Baby Parenting Guide

When do I start giving my baby girl solid food?

My daughter is almost 3 1/2 months old and I notice that when I begin to eat in front of her she is epressing an interest in what I have on my plate. For example she begins to cry when she watches me eat. Sometimes depending on what Im eatting I'll give her a bite. Can anyone tell me if I should begin her on baby food and if so what should I be giving. Peas, bananas? What? Is it healthier for me to make my own?

Public Response to When do I start giving my baby girl solid food?

1. My daughter is 4 mo. She does that too shell look at my food and watch it go in my mouth .. But my doc. said to still wait till 6 mo.. try baby cereal by SPOON only.. at 4 months if you want. She if she takes it .. Just a pre caution careful what you give her to eat.. like yogurt.. incase of dairy allergies.. GL!
2. Ask the peditrician if you should start your baby on solids. That's what they have the education for. As far as what to give her one usually starts with a mild cereal like rice and then work up after a few weeks to oat and wheat cereals along with applescauce and bananas. When it came to fruits/veggies/meats I made my own in our food processor. Cereals were the same rice/wheat/oat cereals you find in the breakfast aisle of the grocery store. By the time they were 6 months my kids were eating the same spaghetti and pastas their father and I ate only processed and they thrived.
3. my daughter started eating cereal and stage one baby food at about 2 months..she loves pears and bananas! give it a shot some babies wont eat off the spoon but its worth a shot! shes 3 months now and what i do is i make her a 7 oz bottle with formula like i normally would and add cereal to it to make it look like tomato soup and add some of the baby food for taste and she loves it! and it fills her up i usually give her about an ounce of watered down juice after so she doesnt get constipated it works! you need a nipple with a bigger hole for the cereal tho!
4. My son did this and he was easily pacified by just letting him eat off of my empty fork. It is still a little early for solids so I suggest letting her "practice" with her own spoon or letting her eat off your empty fork. I just began my six month old on solids. I started with a baked sweet potato. The next thing I tried was steamed carrots. I have also tried steamed green beans and pureed pears. I make my own. It is easy and cheaper. Plus it is a great incentive to make sure you have fresh veggies or fruits with every meal. Good Luck!! I want to add that even though cereal is a traditional first food, it is not necessary. I have not given any to my son and it will probably be the last thing I introduce. I also knew he was ready for solids because he could sit up great on his own and when I tried to feed him with a spoon, he took to it right away.
5. in New Zealand it is recommended not to start babies on solid food until 6 months of age. Plunket (a NZ government organisation for Babies and parents) and the World Health Organisation both recommend Breast milk for at least the first 6 months.
6. at 4 months.
7. As is with everything, not all babies do things at the same time. It may be time for you to try some baby food with your daughter. My son is only about a month and a half old and I already put cereal in his bottle because the formula just wasn't enough to fill him up. Especially if what she is eating if not doing the trick, then I would slowly start to integrate some baby food into her diet.
8. well with my first daughter i started giving her 1/4 of a jar of fruit when she was 1 month old and slowly adding more portions and veggies.started xcereal at 4 months .now she is doing great she is 4.now with my second i tried bananas at 1 month and she didnt want any part of it.just try if they do good keep doing it docs think they no everything.but my daughter that i s4 is smarter then the average she is at a 5 1/2 yr old and she just turned 4!!
9. They say you can start feeding them solids as early as 4 months. Usually babies younger than that still have that reflex that makes them spit out anything foreign(other than pacifier, bottle, nipple). But it can't hurt to try her if you like. Start her out on rice cereal. Then oatmeal, then peas, green beans, sweet potatoes...etc. Make sure you introduce only one food at a time about every 3 or 4 days that way you can see if she has allergies to any of them. I would save the fruits and desserts for last. Making your food is a great option. I've been doing it for about a month now and it's really easy and super fun. And since you know EXACTLY what's in the food you're giving your child it's a great benefit. Plus, the savings in cost is unbeatable. The first batch of peas I made ended up costing me about $2 and it's 22 days worth of food. I still buy the jar food( for when we go somewhere) but that's almost $1 for a two pack which is only 2 days worth of food for my son.
10. at 4 months i started feeding my baby Gerber baby food stage 1 then at 6 months stage 2 when she turns 8 months i will start feeding her stage 3, my doctor told me that was fine but i would check with your doctor 1st but you can feed her reg baby rice cereal my daughter started taken that at 2 weeks in her bottle because of reflux but she should be big enough to eat out of a spoon. consult your baby's doctor 1st good luck