Making baby food

bridetobe9132013

So i'm going to start feeding DD veggies on the 20th when she turns 4 months. For those of you who are feeding your lo's food, what veggie did you start with?

leahdipert

My pedi said there are 5 things not to use carrots is one FYI

Junebug060609

You may want to read up on "open gut" and talk to your pedi if you haven't already.

Not planning on starting DD on solids until *at least* 6 months. Not only for the above reasons, but because as a STM I know it's a PITA. More to lug around (right now I EBF), more to clean (dishes, clothes, baby, high chair, etc), and above all the poop gets nasty once solids start. Not in a rush for any of that.

No idea what we'll start with. Probably an orange or a green veggie, but we'll probably be winging it as to which one.

bridetobe9132013

@leahdipert thanks for the heads up! I have the baby brezza and it does have a guide of foods to feed and when. I was just curious what others are feeding first.

jordannicole

I'm planning to start with sweet potato or avocado in November  

jenb_99

Junebug060609 said:

You may want to read up on "open gut" and talk to your pedi if you haven't already. Not planning on starting DD on solids until *at least* 6 months. Not only for the above reasons, but because as a STM I know it's a PITA. More to lug around (right now I EBF), more to clean (dishes, clothes, baby, high chair, etc), and above all the poop gets nasty once solids start. Not in a rush for any of that. No idea what we'll start with. Probably an orange or a green veggie, but we'll probably be winging it as to which one.

+1

bridetobe9132013

Thank you everyone for your responses!

Craved1

Same here with not rushing to feed solids right away. LO gets all he needs from breast milk so why mess with a good thing. However, as a STM I am planning on (more so attempting) to make my own baby food as well. I found a lot of great recipes and advice on Pinterest. That may be a good source for you.

gutsysneakers

I think I read somewhere that egg yolk (boiled) is a great food to start with too.

mrsbtobe20122

We are starting at 6 months. A few girlfriends at work and I are planning on doing a monthly baby food exchange to cut down on cooking it, and to have more variety. Starting with veggies.... Then moving to fruit/combos

deanna1313

@mrsbtobe20122‌ that's a great idea to swap homemade baby food.

I'm waiting to find out what the dr says about when to start. I know they say between 4 and 6 mths is normally okay. I m doing a lot of homemade foods also. I'm starting with avocado and sweet potatoes.

bridetobe9132013

I will talk to my pediatrician at her appointment at the end of the month and see what he says but I appreciate all of the input @mrsbtobe20122 i agree that is a great idea!

Jennyinheaven

I just started, DD is almost 5 months(I know I had her early and shoulda switched to the April board but I like you guys) anyway I started with yams a few days ago then yesterday we did banana. I made a bunch of both pureed and froze in cube trays. Now I have labled baggies with a bunch of servings of each. We are just trying out food once a day right now, not full on switching.

deanna1313

I did start making baby food and freezing it in cube trays and labeling them with the date. I wanted to get some of our NJ fresh locally grown produce while it was in season. I just looked at the list of how old baby has to be for certain foods and how long they last in the freezer.

spinsoffresonance

I'm planning on waiting til 6 months and doing baby led weaning (BLW). Like @Junebug060609‌ said I'm really not looking forward to the extra work and planning. We did BLW with DD1 as well and started with banana, avocado, steamed zucchini then whatever we were having for dinner. Here she is at 6m with her first zucchini and 8 months, 2 teeth and a lamb chop!

mrsbtobe20122

bridetobe9132013 said:

I will talk to my pediatrician at her appointment at the end of the month and see what he says but I appreciate all of the input @mrsbtobe20122 i agree that is a great idea!

It is def a perk of 8 of us being out on maternity leave all at the same time... We are all doing the same milestones and can share

I'm excited to see how it goes.

momo214

I also discussed starting solids at LOs 4 month appt and she suggested 5-6 months and starting with just cereal to start. Their little bellies aren't always ready for food plus their tongue thrust may not let them eat anyway. I also plan to start with sweet potatoes or avocado and move to sweet fruits after.

gypsymystic

We started with homemade steamed Squash once daily, (Been on cereal almost 3 weeks) with the OK from pedi. DS1 started with sweet potato. My boys were too insatiable to wait until 6 months.  

