Seeking Advice About Gerber Veggie Puffs

Every baby is different. They need to be able to sit up and pick them up and put them in their mouth. Read the package label, it is pretty descriptive on the recomendations for when to start giving these finger foods. Veggie puffs are great and dissolve very quickly, espescially with all the drool!

I began giving them to my son when he was about 8 months old. That is one at a time, not just putting them on his high chair table. He is 26 months now and still snacks on them sometimes. We are a big fan of them because they are softer than Cheerios.

They dissolvle very quickly. I started after I had introduced all of the foods, but before Cheerios, and only when my son could pick them up himself.
J. C.

When should you feed your baby Gerber Veggie Puffs?

In my opinion, NEVER! They aren't healthy at all, though Gerber doesn't want you to realize this. They are over processed, which removes any trace of healthy benefits, so Gerber sprays artificial vitamins on them. Those vitamins aren't absorbed and used by the body as well as naturally occurring vitamins and minerals, and some studies show if eaten often enough they may actually be harmful.

Check the ingredient list for the sweet potato puffs:
Rice Flour, Oat Flour, Wheat Flour, Wheat Starch, Sugar, Sweet Potato Powder, Tri- and Dicalcium Phosphate, Natural Flavor, Annatto Color, Tocopherols Vitamin E, Zinc Sulfate, Electrolytic Iron

The first three ingredients are flour--refined grains that aren't exactly healthy. Then you have wheat starch, which is a carbohydrate too. The first four ingredients will turn to sugar as they are digested in your baby's body. The fifth ingredient is added sugar! So...more sugar...Then finally you reach the part that they call a vegetable, the sweet potato powder.

Next the on the list are phosphates, considered to be strongly linked to ADHD.

Following that is natural flavoring. What exactly is natural flavoring? Just because it says natural doesn't mean it's good. Natural flavorings are made by flavorists in labs. See this article if you want to know more:
http://www.supermarketguru.com/page.cfm/6046

After that they add fake coloring, which has its own set of issues, then the chemical vitamins so that they can claim these have something healthy in them on the nutrition label.

I don't understand why people fall for the marketing Gerber puts out. These are not healthy, they'll fill up your child's belly when they could be eating actual sweet potatoes. Why train them to have a taste for over processed junk foods right from the start? Just feed your child actual fruits or vegetables instead.

If you're looking for some foods to practice the pincer grasp, why not try something like peas, corn, green beans, pinto/black/northern beans, lentils, sweet potatoes cut up in cubes and tossed in olive oil then baked make a healthy finger food, or even organic rice puffs--though they aren't healthy like actual fruits and veggies, they don't contain bad additives and lots of sugars like the Gerber Puffs.

As soon as your child has started teething.Another good time if they are late bloomers with their teeth is if they are showing signs of the "pincer grab", thumb and index finger working together to pick something up.

girl i was giving these to my little one at like 5 or 6 months. she loved them... hope this helps...

as soon as they are eating solid food, you can start finger foods. just remember that it may take a few weeks for your baby to start picking the puffs up with her own hands. make sure you dont let her eat unsupervised until you are sure she can handle the puffs without choking.

Depends on your baby... I gave them to my kids around 7 months, I think. Once your child is eating solids and showing interest in eating your food, you can start giving him/her little pieces of bread, cheese, etc. I think the container says you can feed them to your baby when it's crawling, but you have some leeway there. If your child is holding his head up well and mashing small banana pieces in his mouth, he'll be fine. They dissolve, those puffs. Just don't invest in too many containers. At least for us, we were left with half open stale containers b/c they're pretty bland and our kids moved on quickly to Cheerios, crackers, other table foods.

istarted gving them to my daughter about 5 or 6 months...she had teeth and she was just learning to use the pincher grab...to pick things up with the thumb and index finger. she still loves them and she's almost 2. they are healthy and also dissolve easily so they won't choke on them.

You should wait until your child has several teeth and demonstrates the ability to swallow 'whole' foods easily. Then give him/her just one at a time; otherwise they tend to stuff their cheeks like chipmunks. For 'chewing' because of teething stay with those very hardy items like zwieback toast.

I started them at 4 months

A., I would say about the time they start picking up cherrio's and finger foods. Every child develops differently but at about 7 months your child might be ready.. give it and see... be near by in case the child chokes.. and make sure you have something for them to drink if need be.

Upon the advice of our pediatrician we started my son (Corbin) on the fruit puffs at 6 months. I tried the wagon wheels as well, but he didn't seem to do very well with them. Once they get wet, they fall apart really easy, but they are so big I was afraid of choking.

A good rule of thumb is when the child starts showing interest in taking things to their mouth. The puffs are a good option because they dissolve very easily and even if they would get wedged, they would be dissolved before any issues arose. Don't worry about teeth because the gums of babies are able to crunch Cheerios without problem.

I believe it's fine once she's sitting up well and eating. I gave mine the puffs when she was around 7 months, but only while she was sitting in her highchair. Try one, they melt pretty fast so I'm sure your baby will be fine with them. If you have any real concerns, check with your dr. first! Good luck!

I LOVED those! Both my babies loved them! I started giving them to my babies when they were in their 5th month. The sweet potato ones and banana ones were their favs. =0)

Any age is fine as long as you have started them on solids. They are GREAT because they melt in their mouths like ice cream, without the brain freeze, HA HA! I'd buy a variety of flavors to see which ones your child will like.

You will know when your baby is ready. Really, you are the mother and you will always know your baby best. If you think it is time, then go for it! =D

I started at month 8. He had teeth so we tried it. I was a huge success.

Good luck and God bless,

As long as your baby is sitting up with help they would be fine now to start. THe puffs literaly dissolve quickly as soon as they put them in their mouths so there is very little chewing or msshing involved. I have four boys and they all loved the puffs and started eating around six months to eight months. They all loved the sweet potato ones and also the Gerber Crunchies. My youngest love the tomato basil ones and they are really good for them.

I gave my daughter fruit puffs at around 5/6 months old, once she had eating her baby food down.

just go with your baby, if he's acting interested in food let him try it. and nust watch him to see how well he handles it, if he chokes a lot just a little longer, but her may surprise you and gobble it up with no problem.

My little boy is almost 8 months and even though he doesn't have teeth we have tried the puffs. Their are suggested guidelines on the back of the puffs to tell you when you can give them to your little one. Giving the puffs helps with the pincer grasp, which is needed to eat them and to start developing the skills needed to start feeding himself. At first my son didn't like them, but I don't give a lot, just a few every once in a while and he tries real hard to grab at them but they mostly get stuck to his fingers or his palm and even sometimes to his lips! Poor guy!! Anyway, take it slow, you'll know when it's ready. Just ALWAYS be present when he's eating them, even though they dissolve in your mouth, he may not know what to do with the puff initially and he may kinda "choke" on the puff, but don't panic, he just has to learn how to use his back gums to "chew" his food. Hope that helps!

A.

The back of the bottle will actually tell you what developmental feats the child should be able to accomplish in order to give them the puffs, but I actually gave my son, who was about 7.5 months, the puffs even though he didn't fit the criteria.

I gave it to him because he seemed eager to try finger foods, and he loved them (though I end up feeding them to him, rather than him feeding himself). At first, though, I would break the stars in quarters to make sure he was capable of chewing, and slowly over time, I broke them in halves, and now he is eating them whole, at 8mo, 2weeks.

Hope this helps!

Since the puffs literally dissolve in the baby's mouths, I started my kids on the puff when they could sit up. I would put them in their highchair and sit close to them while they munched. It isn't as much about getting a snack, but helping with fine motor movement and hand eye coordination.