When can babies start eating baby jar food

Starting Babies on Solid Foods

Reviewed by Dan Brennan, MD on February 11, 2023

That's the recommended time to introduce solid foods. But it's not just about age. Before starting solids, your baby should be able to sit up (with support), turn their head away, and make chewing motions. They should also be past the reflex that makes them spit out anything including liquids.

Babies usually don't eat a lot of solid foods right away. So think of solids as something you’re adding to your baby's diet, not as a replacement for breast milk or formula. Remember, you're introducing solid foods, not totally changing your baby's diet or eliminating milk. That will happen gradually.

You don’t have to -- there's no hard-and-fast rule about what solid foods you should start your baby on first. in fact, you don't have to start with cereal at all. But if you do, try a single-grain, iron-fortified infant cereal with a neutral to no flavor. It also will be a bit easier to notice any food allergies than with a cereal made from several grains. You may want to mix it with formula or breast milk to get a runny consistency at first, so it's not a drastic change for your baby. Gradually thicken it more until your baby gets used to the new texture.

It may seem like it’s something natural, but being fed by a spoon is new to your baby. Up until now, they have only had a liquid diet. They’ll need practice to get used to the spoon and to the feel of having solid food in their mouth. So don't expect them to eat a whole lot -- maybe a teaspoon or two at a time -- when you start. Instead of trying to get them to eat a certain amount, focus on letting them get used to the experience.

Fruits, vegetables, grains, and even pureed meats can all be on the menu for your baby. You may want to introduce them one at a time to see how your little one reacts to the flavor and texture and to make sure no allergies develop. If your baby won't eat them at first, try again later. Babies need to reject a food at least 5 to 10 times on different occasions before you can truly say they don't like the food. Tell your pediatrician if you think your baby might have any food allergies to any new foods tried. Use soft baby food from a jar, or soften foods by heating and/or pureeing them. Put just enough on the spoon for your baby to swallow easily. Don't force feed the food.

Most pediatricians say you should wait until after your baby's first birthday to start offering cow's milk. That’s because nutritionally it doesn't measure up to Mother's milk or have the nutritional value of specially developed formulas. And, don't give honey to babies younger than 1 year. That’s because of a possible botulism risk that a baby's developing immune system can't fend off.

Your baby will let you know when they are done eating. They might swat at the spoon, turn their head away, zip their lips tightly, spit out whatever you put in their mouth, or cry. Don't make them eat more than they want. Kids will eat when they're hungry and stop when they're full. Honoring those instincts may help them avoid overeating now and when they get older.

Just because your baby doesn't immediately like a new food doesn't mean they are doomed to be picky forever. Wait a few days and try again. And again. And again … It may take your child more than a couple of times before they are ready to give peas a chance. Remember, you're a role model, so your baby may be more interested in foods they see you eating and enjoying. But don't force your child to eat, and don't make a big deal about new foods.

As your baby grows, they'll try to feed themselves. Chances are, a good bit of food is heading for their face, hands, hair, bib, clothes, or high chair tray -- not to mention you or any surfaces within flinging range. Learning to eat solid food is a full-body, tactile experience for your baby. Put a mat underneath their highchair to catch some of the mess, dress accordingly, and be patient -- this phase won't last forever.

Around 9 months or so, your baby will be able to pick up small pieces of soft table food to eat. You'll still need to spoon-feed for a while, and continue formula or breast milk. Some great "finger foods" include ripe banana pieces, cooked chunks of carrots, cottage cheese, well-cooked pasta, dry cereal, and scrambled eggs. Avoid choking hazards like hard candy, chips, raw vegetables, grapes or raisins, hard cheese, and whole hot dogs.

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REFERENCES:

American Academy of Pediatrics: "Parenting Corner Q&A: Starting Solid Foods," "How Do I Know if My Child is Eating Enough?" "Vitamin D Deficiency Clinical Report: Patient FAQs."
FDA: "Food Safety for Moms to Be: Once Baby Arrives," "When Should Solid Foods Be Added to a Baby's Diet?"
KidsHealth.org: "Finer Foods for Babies."

