When do babies start eating 2nd foods

What It Is, When to Start, and Options to Try

Accompanying your child through the different stages of learning how to eat real food is an exciting journey. Sometimes, along with the sense of pride — Look, they polished off the whole jar! — you can feel a little confused. How are you supposed to navigate the milestones?

Let’s start at the beginning: What do the stages of baby food mean, anyway?

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your baby’s digestive system won’t make the leap from liquid to solid in one day either. That’s what the stages of baby food are for — to help your baby manage the mechanics of eating and to make the transition easier on your baby’s digestive system.

Defining the stages across the brands

While the different stages of baby food aren’t standardized (it would make your life easier if they were!), most popular brands more-or-less follow these four stages:

Stage 1: 4 to 6 months (watery puree of a single ingredient)
Stage 2: 6 to 9 months (thicker texture that is strained or mashed)
Stage 3: 10 to 12 months (mush that has soft, chewable, small chunks)
Stage 4: After 12 months (finger foods and small, soft pieces of foods you share from your own supper)

What is the difference between stage 1 and stage 2 food?

Stage 1 foods are pretty watery. They’re pureed into a smooth paste that can drip off a spoon easily, so stock up on your bibs. These foods are usually made of a single ingredient: oatmeal cereal, apple, carrots. Your baby will start off eating about half a teaspoon of this.

Stage 2 foods get more exciting. These are strained or mashed into a dense paste. They’re made with a combination of foods that can include legumes and even meats or fish. They may combine flavors, like fruit and veggie blends. Your baby’s appetite is growing and you’ll have to keep pace with bigger portions.

At around 6 to 9 months, your baby is probably ready to move on to stage 2 foods. Not every baby will stick to this schedule simply because every child is a world to their own.

Here are some signs that your child is ready to move on:

Tongue reflex: At around five months, your child will start losing their tongue thrust reflex and won’t immediately push out the food that you try to feed them.
More please: They’ll easily polish off the stage 1 foods and look hungry for more.
Variety: They’ll have eaten foods from all the food categories (vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, meat) and shown no allergy or intolerance.
Enjoyment: They’re managing spoonfuls of stage 1 foods easily, mouthing and swallowing happily.

At this exciting stage, feel free to give your baby most types of foods. By offering them a wide range of tastes and textures, you’re giving them a foundation for healthy eating habits — as well as making it easier for yourself. Keep in mind the following safety points:

Choking hazards: Avoid nuts, seeds, and popcorn at this stage. And make sure to slice round foods like grapes and hot dogs lengthwise.
No honey: Children younger than 12 months should not be given honey because it could lead to a botulism infection.
No juice: Follow AAP guidelines and stick with breast milk, formula or a little water and steer clear of juices.
Safe feeding: Always strap your child into their high chair and keep an eye on them while they’re eating.

And if you’re wondering about peanuts, here’s the scoop: A 2017 release from the National Institutes of Health suggests exposing children to peanut-containing foods as early as 4 months old. (Wait till 6 months for children with mild or moderate eczema.)

Surprised? Don’t be. A recent study suggested that Israeli kids rarely suffer from peanut allergies because they’re munching on Bamba, a peanut-based snack, from as early as 3 months. Talk to your doctor about suggested safe ways to incorporate peanut products into your little one’s diet.

What’s on the menu for stage 2 baby foods? Basically, you can go the store-bought or the homemade route. Or you can mix both depending on how much time you have. It’s up to you and your personal schedule.

Here are tasty ideas for both options.

Store-bought stage 2 baby food

Plum: These organic blends come in easy-to-transport pouches. Try pear, spinach, and pea, or banana and pumpkin.
Beech-Nut: Options are available in jars and pouches. Serve up some apples and bananas or pineapple, pear, and avocado.
Earth’s Best: Another organic option, in pouches or jars. Try sweet potato, barley, and garbanzo or pasta with tomato and white bean.
Gerber: A classic, whether served up from plastic tubs, jars, or pouches. Flavor combinations include peach mango and oatmeal or chicken noodle dinner.

