how should an infant be before you feed them baby food?

Question

mine is 6 weeks old today. is that too young? when should i start?

Answer 1

too young. 4 months is what I was told anythin younger than that and thir bodies can't handle it

Answer 2

Way too young. An infant can start on rice cereal between 4-6 months. Most babies start jarred baby food around 5-6 months, although some start a bit earlier or later. My daughter wasn't ready for food until about 3 weeks ago and she is almost 8 months old. Take your cues from your baby. As a side note, these ages are due to the fact that research is finding a higher amount of obesity and diabetes in people who were fed food before 4 months.

Answer 3

Yes 6 weeks old is way to young.... sometimes if a baby who is 6 weeks or more is showing signs of being hungry even after you have provided the feedings as per your doctors recomendations then some people start to add one ounce of cereal into a bottle per day. If you want to do that it is very commom to do so (just remeber to cut the hole in the nipple a little bigger so the thicker formula willflow through it)
As for jars of baby food, it is better to wait until about 6 months or so, reasons for this include the fact that babies below th eage of 6 months still move thier tongue forward to eat and this will make it more frustrating when trying to spoon feed, also if you start to feed jar food, then the baby will be less hungry for formula and you will not be able to tell that the baby is getting the proper amount of calories per day. And my last reason for waiting is because the baby's bowel movements will harden when they start jar food and if the baby is too young it will be hard to push out and it will cause complications such as constipation.
With my last baby I gave cereal at 6 weeks anfd started jar food at 4 months....she has always had problems going to th ebathroom and I always wonder if I did it to her from poor feeding habits as an infant, I currentlyhave a two month old and this time I am sticking to the doctors orders!

Answer 4

Are you breastfeeding or bottle feeding?if you are breastfeeding maybe the baby isn't latching on right and therfore isn't the sufficient amount of milk.If the baby is bottle feeding,then maybe jus a little rice cereal will be ok.My 1st son wasn't quite that young when he started showing signs that he wasn't full enough,but I dont think a little bit will do any harm.A lot of people do everytihng by the book today and ther's nothing wrong with that,but there also isn't anytinig wrong with going a little old School either.Do whatever works best for your baby.If you do put rice cereal in your baby's bottle then make sure to make the nipple hole a little bigger so it doesn't get backed up in the nipple...it may be too thick for it to pass through the nipple holes.Make it to the consistency you are comfortable with.

Answer 5

At four months, you're supposed to start off with rice cereal, which contains an iron supplement, and is important for infants to have every day at least once until one year old. Later on, you can switch to oatmeal cereal, which tastes better, but always start off with the rice cereal until six months. And never mix rice cereal with their formula.

Later on, you can offer vegetables, then fruits. At first, because the baby's digestive system is so immature, you're only supposed to let them try a new food once a week, to rule out the possibility of any allergies.

After they've tried all the fruits and vegetables, along with their formula, of course, or breastmilk, then you can start with the egg whites or rice around eight to ten months, with no spice. Then meats around a year old.

After that point, it becomes a lot more fun, because then you can let baby try cow's milk, and honey, and sample just about anything, with a few exceptions.

Answer 6

6 weeks old is way to young. The younger you start babies on food other than breastmilk/formula they have a higher chance of being allergic to it.

Pediatricians advise that you should start feeding your baby cereal anywhere from 4-6 months. They say that baby should be able to hold up their head well and be able to sit up as much as possible, so choking doesn't occur.

At 6 months is when their bodies start to need more nutrients like iron. Hence, this is why we feed them iron fortified cereals! They also can start eating fruits and vegetables. Don't worry about the order in which you feed (fruits first, or veggies first). Research says even if you feed fruit first it doesn't mean that baby will not like veggies!

Make sure you feed one fruit/veggie at a time and allow 3-5 days for signs of allergic reactions, before you start another food.

I know every grandmother probably fed the now mother cereal bottles, and would all disagree to wait 4 months, but from my experience I would wait. I started my son on rice cereal at 3 1/2 months (from a spoon) and not only was it hard, because he wasn't ready to eat from a spoon, he also became allergic to the rice cereal, because I gave it to him to early.

Baby's main food for the next year will be breastmilk/formula so don't worry about rushing into solids!!

Okay I decided to edit after reading some of the others comments... don't ever put cereal into a bottle, baby could choke on the cereal, and it defeats the purpose of them learning how to eat from a spoon!

Don't feed oranges or citrus fruits to baby til after a year of age, that goes for berries, egg whites, nuts... and other things that you could probably look up on the internet or read in a book!

Answer 7

Your baby is Waaayyyyyyy too young for solids!

The AAP doesn't recommend starting solids until *6 MONTHS* of age.

ALL your child needs right now is breastmilk and/or formula.

You child is not old enough to digest solids. You might as well feed them sawdust for all the good it would do him/her.

We have WAAAYYYY too much medical research now that shows this has a BAD effect on the child later in life to just do it because "it worked for Grandma back in the day."

Answer 8

4-6 months is the recommended age. if the child can sit up with very Little help it is a good indicator. i started my son at 4 months because he is big and already had 2 teeth, he can remain upright in the highchair without crunching up. then you wanna start with rice cereal at an almost liquid consistency. if he keeps pushing it back out wait a week or two and try again. technically an all breast or bottle diet will suffice until 1 year when they require more iron, which rice and oat cereals provide. good luck and congrats.

Answer 9

I have twin boys and from birth they could eat. Pay attention to your child's eating habits. When he or she gets to the point they are easily sucking down a 12oz bottle and wanting more, start adding rice / oatmeal cereal to his / her bottle. Start with a little at a time. Please don't do like a friend of mine and fill the bottle half way with rice cereal and then formula. BUt when they start doing the same thing with cereal in the formula, try him / her on baby food. If that doesn't work, then try them on solids (table food). Hope this helps you. I wish you the best.

Answer 10

SIX WEEKS IS WAY TOO YOUNG!!!!!!!! Baby cereal should be started at 4 months and stage 1 baby foods at 5 months.

Always check with you child's Dr. first.

Answer 11

I started feeding my babies a little rice cereal at about 1-1/2 to 2 months....Sometimes the milk is just not enough to satisfy them...Just mix 2 or 3 spoons in with their milk and they will love you so much!!