Introducing foods

Once again, as a newbie mom, I am running up against *huge* amounts of
contradictory advice about parenting. This time, it's about introducing my
kidlets to food.

The boys have just passed 4mos corrected (6mos actual) and are currently
experimenting with rice cereal mixed with breastmilk or formula. I have
been told that:

--I can start to introduce them to beginner babyfoods, particularly fruits.

--I should, under *no* circumstances, introduce them to fruits until after
I've introduced them to vegetables, which I can do now.

--I should not even consider introducing vegetables until the boys have been
introduced to all the various grains, ie. oatmeal, barley cereals, which I
can do now.

--I shouldn't serve them anything except the rice cereal for at least
another two months.

SIGH

I know I'm supposed to avoid eggs and wheat for at least the first year, and
peanut butter for at least two years (but preferably longer). I also know
that strawberries shouldn't be introduced too early. But one mother I spoke
to said that *no* berries should be introduced in the first year, and
another has warned me to avoid bananas (although she couldn't explain
exactly why). My mother swears that the best way to introduce new foods is
to mix the new taste with a familiar flavour they like, but someone else I
was speaking to insists that foods should *always* be given one at a time
and seperately--something to do with preventing allergies (?)

My family doctor has given me some advice that differs from what I was told
by the dietician at the hospital before my boys came home.

Is there some simple, reliable resource that will guide me in this journey?
How did you introduce your little ones to food?

TIA

Marie
Chris and Alex--born 04/23/03 at 31wks gestational :-)
Meet the Kidlets at http://ca.f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/mmcw2

In article gers.com,
"Marie" wrote:

Once again, as a newbie mom, I am running up against *huge* amounts of
contradictory advice about parenting. This time, it's about introducing my
kidlets to food.

The boys have just passed 4mos corrected (6mos actual) and are currently
experimenting with rice cereal mixed with breastmilk or formula. I have
been told that:

--I can start to introduce them to beginner babyfoods, particularly fruits.

--I should, under *no* circumstances, introduce them to fruits until after
I've introduced them to vegetables, which I can do now.

--I should not even consider introducing vegetables until the boys have been
introduced to all the various grains, ie. oatmeal, barley cereals, which I
can do now.

--I shouldn't serve them anything except the rice cereal for at least
another two months.

SIGH

I know I'm supposed to avoid eggs and wheat for at least the first year, and
peanut butter for at least two years (but preferably longer). I also know
that strawberries shouldn't be introduced too early. But one mother I spoke
to said that *no* berries should be introduced in the first year, and
another has warned me to avoid bananas (although she couldn't explain
exactly why). My mother swears that the best way to introduce new foods is
to mix the new taste with a familiar flavour they like, but someone else I
was speaking to insists that foods should *always* be given one at a time
and seperately--something to do with preventing allergies (?)

My family doctor has given me some advice that differs from what I was told
by the dietician at the hospital before my boys came home.

Is there some simple, reliable resource that will guide me in this journey?
How did you introduce your little ones to food?

TIA

Marie
Chris and Alex--born 04/23/03 at 31wks gestational :-)
Meet the Kidlets at http://ca.f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/mmcw2



This is in the "for what it's worth" category.

The advice regarding introduction of solids seems to have been in a
constant state of flux for at least 30 years (probably longer). I read
what was available, talked to people -- and, with the twins, ignored
most of it. My son didn't want to be fed, so I ended up introducing
solids when they could feed themselves (about 8 months). Until then,
they just got breast milk. My son's first solid food was pizza (he
loved it). Almost from the beginning, they ate what we ate -- with the
exception of not giving them unpasturized honey until they were (iirc) 2
years, and giving them whole milk instead of skim, I really didn't do
anything to "introduce" various foods at specific times.

With my older child, I came closer to following the guidelines about
which foods to introduce and when, in part because she was in day care
from infancy. But even with her, I didn't do the "baby food in a jar"
thing very often. Mostly, I cooked stuff and ground or mashed it
myself. Gerber, having convinced parents that prepackaged baby food is
necessary (as opposed to convenient) has created a need. Personally, I
think it's hysterical that they have now introduced "stages" -- the
stuff my folks did, and I did, by just gradually mashing their food less.

Now, if food allergies had run in the family, I probably would have
done it differently, but there is no evidence of food allergies on
either side of our family. Introducing one new food at a time doesn't
prevent allergies, but it will help you notice if there IS an allergic
reaction. So there is no problem with introducing a new food by mixing
it with something they have been eating -- provided you only add one new
food every 3 or 4 days. There ARE some foods that apparently are more
likely to cause allergies if they are introduced young, but I can't tell
you what they all are (peanuts is one). Most of the stuff about
introducing foods gradually, and in what order, has to do with
recognizing allergic reactions rather than preventing them, so if there
are a lot of food allergies in your family, you will want to pay
attention to those issues. Otherwise, personally, I think it just
increases anxiety and the fear that we are being less than perfect
parents.

meh
--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care

"Marie" wrote in message
e.rogers.com...
Once again, as a newbie mom, I am running up against *huge* amounts of
contradictory advice about parenting. This time, it's about introducing
my
kidlets to food.