Remember to monitor your little one while they’re eating. Pouches are handy, but the caps can be a choking hazard. Glass jars are at risk of breaking, so keep them out of baby’s reach. Your baby should always enjoy snacks and meals with attentive adult supervision.

Homemade stage 2 baby food

Cooking up a storm for your baby’s budding taste buds at this stage doesn’t have to be challenging. Here are a few recipes to get you going. (You can find even more baby food recipes here. )

Don’t shy away from spices and herbs: your baby will appreciate the added flavor, and the micronutrients in them will give their immune system a boost.

Apple, butternut, and carrot: Boil the ingredients until they test soft with a fork. Drain some of the water, but set it aside in case you need to thin the mixture. Sprinkle in a little curry and blend.
Blueberries and chickpeas: You can cook up your own chickpeas or use a prepared version to save time. Mix equal amounts of blueberries and chickpeas. Blend and add breastmilk, formula, or water to get the right consistency. You can also add in some rice for extra oomph and texture.
Salmon with roasted zucchini and fennel: Spray the salmon and vegetables with oil and broil for about 15 minutes. Add chopped parsley and blend. You can thin the mixture with breastmilk, formula, or water.

Enjoy this stage with your baby because it won’t be long before they move on to the next stages. And then, sooner than you think, you may be facing competition for that last slice of caramel-topped cheesecake.

When is a child ready to try a bit more texture?

Once your baby has mastered the art of slurping down smooth purees, it may be time to expand their culinary horizons with Stage 2 baby food. Your little gourmand isn’t quite ready to dine on a plate of spaghetti and meatballs just yet, but Stage 2 foods will give them the opportunity to sample new tastes, as well as consistencies.

Think your baby is ready to graduate onto the next stage of baby food? Here, parents and experts weigh in on Stage 2 baby food. Bon appetit!

What is Stage 2 baby food?

While the jarred Stage 2 baby food you find at the store is typically combinations of food (“sweet potato and chicken dinner”), it’s important to keep in mind this stage is more about the consistency of the food.

“While Stage 1 baby food is completely pureed, Stage 2 baby food has a bit more texture to it,” says Dr. Zulma Laracuente, a pediatrician in Alexandria, Louisiana. “The concept behind slowly transitioning baby from purees to thicker solids is to get them used to chewing and swallowing.”

Of course, every child develops at their own individual pace, so check with your child’s doctor for baby food recommendations during the first 12 months.

When to start Stage 2 baby food

The Stage 2 baby food age may vary based on when your infant started eating Stage 1 foods. The general age recommendation for Stage 1 baby food is between 4 and 6 months, so taking into consideration how long — and how well — your child has been eating these foods will help you determine if they’re ready to move up. According to Laracuente, babies are usually ready for Stage 2 between 6 and 8 months old — but make sure your little one has honed their Stage 1 skills before making the leap.

“Once your baby has done well with Stage 1 solids and has tried multiple foods, it is safe to advance to Stage 2 baby food,” says Dr. Melanie Custer, a pediatrician at at West Bend Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. “These foods usually have multiple ingredients, including some spices and are thicker in consistency.”

“These foods usually have multiple ingredients, including some spices and are thicker in consistency.”
DR. MELANIE CUSTER, PEDIATRICIAN

Signs baby is ready to start Stage 2 food

How do you know if your baby is nailing it with their Stage 1 foods and ready for the next step? Simply put, they’re eating and swallowing.

“As your baby’s oral skills develop and improve, you can move on to Stage 2 foods, which are purees with small chunks and texture,” says Jenifer Thompson, R.D., an advanced practice dietician at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.

Thompson says in order to move on to Stage 2 foods, babies should be consistently taking the spoon in their mouth when you offer it to them, without spitting or pushing it back out.

“Once my baby was no longer grimacing or letting his food dribble onto his chin, I knew we were ready to move onto Stage 2 foods,” says mom of two Darcy McConnell of Garwood, New Jersey. “I actually have no idea how old he was when we made the switch since I based it off of how well he was eating!”

