What are the best foods to start with when weaning your baby?

Question

I have tried sweet potato, apple, banana, swede & cauliflower. She loves the sweet potato, apple, and ok with the banana, but she doesn't like the veggies so much! She is also not so keen on pure baby rice! Also, roughly how long after you start with solid food, should baby be eating 3 meals per day, I have been feeding solids at 2 meals per day for 2 weeks but I think she may need 3 meals per day, but I dont want ti give her too much too fast? She is 16 weeks old today?

My health visitor told me start with the foods that I have mentioned above!

Answer 1

altho the advice is wait til 6-9n months, some babies are ready earlier. mine were ready at 3 months so i atarted on baby rice and then mixed it banana.
shes too young for strong flavours like cauliflower tho.
stick to rice mixed with friuts for now, and leave it at 2 medium sized meals a day max for a while longer as at this age milk is main source of nutrition.
its exciting to try new things with new babies, but you have lots of time to be a good cook as well as a good mum, so slow down a little, dont rush!
its great she loves her new tastes, well done for trying and not offering sweet stuff too young.
when she is 6-9 months, try mixing veg with baby rice and sweet potato etc, using less sweet pot until gets used to tastes.
have fun and good luck!

Answer 2

I started to wean my 2 kids at 16 weeks. The best starting food I found was baby rice which comes in boxes, just mix with either formula or breast milk. You'll probably find that your baby will take very small amounts at first for a couple of weeks. She probably won't require 3 meals a day for a couple of months, as your feeding gets more established your baby will drop a feed or 2 during the day thus making her more interested in real food.
Hope this helps!!

Answer 3

Ok - first don't be so anxious to rush things. If she is only 4 months old - you are actually going a little fast according to most pediatricians. Most recommend starting on cereal - rice 1st then moving to oatmeal/mixed after that - between 4 & 7 months. Studies have shown that starting too early or too late could affect the child's health later in life. I started at 4 months and moved to applesauce first. Then onto the 1st baby foods (which are liquids mostly) - sweet potatoes, peas, etc. I also agree with the post that said to start with vegetables first then move to fruits. Fruits are naturally sweeter and they will want those more. Stay away from the desserts. She doesn't need them - plus several of the ones I found have OJ and the acid in the juice is too much for such a little stomach. The meats are gross. When you get to the point of wanting to introduce meats (around 9 months, I think is when we started) - try deli meats (more below).The thing is (and I think most Doc's will agree) - the child's primary source of nutrition and 'eating' should still come from milk - either breast or formula. My pediatrician told me that by 7 months, try to work in 2 'meals' of baby food (along with the milk). By 9 months, 3 'meals' and a 'snack' of ceral before bed. He also advised that on meats - depending on your baby - and if he has teeth and can handle them - avoid hot dogs at all costs (which I knew - they are the most deadly choking hazzards - along with grapes - for a baby). We used shaved deli ham, turkey, and chicken. Then tuna- but no more than 2 servings in 1 week- No nut products, eggs or 'real' milk until 12 months due to allergies. Then go to whole milk. On the veggies - don't stress about it. Your child will change her eating from 1 day to the next. Mine loved applesauce at 6 months - wouldn't touch it at 12 months. Loved green beans - hates 'em now. Hated whole milk loves it now at 15 months. Some doc's suggest you may have to introduce the same food over 30 times before your child decides if they like it or not. Remember - your child's nutrition comes from the formula or breast milk at this age. Everything else is an introductory process to get her ready to be a toddler. As long as she takes her milk, you are ok. I recommend finding a pediatrician that you can talk to. Write down every question you have. I did and it helped so much. I would have forgotten to ask when I thought he was ready for strawberry flavored stuff - we started around 10 months (strawberries are big allergies for some people). Good luck and don't stress. It will come and go and your little girl will basically tell you when she's ready. Check for her gag reflex. Does she swallow and ask for the spoon or does it seem like you are shoving it down her throat. If she is ready to be spoon fed, she will not gag. (It is hard for me to explain-but as she gets better at it-you'll understand what I mean). She will be more willing and ask (like a baby bird) for the spoon. Good luck! Been there; done that :)