The boys have just passed 4mos corrected (6mos actual) and are currently
experimenting with rice cereal mixed with breastmilk or formula. I have
been told that:

--I can start to introduce them to beginner babyfoods, particularly
fruits.

--I should, under *no* circumstances, introduce them to fruits until after
I've introduced them to vegetables, which I can do now.

--I should not even consider introducing vegetables until the boys have
been
introduced to all the various grains, ie. oatmeal, barley cereals, which I
can do now.

--I shouldn't serve them anything except the rice cereal for at least
another two months.

SIGH

I know I'm supposed to avoid eggs and wheat for at least the first year,
and
peanut butter for at least two years (but preferably longer). I also know
that strawberries shouldn't be introduced too early. But one mother I
spoke
to said that *no* berries should be introduced in the first year, and
another has warned me to avoid bananas (although she couldn't explain
exactly why). My mother swears that the best way to introduce new foods
is
to mix the new taste with a familiar flavour they like, but someone else I
was speaking to insists that foods should *always* be given one at a time
and seperately--something to do with preventing allergies (?)

My family doctor has given me some advice that differs from what I was
told
by the dietician at the hospital before my boys came home.

Is there some simple, reliable resource that will guide me in this
journey?
How did you introduce your little ones to food?


Oh, another one of those controversial areas where advice changes every time
you turn around! For what it is worth, when Ds was a baby 7 years ago, we
followed the conventional wisdom at the time. We introduced solids after
six months in order to reduce development of allergies. We introduced one
new item every four or more days so if there was going to be a reaction we'd
know which new item it was. [There was one item, which I dont' recall now,
that he did react to and we cut out for some time.] No honey, of course.
We introduced rice ceral and bananas first. Now I've recently seen some
sort of news story on tv that bananas are very bad for babies, but I don't
recall the reason [probably allergy development, iirc]. We introduced
veggies and fruits in no particular order, and I made all our own baby food
rather than buying any. DS appears healthy and fine at age eight, and has
no allergies. He was also a rather easy baby, so who knows how that figures
into things.

Take what makes sense, what is doable and throw out the rest. The advice
will be different again in a year or two.

-A-
--
see my creative works on ebay under aulame 123

Hi -

If there's any history of any kind of allergy (including hayfever) in
the family, then follow the sequence for introducing solids to the
allergic child. (Two slightly different versions are linked from my web
site.) They both recommend fruits and veggies first, grains and dairy
later, nuts and shellfish very late, with many details in-between.

Beyond that ...

- Only introduce one new food at a time, with at least 4 days between
new foods, so that you can tell if your baby has a bad reaction to a
new food. It's FINE to mix new foods with old ones, although not
necessary for most kids.
- The advice about veggies first then fruits is because some babies get
fond of the sweetness of fruits and so won't eat veggies. But if you
give the veggies some flavor (ie with herbs or spices, once you've
introduced those as "solids") then many babies are content.
- Be super aware of choke hazards.
- Foods marketed as "first foods" for babies tend to be pure foods.
Beyond that, read the label!
- There's some evidence that organic foods are, in fact, much healthier
for infants and children. There ARE organic baby foods marketed in
the US and the UK. Not sure about elsewhere.

I hope this helps,
--Beth Kevles

http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would
like me to reply.

Once again, as a newbie mom, I am running up against *huge* amounts of
contradictory advice about parenting. This time, it's about introducing my
kidlets to food.

Probably the main reason you run across so much 'contradictory' advice is that
this is an area where for most things it doesn't matter a huge amount what you
do. (And, in many cases, some babies seem to prefer or do well with one system,
while other babies prefer/do well with another, so their parents will tend to
think that THEIR way is 'the right way' because their babies did so well on
'their way.'

The boys have just passed 4mos corrected (6mos actual) and are currently
experimenting with rice cereal mixed with breastmilk or formula

MY question then, is why you have started solids so comparatively early? (Not
criticizing, just wondering.) Given that the current standard recommondation
(AAP) is to wait until 6 months to start solids, why start at 4 months? Are
the boys extremely hungry? Were they grabbing at food from your plates?

To answer the other questions concisely:

Given that you have started solids comparatively early (based on their
corrected ages), there is abolutely no rush to add anything else. If they like
the cereal and are happy with it, you can stick with cereal and breastmilk for
several months yet. If they want something else, and you want to give it, feel
free to add fruits and or veggies (in either order, in whatever pattern you
prefer and they seem to like -- so long as you wait at least 4-7 days between
each new food and avoid potential allergiins -- which are unlikely to be
present in stage one babyfoods anyway [assuming you are in the US]. Or you can
give the other cereals (but not wheat) and wait to add fruit and/or veggie
until they've had those.

