food 2 b feeding at 5 1/2 months

Valerie - posted on 10/26/2009

Making your own baby food using similar items that you eat might help. wholesomebabyfood.com is a great place for recipes and ideas.

Sarah - posted on 10/26/2009

Quoting Alarna:

thanks guys, is there any food that i cant cook and put through a blender for him? like things that might b too harsh for his stomache etc..
everyone keeps telling me to feed him things like gravy and cheesecake but i think they might b a bit too much.

Gravy is quite salty and so is not suitable until he's about 12 months.

Jenny - posted on 10/26/2009

You have to follow your instincts when it comes to food; in our case, my husband and I actually started choosing more healthy foods so our first child could eat everything on our plate for the most part. At 5 1/2 months, we were told not to give our son solid foods yet because he was so big already (he didn't need the extra calories). Our doc called avocado the "perfect first food" (other than the typical cereal with breastmilk or formula mixed in it). We held off on table/finger foods with both of ours until they were more like 8-9 months old even with my son who had teeth at 3 months. If you're really wanting to give your child table food, I would use one of those Sassy or Munchkin hand-held strainers where you put the food in the little net and close it so when the child bites/mouths it, it makes sure there are no big pieces for him/her to choke on; it looks like a net attached to a teething ring (it was invented by a dad whose son choked on a biscuit given to him at too young of an age). You can give them yogurt (as long as there's no dairy allergy) at 6 months. The jarred foods can be good, but I would read the labels because some brands put a lot of things in their baby food that are just unnecessary (chicken fat, flour, chemicals, etc.). I used a blender to blend whatever veggies or fruit were on our plates (like others have said, without seasoning or butter, etc.). Oster makes these small blender attachments (they come in a 2-pack) that you can order online - they just look like little mini-blender cups or like The Magic Bullet blender cups and they attach to your existing blender base with very little effort. They were indispensable with my kids.
Best wishes to you. I would check out the library for books - ours has like 10 with specific nutritional and recipe information.

Lori - posted on 10/25/2009

My daughter started to take things off my plate at that age, I also realized it was mainly because she had more teeth coming in and wanted to naw on something. I got the puffs whole grain for her to have a few snacks during the day, and gave her a teething bisquit. That kept her pretty well entertained and full until about 7 months. Then I started with the soft stuff, she has 6 teeth now and loves chicken nuggets. But she only gets them once a week, I dont feel I should deprive her of something she likes, but at the same time I wont let her have it all the time. Use your judgement on what you think your baby needs now=)

Rachel - posted on 10/25/2009

Quoting Alarna: Alarna, the book by Annabel Karmel is called "New Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner" - its around $35...I bought her book 2 years ago for my son and a couple of months go bought her new updated version. If you go into a book store...they will know what you are after even if you just say Annabel Karmel....very popular.

Quoting Rachel:

When my daughter was that age I started giving her rice cereal and mixing it with a fruit puree for breakfast. You are mean to try one food every 3 days. This is so you can see if they have an allergic reaction. For lunch I give my baby mashed avocado with rice cereal. (or another good mix is mashed avo and banana), I also steam veges. So you could try all different types of veges. There is a great book out by Annabel Karmel. Alot of receipes for your baby/toddler.

that'd b great, do you know what the book is called or do i just ask for annabel karmel? thanx

Mel - posted on 10/25/2009

Hi,, dont use the jarred food it is not good for them I saw someone tell you it was, it should only be used when going out. make your own baby food puree fruits and vegies, stay clear of rice cereal as it has little nutritional value, causes constipation and tastes horrible, my daughter would scream when we gave it to her. Try rusks with spreads if you like or just on their own (some spreads that my daughters dietician suggested were peanut butter, butter and cream cheese because she needed fattening foods). try mashed up banana but watch for constipation and that can cause tummy pains as well. thats all I can think of my daughter is 18 months now so its been a little while since she started solids when she was 3 months

Shantel - posted on 10/25/2009

Just adding to the other great tips on here...I started feeding my boys foods that weren't so sweet before progressing to the ones that are. Most vege and fruits steamed and then mashed or blended are good. Rice cereal, mashed potatoes, carrots. They say to try a new food every week but I did it every 3-5 days. I even gave them weet bix mixed with breast milk or cooled boiled water. Fish, nuts and dairy they recommend introducing a little later. But there are some really good yoghurts designed for 6 month olds out there. goodluck and hope this helps! :D

Alarna - posted on 10/25/2009

Quoting Rachel:

When my daughter was that age I started giving her rice cereal and mixing it with a fruit puree for breakfast. You are mean to try one food every 3 days. This is so you can see if they have an allergic reaction. For lunch I give my baby mashed avocado with rice cereal. (or another good mix is mashed avo and banana), I also steam veges. So you could try all different types of veges. There is a great book out by Annabel Karmel. Alot of receipes for your baby/toddler.

that'd b great, do you know what the book is called or do i just ask for annabel karmel? thanx

Rachel - posted on 10/25/2009

When my daughter was that age I started giving her rice cereal and mixing it with a fruit puree for breakfast. You are mean to try one food every 3 days. This is so you can see if they have an allergic reaction. For lunch I give my baby mashed avocado with rice cereal. (or another good mix is mashed avo and banana), I also steam veges. So you could try all different types of veges. There is a great book out by Annabel Karmel. Alot of receipes for your baby/toddler.