When Can My Baby Start Eating Solid Foods? (for Parents)

en español: ¿Cuándo puede empezar a comer alimentos sólidos mi bebé?

Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD

A friend just started giving her 3-month-old applesauce and rice cereal. My son is just 2 weeks younger than hers, and I am wondering if I should be introducing solids soon too. When should I start?
– Taylor

Doctors recommend waiting until a baby is about 6 months old to start solid foods. Starting before 4 months is not recommended.

At about 6 months, babies need the added nutrition — such as iron and zinc — that solid foods provide. It’s also the right time to introduce your infant to new tastes and textures.

Some babies may be ready for solids sooner than 6 months, but don't start until your baby is at least 4 months old.

How do you know it’s the right time to start solid foods? Here are some signs that babies are ready:

They have good head and neck control and sit up in a high chair.
They're interested in foods. For example, they may watch others eat, reach for food, and open their mouths when food approaches.
They don’t push food out of their mouths, which is a natural tongue reflex that disappears when they’re between 4–6 months old.
They weigh twice their birth weight, or close to it.

Talk to your doctor about the right time to start solid foods.

How Should I Start Solids?

When the time is right, you can start with a single-grain, iron-fortified baby cereal. Start with 1 or 2 tablespoons of cereal mixed with breast milk, formula, or water. Feed your baby with a small baby spoon. Don’t add cereal or other food to a baby's bottle because it can lead to too much weight gain. Let your baby practice eating from a spoon and learn to stop when full.

When your baby gets the hang of eating the first food, introduce others, such as puréed meat, fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, or yogurt. Try one food at a time and wait a few days before trying something else new to make sure your baby doesn't have an allergic reaction.

Foods that are more likely to cause allergies can be among the foods you introduce to your baby. These include peanuts, eggs, cow’s milk, seafood, nuts, wheat, and soy. Waiting to start these foods does not prevent food allergies. Talk to your doctor if you are concerned about food allergies, especially if any close family members have allergies, food allergies, or allergy-related conditions, like eczema or asthma.

Infants with severe eczema or egg allergies are more likely to have allergies to peanuts. Talk to your doctor about how and when to introduce these foods to your child.

When starting your baby on solids, avoid:

foods with added sugars and no-calorie sweeteners
high-sodium foods
honey, until after the first birthday. It can cause botulism in babies.
unpasteurized juice, milk, yogurt, or cheese
regular cow's milk or soy drinks before 12 months instead of breast milk or formula. It’s OK to offer pasteurized yogurt and cheese.
foods that may cause choking, such as hot dogs, raw carrots, grapes, popcorn, and nuts

Also, do not give fruit juices to infants younger than 12 months old.

Over the next few months, introduce a variety of foods from all the food groups. If your baby doesn't seem to like something, don’t give up. It can take 8 to 10 tries or more before babies learn to like new foods.

Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD

Date reviewed: February 2021

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Nutrition: why go into the jar? - April 4, 2012

Should you feed your baby commercial baby food or cook your own? When is it necessary to start accustoming a child to adult food and how to do it? These questions are of concern to many young mothers, not only when the time for the first feeding comes up, but also later, when the babies get older. We will try to understand some of the nuances of choosing industrial baby food and cooking food for babies at home.

The first question that mothers face when the need arises for the first feeding is to buy cereals and mashed potatoes in the store or cook them on their own. Of course, the main thing at the same time is the benefits of products for the baby. Manufacturers claim that commercially prepared, vitamin-enriched meals are better than home-cooked foods, and many pediatricians support them in this. But in the minds of most parents there is a stereotype: a jar is preservatives and a lot of different not very useful additives. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine how useful mashed potatoes can be, which is stored for two years, and even at a temperature of 25 degrees.

In fact, the long shelf life of baby food is ensured by sterilization and packaging features. With proper storage, they can be used without fear, but it’s often impossible to find out how and where the jars were stored before they hit the counter. Moreover, some unscrupulous sellers interrupt expiration dates in order to sell expired goods - such mashed potatoes or porridge will definitely not bring any benefit to the baby. It remains to hope for the decency of the seller or cook it yourself, so as not to expose the baby to unnecessary risk.