Again, given that reading 10 sources will give you 10 different 'right ways' of
doing this, I have to strongly suspect that there is NO 'right way' of doing
it. (i.e., those who say 'veggies first' say that if you start with fruit, the
kid will refuse veggies later because they aren't sweet. Those who say fruit
first say that it's because kids like fruit, because fruit is sweet (and milk
is sweet so kids naturally like sweet things.) Those who say cereal first say
it's because it contains iron which babies need. Those who say no cereal say
it's because it contains iron which interferes with the iron in breastmilk....
So you can't win!!!

How did you introduce your little ones to food?


I started SHaina on rice cereal at about 5 months. (This was 11 years ago, when
'4-6 months' was the usual guideline.) A few weeks later I began adding other
foods. Don't recall now if I added fruits, veggies or other cereals first, but
within a few months she eating a wide variety of baby foods. (I chose to not
make my own babyfood, but of course you can do that too if you want!)


Naomi
CAPPA Certified Lactation Educator

(either remove spamblock or change address to to e-mail
reply.)

x-no-archive:yes
OSPAM (Naomi Pardue) wrote:

Once again, as a newbie mom, I am running up against *huge* amounts of
contradictory advice about parenting. This time, it's about introducing my
kidlets to food.

Probably the main reason you run across so much 'contradictory' advice is that
this is an area where for most things it doesn't matter a huge amount what you
do. (And, in many cases, some babies seem to prefer or do well with one system,
while other babies prefer/do well with another, so their parents will tend to
think that THEIR way is 'the right way' because their babies did so well on
'their way.'

Bingo. That's why I never advise anyone what do to on feeding -- it
worked for me fine, but it isn't current guidelines and I wouldn't
want to recommend against current guidelines - OTOH I think some of
the current stuff is unnecessarily anal.

The boys have just passed 4mos corrected (6mos actual) and are currently
experimenting with rice cereal mixed with breastmilk or formula

MY question then, is why you have started solids so comparatively early? (Not
criticizing, just wondering.) Given that the current standard recommondation
(AAP) is to wait until 6 months to start solids, why start at 4 months? Are
the boys extremely hungry? Were they grabbing at food from your plates?

My question is - at what point do preemie babies stop using the
'corrected' age? I'm guessing that your boys were born 6 months ago
and are twins. Do you not count the first two months forever, or is
on a sliding scale or what???

To answer the other questions concisely:

Given that you have started solids comparatively early (based on their
corrected ages), there is abolutely no rush to add anything else. If they like
the cereal and are happy with it, you can stick with cereal and breastmilk for
several months yet. If they want something else, and you want to give it, feel
free to add fruits and or veggies (in either order, in whatever pattern you
prefer and they seem to like -- so long as you wait at least 4-7 days between
each new food and avoid potential allergiins -- which are unlikely to be
present in stage one babyfoods anyway [assuming you are in the US]. Or you can
give the other cereals (but not wheat) and wait to add fruit and/or veggie
until they've had those.

Again, given that reading 10 sources will give you 10 different 'right ways' of
doing this, I have to strongly suspect that there is NO 'right way' of doing
it. (i.e., those who say 'veggies first' say that if you start with fruit, the
kid will refuse veggies later because they aren't sweet. Those who say fruit
first say that it's because kids like fruit, because fruit is sweet (and milk
is sweet so kids naturally like sweet things.) Those who say cereal first say
it's because it contains iron which babies need. Those who say no cereal say
it's because it contains iron which interferes with the iron in breastmilk....
So you can't win!!!

Or rather - you can win, by taking the reasons for the guidelines into
account and then doing whatever feels right to you. And under no
circumstances tell any other mother exactly what you are doing. Ask
them what they are doing - and then say - that sounds like a good
idea. That way you won't have a lot of confusing unsolicited advice
and you also avoid the one-up-manship of baby feeding :-)


grandma Rosalie

I was completely freaked out about starting solids. The LC in one of my
groups told all of us to chill out. Although there are wrong ways to do it
(e.g. adding new foods too quickly to learn if previous foods are allergens)
there is no right way. We've been giving dd veggies (yams) and applesauce
and are starting on different veggies soon.

OTOH, according to this LC, who just returned from a symposium on bf'ing,
the new recommendation is for exclusively bf'd kids to start eating red meat
at six months to ensure that they get enough iron and zinc.

Don't get stressed because it's hard to mess this up. Some kids don't like
veggies and others love them. Although this could be affected by when you
offer the foods, it might not.