What Stage 2 baby foods to start with

It’s important to expose your child to a number of foods, most of which are safe at this point.

“By the time they are 7 to 8 months, babies should be eating a variety of foods from different food groups, including cereals, meat and other proteins, yogurt, cheese, vegetables and fruits,” says Thompson.

“Most foods can be prepared for any stage, so long as they’re texturally age-appropriate,” says Dr. Kristen Treegoob, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “When we think of Stage 2 baby food, we’re thinking of thicker purees with some mashable bits.”

Experts advise introducing as many different foods as possible during this stage of food development so your baby gets accustomed to them.

“While bananas, applesauce and peaches are good options and most babies like them, as they are naturally sweet, it is also important to try other foods that aren’t as common and popular, such as beets, rhubarb and asparagus, so they develop a taste for them,” says Custer.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) no longer recommends delaying the introduction of allergenic foods, particularly peanuts. While it was once advised to wait until your baby was at least 10 months to introduce peanut-containing foods, the AAP now recommends giving babies with no known egg allergy or eczema, infant-safe forms of peanut between 4 to 6 months old. Babies with mild eczema should wait until at least 6 months, and for babies with severe eczema, speak to their doctor before giving them peanut-containing foods. (To find out if your baby has an egg allergy, they must be tested by their pediatrician.)

Which foods to avoid during Stage 2

Even though your little one is venturing into new food texture territory with Stage 2, you should still avoid giving them chunks and small pieces of food, which can pose a serious risk. (Food may be thicker at Stage 2, but it’s still all about the purees and mashes at this point.)

“Infants may have any food that is texture-appropriate for their developmental feeding stage, but it’s important to stay away from choking hazards, such as whole grapes, nuts and seeds,” says Treegoob.

“Infants may have any food that is texture-appropriate for their developmental feeding stage, but it’s important to stay away from choking hazards, such as whole grapes, nuts and seeds.”
DR. KRISTEN TREEGOOB, PEDIATRICIAN

Also, avoid giving your baby honey — raw or cooked — before the age of 12 months, as it may cause a botulism infection.

And finally, when it comes to your baby’s beverage, steer clear of juice. The AAP recommends parents eschew juice, which has “no nutritional benefits over whole fruit,” until at least 1. “At this point, it’s best to stick with breast milk, formula or the odd bit of water (1 to 2 ounces a day), which is mainly for introducing your baby to the skill of using a sippy cup,” says Thompson.

How to start Stage 2 foods safely

Baby should be sitting in a highchair when eating and never left alone. You’ll still be spooning food into your baby’s mouth at this point, but don’t be afraid to let your little one take a whirl at self-feeding in order to get in some practice using utensils.

“At around 9 months, we started letting our son try his hand at feeding himself in his highchair,” says mom of two Erin Henderson, of Waltham, Massachusetts. “It was a mess, but he obviously enjoyed the learning experience.”

Also, during the latter half of your baby’s Stage 2 stint, they may learn how to grab things with their thumb and forefinger and bring them to their mouth.

“Between 8 and 12 months, babies develop the pincer grasp ability and should be able to pick up small pieces of finger food, such as Cheerios or puffs,” says Thompson.

As your baby grows and hones their eating skills, they’ll cut down a bit on how much breast milk or formula they drink — but keep in mind, that should still be their primary source of nutrients.

“Most infants will naturally start to moderate their breast milk or formula intake once their solid intake increases,” says Treegoob. “Solid food may start to account for a significant source of nutritional intake closer to 7 to 9 months. At this time, parents may notice that their baby shows interest in smaller or less frequent bottle or breastfeeds. As long as their weight remains on track and baby is drinking enough milk to stay well-hydrated, there should be no need for concern. Infants typically take somewhere between 24 to 40 ounces of breast milk or formula between 4 to 6 months and 24 to 32 ounces from 6 to 9 months.”

According to the AAP, babies should be eating about 4 ounces of solids (about one small jar of baby food) at each of their meals. And if you’re wondering how long baby food lasts, experts typically recommend 24-48 hours in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.

