my daughter turned 5 months old the day after christmas.. shes been eating rice cereal since she hit 4 months and she loves it.. we could tell she was dieing for some actual food.. if she saw you eating something she would open and close her mouth like she was chewing it lol so we knew she was ready.. anyway 2 weeks-ish ago my mom was shopping and noticed that they had tiny jars of baby food that said stage1 4-6months and they had apples and bananas so we bought one of each. Well my daughter loves them so we have been buying them ever since.. So today i went shopping and grabbed 2 jars. i glanced real quick to make sure they said stage 1 and they did, but thats all i looked at.. every single time ive gone to buy them all they had was apples and bananas so i assumed that was all they made for stage one. Well i was wrong, i got home today and the one jar is appples as i thought, but the other jar that i just assumed was bananas says chicken&chicken broth!? And yes it does say stage one! .. i was under the impression that stage one was only rice cereal and certain fruits, i had no idea babies could have meat this early.. im trying to decide wether to just leave it in the cabinet for a while or wether its ok and i should just let her try it since it does in fact say stage1 4-6months on the jar.. what do you guys think?
-my assumption of what stage1 foods consisted of was also based on the book i have- what to expect the first year.. it says from 4-6months all babies should have is rice cereal... then i read the back of the rice cereal box i bought and it said stage1 4-6months - simple grains and fruits.. so i was pretty confused lol
Forget the jars. Just feed the kid real food. When my daughter started reaching for my plate, I just mashed up and fed her what I ate, so I don't see why you couldn't feed her chicken.
sorry - I bought real food and mashed it up.
yes, there were some things I bought in a jar - while we were traveling or going over to a friends house.
I made oatmeal for my kids, let it cool, and fed it to them. I even put the rice in a blender with bananas or peaches....
Good luck!!
Stage 1 means
- Purée
- 1-2 ingredients only
There has always been fruits, veggies, squashes, grains, meats in Stage 1 baby foods. I'm guessing its just that your store didn't stock them.
Okay, I'm old, what could happen to the child from meat?
I get nuts have allergies, ice cream I can't remember, what the heck does meat do to you?
Just an FYI I had meats that young, so did my kids, we are all alive and kicking. Then again they also had ice cream, nuts, all those bad foods so take that for what it is worth.
God I hope when my kids start having kids they give me a list and the reasons..........
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Oh yeah and stage one means single food baby food. You will not find meat and carrots, or chicken with corn. The idea is you are supposed to be introducing the baby to one food at a time so if you get a reaction you know what food is the culprit. It was even like that back in the stone age, ya know, the 90s.
Back in the stone age, mom, when my kids were babies, doctors started babies on solids at 4 months. First, the rice cereal. Then fruits, then veggies, and then meats. We added another food within a few days (to make sure something didn't make them break out in a rash or something like that).
What matters is what your doctor says. If he or she tells you that meat is okay at 5 months, fine. If he or she says to wait until 6 months, fine too. The point about Stage 1 is that it's pureed enough for babies without teeth or babies who haven't eaten much.
Like I said, check with your ped if that makes you more comfortable.
Dawn
It's ok to start adding a protein to her diet, as long as you introduce new foods slowly (3 days between) to watch for allergies. Our first pedi recommended starting with veggies and leaving fruits for last because kids like sweets and it was easier to get them to like less sweets foods if the sweeter ones were held off. Our kids like their veggies, so it seems to have worked.
You didn't ask for this, but I'm going to give you advice that I truly wish someone had given me when I had my first child. I didn't figure this out until the last. That jarred food and cereal in a box? Blech. Expensive, bland, and processed to death. Just give her real food - it takes more time but you'll save money and she'll get used to what real food tastes like from the get-go. My oldest son, raised on baby food because back in the 90's we had dial up web access and no mom blogs so that's all I knew, is the WORST eater in the family and has a ton of pollen allergies. My youngest, raised on real food, eats everything and is allergic to nothing.
If you're interested in trying to work some real food into your menu, wholesomebabyfood.com is an awesome resource.
The "stage" listed on the jar refers to the smoothness of the puree... it's smooth enough that a baby that age COULD eat it... that does not mean you should ignore your own understanding of what your baby SHOULD eat.
Also, I'll just echo what pps have mentioned and say save the jars for when you need food out and about. At home, you and your baby will do better by pureeing real/fresh food. If all she's into is bananas and apple sauce its easy and cheep to make both. Use a fort to mash a 1 inch slice of ripe banana. She'll love it. For apples, buy a large jar of "no sugar added" apple sauce (ingredients should list apples and water and nothing else). Throw it in the blender to smooth it out even more for her and enjoy. Not only MUCH less expensive, but better for baby (and her future appetite).
HTH
T.
Please stop buying banana food in a jar. Buy a real banana and mash it up! Avocados are the same! My kids both had banana as their first food, and then avocado. No cooking involved!
