Sugars, Dairy, Artificial Color - Suggestions?

The Veggie Puffs and Fruit Puffs only have 1g of sugar per 80 pcs. The Carrot Wheels and Apple Wheels have 0g of sugar. These work great for my twin boys who are very active on their own.

Cheerios is great! If WIC allows it then it can't have that much sugar. Even fruits have natuarl sugars. Almost anything we eat has some kind of sugar in it. A little bit is fine but I wouldn't recommend candy bars and suckers! LOL

There are some great organic cereals and baby snacks available at your local health food store - no sugar or additives. I've used earth choice products for my son http://www.earthsbest.com/products/index_infant.php

I found the following link regarding milk and toddlers
http://www.healthunit.org/children/feeding/fyb_booklet/ea...

It is good that you are questioning what to give to your child. Cheese and yogurt are ok in small quantities, I would suggest staying away from cheese for a while, plus it can constipate her and that is never good. If you do feed her yogurt I would suggest an all natural yogurt that is plain, and if you want her to have fruit in it add fresh fruit, it is better for her. Probably some of the best places to find good snacks would be Whole Foods Market on woodruff road or EarthFare on Pelham. They should have a baby section with appropriate healthy snacks and foods for your little one.

Hi D.,

I have been wondering the same thing. I haven't found any alternatives to the fruit puffs yet... please let me know if you have had any suggestions. I think the protein in cow's milk is hard for babies to digest, but the structure is a little different in yogurt and cheese. I have been feeding Maya (almost 8 months old) yogurt and she loves it. I haven't noticed any belly upset or anything.
Good luck on your search. Maybe a whole foods grocery store for alternatives... I'll check one out and let you know.

By the way, I am originally from LaPorte, IN... I figured you must be close if your hubby is working in Elkhart!!

D.

D., I cannot tell you why they put stuff into foods although I think it is to make it taste decent to the pallet. However, I will pass along what my pediatrician told me:
Anything Gerber is fine because it is almost completely natural even the added sugars are natural cane sugar. Cherrios and even the new fruity cherrios is fine. A childs body is not born to digest whole milk first off, why they say 1 year is beyond me. But cheeseis milk and... whatever the flavor but not totally whole milk. Yogurt is great for them because it contains a natural yeast that breaks down bad yeasts that a baby is prone to develop in diapers. Also yogurt is good for women because of the same thing- it wards off bad yeast with its natural good yeast. My girls really like Nabisco Fig Newtons and in place of ice cream, I do sherbert with fruit juices. Don't get wrong, they still eat junk sometimes but I am careful about making sure they eat more wholesome snacks as well. I think they way some baby books and parents information are written it gives a mother the idea that only organic, no chemical foods are all a child should get. That is not true, a friend of mine done that with her 8 month old and now her little girl has alot of food aversions. She never got the artificial things so her body just rejects them now. I know it isn't much help but you should talk to your doctor or even WIC, they can point you to alot of things that would be great for you and your baby. There are alot of resources not only online but at libraries and like this from other mothers. I hope some of this helps you and gives you a more broad approach to feeding. Although if I were you, I would start the whole milk little bits at a time to get them used to it or you will have a hard transision. I did with my now almost 4 year old. I did the sips to get my now 2 year old used to it and had no problems with the milk tansition.
TheresaT

dear D.,
my daughter in that age realy enjoied the gerber fruit puffs, and me too course she could have 80 peace and just get 1g suger!!! I was realy happy whit the gerber wagenweels also they dont have a lot of sugar and help the development of your child ( Fine motoric for the fingers, how to feed themselfe!!!) my daughter also liked to eat green beans in that age or realy soft macaroni and cheese!

About the milk i think there just being weird about it my mom used to give us milk under a year and we all still live sometimes you just have to do what you think its right!!!

What my pediatrician tells me that to haae your baby drink whole milk at that young of an age is pretty harsh on their digestive system. That's why they recommend formula or breast milk for longer. Yogurt and cheese is kindof getting them ready for that much milk intake. It didn't make sense to me either until I asked the doctor. If you go to a place like Whole Foods or Earth Fare or Wild Oats they have organic baby snacks. I think is what you are looking for. Good Luck!

