Just moved up to Baby Food...need any inputs you can offer

[denna]

DS is now 5-months old and we just started him on baby food on Sunday. We started him on Stage 1 Sweet Potatoes... now I do know that you are supposed to stick w/ one food for 4 days before moving on to another selection. But I am very confused on if I am doing this right.

Am I supposed to allow him to eat the entire jar of baby food if he wants it?-So far the most he has had is 1/2 a jar in one feeding.

How often am I supposed to give him baby food?- Now I have started at just once a day, we chose dinner time. But should I be giving it to him more than once a day?

Our doctor told us it would be fine to start him on fruits as well as veggies but I have heard conflicted things on this. Some ppl tell us not to start him on fruit just yet. What are the risks of starting on fruits to early? And also if Im not supposed to start him on fruits just yet when do I start the fruits?

Im sorry if all of these questions seem silly I am just so confused on this whole baby food thing.

Oh one more thing, is rice/oatmeal cereal supposed to be VERY watery and thin even when mixed w/ formula? I have tried rice ceral (spoon feeding) twice and DS seems to have no interest in it...

If you have made it through all of these questions thanks so much!

Denna

[juliasmom05]

I mostly just followed DD's lead with regards to how much to eat. My DD's a pretty good eater, and was probably eating a whole jar early on in the process. So, IMO, if he wants it, let him eat it.

I can't really answer your second question because I can't remember when we started 2 meals. I don't think there is a set time to add a second meal.

Fruits. "They" say you shouldn't give fruits first because then they won't eat veggies after eating something so sweet. Didn't follow that advice and started with pears and then sweet potatoes and then apples. So far no problems with veggies what so ever. So, if you want to go ahead with fruits, go ahead. I think we alternated a fruit with a veggie everytime we started a new food. DD's BF, so I think that's as sweet as any fruit.

We didn't do cereal in the beginning, but I guess in the beginning it should be a little watery and then over time you can make it thicker. But, if he doesn't have any interest in the cereal, don't push it. Try something else. No reason to have to have the cereal. A lot of people skip the cereal all together. If you are worried about the iron, sweet potatoes are iron-rich.

Just have fun :-)

Marci

Mom to Julia 4/05

[sidmand]

Hi Denna,

Not a lot of advice since DS was never a huge eater, but you might want to do the food earlier in the day like breakfast or lunch. Just because if your DS does have a reaction to something and then goes to bed (or vice versa) you might not notice right away. If you give to them earlier in the day you have more time to see if there is a reaction like a rash—IYKWIM?

And like the PP said, I would just kind of follow his lead. I don't think DS ever had a full jar, but I know some kids who would eat a couple of jars.

We skipped rice cereal (didn't need any more constipation issues!) and started with oatmeal cereal. I never really followed the directions on the box and kind of just put some formula in it until it looked like the consistency I wanted. So it was as watery or not as watery as I wanted. Of course I never made it quite the same way twice that way either.

I have heard not to start fruits before veggies, but then I've heard that that is just an old wives tale. Fruits are a good first food, so I think you can start them anytime you want. Some think kids will develop too much of a sweet tooth if they start fruits too soon and then won't want veggies or meats at all. I think we ended up doing most of the veggies first because I figured it wouldn't hurt.

Good luck and have fun with feeding!

Debbie
http://b2.lilypie.com/BI7Tm5.png

[denna]

Thanks Debbie for the input. As far as the reactions and time of feeding that completely makes since. We were feeding him at dinner time b/c he is w/ the sitter all day and we wanted to give him his first foods...but this way makes much more since and on the next food which will be carrots :) we will give it to the sitter to try.

Thanks again,

Denna

[jgriffin]

This is why we tended to only start one new food a week, and we did it on the weekend. I know how you feel...we wanted to see his reactions first. After E had tried a variety of foods (with no reactions), we relaxed about it and stared introducting new foods fairly often, sometimes at daycare. He loved it all (except for pureed chicken, was just disgusting!)

We didn't bother with all veggies first, then fruits. In fact, I think E mostly ate fruit for solid food for the first couple of months, and I think we stopped giving him rice cereal after we started purees. He eats many veggies just fine now, so obviously we didn't ruin his palatte. :)

[megs4413]

>
>Am I supposed to allow him to eat the entire jar of baby food
>if he wants it?-So far the most he has had is 1/2 a jar in one
>feeding.
>

I would let your DS lead, but make sure he doesn't drop any bottle feedings just yet...he still needs to get his nutrition from there...

>How often am I supposed to give him baby food?- Now I have
>started at just once a day, we chose dinner time. But should
>I be giving it to him more than once a day?

Once a day is fine for now, if you would like to add another "meal" in a month, go ahead...these first "meals" are for practice with solids
>
What are
>the risks of starting on fruits to early? And also if Im not
>supposed to start him on fruits just yet when do I start the
>fruits?

There are those who will tell you that if you start fruits first, that babies develop a taste for their sweetness and won't eat their veggies. It's a bunch of hooey IMO. DD started with veggies, and then moved to fruits...and guess what...it wasn't until she was 14 mos. old and realized that she could choose not to eat her veggies, that she preferred the fruits! Don't worry about it. Give him what you want. Squash, pears, and applesauce were favorites around here.
>

>Oh one more thing, is rice/oatmeal cereal supposed to be VERY
>watery and thin even when mixed w/ formula? I have tried rice
>ceral (spoon feeding) twice and DS seems to have no interest
>in it...
>
Rice cereal is almost flavorless, and therefore pretty uninteresting to the baby...some like it anyway, some want nothign to do with it. If your DS doesn't care for it, try oatmeal. you can also start mixing cereal with fruits or veggies when DS has tried and been nonreactive to both. That way the veggies/fruits get some iron and other nutrients into them and the cereal tastes better!


Don't worry...i think everyone has a million questions when they start out on solids...listen to your ped and your own gut and do what you feel is best for your DS. there are lots of strong opinions out there about solids, and you'll have to make up your own mind. Have fun! This is an exciting and fun time for you and your baby!

[westgre]

Even if you're not planning on making your own baby food, Ruth Yaron's "Super Baby Food" is a good read. It's got a chapter for each month with foods that are "okay" to be introduced and how much solids to feed according to age. If you're like me and need more instruction, this is a great start. However, there are a few problems with the book, like I think she recommends peanuts way too early. But all in all, very helpful.