Feed my 6 month old strawberries

Tammy - posted on 02/29/2012

I would say if you are concerned with sugar in your baby's foods then make your own baby food. It really isn't that hard & you can save lots of money-the easiest way to to save it is in ice cube trays in the freezer, then you can mix & match & add to baby's cereal for some extra flavor. Bananas are the easiest no prep just peel the fruit & mash, other things take some time but so does your meal. As your baby gets older you can introduce small chunks that are soft for your baby to pick up & self feed-like sweet potatoes or chunky applesauce. My oldest son had some issues with foods with apples & oranges between the ages of 9 &15 months, including juices. No one in the family has any allergies to these & after that we slowly introduced them & he was fine & still is. He also had problems with the fluoride drops WIC gave me because we have well water but he doesn't have any problems with it in his toothpaste now (he is now 10yr). And yes I have heard that it is advised to steer clear of foods immediate family members are allergic to until at least 12 months, also remember it can take up to four days for a reaction. Keep a log of what your baby is eating & any reactions bodily or facial, it can be neat to see how they can change sometimes. Good luck!

Aleks - posted on 02/29/2012

Just to point out a little thing regarding strawberries.



Their frequently allergic properties tend to be killed off (though not completely, so highly sensitive people to these substances can still have a reaction) during the cooking process.

ALL jarred foods (especially baby food) is cooked. IE. Pastuerised, hence reactions will be lessened. For example: my 1st born son broke out in skin rash around his mouth whenever he did have strawberries, but only if they were raw. Had no reaction to cooked strawberries.



As for the sugar, its doubtful that a reaction to sugar would keep baby up and hyper for so long - short burst of an hour or so.. yeah, I could believe that, but not for the length of time described.



May be, as some others already suggested, the child is sensitive to some of the natural colourants or flavours found in strawberries that may have cause the reaction. I would be studying the childs behaviour after having strawberries again (this time natural rather than from a jar!) and potentially any other "red" fruits.

Krista - posted on 02/27/2012

I'm thinking that the "sugars" that you speak of were the natural sugars in the fruit. I just looked on Heinz's website, and it says that there are no added sugars in their food.



To know for sure, read the ingredient list and compare it to the nutritional information.



If the nutritional information lists sugar, but there is no sugar showing on the ingredient list, then the only sugar present is that which is naturally found in the berries themselves.



It COULD be that the natural sugar was enough to make him hyper, but it could very well be a coincidence. I certainly wouldn't swear off fruit based on one incident.

Amanda - posted on 02/27/2012

Truth be told, sugar causing hyperness in children is only a myth. It was probably the fact that he is trying something new that he really liked and gave him lots of healthy energy (from the strawberries) that got him going. However, I wouldn't want to give my child added sugars either. It seems harmful to put added sugar in baby food for obesity problems plus children become wired to want sweets instead of more savory items like vegetables. I have heard the guidelines are 9 months too but they are always changing, who can keep up with it. You may want to start him on veggies before introducing a ton of fruit.

Jamie - posted on 02/27/2012

My oldest is 11 1/2. When she was a baby, they had all the STRICT guidelines about not starting solids until 6 months, no "allergy" foods (nuts, eggs, strawberries, etc) until at least 1 year, introduce rice cereal first, then veggies - one at a time (waiting 3 days in between to watch for allergies) and then fruits later and so on. I followed the same advice with daughter #2 (who is now 9) and son who is 4 1/2. Now that daughter #4 is 5 months, I'm about ready to start solids. I had planned on following the same guidelines with her, but after reading all these comments, I'm not so sure! LOL!! The first 3 have turned out fine, so I'm probably going to stay pretty close to the same, but maybe not QUITE so strict. My personal take on the sugar thing is to wait until 1 year. How fun is it to see them get their first taste of sugar on camera as they're tearing into their birthday cake?!? :-)

Genevieve - posted on 02/26/2012

Hey I don't know if this makes any sense but maybe it's something to ask a doctor about. I know several kids that can't have strawberries or anything with red food dyes in it. Even medicines. And I guess not only do they get hives and stuff from it but they first noticed that they kids would get very very hyper when they were little when they had them. Goes along with all the Red dye number 5 stuff. Anyway I dont know why but a lighbulb went off in my head when I was reading this post/thread. Maybe avoid the strawberries for another 3 months and see if it happens again. My sister in law always tried new high allergy response foods in a doctors office. LOL

It might sound weird but I think shes super smart. She would pack up some new food like scrambled eggs, peanut butter, dairy, strawberries.... and while she was out running errands she would pop into the DR office to sit and read a book to her kids and try the food out for the first few times. Only took 15 minutes out of ther day and she always did it while she was out and about anyway. That way if there was a problem she was already at the Dr office! She didnt book an appointment. Just went and sat in the waiting room.

