Fedding my daughter baby food at 5 months old?

Question

My daughter will be 5 months soon and I was considering giving her 1-2 spoons of mashed bananas in her rice cereal. I've heard that baby food should not be given until 6 months, what is the reason? What were to happen if I did give it to her one month early?

I guess I should start with green beans or peas or something huh?

Answer 1

Studies suggest that waiting to introduce solids to your infant reduces the risk of food allergies, and also of obesity in later life. The American Academy of Pediatrics and other professional groups used to recommend that babies start solids between 4 and 6 months of age; that recommendation has been changed to 6 months.

That said, plenty of parents introduce their infants to solid foods before 6 months. And lots of practitioners still suggest it (although my opinion is that those practitioners basically just aren't "up" on the more recent studies, etc.) If you don't have some kind of family history of food allergies, I say go ahead -- it's not like you're thinking of introducing food to a one month old! Besides, cereal IS considered solid food, so actually your baby has already started solids. Bananas are an excellent early food for babies -- and do yourself a favor, don't buy it in a jar, just mash or puree a fresh, very ripe banana for your baby (the more ripe it is the easier it will be for your baby to digest. Not that it should be over-ripe, just not green!)

However, if you don't mind my making a suggestion: rice cereal is constipating, and bananas are also constipating. Before you introduce bananas into your baby's diet, consider expanding the types of single grains your baby eats. Barley or oatmeal are good choices, and are less constipating. Just a thought.

Most pediatricians do recommend working through single grains before moving on to other foods. However, whether you want to move from grains to vegetables...or from grains to fruits....or you want to alternate fruits and vegetables...that is all entirely up to you. It has never been shown that a baby who eats sweet fruit before eating vegetables will develop a sweet tooth and refuse vegetables....or that a baby who eat orange vegetables before green will reject the latter.....etc. That's just personal taste, and in any event you'll find that your baby will probably be very fickle. One day avocados are IT....and the next day she'll swat it away and make faces like you're trying to feed her dirt. Anyway, don't worry about food order.

Congratulations on your baby, and enjoy the feeding!

Answer 2

Our pediatrician told us baby food can be introduced between 4 and 6 months. We were told that we needed to wait 4-7 days between each new food to make sure if there are any allergies, we can pinpoint which food it was that caused the allergy. My son is now 5 months, 1 week old. He started with rice cereal and we have since added the following Gerber fruit/veggie purees: bananas, squash, appleasauce, peas, peaches, and carrots. I have been alternating fruits and veggies because a lot of babies prefer the fruits (because they are sweeter) and I didn't want him to prefer them. Go figure - peas and carrots are his favorite anyway, lol.

Again, my pediatrician told us to go ahead. So I would start the Stage 1 purees if I were you. It might help the yucky cereal taste, and it could also really improve her eating - my little guy is much more excited about mealtime and does much better with the mechanics of eating since introducing foods that he likes.

Answer 3

What ever you think he's ready for, go for it. Feed him small amounts, as bananas can cause constipation. My son hated bananas at 5 months, and only liked apples, pears, and peaches. I blended them directly into the dry cereal, and then added water for the right consistency. I only gave him a small amount each day, just for him to taste, and the rest of his diet was all formula. By 6 months, he was eating cereals (rice, oatmeal, and LOVED barley) 2x a day, with fruit or green vegetables. He loved green beens, squash, and peas. Just remember to try new foods no more than once every 3-4 days, so you can make sure he doesn't have any adverse reactions to them. And cycle thru new fruiut and veggies by colors, since most foods of the same color have similar vitamin and flavor content. White first (bananas, apples and pears, cereals), then yellow and orange (squash, pears, apricots, mangoes), then green, red and blue. Hold off on high allergy foods until nearer the 1st birthday (strawberrries, watermelon, egg yolks, etc.).

Answer 4

Our pediatrician says to intorduce solids between 4-5mo however my son showed me he was ready at 5mo. I really don't think there is anything wrong with giving her foods a month early. They say it can cause child obesity or that their digestive system isn't ready. But the obesity is a crock and my son has had no problems what so ever. Plus he is very eager to eat.You should be introducing veggies first as you will have a hard time with them by giving her the sweets first. I never really gave my son cereal because he doesn't like it so what I started doing was putting half a tub of veggis in a bowl add some formula to thin it out then warm it up and put a little cereal in there. That way he's not getting the strong taste of the veggie. Good luck to you and do what you feel is best for your daughter.

Answer 5

You can start the rice cereal anywhere from 4-6 months, and after they have the hang of rice cereal, you can start working in other things. Mashed banana, as long as it's really smooth, would be a great food to add in. The point is just to teach them how to eat and eventually chew. The reason it's not recommended to start earlier is that breast milk or formula is still the healthiest thing you can give your baby at this age and once they start to get the taste of actual food, they prefer it and may not take as much milk as before.

Answer 6

Several studies have shown that feeding solids too early can increase the risk of allergies and diabetes. So the AAP is now recommending waiting until 6 months. I don't think that giving her some bananas at 5 months will do any damage, but why do you want to? Does she seem interested in food? Bananas are a great first food, by the way. Rice cereal, not so much - it is basically a simple carbohydrate.

Answer 7

I always heard that you should start baby food anywhere from 4-6 months. My daughter turned 4 months old on Feb 4th and we took her to her 4 month well check and her pediatrician said she could have all the baby food she wants. He said to start with cereal then move to fruits and veggies. She has had tons of cereal (she loves it) and sweet potatoes so far. She love the sweet potatoes to. I don't think there would be anything wrong with bananas. The reason they do not want you to start food before 4 months is because they could develop food allergies. I also have read articles that say if you wait much longer after 6 months that could also cause food allergies. Have you talked to your doctor about when he thinks she could start food. Give him a call if you want but I think its fine. My daughter actually had the cereal when she was one week away from her 4 month b-day.

Answer 8

My MD had us start with cereal alone, plain before baby food. If you water it down enough with formula or breast milk it's not a real big deal. As far as when to start watch your child. How long does he go between feedings. Does he seem hungry or showing an interest in food? A great book is "What to expect the first year" It's much better than the pregnancy version and gives you month by month info. It's more of a reference book than a sit down and read every word book. Good luck, and get out the video camera for that first "meal". The faces are priceless!

Answer 9

Actually the recommended age is 4-6 months. All seven of my babies started at 4 months and have been wonderful, non-picky eaters and incidentally fantastic sleepers. I wouldn't put the banana in the cereal, though. You should start with cereal, then introduce green veggies, then orange/yellow veggies, and fruit last. Otherwise they may only want to eat sweet stuff.

Answer 10

I have twins and at 4.5 months I gave them carrots and peas at dinner time. They are now 13 months old and eat everything in sight. My advice is to not force your daughter with the food... if she seems to like it, go for it. Find yourself a good baby food cookbook (there are tons on the market)... I made all my girls food for them - the jars of food were for outings only. They ate everything - broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peas, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, etc. pureed.
Beware that bananas can cause some constipation...