Baby Food

Question: Starting baby food?

(Posted by: Patti on 2008-06-23 11:15:40)

My ped. is having us start baby food at 4 months and so right now my daughter is about a week away from 4 months and I wanted to know what I need to buy for her and how to go about it. And if anyone knows any links to those baby food bottles that feed them baby cereal plz include them. Thank You Guys SO much my ped just got out of school so how is her info outdated? and she shows most of the signs of being ready to eat, like the ones listed in what to expect for the 1st year

Posted by: jenn on 2008-06-23, 11:36:29

Karla k what a quack!!! i started both my kids at 4 months which my doctor suggested. and my children are healthy. i feel that mothers no whats best for there own children and if you choose to wait till six months that's your opinion. if you want to start baby food start with one and twos and cereal. if you get slack for this question i feel that you do what you want to do it's your child and you know whats best for your child. good luck and if you need more info you can always call your pediatrician and they will answer all your questions.

Posted by: Karla K on 2008-06-23, 11:26:16

You are about to receive a crap load of criticism for your innocent question. This is a huge topic of debate on this forum and there are basically two schools of thought. Read, and you can make your own decision. Here are the two different views; 1) You should not give your baby any food other than breastmilk or formula until 6 months - starting your baby on any food before 6 months can increase your baby's chances of developing food allergies later on. Also, before 6 months the baby's digestive tract is not mature enough to be able to absorb or handle food. Rice cereal should not be given in a bottle due to the possibility of choking (there are other reasons but I'm not sure what they are) 2) Start your baby on rice cereal as soon as possible. People who do this believe that their baby is hungry and not getting enough from breastmilk or formula, which is a myth. So, since you are asking for advice on this, i would suggest holding off on the food for another two months. Your pediatrician has provided you with outdated information. EDit - "How is her info outdated? " - Good question. If you read 98% of the answers below, and do some research, you will find that in the past couple of years, the recommendation is to wait until 6 months. So he info is pretty outdated for a pediatrician who just graduated, which is pretty scary. Jenn- Read the answers. Then tell me who the quack is.

Posted by: Proud Mommy on 2008-06-23, 11:28:05

Does your daughter seem like she's not getting enough to eat... You really should wait until she's 6 months to start on solids. When she's ready though, most pediatricians have you start with rice cereal. It's easy to digest. Start with 1 tsp. mixed with breastmilk or formula to a smooth, almost runny consistency. I started by doing this once a day for about a week then added additional "meals " of just cereal. Increase the amount gradually if she seems to want more. Once she gets the hang of eating (sometimes it takes a little work) add some fruit or vegetables. I would usually stir in a couple tsps. with the cereal. My son is 7 mos now and eats cereal (2 tbls.) and half a jar of stage 1 fruit for breakfast, 1 jar of veggies for lunch and 1 jar of veggies for dinner (he gets his regular bottle with those meals also). Whenever you introduce a new food give her only that for 2-3 days to be sure she doesn't have any kind of allergic reaction. You want to be sure to spoon feed her and never put cereal in a bottle. The idea is to teach her to eat. Cereal in a bottle can be a choking hazzard also. Good luck!

Posted by: Kimberly B on 2008-06-23, 11:28:25

Agreed with 1st answer. I didnt start Zac on baby food until he was 6 months old.

Posted by: rainwriterm on 2008-06-23, 11:29:15

Assuming your daughter is healthy she shouldn't be having any solids at 4 months. If you choose to follow your pediatrician's advice, anyhow, keep it bland and simple for as long as possible. Normally I suggest against rice cereal and baby food, but a baby so young can't handle much else than that for now. The only things you really need to buy are spoons, in addition to rice cereal. Consider not buying feeder bottles. Putting cereal in a bottle is deceptive for your baby. She has an internal instinct that regulates how much she eats depending on how much she drinks. Adding cereal to the bottles makes them more calorie dense, thicker, and your baby doesn't understand that. Keep food on a spoon. If she can't handle eating from a spoon, give her a couple of weeks and try again. Something else for you to consider is to wait to introduce solids until your baby is older. If she is thriving now, she doesn't need them. Breast milk and formula offer complete nutrition for at least the first 12 months. She should develop the ability to self feed between 6-9 months. Waiting to start solids until then means that you don't have to go through the fuss of baby food, cereals, spoons, and all of that hassle. You could go straight to finger foods. Babies only need cereal and baby food when they are being started on solids earlier than their bodies should be. No, you won't kill your baby either way, but consider it.