Lastly, bear in mind that if at first you don’t succeed with a food, try, try again.

“At this age, if babies grimace when taking a bite or shake themselves, it is most often because of a texture issue, not the actual taste,” says Custer. “It is important to keep introducing these foods as it may take a baby up to 15 times to get used to a texture before you can say for sure he/she doesn’t like it. ”

Ready for the next stage?

Stage 3 baby food

What time do children start eating on their own?

Many mothers and fathers are often interested in: what time do children start eating on their own? There is no single answer to this question, everyone is individual. But it is important for parents to know: how to discern the first impulses for independence in time, at what age you can give your baby a spoon, how to teach him to eat without outside help, and what accessories will help the baby master this difficult science.

What time do children start eating by themselves with a spoon?

It depends on the character and development of the child, as well as on his parents. Some children already in the year flatly refuse to be fed with a spoon. But there are those who start eating on their own only at the age of 3, when they come to kindergarten (in a team, children involuntarily imitate others and the learning process goes faster). In large families, children learn self-service skills at an earlier age.

But overprotection hinders the development of the baby. If an overly caring mother tries to do everything for the child, then he will not strive to eat himself, even if he can do it. If parents are too much in favor of accuracy, and porridge smeared on the table causes them stress, then the learning process can slow down. After all, the baby feels the mood of adults, and prefers not to experiment at the table. The lack of independence can also be associated with an unwillingness to grow up. For example, another baby has appeared in the family, and the child, feeling that they are paying less attention to him, tries to “stay small”, wants his mother to take him in her arms more often, feed him from a spoon, etc.

From the age of 7 months a child usually learns to pick up and hold objects between thumb and forefinger, such as a dryer or a piece of bread. The child can be offered a spoon when he is already receiving complementary foods and sits well in the highchair. At first, the baby will only try to take the spoon in his hands and play with it, but later he will try to use it for its intended purpose. For drinking to a baby up to a year, a drinking mug is convenient.

At 12 months the child still does not hold the spoon correctly, but he knows how to bring it to his mouth, and part of the contents can reach the goal. Closer to two years, coordination improves significantly, the baby is capable of more precise movements and misses less and less. The kid can already hold a regular mug, but only with two hands.

From the age of 2 years a child can eat by himself with a spoon, although he does not always do it sloppy. He already holds a mug with one hand and knows how to use a fork.

From the age of 3 the baby becomes more dexterous and accurate, his fingers are getting stronger, and his movements are more confident. It is quite possible to give him a non-sharp children's knife, having previously shown how to use it.

Accessories to help children learn to eat on their own

Buy a baby plate with a suction cup so that the dishes do not “run away” from the child. It’s good if the child’s favorite character is drawn at the bottom of the plate. To see the picture, the baby will try quickly and eat all the food to the end.

The non-spill cup is the best option when switching to adult dishes. Choose a model with two handles, it is more convenient for your baby to hold. An additional advantage is the presence of a rubber stand, which gives the cup stability.

A special anatomically shaped spoon with a rounded non-slip handle and a curved fork with rounded teeth are best suited for babies up to a year old.

Paper napkins or towels should always be at hand. This teaches you to be careful, helps to avoid the temptation to wipe your hands on clothes.

It's good if a grown child eats at a common table. He will be able to watch adults, copy their actions. To do this, the baby will need a special chair that can be attached to a large table (for example, high chairs from IKEA, “growing” Stokke Tripp Trapp, Kotokota, KidFix, etc.)

Buy your baby a soft silicone bib, oilcloth or apron. This will help parents save their nerves and spend less time on laundry and cleaning.

How to teach a baby to eat without the help of adults?

If, during feeding, the baby tries to take away the mother's spoon and tries to eat by himself, then “the time has come”. Use this moment!

At first, it is difficult for the baby to eat liquid food on his own, such as soup. And he probably wants to take pieces of fruit or pasta with his hands. Therefore, the ideal food for the first workouts is porridge or vegetables, which must first be kneaded with a fork.