Hey there D.
I have started my 61/2 month old on snacks. I cut up bananas and avacadoes also I get pears and apples in cans that contain natural juices. I also cook baby carrots until they are very very very soft and cut them up for him. You can also do the same with peas, but just make sure to squish them before you give them to you child, as they might choke. I give Elijah some puffs too, they do not have artifical anything. I am completely with you on the added sugar and additivies, but I assure you what I do in the above makes my son happy. I have to watch him very closely but I enjoy seeing his milestones with chewing. I hope I helped you out. and if you have any more questions, ask me. :) C.

I'm assuming your pediatrician said dairy found cheese and yogurt were safe...? Mine held to absolutely no dairy until after the age of one, period. Remember that dairy products are one of the biggest carriers of artificial hormones. Also, feeding any cheese with nitrites or nitrates (smoked, generally) is generally unwise until the child is older.

Specifically speaking, my son was not able to handle yogurt until recently. It caused his bowel movements to be very loose and chemically burn his bottom (which horrified me while he was in diapers). Also, be cognizant of her reaction to the red dye if you choice to give it (juice, applesauce,et)....my son still throws up anything with red dye in it.

thx

I started my little girl out on regular cheerios. I never really paid attention to the sugar content- although I would think the plain ones are the best. I agree with the puffs. They add sugar and flavoring and colors to make them more appealing I guess. You might be able to find some more healthy sugar-free snacks at places like Wild Oats or Trader Joes.
As for the dairy thing. A lactation consultant told me once that yogurt (probably cheese) are easier for the stomach to digest. So it is supposed to be an easier way to introduce dairy.

Gerber makes these snacks that I really enjoyed giving to my daughter at that age. They come in fruit flavors and vegetable flavors. One of the things I really liked about them is they dissolved in the babie's mouth to help prevent choking. I really don't believe it has a lot of sugar in it. Also, you might try a health food store, they might have a good snack for your child.

The Gerber snacks are a lot better than graham crackers or gold fish snacks that I see a lot of kids eating. I read labels and steer clear of the red 40 and yellow 5 food dyes.
The reason for no cow's milk until age one is because the baby gets a lot of vitamins and important nutrients from breast milk and / or formula that is not in cow's milk (at least that is what I have read and what my peditrician told us). I have also read that it is important to continue with the iron fortified cereal until age 2.

Cheerios, gerber products, organic yogurt, organic cereals all are good for your baby to eat. Yes there are added sugars, but none that will affect your child in negative ways. If you are still worried, go to the organic section of your stores, those are always great places to find items that are good for you as well as your children without all the added chemicals and extra sugars.
Yogurt has live active cultures, thus making it easier to digest for young systems

the reason that Gerber adds the extra sugar is because sugar is derived from carbohydrates, and are used for "fast" energy. babies at this stage of the game babies need all of the easy fast energy they can get... also milk, cheese, and yogurt are all "safe" for a baby at any age, it is just whether or not they will have a tummy ache after consuming them. Cheese and yogurt have less lactose in them and are therfore easier to digest, whereas milk has a bunch of lactose and could cause some problems for the wee one, but if you were giving regular formula (not soy) then you baby is already digesting lactose and should be fine. i wouldnt substitute regular milk for everything but a small glass at lunch wont hurt anything.

Have you tried any of the Annie's organic snacks. Walmart is now carrying them- bunnie cheese snacks, chocolate chip cookies, etc., etc. Harris Teeter also has their own line of organic snacks- they are great too.

I stay away from the red and blue dyes, hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup. Manufactures put these unneccessary and extremely unhealthy things into our food to make it look more appealing. congrats on being a concerned parent.
Home economist in Davidson is a good resourse too- I buy their fruit leathers instead of the fruit snacks= great for school when certain fruit is out of season.
L. M

I shop at Whole Foods Market to make sure my family is eating healthy and not exposed to all the "garbage" in conventional foods........ :)

D.,
I'm not sure why baby food manufacturers would do that, but I'm with you there. My little 6 month old isn't ready for those things, but even jarred baby food surprises me sometimes... I make my own, and when I can't or as a backup, buy organic. I'm not sure I can recommend snacks personally, but have you looked into Earth's Best foods? They are all organic, and I know they make biter biscuits and other sorts of snacks like that. Also, if you have a Wild Oats grocery store there, or another health food store, you might find something there. You can order Earth's Best from their website (earthsbest.com) or Amazon.com. I think I read somewhere that regarding dairy, the amount in yogurt and cheese is smaller than the amount in milk, and the other things in them makes the dairy easier to digest as opposed to plain milk. I can't remember for sure, but I've wondered that, too. Good luck!
J.