’s readiness.

Four- to five-month-old babies are sometimes very eager to participate at mealtime, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they are ready to eat solids - more often it's just the normal developmental urge to do what everyone else is doing. Research studies tell us that there are many health advantages to delaying solids for about 6 months for all babies, not just the babies who are not yet interested in mealtime.

common myths:

weight:
The American Academy of Pediatrics/World Health Organization recommendations for starting solids at 6 months or later has no exceptions for babies who weigh more. The research that I've seen on the health benefits of starting solids at 6 months and later holds for all babies, no matter what their weight.

It's the maturity of the digestive tract and baby's developmental readiness that makes the difference, not baby's weight.

sleep:
The popular belief that feeding solids at night will help baby sleep through the night has no basis in fact.

Answer 2

I followed what my son's Dr. told me...

I mixed in some baby food stage 1 fruit into his cereal for a couple days to get him used to a flavor and texture change. Then I would give him his cereal and fruit for breakfast and a bottle. (food always first) He would drink as much of his bottle as he needed to fill up after is food.

At lunch and dinner I would give him his jar food (no cereal) and then a bottle, and again he would stop drinking his bottle when he was full.

Before bed he would get a bottle if he was hungry.

I'm not sure how old your son is, but you might start on 1/2 of a jar of food as a whole jar might be too much. Also make sure to stick to the same food for 3 days before introducing another so you know if he has a reaction to something what it was he reacted to.

Good luck...and keep your camera ready!!

Jacob's Mommy

Answer 3

The nutritionist has the correct info. I consulted with a WIC nutritionist regarding my son when he was ready as well as his family doctor. When a baby is ready, they will let you know, by testing it out. Offer the food. Thats the only way to know. Every child is different. Mine is over a year now and refuses to move on to any type of solid, he will gag on anything that is even mildly chunky. But it is good to keep checking, and if you would like to just test baby food, go with the stage 1 (gerber products). Thats what its for. It's not really replacing a bottle however. The information I recieved said yes, wean him off the bottle, but that did not fly with my own. For awhile I still had to have the bottle available right after eating, but that didn't last long, I'm guessing simply because that is what he was used to. Good luck.

Answer 4

Usually at around five to six months you start baby food. You can start with either fruit or vegetables and use stage1.You want to give one fruit or veg at a time for a few days to make sure the baby is not allergic. After you go through all the fruits and vegs you can move to stage 2 foods. Around 7-8 months you can start meats. And then you can move to stage 3 they are chunkier around 9-10 months. You want to give a bottle first because that is the most important nutrition for a baby and then food. Gerber.com has sample meal plans that can help

Answer 5

you can do both, use a baby spoon and just a little of food. start with the yellows, then when they finish all the yellows go to the greens. don't do it all at once. when my children where small I feed them with the yellows and a little dessert like apple sauce then I gave them a bath and ready for bed and then I gave them a bottle. then mom and dad can enjoy dinner. I never waited for the doctor. remember they don't get up during the night. if the baby is not ready you may have to wait awhile. have fun

Answer 6

feed first and then bottle. Start with 1st stage veggies. mix in a little cereal to thicken it up and feed. If they finish and still seem unsatisfied then give the bottle. Also....try only one veggie for one week then go to another for one week. This will help determine if your child has any food allergies.

Answer 7

Talk to your child's doctor. The lady above is wrong. Most pediatricians will say you should not give your child juice. Its empty calories and sugar. And formula should be their main source of nutrition until the first year. When your doctor says he's ready a good book that I used is Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. Good luck,

Answer 8

talk to your baby's dr. But when we started with my now 9 1/2 month old. we started cereal in the morning and then for lunch baby food and then at night babyfood but we always gave her milk like 30 hour later. and stick to the veggies first like green beans for a couple of days to make sure he or she is allergic to eat then maybe squash and things like that. keep away from the fruit and sweets for while cause they like them BEST!!! Good Luck! oh never stop giving them milk!!!

Answer 9

I have twin boys and this was a fun task,,just get the gerber jar food and if you use a baby spoon and you try to feed them and they stick out their tongue ,,like pushing it out,,then theyre not ready to be spoon fed,,what i did since i wanted my kids to get the nutrition they needed but they didnt know how to eat with a spoon ,,i bought one of those push up infant feeders,,its like a mini bottle but you put food in it,,and push it up out of the nipple,,my kids did great with this and it wasnt long before they were holding it themselves and spoon eating,,as for do you give them milk and food,,i would try to switch to baby juices but water it down a bit so that they dont get acidy diapers,,and give them juice after food,,not too much like half a bottle,,and try to make milk more for nap and bedtimes,,,hope this helps

Answer 10

Try one or the other. Some babies are more receptive to food changes than others. If you notice your baby fussing while trying to feed him/her jar food put it away for a few weeks & try again later. As Nike puts, "Just do it!" We all want to do it the "right" way when each individual is ready sooner than others. If your baby is ready for jar food he/she will want to continue eating it after the first few spoons, if not you WILL know to put it away for awhile. Good luck & try not to worry so much - it's only a spoonful of food.

Answer 11

um how old is he? because he shouldnt be eating real food until about 8 months.. at 6 months he can start with fruits and veggies..

i bought a baby food grinder off of www.onestepahead.com - it was 30 bucks and equal to 5 or 6 baby food jars. - plus then i knew that the things i made him were natural. and he loved the food. espeically carrots..

but ask you're pediatrician.

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