“Industrial nutrition for young children makes life very easy for the mother. Firstly, instant porridges, they only need to be diluted, and secondly, they are well homogenized and designed specifically for a small age. But from ten months, of course, it is advisable to include porridge in the child's diet in the traditional version in order to teach the baby to chew food, stimulate chewing, ”explains Tatiana Tabak, head of the department of gastroenterology of the Chelyabinsk children's hospital No. 9.

However, no one forbids mothers to cook porridge for a young baby on their own, especially since today there are so many helpers in the form of double boilers, blenders and other equipment in the home kitchen. The main condition is to observe the dosages to obtain porridge of the required consistency and rinse the cereal before sending it to the pan. Up to a year, it is better to offer the baby low-allergenic cereals - rice, buckwheat, corn.

But vegetable and fruit purees are preferable to store-bought ones, especially in winter and early spring, doctors say. “By using commercially produced purees to feed children, we can give the child a wide range of vegetables and fruits, especially at a time of the year when their supply is very scarce. You can offer the baby and parsnips, and green beans, and green peas. The only thing is that you need to choose these jars correctly, - warns Tatyana Alekseevna. – Industrial purees are prepared with different degrees of grinding for each age. Homogenized purees are designed for the age of four months, at six months the baby can already be offered pureed puree, and from ten months - chopped with small pieces of vegetables and fruits. In jars, which are recommended from ten months, there are already good pieces, which again teach the child to chew. Unfortunately, a mother often takes a jar, looks at the composition of the products, and if it is indicated that it is recommended for children from five months, she buys it for her older child. It is not right. Children need to take food that is appropriate for their age.”

“When we started complementary foods, I was in favor of jars. I have seen enough advertisements, beautiful pictures in fashionable children's magazines, - says mother one and a half year old Ilyusha Anna . - For a couple of weeks, I honestly tried to cram canned cauliflower, pumpkin, potatoes into my child. Writhed, spat out. I had already decided that my son did not like vegetables. But then I decided to buy the same products, only natural ones. And you know, gobbles up both cheeks! I buy frozen cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, beans. I froze pumpkin, zucchini. There are always potatoes, carrots, and buying them in winter is not a problem. He eats this with pleasure. And diversifying the menu, having different ingredients, is very easy. For lunch, for example, zucchini, broccoli and spinach with meat, and for an afternoon snack, pumpkin and apple. I cook all the vegetables in a double boiler, it turns out delicious.

If you wish, it is really easy to prepare a vegetable dinner for your baby. To do this, you need to choose beautiful fruits without spots and cracks and rinse thoroughly under running water without soap. It is better to cook them for a couple, since when cooking, many useful substances pass into water, or bake. In this case, the loss of vitamins will be minimal. It is also possible to use frozen products: all useful substances are perfectly preserved in them. The finished vegetable must be chopped with a blender or rubbed through a sieve. You should not chop the vegetables that you give your child for the first time with a fork or a crush: the child’s body, most likely, will not be able to digest such mashed potatoes. Nothing is usually added to the first purees, especially sugar and salt, but in some cases it is possible to bring the puree to the desired consistency with breast milk or formula. Later, you can add a little vegetable oil.

Babies under one year old can be introduced into the diet of zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, green beans, pumpkin, potatoes, carrots. Closer to the year - corn and peas. It must also be remembered that mashed potatoes, beloved in our country, are a rather heavy dish, so it is advisable to mix potatoes with other vegetables. And one more thing: it is not recommended to warm up homemade purees, it is better for the baby to receive them freshly prepared.

As for fruits, they start with apples and pears. They can be given fresh - first scraped, then cut into pieces, added to porridge. In the form of mashed potatoes and baked fruits, any kid will also like it. Compotes are very useful, but it is better to postpone acquaintance with freshly squeezed juice for up to a year and a half and give it only in a diluted form.