The game will be a good help in learning. You can train the skill in the sandbox. Help the baby to scoop up the sand with a spatula, carefully pour it into the mold, make a cake. Buy a set of toy dishes, let the child feed dolls and teddy bears with a small spoon. This improves coordination, develops fine motor skills and will help him handle real cutlery.

At the beginning of training, one spoon should be in the hands of the mother, and the second - in the child. She feeds the baby, and the baby is only trying to collect food himself and send it to her mouth. Thus, the baby will not remain hungry and at the same time will gradually improve his skills.

Support the child at this stage of growing up, do not scold for mistakes and praise for successes. The main thing is patience and confidence that everything will work out.

What should I do if my child refuses to eat from a spoon? Doctor Komarovsky tells

How to teach a child to eat with a spoon on his own? Mom's Experience

Table Etiquette for the Littlest Ones

How Montessori Educators Help Toddlers

Learn Keep Spoom

Tatyana Petulko

Twit

Set

We are in social networks

90,000 introduction of completeness: when, in what order is

new products give new products new products give. the baby needs micronutrients, develops healthy eating habits and strengthens the immune system

In the first six months of life, the baby's nutritional requirements gradually increase, and breast milk or formula is not enough. How to introduce new foods into the baby's diet? Where to start? Questions are answered by specialists from the National Medical Research Center for Children's Health of the Russian Ministry of Health.

The nutrition of an infant should provide for its age-related needs for healthy food and energy, normal growth and development. Indicators of proper nutrition and signs of well-being will be the well-being and mood of the child, long and restful sleep, and, of course, weight gain and growth in accordance with age.

When and why to introduce complementary foods

According to modern scientific research, the optimal interval for introducing complementary foods (the so-called “critical window”) is between 4 and 6 months. The beginning of the introduction of new products during this period reduces the risk of undernutrition or overnutrition, anemia, and allows the child to be provided with all the necessary nutrients in a timely manner.

Before 4 months, the baby is not yet ready to digest food other than human milk or infant formula. And at 4 months, the child's gastrointestinal tract becomes more mature: the activity of digestive enzymes increases, the immunity of the intestinal mucosa is formed, and the risk of developing allergic reactions is significantly reduced. The child is already able to swallow thicker food, the "spoon ejection reflex" fades away.

The introduction of complementary foods later, in the second half of the first year of life, has undesirable consequences: there is a deficiency of nutrients, and primarily micronutrients (iron, zinc and others), children often refuse the offered products, there may be a delay in the formation of chewing and swallowing skills thick food.

In this case, it becomes necessary to quickly add a variety of products to the diet, which leads to an increased load on the immune system, and often to the development of allergic reactions.

By the age of 5 months, the child's body is already deficient in iron. The reserves of iron accumulated by the time of birth are already exhausted, and its content in breast milk is low, therefore, with breastfeeding, deficiency develops more often than with artificial. This is one of the main reasons for prescribing complementary foods.

The timing of the start of the introduction of complementary foods and the sequence of use of different products are individual. It is important to take into account the developmental features of the child, his weight and height, as well as readiness to perceive new food.

Where to start

Porridge or vegetables - why not juices?

When you decide to introduce your baby to a new product, choose between vegetable puree and porridge. The appointment of fruit juices at the beginning of complementary foods, so familiar to parents and especially grandmothers, is already an outdated rule. The nutritional value of juices is low, their early introduction often leads to functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, allergic reactions.

But the main result of acquaintance with juices is the habit of sweet taste, after which children more often refuse vegetables.

If the child is healthy, his weight and height are normal or exceed them, preference should be given to vegetable puree. With a tendency to constipation, puree should also be introduced first.

In case of insufficient weight gain, increased risk of iron deficiency conditions, frequent stools, it is better to introduce commercially produced cereals enriched with minerals, including iron and vitamins, as the first complementary food. Next, enter the vegetable puree.

It is better to start complementary foods with puree from one type of vegetable or dairy-free commercially produced cereals (rice, buckwheat or corn), which can be diluted with breast milk or infant milk or medicinal formula that the child eats. In the future, you can offer your baby oatmeal, barley, wheat porridge, as well as porridge from a mixture of cereals.