--
Melissa (in Los Angeles)
Mum to Elizabeth 4/13/03

"Marie" wrote in message
e.rogers.com...
Once again, as a newbie mom, I am running up against *huge* amounts of
contradictory advice about parenting. This time, it's about introducing
my
kidlets to food.

The boys have just passed 4mos corrected (6mos actual) and are currently
experimenting with rice cereal mixed with breastmilk or formula. I have
been told that:

--I can start to introduce them to beginner babyfoods, particularly
fruits.

--I should, under *no* circumstances, introduce them to fruits until after
I've introduced them to vegetables, which I can do now.

--I should not even consider introducing vegetables until the boys have
been
introduced to all the various grains, ie. oatmeal, barley cereals, which I
can do now.

--I shouldn't serve them anything except the rice cereal for at least
another two months.

SIGH

I know I'm supposed to avoid eggs and wheat for at least the first year,
and
peanut butter for at least two years (but preferably longer). I also know
that strawberries shouldn't be introduced too early. But one mother I
spoke
to said that *no* berries should be introduced in the first year, and
another has warned me to avoid bananas (although she couldn't explain
exactly why). My mother swears that the best way to introduce new foods
is
to mix the new taste with a familiar flavour they like, but someone else I
was speaking to insists that foods should *always* be given one at a time
and seperately--something to do with preventing allergies (?)

My family doctor has given me some advice that differs from what I was
told
by the dietician at the hospital before my boys came home.

Is there some simple, reliable resource that will guide me in this
journey?
How did you introduce your little ones to food?

TIA

Marie
Chris and Alex--born 04/23/03 at 31wks gestational :-)
Meet the Kidlets at http://ca.f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/mmcw2

Marie wrote:


The boys have just passed 4mos corrected (6mos actual) and are currently
experimenting with rice cereal mixed with breastmilk or formula. I have
been told that:

--I can start to introduce them to beginner babyfoods, particularly fruits.


--I should, under *no* circumstances, introduce them to fruits until after
I've introduced them to vegetables, which I can do now.


Totally bogus. People who say this are making the
argument that if they get the taste of sweets too early, they'll
refuse veggies. Anyone who says this has clearly never
tasted breastmilk. You can start with fruits or veggies, however
you please.


--I should not even consider introducing vegetables until the boys have been
introduced to all the various grains, ie. oatmeal, barley cereals, which I
can do now.


Again, wrong. You don't even have to start with cereal
at all. You could go straight to fruits and veggies if you like.


--I shouldn't serve them anything except the rice cereal for at least
another two months.


Nope, and many babies don't like rice cereal anyway.



I know I'm supposed to avoid eggs and wheat for at least the first year, and
peanut butter for at least two years (but preferably longer). I also know
that strawberries shouldn't be introduced too early. But one mother I spoke
to said that *no* berries should be introduced in the first year,


I don't recall hearing no berries, although I don't
recall other berries (except maybe blueberries) as common
early foods.

and
another has warned me to avoid bananas (although she couldn't explain
exactly why).


I've never heard to avoid bananas (except that too
many of them can be constipating). They're a very convenient
early food since you can just mash them up.

My mother swears that the best way to introduce new foods is
to mix the new taste with a familiar flavour they like, but someone else I
was speaking to insists that foods should *always* be given one at a time
and seperately--something to do with preventing allergies (?)


That's garbled. You need to introduce *new* foods one
at a time so that you can tell which new food caused an
allergic reaction, if there is one. You can certainly
introduce that new food mixed with an old food that
hasn't been causing any problem.


Good luck,

Ericka

My question is - at what point do preemie babies stop using the
'corrected' age? I'm guessing that your boys were born 6 months ago
and are twins. Do you not count the first two months forever, or is
on a sliding scale or what???

Essentially you keep not counting the first two months, but it stops mattering
after a while, because the individual differences get much wider than the
calendar averages. There isn't a whole lot of difference between a 33-month-old
and a 35-month-old!

--Helen

Marie wrote in gers.com:

Once again, as a newbie mom, I am running up against huge amounts of
contradictory advice about parenting. This time, it's about introducing
my kidlets to food.

Possibly one reason why there is so much conflicting advice is because
each child responds differently to solids. I've had three kids, and
they each acted differently to their first tastes: if I'd only had one
kid, I would know the 'right' way to do it.

FWIW, I started all of them on rice cereal: after they had had a second
type of solid, none of them wanted plain rice again.

One of them ate mainly home produced food: that one is the fussiest of
my kids (its supposed to be the other way round).

One of them wasn't interested in rice or vegetables: their fourth food
was bananas, and it was the first one they actually ate in any quantity.
After they had had bananas, they were willing to eat lots of alternatives.

I think bananas are a good food to introduce early, because you can prepare
them with just a fork: over here they are readily available and so I knew
no matter where I went, I could feed them something.

--
Penny Gaines
UK mum to three