I don't need a lecture, but is it safe to feed my six week old.....?

Question

table foods? I'm not talking about steaks, but stuff that will be easy for her to eat, like mashed taters and gravy. What about baby cereal? She's taking almost a whole bottle of formula, and it isn't satisfying her at all. And please don't tell me to talk to her pediatrician. All he'll say is wait until she's 4 months old. She'll starve to death by then!! And don't lecture me, either. I'm just asking. Anyone not giving good answers WILL be reported.

Answer 1

don't feel bad at all. my new baby (7 months now) was started on cereal at 3 weeks. by 3 months she was already eating stage one food. i don't do the doctor thing unless she is severely sick. i really started giving her table food at 5 months (mash potato's). it wasn't consistent but its even more so now. she goes to daycare and i just increased her stage two food to about 4-5 jars. after they are all gone i will get her on stage three since she will be 8 months.

when you baby begins to hold things get the self feeder. its so cool it a small net that holds food in it so the baby wont choke. my little one likes when i put chips in there and fresh veggies. i also started her on the graduate items from Gerber. (just the dissoluble cereal snacks)

its your baby. think about this my mom was raised in the south and they did not have any of this fancy stuff when she was growing up. she actually got on me for not giving the baby mashed up chicken.

Answer 2

6 weeks is a little young to be feeding mash potatos and gravy(although a little taste here and there definately will not hurt her) You could try her on cereal....start with rice(but it can cause constipation so if you notice this switch to the mixed or oatmeal) All 3 of my girls were eating cereal by the time they were just a couple of weeks old and they are healthy(well my youngest has alot of medical problems but not due to eating cereal too early) Also if a baby has reflux that is one of the first thing they tell parents to do is add cereal to every feeding and it doesn't hurt them.

My youngest was also a very heavy eater(and yes she would finish an 8 ounce bottle at less than 6 weeks old and still be hungry even when she was 8 months and only weighed 10 pounds she would eat 2 8 ounce bottles and still want some infant cereal or baby food afterwards and this is what the nurses at the hospital would feed her.) so it is possible.(Don't let others tell you you are over feeding her...she is your daughter and you know when she is hungry!

Answer 3

As a nursing mom of seven kids I DID give a few of them cereal at 6 weeks old! And they are all healthy kids.
They just ate so much and did not seem satisfied, I did not use a bottle feeder, figuring if they wanted the cereal, or a mashed banana the could suck it off of a coated spoon...and they did!
Gravy is way too rich for an infant, so steer clear of that..you MAY need to switch formulas as well, sometimes a soy based formula is more filling to a baby than cows milk..

Answer 4

I would say to hold off on the potatoes, but a little cereal won't hurt. Start with the Rice Cereal, then Oat, then Barley. After that you can start with the yellow fruits and veges. Bananas, Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Peaches, Pears, Applesauce. Then the other veges and fruits. Stay away from Citrus though. Wait several months before giving meat though. I know that you will get a lot of negative feedback from other answerers, but I am the mother of three children. None of them would wait until four to six months. Just start with the cereal. She will be okay. Babies that were born especially big like mine... 9 lb. 9 oz, 9 lb. 5 oz, and even 8 lb. 1 oz. are hungrier than other smaller babies and need food sooner. Good luck and hope that this satisfies her and I could help you.

Answer 5

OK, I have 4 Children with no allergies they all had Baby cereal when they were 6 weeks old. Mix it really loose. This is what i am told. When my mother was growing up she says that you fed your baby. all of these new rules about food weren't around for her or when she had me and we turned out fine. I just had twins and the Dr told me to wait until they were about 7 months old to introduce them to food. I listened because they were twins and a little premature but because i waited my kids are huge fat from the formula i have 19 pound seven month olds! Plus the older baby had gas all the time and like a water belly cause he was eating so much formula. very cranky.
At six weeks is a growth spurt. So that could be why shes not satisfied. Rice cereal is the easiest to digest. So you should start with that. And don't introduce to many foods at once i always do one per week watch for any reactions. good luck. i say feed that baby.