Another question that worries many parents is at what age should a child be transferred to regular food? “I'm already exhausted. Everything I cook in the steamer goes into the bucket! One and a half years and a full mouth of teeth - and eats only canned food. I tried to give food in pieces, and crushed in a blender, and just from my plate - my mouth was locked and hysterical. How much longer can you hold on the banks? - asks young mother Olga Li .

“Introduce ordinary food, but well pureed, preferably from a year old. Up to two years, only chopped food is recommended, Tatyana Tabak advises. - You can’t give a child meat in pieces - he simply won’t chew it. For this age, minced meat is used with three passes through a fine grate of a meat grinder. Soups are only pureed. From two years old, you can already have soups with small vegetables, salads from raw vegetables, beef tongue, cut into small strips. And acquaintance with minced meat and goulash is better to postpone until three years. Until the same age, it is not advisable for children to give fresh pastries, it is better to replace them with dry cookies, and up to a year - with children's cookies.

As for milk and dairy products, which are so necessary for a baby, up to three years of age, doctors recommend using milk formulas rather than whole milk, at least for city dwellers. For children under six months, the first formula is produced, with a low protein content, safe for the kidneys and liver of a small child, in the second and third formulas its content is higher. Why is it undesirable to use whole milk? In the milk in the package, we only know the content of fats, proteins and carbohydrates, and what other vitamins are in it, what the cow ate, where she lived - it is not clear, therefore there is a risk. Children's milk is filtered by proteins, fats, carbohydrates, 15 vitamins and several microelements are also introduced there - this is fortified milk, which is more useful only fresh milk. However, the townspeople do not have the opportunity to drink it, only pasteurized is available here, in which there are practically no vitamins left.

Cooking or buying canned food? Should I give my baby formula or whole milk? Transfer a child to an adult table from a year or from two years? Definitive answers to these questions will never be found. It all depends on the preferences of the baby, the capabilities of the parents and many more nuances. It is only important to remember that the sooner a child begins to get acquainted with a wide variety of foods, the easier it will be in the future to adapt to any situation, including gastronomic, and the more useful vitamins and minerals it will receive. His health directly depends on this.

Baby food - from a jar or do-it-yourself? Pros and cons

Complementary foods are solid foods for young children in addition to dairy products that they have received for several months as their sole source of nutrition.

— Polina Alexandrovna, why is the introduction of complementary foods called a transitional stage in a child's nutrition?

— The beginning of acquaintance with complementary foods does not mean the transition to an adult diet. The first or second complementary foods are important so that the child adapts and is psychologically ready to eat adult food, and his digestive organs are tuned to work properly. Therefore, complementary foods are considered a transitional stage from milk nutrition to nutrition at a common table.

- Does the composition of the canned zucchini or apple puree for babies differ from the homemade version?

- Factory nutrition may vary depending on the raw materials that the manufacturer uses in a particular puree. Therefore, it is impossible to say that all such food is the same. For example, zucchini puree may contain rice flour so that its consistency is more correct in the opinion of the manufacturer. Mom decides what to put in, and in the same way she can add rice flour. An industrial puree that is suitable for a child and meets the requirements of parents may be identical in composition to homemade puree.

— There is a lot of speculation about baby food in jars. What are the most common parenting misconceptions?

- The most common myth is "canned mashed potatoes don't taste good and kids don't eat them well. " In fact, most babies enjoy eating factory-made purees without experiencing any problems.

There are concerns that baby puree is “wrong” or does not meet nutritional requirements. The manufacturer is required by law to list all the ingredients of the product. For example, mashed potatoes may contain rice flour that is not always healthy, especially if vegetables are introduced to the child in order to avoid constipation. What kind of food is more useful for the baby, whether to buy just such a puree or look for another in composition - the parents decide together with the doctor. Therefore, it is wrong to equate all manufacturers and their products.

Baby food in a jar or homemade puree - which is right for the baby? Pros and cons of

— How long can I feed my baby bottled baby food?

- You can feed your baby as much as you like, there is no strict age limit. But baby needs to be introduced to the different textures and flavors of . The need for canned food usually disappears when the baby moves to a common table with a diet familiar to the whole family. During this period, puree from a jar, especially tasty and sweet fruit varieties, often becomes a safe treat for grown-up babies.