Posted by: Pippin on 2008-06-23, 11:30:40

Please do not buy special bottles for feeding baby food. If baby is truly ready for solids, she can eat from a bowl, with a spoon. 4 months is quite early for solids, but if you feel baby is really ready, (able to sit up well, interested in solids, still hungry after 45-50 ounces of formula or 10-12 breastfeeds a day) all you need to buy is a small spoon. (You can get them in the baby department of any store.) You can buy special bowls too, or just use a small custard cup. (I found those little chinese sauce dishes handy at first -- they hold about a tablespoon, which is just right for a new eater.) When you're ready to start, you can start with cereal (rice, oatmeal or barley) or any stage one jarred food [There is no medical reason to start with rice cereal, though you may find it convenient.] YOu can start with any feeding, but it's best to NOT start at bedtime -- if she has a bad reaction you don't want her (and you) up all night. Give her her usual bottle or breastfeeding, then sit her in a high chair. (If she can't sit up well, she isnt' ready to start solids.) Mix a bit of cereal (a teaspoon is plenty to start) with some formula or breastmilk, or open a jar. If you use cereal it should be fairly thick -- if it has to be 'soupy', again, she isn't ready. Offer her the food on the spoon. If she opens her mouth, eats it, and enjoys it, (and doesn't have a bad reaction) you're all set. Offer a bit more tomorrow. Continue to increase as she seems to want/ need. She may be happy with a teaspoon for many weeks, or she may increase to an ounce of two fairly quickly. After a few weeks you can add a second feeding if you wish and baby seems hungry enough. As long as she's still getting her usual amount of breastmilk/ formula, she can have as much solid food as she wants. If baby spits it out, or doesn't like it, try again tomorrow. If she still can't eat it, put the babyfood away and try again in a week or two. (There is NO rush. The idea that babies need to start with really watery food, and that it takes a lot of 'practice' dates back to when babies were started on solids before they were ready. If your baby really IS ready at 4 months, then she will know how to eat, and will be able to eat fairly thick purees. If she spits the food out, or it has to be really thin, then she ISN'T ready, and there is no reason to push it on her. By the time she really needs solid foods, she WILL be able to eat them.) Remember that until she's around a year old, any solids are mostly for fun, and are supplements to her milk. If she is happy with her milk she doesn't need solids yet, and if she starts cutting BACK on her milk, she's taking too many solids.

Posted by: ashendari on 2008-06-23, 11:33:38

4 months? Get a new pediatrician. That's really early! When you do start on baby food: I bought some of the big boxes of dried gerber rice cereal and oatmeal - they are usually on the top shelf of the baby food section. just mix them with water and they're good to go. Try different temperatures - some babies like it cold because it feels good on the gums (as disgusting as that sounds) After that, go through the veggie section one veggie at a time, a week or two apart each, but focus mostly on the cereal. Sometimes I would mix the baby food with cereal if there's only a little left of the baby food from a previous feeding. Separating the veggies so much will help warn against allergies and babies are more apt to be allergic to fruit, so put fruit last. Also - fruit is sweet so you'll probably have no problem feeding them fruit. If you are a do-er, buy one of those neat baby food makers/ blenders: Here's one: seriouseats.com/ required_eating/ 2008/ 04/ baby-food-blender-beaba-babycook.html You would save TONS of money just buying carrots and putting them in this rather than buying bottled baby food. It's not that much harder either. You can do that math. Plus it's healthier. I didn't do it for my first, but a neighbor did it for hers and I'm planning on doing it for my second. It makes introducing adult food easier - later on, you can just put what you have on the dinner table in the blender and everyone eats the same stuff.

Posted by: saint on 2008-06-23, 11:36:25

If u have time buy " what to expect the1st year " book it will really help u if u dont have time to read ,tell ur hubby to read for u & baby, but i advice u to go with rice cereal for abt a month & then switch to any other cereal coz rice is the the easiest one coz i have a bay of six months old & i started from 3months so i will suggest u to go with rice cereal ,which is the litest &easy to digest,after rice go to apple sauce ,banana,pear & then vegetables sauces.

Posted by: What A Look on 2008-06-23, 11:54:02

My son never liked baby cearel. We tried every type and we also tried flavored cereal. My peditrican advised me against the bottles that you put cereal or baby food because it can lead to nipple confusion. The point of introducing soilds isn't just to broaden your babies palate but also to introduce feeding utensils.

Posted by: lewaier on 2008-06-23, 11:58:07

Age: 4 to 6 months Signs of readiness for solid food Your baby probably won't do all these things — they're just clues to watch for. • Can hold head up • Sits well in highchair • Makes chewing motions • Shows significant weight gain (birth weight has doubled) • Shows interest in food • Can close mouth around a spoon • Can move food from front to back of mouth • Can move tongue back and forth, but is losing tendency to push food out with tongue • Seems hungry after 8 to 10 feedings of breast milk or 40 oz. of formula in a day • Is teething What to feed • Breast milk or formula, PLUS • Semi-liquid iron-fortified rice cereal, THEN • Other grain cereals like oats or barley How much per day • Begin with about 1 teaspoon dry rice cereal mixed with 4 to 5 teaspoons breast milk or formula (it'll be very runny). • Gradually thicken consistency and increase to 1 tablespoon dry cereal mixed with breast milk or formula, twice a day. Feeding tips • If your baby won't eat the cereal on the first try, offer it again in a few days.

Posted by: babyeyes091002 on 2008-06-23, 23:23:29

Hey my son was eating baby food at 4 months old so dont listen to anyone tells you they cant however i wasnt told to start it my ped was aginst it but my son was wanting a bottle every hour to hour and a half the milk and cereal wasnt doing anything for him and no my son isnt fat however the baby food did work and lasted longer i but also he showed signs of being ready to eat it your the mother do what you think is right you will know if she isnt ready to eat it because she wont as far as what to buy and how to go about it i am not sure what you mean buy step 1 baby food in the baby isle at the store and also any bottle you can put the baby cereal in