When to Move On? - Flint,MI

IMO there really isn't much of a difference between 1st foods and 2nd foods other than quantity. If she seems content with the 1st foods keep her there at this point she should only be eating 1-2 tablespoons of real food per day, most of her nutrition should be from milk or formula at this point...food is just to play with

When she wants more to eat and then soft solids or zwieback toast when she gets some teeth. Watch for teeth and when she can start picking up or holding food and feeding herself by hand. I started feeding my 16 month old pasta and soft vegetables (peas green beans)from a can around 10-12 months just depends on when they start teething. She loved Gerber puffs (like cheerios) around 8-10 months as well as the zweiback toast when she had her first 2 front teeth in. You'll see the signs. Once she gets some teeth they like something to bite into a little more. I did buy some 3rd foods but not for long. She really liked the gerber grad meals the pasta/green beans etc. and the little cups of stew or ravioli. She loved them. I worried and wanted to do everything right being a new mom but don't stress about it. As long as she is healthy and gaining weight. You can always ask her dr. at next check up.

Hi L..... My daughter will be a year old on the 13th of April so we're finally over this stage of eating now. My advice to you is to wait until your little one shows signs that she isn't "full" from the baby food she's receiving. She'll probably cry and be fussy once the food your giving her is gone if she's wanting more. My pediatrician suggested that I added her baby cereal (rice or oatmeal) to her baby food to fill her up a little more if I wasn't sure I wanted to move up on the baby food just yet and this worked out wonderfully for us! So, you might want to try that if you feel that the 2nd foods are a bit too much for her. At the age your daughter is now, I'd think that it would be safe to try to move up to the next stage. The only difference is the amount of the fruit or vege in the container or jar. So, when you open it, I'd try offering half the food in a bowl first. If she shows signs that she's still hungry, offer the rest. If not, save the other half for the next meal. I say to do this becuase it states right on the jars of food that once your baby has eaten directly from the jar, you aren't able to save any of the uneaten portion for later use. I wouln't worry too much on the matter. YOU know YOUR baby best and there isn't a "right" way of doing thing.......there's just a suggested guideline.....and every baby is different. So, good luck with feeding your little one and don't forget to have fun with it!

It's so funny that you asked this! I just went through the same thing with my daughter. I waited the 6 mths to feed her anything, then started her on cereals and 1st foods. I was at the Dr a month ago and asked him the question - what should I be feeding her now? He asked how old she was - I said seven months - He said that she should be starting meats. Wow a long way from where I thought. So I looked on the back of the rice cereal box and sure enough - she should be eating 2nd foods and meats, like apples and chicken. I had no problem starting her on the new foods, I've always given her vegetables and no fruits - until now, and she even likes the meats (a shocker!) Good luck -

With my kids, I waited until they started getting bored with the foods (spitting it out, not taking it) And you can also go off how much she wants to eat. If the smaller 1st food jars arent enough, the 2nd's should be.

Once she has mastered the 1st foods go on to stage 2. They are a little thicker, but are much better tasting as they have combinations. My son is almost 8 months and I have started him on stage 3 now, but he still eats mostly stage 2. He can hand feed himself the puffs and biscuits too, but I'm not in a hurry to start him on self-feeding anytime soon as he still chokes a little on the puffs and crackers. I would move her on up to stage 2 and see how she does.

I started my son on 1st foods at 6 months. He was only on that for about 2 weeks before I started 2nd foods/ The jars for the 1st were too small and he wanted more....The 3rd foods say from about 8 months on them, and Easton will be 8 months on the 6th, but I haven't started him on those yet. If you look in the jars on the 3rd foods, they have pieces of food in them, and Easton doesn't have any teeth yet, so I'm waiting. It all depends on your baby. If you think she's ready for 2nd then go ahead and start them, but I'd wait a little longer for the 3rd!! Hope this helps!!

I wouldn't rush it. First foods are mostly fruits and veggies which are best for your baby. Grains contain gluten which can cause the allergy celiac. Introducing them too soon can increase her chances of developing an allergy. my daughter is 9 months old and she still mainly eats fruits and vegetables. occasionally i give her lentils for protein and a grain called Quinoa that doesnt contain gluten.

2nd foods are basically the same as 1st foods the only differeces is that 2nd foods are larger and alittle bit thicker. I did not use 1st foods for very long because it was more expensive I just watered down the 2nd foods if it was to thick for my daughter to swallow. Your daughter is probably eating lumpier foods by now and if she is it is time for 2nd foods. Good luck!

the 2nd foods are exactly like the 1st foods. the jars are just bigger.- so it is cheaper to buy the 2nd food and give it to her in 2 meals than to buy the 1st foods.

The 3rd food fruits and veggies are the same as the 1st and 2nd again it is just hte jar size.. 2nd food dinners have asmooth texture - but 3rd food dinners do have chunks of pasta or veggies.

So your daughter could have the 2nd and 3rd fruits and veggies and would not notice a difference. I will soon have a new baby and I will probably go to 3rd food fruits and veggies pretty early- as it is a big cost savings.

Honey, baby's eat first food for a few months, at 6 months they are not ready for second, They are junky Third food are way junky. I started second foods at 10 months and at 1 years old our son was pretty much eating whatever we cooked for dinner (within resaon). There really isn't any guidlines just go by gut feeling.

Hi L.,

The 2nd foods don't have any chunks in them, so you can move on to them at any time. Since a lot of them have mixed flavors (like Apple Banana or whatever), just make sure your daughter has at least had one of the flavors before, all by itself. That way, if she has an allergic reaction, you will know which flavor is the culprit!

The 3rd foods definitely have chunks in them (well, MOST of them, anyway.) I can't remember exactly when I started feeding my son the 3rd foods, but I do think it was about 9 months, MAYBE 8. All it is, is trial and error. You would give her a bite and see how she handles it. If she starts to gag or just doesn't seem to like it, just hold off for a while and then try it again. You will see that some of the 3rd foods vary in how chunky they are. I pretty much stuck with one brand (Gerber),but one flavor would be more chunky than another flavor.

Good luck!

Once she has finished trying all of the first foods you can move on to the second foods. My kids never did like the 3rd foods; we just stayed on 2nd and started table food from there.

I think that the 2nd foods jars (some brands anyway, Earth's Best) say on them for babies 6 months and older. And the 3rd food jars say 9 months and older. Really, the seconds are not that think or chuncky at all. If you think she is ready for more, go ahead and try one. 6 months is when my kids went to 2nds.

i've always heard and followed that once you've had them try all the 1st foods then you can move onto the 2nds. i gave my son all the different first foods about 2 or 3 times each and then switched to 2nds. we started 2nds at about 7 months and then didn't go up to 3rds till about 11 months because the texture and thickness is different and he seemed content on the 2nds.