my baby isnot eating lately , she is 5 months, she used to eat every 3 hours, not anymore. I want to give?

Question

her solinds, what should i make for her. im at home so I was thiking to puree something for her, but what???

Answer 1

First of all, it is absolutely normal (and right) that your baby isn't eating as frequently anymore. Since you say you want to give her solids I'm assuming you mean she isn't taking breastmilk/formula every three hours anymore -- but that's as it should be. That, in itself, does not mean that anything is wrong or that she's ready for solids. I'm not saying that she isn't ready for solids, don't misunderstand me: I don't know your baby so certainly I don't know whether she's ready for solids. I'm just saying that the fact that she's not wanting to nurse/drink as frequently as she used to is not, in itself, a reason to start solids, so don't feel you have to because of her changed eating pattern.
Also, as someone else said, your baby could be eating less or less frequently right now because of a cold or because of teething; a nipple can be very uncomfortable for a teething baby and they do tend to eat less at that time.

That said: the best foods to start with are cereals. Rice cereal is considered the "best" because it is the least likely allergen. However, it can be constipating, and so many parents move fairly quickly from rice cereal to oatmeal. If you're planning on making your own babyfood you can grind your own cereal, if that's what you choose to do. However, there are some good organic brands out there if you want to do that. (I recommend "Earth's Best." I use their cereal and I also keep some jars of Earth's Best on hand for emergencies.)

You should start with single grain cereals. When introducing your baby to *any* new food, be sure to introduce only one new food at a time, and to have your baby try some of that new food for between 3 and 5 consecutive days before you try anything else that's new. Allergic reactions aren't always apparent immediately, and giving the food for a period of a few days will give you time to gauge your child's reaction; if you introduce more than one new food at a time, or introduce them too quickly, and your baby has a reaction you won't be able to tell what caused the reaction.

After cereal is when you'll want to try fruits and/or veggies. There are plenty of old wives tales about what to introduce first, such as "go with the green veggies and do veggies before fruits, or your baby will only like sweet things and not eat veggies." But they are just old wives tales; if your child is going to have a penchant for sweets it's not going to be because s/he didn't have green beans at the right time. You can move through veggies before fruits, or vice versa, or alternate...whatever you want...as long as you stick with foods that your baby is ready for and don't introduce foods that should be avoided.

Some of the best, and most common, "first foods" (after cereals) for a baby are: banana, avocado, and sweet potato. The first two are fantastic if you plan on making your own food because they are the only two foods that do not have to be cooked before you give it to a baby (in fact, they shouldn't be): just mash them up really well (and, at first, you'll probably need to thin out the banana, and definitely need to thin out the avocado; also, the avocado could stand to be pureed in a blender, as avocados *can* be "stringy" and the strings would present a choking hazard for a small baby.)

If you're planning on starting solids, and especially if you plan on making your own, I highly recommend two things: the website at http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com and the book "Super Baby Foods," by Ruth Yaron. Both have a lot of good information on what your baby can eat when and, *very important*, charts on what foods you should avoid (honey, for example). Yaron's book also has information on buying, preparing, and storing foods for your baby (I'm sure wholesomebabyfood.com has the same info).

Best of luck, and enjoy your baby!

ETA Your baby may well be ready for solids, but, she may not be. Keep an eye on her as you introduce food to see how she reacts; she'll let you know if she's ready or not. "Signs" to consider include whether she can sit up unassisted & whether she still has a strong tongue thrust reflex...there are other signs and all that info is also at wholesomebabyfood.com Obviously, if you feel your baby is ready for solids, you're the parent, you do what you feel is right. But you should know, if you don't already, that the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) changed the recommendation regarding solids and suggests that solids be introduced at 6 months -- not "between 4 and 6 months" as previously recommended. Studies suggest that introducing solids early may increase the risk of food allergies and of diabetes; if you have a family history of either of those things, you may well want to wait.

Answer 2

Most likely, your baby's eating has slowed down for two reasons: 1) she just finished a growth spurt (around 4 months) and doesn't actually need as much food anymore (don't worry, she'll pick back up at her 6 month growth spurt) and/or 2) she's teething. I wouldn't worry about it, as long as she seems happy and healthy, wets plenty of diapers a day, and isn't losing any weight.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months. Even if you are formula-feeding, it is most beneficial to baby to hold off until 6 months for several reasons. For one, her digestive system is most likely not ready yet. Giving foods too early can cause a variety of gastrointestinal problems including (but not limited to) diarrhea, constipation, and increased spitting up. Starting solids too early can also trigger allergies.

Your baby will be more ready for solids around 8 or 9 months of age, when she can pick up food, put it into her mouth, and push it to the back of her mouth with her tongue.

Answer 3

Sounds like your baby could be teething, my baby lost interest in eating when she was getting her 1st two teeth at 5 months. Or your baby could have a cold. The first recommened foods are cereals...rice, oatmeal, etc. You can buy them in the baby food section at the grocery store. The next thing you give baby should be fruits and vegetables. Also some babies eat less when they aren't growing as fast, and they get better at eating more food in smaller amounts of time then they last longer between feedings.

Answer 4

Babies change how often they eat all the time.they eat less often if they are teething and eat loads when they are having growth spurts.If you baby is having wet and dirty nappies and not loosing weight then thy should be fine.if you want to give solids you can but start off will a bit of baby rice but don't watch the time between feeds it is a big mistake.listen to your child and feed them when they want feeding.If your child is loosing weight then see your heath visitor.
things to puree:apple,pear,potato,carrot,spinach,swede,parsnip,beetroot,plums,avocado,banana.anything really but introduce things one at a time to check for allergies and then you can mix a combination of anything.and remember that when a baby starts solids they can get constipated so i boiled and pureed dried fruit and mixed that in with the other foods and that helped loads but make sure they still get there milk until one year old.

Answer 5

If your baby is only five months old and you have never given her anything but 'breast milk' or 'formula' then you should start her on 'cereal' first ... get it in the 'baby supplies' aisle, and get 'rice cereal' first ... make it 'runny, like formula' at first, and then let it get 'a bit thicker' as she gets used to it. But if she is just 'not eating' then there could be something 'wrong' with her, and you should probably take her to see a 'doctor' and get a 'thorough check-up' before you start her on even rice cereal ... and while you're there, you can ask to see a 'baby nutritionist' to learn what 'new foods' to give her next as she grows older.

Answer 6

Babies change their eating habits as they grow. this is not necessarily an indication that solids are needed. In fact, babies do quite well on an all breast milk diet for the first year and do not miss out on any nutrients through exclusive breastfeeding.

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html
This link has great information about breastfeeding and the kellymom site has a wealth of information for the breastfeeding family.

Answer 7

Start with cereal then fruit and vegetables. Make sure she can digest food well first before introducing fruits and veggies. Cereal is mild and they make baby cereal with fruit.

You want to make sure she is taking enough fluid oz. of her bottle. All the vitamins she needs are in the bottle!

Answer 8

Baby cereal, fruit and veggies is what my daughter eats. The only food I've pureed for her is banana and she seems to like it. I hope this helps.

Answer 9

I would talk to your PED asap too. Do not start with fruit!!! If you start with something sweet your child will never eat veggies. Why not commercial baby food? Be sure to use organic so you aren't giving them pesticides. It is VERY important to only introduce one food at a time. I found some good reference sites below...

Answer 10

She is probably going through a growth spurt so she is going to eat more. Solids aren't recommended for another month or more. Just breastfeed her more or give her more formula.