Answer 6

At four weeks old, you can make a mush out of whatever puppy food you will be feeding him. You can either mix it with water but since you already have esbilac, I'd mix some of that in. You can warm it and pour it over the kibble, let it sit a minute and then mush it up with a fork. Make it pretty thin at first and thicken it a bit each day.Be careful about putting food up to the mouth or putting the pup's nose on the food as you can cause the pup to inhale it and that can be dangerous with a little pup. I would save the peanut butter until the pup is at least a few mos. old. Make small amounts of the mush at first. If you are giving him canned food, thin it with the warmed esbilac mixture. Your pup will need to eat this mixture about four times a day, possibly more according to size, amounts it eats to start etc. It should not have to bottle feed any more. Keep a shallow water bowl filled so your pup can drink water as desired. As far as shots go, talk to your Vet about when to start the series as they will judge how to start this, when and what according to the size, breed type etc. Some Vet's do start pups at six weeks, especially if weaned from the mother at the age yours is. If you take your pup in to the Vet, put him in a box covered with a towel so he isn't exposed to animals there that might be sick. Or- put him in a kennel cab and cover it. You won't want to take your puppy around town or to neighbors or out on the street until it has had its first three sets of shots. Parvo is a highly contagious disease and when dogs that carry that virus go to the bathroom they shed the virus in their stool. The virus residue may be something you can't see but the dog can lick and/or sniff the area and come in contact with the virus. But you can pick a safer area to go to regularly to start teaching the pup to "take a break" or whatever you will say when you take him to go potty. Get a book and read articles on potty training. There are many good articles already written here that you can find by typing the subject into the search bar at the top. At pup can only hold their bladder for about an hour for each month of age. But don't expect a four week old to do that. They won't. It takes more time to train a pup and a lot of consistency. Avoid treats for now, at least until the pup is eating normally on it's own and then you can get puppy chew toys and biscuits for pups that help them exercise their little teeth. Peanut butter is something dogs love, but I'd wait on that for a few more months. Those tiny spots of pee all over are normal because this is a new puppy that is very young and has very recently been cared for by the mother who would've licked the pup clean for that first month. The mother isn't doing that anymore so the pup just goes. If the pup might be younger, it will need more assistance, but four weeks it should be fine. Your Vet can do an exam and tell you what the pup may need and what follow up care best suits his needs. Congrats. on your new pup. I'd start to potty train at six weeks but not expect much at first.

Answer 7

No lecture as you requested, but PLEASE don't give her anything with salt in e.g the gravy. I remember a fuss ages ago about a baby who died because she was fed a adult diet and died from salt poisoning. Little ones digestive systems cannot cope with salt like we can. I don't mean to scare you but it would be on my conscience not to mention this. In my opinion, 6 weeks is way to early for anything like gravy.

My daughter had her first rice cereal at 5 1/2 months. I know plenty of other mums who introduced baby cereal much earlier and and their kids are perfectly well. My daughter was constantly feeding all the time as well, but now I realize , looking back, she wasn't hungry, just wanted me to hold her or was very tired and needed to suck to fall asleep as it was so comforting. Could this be the case too? Maybe a dummy/ pacifier might help?

Hope is goes well.

Answer 8

Six weeks is a growth spurt mark - she is eating more right now because she is growing. This is natural and not an indication that she is ready for table foods. There are several growth spurt stages for babies - here is some info from www.kellymom.com

What is a growth spurt?
During a growth spurt, babies eat more often than usual (sometimes as often as every hour) and often act fussier than usual.

The increase in baby's milk intake during growth spurts is temporary. In exclusively breastfed babies, milk intake increases quickly during the first few weeks of life, then stays about the same between one and six months. (bottle fed babies may have more growth spurts) As solids are gradually introduced after six months, baby's milk intake will gradually decrease.

Physical growth is not the only reason that babies may have a temporary need for increased feeding. Babies often exhibit the same type of behavior (increased nursing with or without increased fussiness) when they are working on developmental advances such as rolling over, crawling, walking or talking. Mom's milk is for growing the brain as well as the body!


When do babies have growth spurts?
Common times for growth spurts are during the first few days at home and around 7-10 days, 2-3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 4 months, 6 months and 9 months (more or less). Babies don't read calendars, however, so your baby may do things differently.

Growth spurts don't stop after the first year - most moms notice growth spurts every few months during the toddler years and periodically thereafter on through the teenage years.


How long do growth spurts last?
Growth spurts usually last 2-3 days, but sometimes last a week or so.


What is the best way to handle a growth spurt?
Follow your child's lead. Baby will automatically get more milk by eating more frequently....


Some babies do benefit from adding a small bit of rice cereal (easiest to digest) to their formula - but a small bit may be one tsp to one bottle, not the thick consistency adults imagine. I know it is possible for babies to be able to digest table foods earlier than 4 months, but this increases the risk for problems such as food allergies, reflux, etc.... As a mom whose child has had severe reflux problems, I really recommend you check with your doctor before adding any table foods.


Hope this helps -

Answer 9

You have to be careful with table food - for example - mashed potatoes have cow's milk in them which is something she probably shouldn't have yet. I know a lot of people who have given their kids baby cereal at 6 weeks - mix it with the formula and make it very thin. I would hold off on veggies and fruit till she's a pro with the cereal.

Answer 10

At 6 weeks, her system really isn't ready for anything except breastmilk or formula. She doesn't know how to swallow. It could just be that she's going through a growth spurt, that made my kids eat like crazy. If it is still going on at 2 months, then I would start trying every other week or so with the formula/breastmilk mixed with cereal-never put it in a bottle-and a spoon. She needs to have the swallow reflex and tongue action to do this. If she doesn't get it at 2 months, wait 2 weeks and try again.