THD7580

We are starting tomorrow! Yams and greens. Pedi said no fruit obviously until he tastes all the veggies first. The last two days he's eating every 2 hours again 4oz. We tried to bump it up to 5-6 oz and he's not having it. We started cereal and oatmeal two weeks ago and he's not a fan but definitely tries to grab your food off your plate so I think he's ready to move up. He's 4.5 months and I wanted to wait until 5 but I guess we will take it slow. Also yes I found a ton of recipes on Pinterest!

bridetobe9132013

@THD7580‌ my DD also eats 4oz every 2-3 hours. Sometimes she'll do 6-7oz. She will be 4 months on the 20th.

flockofmoosen3

Because of the open gut thing we will wait until baby girl is 6 months, or at least try. I plan to start with avocados, too. Our 4 month appt is in a couple weeks so I'll talk to the pediatrician about it then.

bridetobe9132013

For those who are feeding their lo's cereal, how much do you give your lo? I have been mixing the cereal with 1 oz of formula and the past few days she gets mad and wants more when it's gone. I have been feeding her a 3oz bottle when this happens. Should I make her more cereal or stick to the formula?

alyssajanell5

Just had our 4 month check up and our ped said we can start him slowly anytime between now and 6 months. He's a chunker so he doesn't have to have it. More for fun than anything else. She did say it'd help him sleep longer stretches tho.

Helmink0804

bridetobe9132013 said:

For those who are feeding their lo's cereal, how much do you give your lo? I have been mixing the cereal with 1 oz of formula and the past few days she gets mad and wants more when it's gone. I have been feeding her a 3oz bottle when this happens. Should I make her more cereal or stick to the formula?

We do 1tablespoon oatmeal mixed with 2 tablespoons formula and a 4oz bottle.

awknyc

My pedi gave us the green light at 5.5 months. She said any orange vegetable is fine to start minus carrots, those we should buy in a jar.

kat8805

becole42 said:

I know a lot of people on TB are against food before 6 months, but a lot of people on here are not doctors. I have spoken to three different Pediatricians at the practice about solids at 4 months versus 6 months and not one thought that there was any reason to wait until 6 months other than to try to prevent and cut down on obesity. One said it used to be formula fed until 4 months, breast until 6, and now they are moving towards everyone waiting until six months. We have a reflux baby who is 30% weight and doesn't sleep very well, and eats every 2 hours. So, in our situation, doctor thinks it might be more beneficial for us to go ahead with cereal than to wait.

I guess my point is to talk to your doctor and ask if there are any concerns about *your* child starting solids before 6 months. We plan to just do the single grain cereal until 6 months and then do veggies but doctor agreed if they stick out their toungue, he may not be ready for it yet.

BLW is a parenting choice. I do not think all doctors agree with the approach for every child. Just wanted to chime in since I have seen a lot of - don't feed before 6 months- comments on this thread and many others.

Oh yea, it's totes just obesity. I mean it's not like, the number one killer of Americans or anything. It's super unimportant to help start your child off on a great nutritional path by helping prevent obesity before they even know what their toes are, let alone making decisions for themselves. Cause babe can grab something off my plate, totes means they're ready for a 4 course meal.

Have you even read the latest information and studies as to *why* it's best to wait those extra 2 months instead of jumping into foods? You do know that cereals are empty calories, and it's recommended to feed a normal BM/formula feeding before attempting a "meal" because otherwise you're replacing the space in baby's belly with otherwise nutritionally worthless cereal instead of filling it with nutrient dense BM or formula? But starting cereals and foods early is totes going to help your baby gain weight. You get on with your bad self.

ETA: what I really mean to say is, even your pedi may not be recommending the most scientifically current advice. Do your own research, AND discuss it with your pedi. The 4-6 month recommendation has been outdated for a while now. As an obese woman with a broken metabolism and a poor relationship with food, I suggest you take obesity more seriously. We are talking about the rest of their lives after all, a few weeks waiting won't kill you, or them.

dp1320

What's wrong with carrots? Google says nitrates...?

deanna1313

That's what I'm wondering? This is the first I've heard about no carrots.
I'm really loking forward to our 4mth appt in the 30th to talk about these things and find out when I get to start baby food!

spinsoffresonance

@awknyc‌ So why no carrots? I get no raw carrots if you're doing BLW since that's a chocking hazard, but what's wrong with steamed carrots or puréed carrots? And why are carrots in a jar better ?

kat8805

@becole42‌ I think we all know by now I'm a judgmental bitch. But what you're confused about is what I'm judging about. I'm not judging what you (general you) feed your kid, by all means, whip out a lollipop, I'm judging *when* you choose to start feeding them solids. It is scientifically proven that starting solids before 6 months drastically increases risks for major diseases. This risk is due to an infants gut cells still being open, and allowing a passage of particles between digestive tract and circulatory system which carries possible bacteria, pathogens, and immune altering properties throughout the body.

I will kindly judge the pants off this, the same as I will (do) judge for things like early forward facing kids, improper seat installation, and poor strap placement. This isn't mommy wars, this is blatantly ignoring the research that these things can have severe life altering consequences. Because taking simple measures could save a life, and these are our children's lives. Sorry, I've never been a gambler.

ns1

https://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/nitratearticle.htm

The only thing I've read about making your own pureed carrots is to not add the water you used when cooking them back in with them when you puree because of the nitrates thing. Wholesomebabyfood.com is where I think I read this.

https://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/carrotsbabyfoodrecipes.html