Vegetables should be alternated and combined

Vegetable oil can be added to vegetable puree, butter can be added to porridge. At 6 months, a child can already eat several types of vegetables and cereals. After porridge, which has a sweetish taste, children often do not eat vegetables well. But even with the introduction of vegetables as the first complementary food, babies often refuse them. Vegetable complementary foods are recommended to start with mashed broccoli or cauliflower. They are better accepted by children if they are introduced first. Gradually, other types of vegetables are added, such as zucchini, pumpkin, potatoes, carrots, which are more popular with children.

Simultaneous intake of three types of vegetables is preferred. Every 2-3 weeks, you can replace them with new types of vegetables. It is important to encourage your child to try new foods on a regular basis, but not to push too hard: it can take up to 10-15 days for a new taste to “accept”.

One should not be led by children's whims. The initial rejection of an unfamiliar dish is a common occurrence. The product must be re-offered at the beginning of feeding, several times a day can be, and often a successful subsequent introduction follows the first refusal.

The child's behavior and the formation of a healthy diet depend on how calm and consistent the parents are during feeding. The more different vegetables you manage to introduce into the menu of a child up to a year old, the more varied and correct his diet will be at school age.

Meat dishes are obligatory

Iron enters our body in two forms: as heme iron with animal products and as non-heme iron with greens, cereals, vegetables and fruits. Due to its chemical characteristics, heme iron is better absorbed; for an infant, the only source of such iron is mashed meat. It is important to introduce it into the child's diet at 6 months and gradually increase the amount of the product (see table). You can use meat puree in two versions: jars of industrial production and home-cooked.

To prepare meat puree, boiled meat must be diluted with warm boiled or baby water (but not broth!) in a ratio of 1:1. The same ratio is used in the production of canned meat for children (100 g of meat puree contains about 50% of raw meat). When introducing complementary foods, it is important to use canned meat, and not meat-vegetable, and even more so not vegetable-meat: the meat content in them ranges from 7 to 20%.

From 7 months, the baby can be given yolk, and from 8 months - fish puree (2 times a week instead of a meat dish).

Fruit in last place

It makes sense to introduce fruit puree in the first six months of life with constipation (when the introduction of vegetable puree with vegetable oil did not give the desired effect), as well as for children with malnutrition and reduced appetite (add it to cereals to improve taste ). At the same time, fruit puree should not be the first complementary food product. It is considered optimal to prescribe it in the second six months of a child's life, after the introduction of mashed meat.

Basic rules for the introduction of complementary foods

The introduction of each new product is started with a small amount, gradually (over 5-7 days) is increased to the volume recommended for a given age, while carefully monitoring its tolerance.
A new food (meal) should be given in the morning so as not to miss a possible reaction. Do not introduce new products in the evening and before bedtime, this will make it difficult to assess their tolerance, and may disrupt your sleep and the sleep of your child.
It is advisable to keep a "food diary" where to note all the foods that the child ate during the day, and their tolerance. This will allow you to make a diet of foods that the baby tolerates well.
Porridges, vegetable and fruit purees should be introduced starting with one type of cereal, vegetables, fruits, gradually expanding the menu with other products of this group.
Complementary foods are given by spoon before breastfeeding (or infant formula).
New products are not introduced during acute infectious diseases, before and after preventive vaccinations (within 3-5 days).
At the age of 9-10 months, homogenized and pureed products should be gradually replaced with finely ground products.

It is important to introduce complementary foods while continuing to breastfeed. To maintain lactation during the period of introducing complementary foods, it is necessary to put the baby to the breast after each feeding.

When feeding a child, it is good to use industrially produced complementary foods and dishes, which are made from high quality raw materials. They meet strict hygienic requirements, have a guaranteed chemical composition, including vitamins, regardless of the season and the required degree of grinding.

In addition, modern industrial complementary foods are enriched with biologically active components: vitamins, minerals, pre- and probiotics, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3), which positively affects the health of the child.