Jennifer - posted on 02/26/2012

@Jennifer Catrina

Who is crazy here? Perhaps reading YOUR post will make it a little clearer! Fudge? Seriously??

@ Sarah Colville - Applause.



Jennifer

Jennifer - posted on 02/26/2012

FRESH is BEST.

Sarah - posted on 02/26/2012

Jennifer, how is it raising picky eaters to feed children home-made, unprocessed, fresh food that is recognisable as food, rather than junk food that is lacking in taste and nutrition?

Laura Zoey - posted on 02/26/2012

No but it is common sense to not give babies sugary junk food like ice cream, chocolate, etc.

Tracy - posted on 02/26/2012

Not of you are bad Moms. Caring for children isn't an easy job. And there isn't an instruction booklet.

Tracy - posted on 02/26/2012

Be careful with the prunes. You might get more than you bargained for.

Laura Zoey - posted on 02/26/2012

Yeah strawberries are a common allergen so you should be avoiding them at so young. Was this her first taste of food? 6 months is the age to start foods, not to start crap.

Don't give sugar til a year t least!

Don't brag about being bad moms. Seriously.

Tracy - posted on 02/26/2012

I learned with my second child that when he was ready for more solids, to just buy the fruits and vegetables and fix them as natural as possible. I would cook the vegetables and puree them in a blender (fresh-don't freeze) and bought the applesauce natural. I bought pears and such in their own natural juices and pureed them. I wouldn't try strawberries that early but wait until your child is at least a year old. Meat and such I boiled and again pureed. I quit buying baby food with my first child at a year as I was wasting it and it was nasty. Just buy green beans from the can (with no salt) and all vegetables in the can with no salt or sugars added (if there are any without option- then go to the produce and cook it and puree it. I basically made table food for my children when they hit a year and pureed it for them. It sure cut down on the food bill.

Mary - posted on 02/25/2012

Wow. I can't believe they are still making baby food with sugar in it. Sugar deadens the taste buds. the earlier and more sugar they have the less likely they are to want things that aren't sweet. Sugar is not good for any of us especially not babies.

Jennifer - posted on 02/25/2012

All of you are crazy, every child and family is different. My son had chocolate, ice cream, shrimp and salmon before he was one and ive never.had any problems. He only.sput certain stuff out because of texture not flavor. He still eats anything we do. You are all raising picky eaters. After eating fudge my son took an hour nap.

Markita - posted on 02/25/2012

I would stick with fresh fruit from now on. They have plenty of natural sugar in them.

Jenni - posted on 02/25/2012

Heinz (or alike) is aimed at parents making them believe that their product is safe and the best - yet they are realy hoping to cash in! It might not have been from the added sugar yet could have been combined sugar and fruit. I'm sure there is more than a punnet of strawberries in one container so it could have been an overload. Problem with brought products you don't have portion control and at a young age with sensitive tummys you should be abit more cautious. I don't think I ever bought a baby food product other than rusks (which my kid hated and a friend told me her child choked on it).

We only used fresh fruit and vegies, make our own and take it where ever we go. Maybe your child wasn't ready for this type of sugar at this age, you could always try again later.

My thoughts was bring my child up on fresh fruit and veg, every now and then I would look at baby food and check out not only sugar the sodium! It's the same with heart ticks on products it doesn't mean it's the lowest on the shelf.

There is fantastic simple easy recipes (kidspot.com) out there to help you, we make our own ice cream, gelato (no sugar), muesli bars and we don't have any an ice cream maker either lol we also use the range lock & lock containers - they are fantastic because they don't leak!

We brought a dehydrator because our child loves dried fruit and we were concern about the sugar content, you can also do fruit roll ups in them.

Samantha - posted on 02/25/2012

Sugar is not the cause of hyperactivity. It's additives. My son has ADHD & after extensive research & seminars we have discovered that things like; preservatives, colourings & flavorings all affect behaviour. Unfortunately this stuff is in everything & we have had to go back to cooking from scratch, we hardly buy any prepackaged food anymore.

