Baby Food

Question: How do you know which baby food stage your baby is ready for?

(Posted by: on 2011-06-16 10:19:10)

I would like to know how a parent determines when their baby can start baby food and when to go onto the next stage of baby food. Also does this interfere with a mother exclusively breastfeeding her baby, meaning does the baby begin to nurse less from his/ her mother when they are eating baby food?

Posted by: Michelle on 2011-06-16, 11:01:59

In all reality there is no real need for "baby food - purees " You should go by what your child can handle and when they are showing the signs of readiness for solid foods. Here are a few "signs " that may indicate your baby is ready for Solid Foods: Loss of tongue-thrust reflex Ability to let you know she is full from a "meal " with signs such as turning away from the bottle/ breast Ability to sit up and hold head up unassisted Doubling of birth weight And reaching 6 months of age. Babies have an open gut system prior to 5-6 months of age and so solids can be hard on their system if their gut is still considered "open " My daughter hated purees and cereals so we went to Baby Led Solids/ Baby Led Weaning. Check it out, its a great method of starting and incorporating solids! wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/ babyledweaning.htm I breastfeed my daughter as well. So the important thing to know about breastfeeding and solids is that breastmilk is higher in calories and "good stuff " than a jar of baby food. So ALWAYS nurse first then offer solids as a complimentary to the nursing session. I would usually nurse and then an hour or so later offer solids. Once they turn a year old you can start to reverse and offer solids first and then nursing as long as the childs weight gain stays on target.

Posted by: asrai on 2011-06-16, 10:21:46

Stages of baby food are a marketing gimmick. Each stage is a little chunkier. Use your own judgement. Yes, once a baby starts on food breastfeeding is reduced. This is why you should wait until 6 months, but until a year breast milk should make up the bulk of an infant's intake.

Posted by: Pippin on 2011-06-16, 10:27:22

As the other poster said, 'stages' are just gimmicks. Stage one jars are smaller, and slightly thinner than stage 2. So when baby is eating enough to make the larger jars cost effective, you can move up. But no, baby will not reduce his milk intake when you start solids. Until baby is close to a year old, solids are mostly 'just for fun', and are supplements to the milk. So be sure to breastfeed first, and then offer some solid foods. And if you notice that baby is beginning to nurse less, cut back on the solid foods a bit.

Posted by: New moma! on 2011-06-16, 11:08:52

You just try it and see! I just let me son taste stuff. If it goes down and he seems to like it, he's ready. (I didn't buy much jarred stuff tho. I made my own. If he wasn't ready, I'd just re-puree it. lol) You just do it a little at a time. And yes, it interferes with breastfeeding AND bottle feeding. Meaning, they eat more and drink less. The goal is to get them to eat food and drink from a cup. Some mothers continue breastfeeding until whenever, but I don't think that's right. I think that's just setting the same habit as a pacifier or bottle. The goal is to eventually get them eating food and drinking from cups (even if it's breastmilk). And I was a breastfeeder too, so please no thumbs down because I didn't nurse until my kid was a year old!