Answer 4

Ok, babies should start solids at 6 months. Alot of people think it's okay to start rice cereal before that, but you're actually filling you're baby up with the wrong kind of nutrients if you start before then. It's most important before 6 months that they are getting their nutrition from breastmilk or formula and it could also be hurting your baby's tummy w/o you realizing it. Their digestive system isn't ready for those foods.
When you do start solids, the cereals should be first, rice, barley and oatmeal. I had trouble getting my first to like the cereal, but it has the best nutrition so I started him on a couple fruits early on so I could mix them with the cereal.
Here's a chart as to when you can start giving your child specific foods that I got from What to Expect the First Year:

6 months- Cereals, applesauce, bananas, pears, peaches, peas, carrots, green beans, sweet potato, squash

7-8 months- chicken, turkey, lamb, beef, avocado, egg yolk

9 months- yogurt(whole milk), cheese(such as swiss and cheddar), pasta, beans, tofu

Some doctor's allow these foods during the last few months of the first year, but others say hold off until after the first b-day especially if allergy runs in the family- wheat, citrus fruits and juice, tomatoes, strawberries

These foods should not be given to a baby until at least after their first b-day- nuts, chocolate, egg whites, honey, and cow's milk.

Also, make sure to wait at least 3 days before starting each new food so that in case your child is allergic to something, you will be able to recognize which new food caused the reaction.
Good luck and I hope this all helped!

Answer 5

I think you are doing fine. In a nutrition class I took I learned that it takes kids up to 10 tries before they can truly make a choice if they like a food (sometimes you have to acquire a taste or get use to a new flavor). It is suggested that you keep trying new foods even if a child refuses it several times. So keep trying those veggies and she might come around. Also give her the veggies first when she is hungry try saving the yummy stuff until after she has tried her least favorites.

~My kids always liked cereal mixed with a just a little fruit!

Good luck !

Answer 6

The advice to wait until 6 months is total rubbish. I don't know anyone that was able to delay weaning until then (an many tried beleive me!) and i started around the same age you have with my son.

The rule of thumb I followed was when my son started draining his bottles I would add another ounce to the next lot. When he started draining 8oz bottles I started offering some solids.



The range of food and the amounts seem great for this early age. Don't drop any bottles or breast feeds and the 2 soldi feeds a day will be more than enough!

Persevere with the veg, she will take to it soon enough. It wasn't until my son was about 6 months he was on to 3 meals a day and we started dropping out some bottles and increasing the amount of solids offered at each time.

Don't worry and ignore half the answers here!

Answer 7

Your baby should not be having any solids at all until at least 6 months. The only food they should have before then is cereal. And when you start on solids it should be all the veggies first, that way they don't have a choice because we all know that fruits taste better than veggies. Once she gets a taste of the fruits she will refuse the veggies. You need to consult a different doctor. Your baby is only 16 weeks old.

Answer 8

I would say its a little early to start baby on solids but as you already have I can't. I found mashed potato was a great favorite of my little one as was purreed pears.
If you baby doesn't like baby rice give normal rice blended smooth. I never used baby rice or any of that sort of food as it is bascially just our food without added salts.
Maybe her not being keen is her way of saying she's not ready and she just wants her milk intake upped. How much milk is she on per bottle?

Answer 9

in my opinion ur baby is too young for 3 meals a day,go slowly abt this weaninn thing,my baby is nine and she still ve 2 solids per day with some snacks in btw meals,milk is still very essential in their diet so dont fill her up with too much olids leaving no room for milk.also try blending ur steamed vegetables with some chicken,it is great,ur baby might go off solids after a while,dont panic they always start again when they are ready,good luck.

Answer 10

Rubbish!!!!!!!! 4 months is a good age to start if you wait till 8 months your babies iron reserves will drop dangerously low my 3 children were weaned at 4 months i recommend gina ford books on weaning not to follow word for word but they give good tips on weaning. my babies loved purred fruits 2 meals is fine for now my hv said to aim to get top 3 meals by 6 months try these apple and pear, carrot is good cos its sweet and butternut squash was a fav for mine another good book is annabel karmels feeding your baby & toddler