Baby Food Stages

T.,

Everyone will give you different advice. As a mom to 3 boys it was different for each of my 3. Here is on average what happened for my 3 boys. From 6-8 months stage 1, from 8-10 months stage 2, from 10-12 months stage 3 and so on. However, with one of my boys it was a little longer on each of the stages. I would recommend speaking with your pediatrician. I would even say that it also depends on your little ones appetite.

Good luck.

S.
SAHM of 3 boys

Hi T.!
1st foods are very pureed. No grains or grits about them. You are going to use 2 things to decide when to move up to 2nd stage then 3rd. The first thing is your mommy instinct. If you see that your munchkin has mastered his way with carrots and peas and pears and so on, then simply move on to the next phase. The second thing is whether or not he MAY go on to different foods, I am going to refer you to www.wholesomebabyfood.com I love this website, have a look, it will tell guide you and let you know at what month a baby may be introduced to certain fruits or vegetables, etc...
good luck, and know that you are doing a great job!

There really is not a difference between Stage 1 & 2 foods except the size of the container...so it's a better buy to get the stage 2 once you know the baby doesn't react to that food. Stage 3 is a bit tricky and I would definitely talk with your Pediatrician as I have heard conflicting stories about how the lumps in the food make the transition to table foods more difficult. Beechnut.com has a wonderful feeding chart/schedule with sample menus to help you see how much and at what age you should be feeding your baby...Good luck...wait till you see how it all digests :)

Stage i baby foods should be given until your pediatrician
dictates otherwise, do not rush into stage two as most little ones are just learning how to swollow a bolus of food.
(Bolus)= spoonful- it takes them time to push the tongue frward and backward to swollow. When they havemastered the art of swollowing the bolus with ease, then you can progress to the stage two,which is chunkier and not smooth(puree)foods.

a retired ped nurse.

You are to cute dont worry you will know when its time.But by now the baby should be in stage two one of food and one of fruit unless the baby is really hungry then you can give two fruit.When he starts to get more teeth then you can go to stage three.My 16 month old still eats stage two and stage three I mix it up for her so she does'nt get bored.She also eats everything and anything we give her.Good Luck to you. :)

I made a lot of my own babyfood- steamed/poached fruits & veggies & then added the water from the pot to them to get to a good cinsistncy- it is a lot of trial & error to see what baby likes. both babies could handle very thick pureees from very early on.

stage 3 confuses a lot of babies bcse it's a mixture of smooth & lumpy. some peds say to not even bother & just go to table food at that point.
I am one for starting table food as early as baby wants & can (just meaning steamed/baked chunks of simple things like squash, sweet potatoes, ripe banana chunks, etc)

enjoy this time!

Try Gerber's website. I am new Mom to 4 mnth old baby girl. There is not a big difference in stage 1 and 2...
I am starting food this week and I got some stage 1 and some stage 2. I would also consult your Doctor because maybe weight depends on it too.

Hi T.... I have an almost three year old so it's been a couple of years since baby food, LOL. But if my memory is intact I think I did stage one for about a month or so (6-7 months old) then stage 2 for a couple of months (7 - 9 months) and then stage 3 until he was about a year old, and then switched to some of the table time dinners. Throughout this all we would also just smash up bits of whatever was on our plates... minus salts and seasonings. Like if we had sweet potatoes or something easy to mush. With that said I think each child is different... I used to babysit a one year old boy and he gagged on anything chunky at all. So you just have to go with your gut feeling sometimes. But hopefully the age ranges will help.

T.,

I never gave my children food from a jar. I fed them whatever we were eating but ground up in a food mill. The "first" foods I introduced were baby cereal, pureed carrots, pureed butternut squash, pureed sweet potatoes. By the time my babies were 6 months, whatever I was serving for a meal, went straight to the food mill. The purpose of the "stages" you are referring to on the jars is how thick or thin the foods are. Let your baby be your guide...if he takes thin food really well, make it a bit thicker. If he refuses it or gags then you know he is not ready for thicker foods. Personally, I would ditch the baby foods and start feeding your little one whatever you are eating. It's easier...and cheaper for you in the long run. What I did was prepare a large batch by steaming the veggies, pureeing them (in blender or food processor) and freeze them in ice cube trays. I defrosted what I needed and didn't wasted much. I hope I have helped and my suggestions are just suggestions. Every mom must do what she feels is right for her and her baby. Good luck. Feeding is so much fun at this age.

Xme, my engl.leng. I speak few. I,m M. and mother of 3;
21, 16 and 13. I remember that you may let 2-3 months between every stage. But may be less time, all depend how your baby asimile the food of current stage. I wish you that all will be good with Niky. God bless you!.

If you are using Gerber, go to their website. They have suggestions on when to switch stages as well as suggested menus. Also, ask your pediatrician.

Hi,
I also have a six month old and I'm a new mom. Her name is Aaliyah. At this point I'm giving her Gerber baby foods Stage 1. My plan for her is when she reaches 9 months I will start giving her Stage 2 and then at 12 months (1 year) I will start her on Stage 3. I hope this relieves yu and how to go about with this situation.

What I recall our Ped saying was to start with stage 1 at 6 months. Then try a new flavor every 2-3 days. He was cautious about introducing too many new things at once in case our daughter was allergic to anything. This way , we could identify her allergy. He then said to switch to stage 2 once you tried all the stage 1's. Then a similar practice for the stage 2 and 3. For example, dont introduce pears + strawberries until you know they are not allergice to pears alone or strawberries alone. Make sense?

hi T.,
for my son it was 4-6 months stage 1 then 6-8M stage 2 and then from 8-11 months stage 3...by age 12M(1 year old) he was eating the toddler graduate meals.
he always has had a very good appetite.
try the next stage and see if he likes it and is ok with the texture and thickness of it.
its a lot of trial and error! :-)
D.