[Faithful Mommy]

My Ds is almost 5 months old and I want to start learning what foods are/are not good to start him off with. I will be waiting until he is 6 months old and I doubt we'll go any longer than that! My poor baby watches everything we eat at the table and licks his little lips everytime some food passes his way

I'm going to buy a mesh feeder one of my friends had and start him off with that... any suggestions on what fruits/veggies I should give?

I would like to say in advance that I understand that some may suggest I wait until my Ds is older than 6 months before I begin to feed him solids. I appreciate every comment/concern and know that you all just have my baby's best interest at heart.... but please keep in mind that I am following my baby's cues and also want the best for him and I would never do anything to hurt him... thank you

 

[mamatoady]

I think there's some general rules like, no dairy or honey before a year and if you're family has allergies then to stay away from high allergy foods like corn, eggs, wheat etc.

Other than that, girl, give him what you want. I would steer away from sugar (processed and unnatural) because you want (I assume) to train his tastebuds for natural sugars in fruits and grains. Some people say to start with iron fortified infant cereals, and some say go right to meat. I personally wouldn't feed any kids under 2 yrs. meat--their little bodies don't need that mess.

I started my girly off with bananas, avocado (great starter food for fat and nutrients), and winter squash (she LOVED squash). I never gave her infant cereal. I did a bit with lentil and rice organic baby food, but skipped the whole "baby food" scenerio and gave her what we were eating as long as it was healthy.

Remember, breast milk or formula is to be their main nutrition source for the 1st year, even if your kid LOVES food, it is to supplement and learn about, NOT to sustitute for your milk!

have fun!
Sarah

 

[millionmom]

ditto on the previous poster. Banana can be constipating as a first food, so can the cereals. I use the organic brown rice cereal first for a bit. Other beginning loves were sweet potato, applesauce, pears, peaches& avocado. I liked the book Super Baby Foods. It gives a break down o what things are good to introduce each month.

 

[tarynsmum]

I started with avocado, pears, carrots, peas... then I can't remember what I did after that (all pureed, in a bowl) Then we got a mesh feeder and now I put anything and everything in it. DD really likes cold bananas and pears (well, she likes everythig cold

). I put a cold banana piece in there and take her for a walk with it. She loves it!

 

[Faithful Mommy]

Does anyone own the "Magic Bullet"? If so, do you love it, hate it? Would you say it's good to make baby food?

 

[sapphire_chan]

Not so much "which foods" as "how foods" but I know many people here follow the guidlines here.

 

[Lynnseedoil]

I really like this site: http://kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/index.html

There are lots of pages and info to browse through there.

I started off letting DD suck on an apple I was eating. She threw a fit for it and I thought, what the heck? (she's 6 months today and that was about 2 weeks ago) Since then, we've started letting her play with food at the table. She plays with mooshed up banana and avocado pieces. She thinks the idea of food is so great but once she gets it in her mouth, she doesn't like it! It's actually quite funny to watch her.

 

[pinkmilk]

little z has tried a few things...zuccinni, yam, strained peas

...and pears(which made him puke for 2 days

. Today he ate a rice puff!! Gagged on it...

Do some of your babies go staight to finger foods and if so do they gag??

I have a wierd feeling about those mesh feeders??? It just seems so very unnatural to me

: I know sometimes I can have some whacky whacked out views on things but does anyone else feel like this product is kinda not good?

 

[pinkmilk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan Not so much "which foods" as "how foods" but I know many people here follow the guidlines here.

Thankyou for posting this...this really helps me out!

 

[Lynnseedoil]

Ari loves her mesh feeder. I don't use it as a way of feeding her per se. It's just a toy. Plus, when she's in pain from her teeth, it's a great for putting an ice cube in (or anything frozen).

 

[alegna]

I wouldn't plan to spoon feed purees, especially for an eager baby. I would plan soft chunks that baby can self feed.

-Angela

 

[Jazzmin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by alegna I would plan soft chunks that baby can self feed. -Angela

What if they don't have teeth? My ds grabs for my food all the time and gets pretty excited when we eat. What if a gave him a small chunk of very ripe avocado?

 

[Mama Poot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jazzmin What if they don't have teeth? My ds grabs for my food all the time and gets pretty excited when we eat. What if a gave him a small chunk of very ripe avocado?

Avocado is perfect because it pretty much melts in your mouth and doesnt require chewing, really. Babies can mash up things like that and other soft foods like bananas, peaches, ripe pears, with their gums just fine.

 

[aweynsayl]

we're prob going with avocado... though our naturopath ped is pushing sweet potato.

i'm with ya though.... ds is 4 months and positively gagging to eat.

 

[sciencemama]

To the above poster: i would go easy on the sweet potato.... my little guy loved it but was up all night with gas afterwards... the only time I can really say he's been completely inconsolable.

My older child would eat about 2 spoonfuls of any pureed/mashed food and then lose interest. But once she could feed herself there was no stopping her!

 

[alegna]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jazzmin What if they don't have teeth? My ds grabs for my food all the time and gets pretty excited when we eat. What if a gave him a small chunk of very ripe avocado?

No teeth= no worries. It's a year or longer before they have any mashing teeth anyway. They are QUITE good at mashing with their gums

-Angela

 

[runes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pinkmilk I have a wierd feeling about those mesh feeders??? It just seems so very unnatural to me : I know sometimes I can have some whacky whacked out views on things but does anyone else feel like this product is kinda not good?

yes, i totally agree...however we have one and it is fantastic for giving dd 'momsicles' of frozen breastmilk, or ice cubes for when she is teething. i will not use it for food though.

back on topic...

we delayed and only really started giving dd solids more often about a month ago. still not every day and only fruits and veggies (no grains/dairy). dd still has a fairly active gag reflex so we watch her very closely, we don't offer purees, just appropriate and safe sized finger foods.

nak

 

[alegna]

Another mesh-feeder hater here. I think they're nasty

-Angela

 

[woodsygirl]

My pediatician said to hold off on grains for a while since so many people are discovering they have celiac disease. I thought for sure my baby would be ready for food, but then when the time came, he really just wanted to play with it and not eat it. He does like sipping from my cup though.... I give him a little banana once a week or so.

 

[mamatoady]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jazzmin What if they don't have teeth? My ds grabs for my food all the time and gets pretty excited when we eat. What if a gave him a small chunk of very ripe avocado?

I had a daycare child that was 13 months and had NO TEETH, but he could gum a sandwhich better than some kids with teeth.

sarah