Alexandra - posted on 02/25/2012

i would only give fresh fruits to the baby and certainly not these fruits at an young age. maybe try apples and pears.

Sophie - posted on 02/25/2012

If you want to follow allergen guidelines always check the ingredients! Even though they've said it's from 6 months, that usually refers more to texture than anything else. If you have ANY food allergies in your immediate family (Your parents, your partners parents, brothers, sisters etc) you should avoid ALL allergens until they're about a year old. There's Coeliac disease and Lactose Intolerance in my family so I was told by my health visitor to follow this. (I'm from the UK though, we think a little differently!) By all means if you don't think it's a problem give them whatever as long as they won't choke on it, it's your baby after all!

Desarie - posted on 02/25/2012

I gave my daughter strawberries when she was 9 mos old and had an allergic reaction to them. She eats sugary stuff all the time and has never been hyper all day or even at all. I dont know....I think perhaps some kids are more sensitive to sugars than others. I dont know how you can avoid food with sugars in it. Perhaps try giving him something else with sugar in it and see if he has the same reaction? Interesting...

Fiona - posted on 02/25/2012

Check the label for artificial colours.... I find that they make a huge difference to my boys with 24 hour effects! Sugar has little if no reaction for them, and at worst a short energy burst.

Artificial colouring is the worst thing in food for mine... no allergies or other intolerances thank goodness so I have my magnifying glass out when shopping to check. Always be wary that the US use their own numbers, the rest of the world conforms to the 'E' standards, so be aware when buying US origin foods that just because it doesn't have 'E' numbers in them doesn't mean that they aren't 'bad' colours!

Pamela - posted on 02/24/2012

Why are you not giving your child fresh fruit? Most super markets carry fresh fruit year round now as they come from other countries.



Do steer clear of products containing cane sugar, not only for your child but for your whole family. ALWAYS read the labels BEFORE you buy!!! Baby food products from health food stores or those made by you (with a baby food grinder) are so much better than what you can purchase at a regular grocery store.



I used my baby food grinder to give my infants and toddlers the same foods as the rest of the family. Cheaper and better for them as the foods were prepared at my home and not some factory where they sat on a shelf and then sat again on a grocery shelf. Fresh homemade foods are so much better!!! Try it, your baby will like it!

Sharon - posted on 02/24/2012

I'm a granny now and I raised five healthy happy kids and lots of others too. They ate everything that was going except that I tried to ensure no sweets and chocs before they turned one! However, if you watch children play , they put so much unsanitary stuff in their mouth ton check it out, and they play on the floor or outside that I think the type of food we worry about is a joke! My children bring my grandchildren to be babysat , with all the orders and rules and we do adhere to them but we laugh our heads off when they go. I wish it was ......what happens at grannies house, stays at grannies house. Please just enjoy your babies, play, play , play and they will sleep, sleep, sleep!

Heather - posted on 02/24/2012

You shouldn't be giving your 6 month old Strawberries until they are at least 12 months old or older, as they can cause bad allergic reactions.

Jan - posted on 02/24/2012

What's wrong with going to bed at 1030? Really no sugar yet, my daughter was a chocohaolic by then! Small amounts of sugar are good for babies- Just have to moderate how much sugar is consumed at a time!

Janice - posted on 02/24/2012

They make baby food with sugar added????

I live in the US and the main brand is Gerber which only includes the fruit or vegetable stated and water - that's it. I think that is very strange IMO.



Anyways I would be worried that he has a mild allergy to strawberries. New research suggests 2 things :

1. Sugar actually does not make children hyper. Its often the situation that hypes them up.

2. Some food allergies have behavioral affects rather than physical affects.

Samantha - posted on 02/24/2012

Personally, I'm going to try BLW with mine, just put some big pieces of soft food like sweet potatoes, avocado, etc and let baby explore with their mouth, like babies do, but not on some yucky plastic, on stuff they can taste and experience! Fresh or frozen strawberries seem like a good candidate for a mesh feeder, as a treat!

A lot of the research on allergens and correlation between how early you introduce food is not consistent....some studies say introducing earlier could help avoid allergens, etc....whatever works for you and your family is best. Personally, my husband's family and my family have NO food allergies or intolerances as far as I know, even though my husband is Asian he doesn't have even mild lactose intolerance...so we're just going to go with our gut and of course introduce one kind of food at the time.

