Not using rice cereal question...?

Question

I truly understand why some are against rice cereal. But what are some good starter foods then. I have a VERY nice blender so whatever I make can come from my own pantry. Do you recommend fresh veggies or are the frozen kind good as well (I don't eat canned veggies so don't worry about that).

And she's not starting soon, only 2 mo's, but I'm just curious what you feed your child in the beginning if not rice cereal.

Another question:

Can I cook up rice and make it very mushy?

not enough nutritional content.

Answer 1

Any fruit or vegetable is fine, however meat and meat substitutes are very important; as is healthy fat. Good choices include: egg yolks, avocado, banana, melon, papaya, sweet potato, squash, etc.

However I strongly recommend you NOT puree your baby's food. Letting a baby feed themselves lets their natural protection prevent them from starting foods too early, and allows them complete control of how much they eat. This can prevent allergies and obesity. Self-feeding may also prevent allergies in two other ways: an unpleasant feel in the mouth is often the first sign of an allergy babies will spit out these foods rather than swallow them which can allow the immune system to outgrow this overreaction rather than reinforce it. Two: Those who follow traditional advice on starting solids offer one food for three, five or even 7 days. Usually in large quantities. The immune system may then overreact because there is so much of the new food in the bloodstream it doesn't know what to do. Its funny how people who breed various animals do not introduce any new food in large quantities for this reason and yet human moms aren't ever told about it. Sure people aren't bunnies, but they aren't machines either.


http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/vast_voedsel/rapley_guidelines.html
http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/vast_voedsel/rapley_guidelines.html#choke
It appears that a baby's general development keeps pace with the development of his ability to manage food in his mouth, and to digest it. A baby who is struggling to get food into his mouth is probably not quite ready to eat it.

http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/vast_voedsel/rapley_guidelines.html#early
The babies who participated in the research were allowed to begin at four months. But they were not able to feed themselves before six months. Some of the younger babies picked food up and took it to their mouths; some even chewed it, but none swallowed it. Their own development decided for them when the time was right. Part of the reason for this study was to show (based on a theory of self-feeding) that babies are not ready for solid food before six months. It seems that we have spent all these years working out that six months is the right age and babies have known it all along!

It seems reasonable to predict that if parents choose to provide babies with the opportunity to pick up and eat solid food from birth they will still not be able to do it until around six months. The principle is the same as putting a newborn baby on the floor to play: he is being provided with the opportunity to walk but will not do so until about one year – because his own development stops him. But: everything depends on the baby being in control. Food must not be put into his mouth for him. Since it is very tempting to do this, it is probably safer to recommend that babies should not be given the opportunity to eat solid food before six months.

http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/vast_voedsel/rapley_guidelines.html#choke
Many parents worry about babies choking. However, there is good reason to believe that babies are at less risk of choking if they are in control of what goes into their mouth than if they are spoon fed. This is because babies are not capable of intentionally moving food to the back of their throats until after they have learnt to chew. And they do not develop the ability to chew until after they have developed the ability to reach out and grab things. Thus, a very young baby cannot easily put himself at risk because he cannot get the food into his mouth in the first place. On the other hand, the action used to suck food off a spoon tends to take the food straight to the back of the mouth, causing the baby to gag. This means that spoon feeding has its own potential to lead to choking – and makes one wonder about the safety of giving lumpy foods off a spoon.





Nourishing a Growing Baby
http://www.westonaprice.org/children/nourish-baby.html



Good First Foods:
http://www.llli.org/FAQ/firstfoods.html

Answer 2

Home made rice cereal made with brown rice would be great. You can also make your own oatmeal cereal. You definitely need to invest in a food processor. I have a small one and used it to make all my own home made baby food (though I didn't make my own cereal, I wish I had now). She ate just about every fruit and veggie out there!
Her first few were
Sweet potatoes
Blueberries
Avocado<----probably her favorite, then and now
Zucchini
Summer Squash
Peas
Green Beans
Bananas
Apples
Peaches

I never did the 'jar' thing, and she has turned out to be a great eater so far!

Rice Cereal

1/4 c. rice powder (brown rice ground in blender or food processor)
1 cup water

1. Bring liquid to boil in saucepan. Add the rice powder while stirring constantly.
3. Simmer for 10 minutes, whisking constantly, mix in formula or breast milk and fruits if desired
3. Serve warm.

Answer 3

I made all my own baby food the second time around and it was really easy. The basic rule of thumb for most foods is steam it and puree it. From what I read during my research frozen vegetables are fine to use and may even be superior. That's because they're frozen very close to the time they are harvested--often within hours--vs. food from the grocery store that has been packaged, transported, then sits on the shelf. Some nutrients can leach out during all that time.

Foods to start with that would be good would be squash, prunes, carrots, applesauce, peaches, pears, avocado, mango, green beans. Its just important to do each one exclusively for 4-5 days before introducing the next so you can isolate any food allergies. Bananas are good, but they cause constipation.

Answer 4

I think that people are not necessarily against rice but against the overprocessed rice cereal. That powdered stuff with chemically fortified vitamins probably is not that good for a baby. I have heard that avacado is actually really great for a first solid. It is full of the healthy fats, and vitamins that a baby needs. Also is bland and easy on the stomach. Tastes good too. Easy to mash. They also recommend this closer to 6 months. There are also recipes for cereals that you can make, that are not over processed.

Answer 5

Cereal helping a baby sleep longer is a myth. It doesn't work. The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend solids (including cereal) until 6 months. Breast milk is all your baby needs. Also, babies sleep through the night when they feel like it. Every baby is different and nothing you do is going to make them do it. My son didn't sleep through the night until 8 months. Also they have done studies finding giving babies cereal this early is linked to Type 1 diabetes as well as other problems.

Answer 6

What is wrong with babies rice cereal? Bbaies rice cereal is the best to start with to get your babies tummy used to digesting before starting on other solids. I dont think people are against rice cereal but i think some peole are against giving babies rice cereal before a certain age. Some people give their babies rice cereal early after suggestested by my doctor i did so with my 3 children they loved it were full longer sleep longer and all round seemed very happy. If their stomach can take and and they can swallow it ok and not spit it out it is fine for them to start on rice cereal.. Gradually work up to more tsps each day and after a while introduce solids pureed vegies/desserts. My children mainly had vegies/meat as to desserts. Start on vegies and introduce meat after a while on vegies.

Answer 7

I have heard rice cereal is the best to start because it is easiest on tummies. So I am not against it at all. They even have Organic. :)

I do believe that making your own food is healthier. Just make sure you use a separate blender for your baby, unless you only use foods your baby can eat too. Cross contamination can be devastating. :( Good luck!

Answer 8

Why is rice cereal not a good starter food?

Answer 9

Use rice cereal!!!!! It's easily digested by your baby's immature system and the commercial varieties provide the extra iron needed by babies over 6 months. I used an organic one for my daughter and it was great.
You should avoid wheat until 10 months, but can give her pasta and couscous after that.
I prepare my own baby food and use fresh fruit and vegetables. I cook up a batch and freeze it in icecube trays so I always have it on hand.

Answer 10

I would say avoid the powdered rice cereal and figure out how to make your own.