Buy a real apple (or a dozen), peel it, dice it, and cook it till it turns to mush. Then put it in an ice cube tray, and there you have it, a bunch of apple baby food.
I don't think it matters, as long as you add one thing at a time to make sure there aren't any allergies. Food at this age is for practice, and for helping babies learn to like lots of flavors, so this will be a new flavor for her to try.
Being another stone age mom, now grandma, I agree with Dawn. In my day they started on food early. Cereal, fruit, vegetables, meat. It won't hurt your child to eat it. I hate to think of the things I was given as a baby ( and all other babies my age ). We lived. I think we are as healthy as this generation now will be. See if your baby likes it and if not wait a bit to buy more of the meat type. Go slowly with each food so you know if there is any allergy to anything. i had one child who broke out in awful hives from spinach. He's glad about that now. :-) Back to your question, your daughter will be fine eating more than cereal if you decide to give more. Be relaxed about it even if you are following a plan because like I said babies lived all different ways and are fine now.
EDIT:
Good to see there are several stone age moms on here, Jo W too. We all survived I guess.
Just watch for constipation with some of this new food you introduce.. Some young children do not have very strong digestive systems at this age.
That is why they suggest going slow with new foods. .
There's no actual right or wrong. Just do what you feel is right. I couldn't imagine only feeding my baby rice cereal for two months (especially because with my first child, the iron made him stop pooping, so I had to add some fiber!). Some people advise not starting food at all until 6 months, but my 4 month old is ready like yours was! Everyone has an opinion, but as far as I can tell, you should take ALL advice with a grain of salt. If you try it, and she doesn't like it, put it off a while. If she loves it, then it's probably time!
I introduced chicken around 5 months. I made my daughters food though. When ever I made chicken veggie soup I would purée her some too. I didnt know there was a age to introduce meats.
Baby food is only flavored goo. It really has very little nutritional value to it. That's straight from either Gerber or Del Monte. It is to be used to teach the child to chew and swallow and like different flavors. BUT it's not for nutrition.
Just remember that her entire nutritional needs are met by formula or breastmilk. They should always be offered first until she starts eating table foods that are actual nutrition.
Manufacturers will sell anything, so it is up to you to determine if it's right or safe. I was told not to give DD meat til 9 mo. She ate cereal, veggies and fruit before then. Talk to your pediatrician to determine what to feed her, and consider trading the rice for oatmeal, as rice doesn't do much but act as filler. You can also mash your own fruit. Have you tried the bananas in a jar? They're gross. I mashed up banana for DD with a little water and she liked that MUCH better.
Honestly, I never buy stage 1 baby food... stage 2 is the samething, just bigger jars & more to choose from - now watch there is now a stage 2 1/2 which does have very small chuncks in it for a little older kids & can't handle the stage 3 with bigger chunks. Which is the samething thing WIC told me (they give you coupons for stage 2 starting at 6 mo & also meat jars if babies are breastfeed only). Always start off with cereals then move to single fruit/veggies. After you have tested the single fruits/veggies then you can move to the mixed ones. Always leave a 2-5 day window between trying a new type to make sure there is no allergies to a food. So, if she liked apples & bananas and had no reactions - you could get her the apple & banana mix, but the also have apple, banana & pears... so maybe get her a pear & then you can get the other mix.
Some of my kids refused to eat full "strangth" baby food to begin with, so I mixed up cereal & then added a little "flavor" with the baby food. Slowly I added in more and more "flavor" and they did adjust well.
As to the meat - I did start feeding it to my breastfeed babies around 9 mo. old, but I was told it was ok at 6 mo. It is just a seem to be an odd baby food to me, but it does give them things that other foods don't.
Have fun with the new experiance together!
My pediatrician says that babies have the digestive capabilities to handle a pizza with all the toppings by six months. The only thing you have to worry about is lumps, chunks or pieces, make sure she can handle it (and you'll know), and then allergies. He said allergies are not typically a concern unless there are food allergies or sensitivities in the family. All three of mine started on baby food on the average to later side (6-7 months), and progressed through the baby food stages very quickly. By 9 months, they no longer wanted it, or needed it. I have a 10 month old who still has purees, but I mix them in with plain kefir for him to drink.
The stages have to do with texture. Stage 1 is pureed, stage 2 is a little more textured, stage three has chunks they have to chew. It's up to you to decide on content.
Baby food is a very nutritious! It's loaded with vitamins (fruit/veggies) and the meat has iron and zinc, you name it. They fortify certain kinds, too.
If I made it myself, I could not fortify it and add all those things they do at the baby food factory. So we love Gerber! Earth's Best, etc.
We do wait until 6 months for rice cereal or anything else, though. And we get organic. My preschoolers still eat baby food, and I do, too. It's a great way to get a healthy snack. It's tasty!
It's also very handy to get through morning sickness.
We only bought jarred food for travelling, and then we always got Earth's Best. Otherwise, we fed them real food mashed up. And yes, 4mo is too young for chicken. Stick with rice, oatmeal, and fruits right now.