— In which cases canned baby puree is contraindicated?

- There are no diseases in which canned puree is contraindicated. But for some diseases, the presence of a particular product in baby food is undesirable. Factory puree is different in composition. Parents can choose purees without ingredients that are not suitable for the baby or should be limited in his diet, and continue to feed the canned product without problems.

— How to choose baby food in a jar that is healthy for a child?

- First of all, you need to read the full composition of the product on the back, because some ingredients are not indicated on the front label of the jar. It is important to pay attention to the expiration date of the food, the reputation of the manufacturer. All components of the puree must correspond to the age and condition of the child, his individual characteristics.

For example:

the first puree must not contain rice flour;
Do not give strawberry puree to a child at four months;
cereals are excluded from the diet of children with celiac disease (gluten intolerance);
An older baby should be offered puree with chunks.

MAMAKO

^® fruit puree with goat curd pleases the baby with a delicate taste, and the mother with a simple and understandable composition! The plant, which produces MAMAKO ^® fruit puree with goat curd, has successfully passed an international audit and received a TUV certificate, which confirms the quality and safety of products.

What mistakes do parents make when preparing mashed potatoes for feeding with their own hands

- Sometimes parents cook the wrong way - sometimes they overcook vegetables, and also make the puree too thin or thick. I hope that no one will fry food for their young children instead of boiling or steaming. Sometimes parents put spices and salt in baby puree, which is also not worth doing. The child should initially get acquainted with pure tastes, and extraneous additives are useless.

In addition, mothers need to be guided by foods that are appropriate for the age of the child, do not cause allergies and are not difficult for him, and also be guided by what the family eats. If parents give the baby something that they themselves do not eat, then when switching to an adult table, he may refuse the usual family food, he will have to cook it separately. This will be a big problem.

- The child refuses the food prepared by the mother and does not eat anything. What to do in such a situation?

— The same food or dish can be offered to the child during the week. Food selectivity in children often depends on taste sensations, but a child may refuse to eat for other reasons, for example, when he is not hungry or would like to play instead of dinner. If during the week the child does not perceive the product that the mother offers, perhaps he still does not like it. In this case, the same product can be tried in the form of canned nutrition . Often, kids really refuse homemade puree, preferring the factory version. Again, mom can cook another product and give, for example, broccoli instead of zucchini, which the child will appreciate.

Fruit baby puree MAMAKO ^® contains 20% goat curd. This food option is convenient at the stage of introducing children not only to fruits, but also to dairy products. It is the little ones who eat sweet, tasty foods well during the first feeding period and even when they get older - for dessert.

- Are the recipes for complementary foods from 6 months and those for 10 months different?

- For toddlers, there are no recipes or complex meals, because it is a simple food for discovering pure tastes without salt and spices, gradually getting used to the texture of the products. In the preparation of the first children's dishes, you can vary the combination of vegetables, focusing on the taste of the baby.

Recipes appear from the age of two or three with a full transition to the common table, when family preferences become more important. Of course, the baby needs to be introduced to products that are not consumed in the family, because there is a kindergarten and a school ahead. However, the basis of his diet should be food from the general household table . In addition, parents should be careful in cooking: do not overcook foods, do not add artificial ingredients, properly cool food so that homemade vegetable or fruit puree for the first feeding is healthy and safe for the baby.

- Is it possible to combine canned and homemade food and in what proportions?

— There are no strict rules: what is convenient for the family is chosen. For example, it is difficult to make meat puree at home, so sometimes parents add industrial meat supplements to homemade vegetable puree.

There is also no clear gradation in the percentage of different food options. In one plate, you can mix what you have prepared yourself with what you bought in the store. But at home it is not always possible to achieve the desired combinations and prepare, for example, a combined product that includes a variety of fruits and cottage cheese.

Choose a way of eating that is comfortable for your family. It is easier for someone to cook for their child on their own, for someone it is easier to buy ready-made mashed potatoes. Pediatricians often recommend mashed vegetables or fruits of industrial production, because when it is used for a child, the risk of undesirable consequences is much less.