Sarah - posted on 10/24/2009

I fed my guy rice cereal, oatmeal, mashed bananas, and mashed vegis. I would hold off on giving him a lot of acidic foods. My doc told me to introduce new foods cautiously and not to many at once in case of an allergy. If I remember right he couldn't have peanut butter until he was a year.

Lord - posted on 10/24/2009

i feed my kids food since they were 4month and it help out lot with the formula lasting longer they weren't always hungry and my doctor told me it was perfectly find i gave my baby rice beans fruit meat is stil to hard from them so i would buy the meat in baby food

Jessica - posted on 10/24/2009

If he's interested in trying your food then let him. Just make sure its really soft & a small piece. He can have whatever you're eating just make sure it's not too spicy & be careful of the variety at first to watch for allergies.
Good Luck!!

Millie - posted on 10/24/2009

My boy was the same, mashed vegies are good start, but limit the fruit intake as they will develop a sweet tooth by 12 months... good luck

Megan - posted on 10/24/2009

I make plain sweet potatoes and smush them up and he loves them. Also i mix a little formula with rice cereal and apple sauce.

Ambre - posted on 10/24/2009

i fed my girls mashed patatoes and apple sauce when they were that age

Brandy - posted on 10/24/2009

Quoting Alarna:

thanks guys, is there any food that i cant cook and put through a blender for him? like things that might b too harsh for his stomache etc..
everyone keeps telling me to feed him things like gravy and cheesecake but i think they might b a bit too much.

Personally, I agree that those things are not suitable or necessary for a baby that age. So, when people make those suggestions, follow your instincts and I'm sure you will do well.

Alarna - posted on 10/24/2009

thanks guys, is there any food that i cant cook and put through a blender for him? like things that might b too harsh for his stomache etc..

everyone keeps telling me to feed him things like gravy and cheesecake but i think they might b a bit too much.

Mary - posted on 10/24/2009

TRY MASHED POTATOES

Leila - posted on 10/24/2009

Um, well, most people I know didn't start feeding their kids anything other than breastmilk/formula food till they were 6 months old... Or if anything at 4 months it was just a little baby cereal. Their digestive systems are just not really ready for it yet... But I guess if you've already started... I started my daughter on organic rice cereal for a few weeks first, then moved on to plain steamed vegetables. you don't have to use the jars at all. Its actually much cheaper, and very easy to mash your own plain steamed (no salt, butter or seasonings) vegetables. You can blend them or run them through a strainer if you want it to be super fine... Avocado is a very healthy first food that doesn't require a blender or extra straining. Bananas are good too, They have a lot of sugar but also have a lot of potasium... butternut squash or yams have a lot of vitamin A, although you would probably want to run those through a blender or seive. Also, we just recently gave our daughter steamed potato (skin included) with a little baked chicken breast (we threw it in a mini food processor we have, but I'm sure the blender would work) Kellymom.com has a lot of GREAT info on when and how to start solid foods and just about everyother topic too.

Brandy - posted on 10/24/2009

The jarred food is really good for him at this age. You can also start trying different types of rice, wheat and oat cereals (they have all different kinds) and that will make sure he is getting enough fibre, iron and such. You can start introducing some soft table foods, but I wouldn't use it as a whole meal for him just yet. The baby foods in the jars are pure besides a bit of water and provide better nutrition that most of the table foods he will be able to eat right now. Unless, you want to start making homemade purees. In that case, go right ahead!

Sonya - posted on 10/24/2009

ok I shouldnt have but did, I started giving my boys food, I mean my food at 5 months.. just little things like well homemade soups and stews mashed up with xome soda crackers and a little water...

Im childer are 4 and 1 yrs old, for supper thay had noodles, chicken beets and brussel sprouts- they eat everything and I truly believe it was because I let them experiences tasting everything !

My kids have had no alligeries and are hardly sick...

my only advise is

If you do plan on interdocing them to new food do it early in the day, if they have a reaction - to lets say a certian spice they will show signs through out the day ...

CheQuai - posted on 10/24/2009

The jars are great because they give great variety and dnt have a lot of sugars or preservatives. u can begin table food if u want tho. but nothing too heavy, mashed potatoes, and other mashed veggies and fruits are good. This will help him not become a picky eater.