Introducing one food at the time is important, so no more mixed stuff! You think it was the sugar that made baby hyper, but there is a small chance it was the strawberries too....even in the womb my baby freaks out when I drink orange juice!

Susan - posted on 02/24/2012

Stacy, the AAP changed it's recommendations on allergy related foods in 2008. See my comment above for a link to an article that explains it. If there is not family history of food allergies, and the child has shown no symptoms, then there is no reason to withhold those foods. In fact, studies show an increased risk of food allergies in children from whom these foods are withheld during infancy.

Stacey - posted on 02/24/2012

Side note...you are supposed to wait to feed some foods to your baby until after a year...Strawberries, Peanut butter, egg whites, shellfish, etc. Maybe try something besides strawberries...

Lisa - posted on 02/23/2012

Ya the same thing is on the blueberries, plus brown sugar...so i'm heading out tonight to get some blueberries an strawberries an make my own for him...

Jodi - posted on 02/23/2012

So did the jar actually SAY it had added sugar in it? because strawberries have sugar in them naturally. So if the jar just listed the quantity of sugars on the label, it MAY have been referring to the natural sugars.

Susan - posted on 02/23/2012

While it HAS been true in the past that parents were told to withhold certain foods from infants to prevent possible allergies, the AAP changed its guidelines on this subject because studies showed that no only did withholding foods NOT reduce the risk of food allergies, but it actually increased the probability of them. I would check with your pediatrician before you make a decision to withhold strawberries altogether if you have no family history of food allergies. When my now four year old was six months old, I was shocked when the pediatrician told me she could have berries, eggs and yogurt. I wasn't allowed to give my older sons those foods at that age. But that is the thing with medical advice. It is always changing. Here is the link to an article that give more info:



http://foodallergies.about.com/od/infant...



On the subject of sugar, I haven't noticed a difference in my kids when they have it, but if you see a difference, then just look to keep it out of his diet as much as possible. You can always just mash strawberries and give them to your son those instead.

Kim - posted on 02/23/2012

Yeah you have to be careful with some of the baby food fruit. I notice a lot of it had added sugar for whatever strange reason. You could always buy fresh and blend them, add a little water if you want them a bit thinner. Super easy and if you make a bunch you can just freeze it in ice cube trays an take it out as needed. I bought my sons baby food an made my daugthers and it honestly took no time at all and it made me feel better knowing exactly what was in it. :) Also, about the allergy thing. When my son was little I was told to stay away from strawberries, eggs, peanut butter etc but with my daughter (3.5years later) they said it was fine and they no longer recommend staying away from foods unless there is a family history of an allergy.

Lisa - posted on 02/23/2012

it's nuts eh, keeping up on things, there's so much that changes

Elfrieda - posted on 02/23/2012

Haha, my son is only 2 and I'm already waaaay behind the times!

Lisa - posted on 02/23/2012

ah so that's why it's says 6 months on the jars...

Morgan - posted on 02/23/2012

I don't know about where the other ladies live but in canada they changed the food guide strawberrys are ok to introduce at 6 months now along with whole eggs and even peanut butter :)





As long as there's no allergies in your family

Lisa - posted on 02/23/2012

It's so cute cause he opens his mouth soooo wide that he looks like a baby bird waiting to be fed lol

Elfrieda - posted on 02/23/2012

It's so fun feeding a baby who's eager! Good times, but so messy. :) Enjoy!

Lisa - posted on 02/23/2012

Thanks girls...there's no allergies to any fruit in the family, but an allergy has to start somewhere right...it's crazy, you'd think that they would take the strawberries an put it to 9 months instead of marking it for 6 months on the baby food jars...I took all the baby food from my cupboards OUT that has sugar in it anyways, just to be safe, it was his first time ever having sugar or strawberries, so it's hard to tell, gave him prunes this morning an he LOVES it LOL

~♥Little Miss - posted on 02/23/2012

Um.....strawberries are considered common allergen food and is not recommended to give them until they are at least 9 months. Or if their is a strawberry allergy in your family, a year to 2 years.

Elfrieda - posted on 02/23/2012

Wow, why would they put sugar in strawberries?



Just FYI, strawberries are considered one of those "dangerous" foods that you shouldn't feed them until 9 months or something, because some babies suffer a reaction to it. Who knows if your son was suffering from allergies or sugar? (I agree with you that it was probably the sugar)



I did feed my son strawberries when he was just barely 6 months old. They were in season and so delicious, what could I do? ;)