Stage 2 Foods--did I Start Them Too Quick?

My pedi started my son on cereals AND stage 1 baby foods at 4 months. I'm guessing he'll also be at stage 2 foods by 8 months if not sooner. The important part of stage 1 foods is to introduce new things individually, so if there is a reaction to the food, you can easily detect what the reaction is to.

According to the Gerber website, once your child eats easily from a spoon and has enjoyed the different flavors of stage 1 it can be time to start stage 2 foods. There is no mention of an age. So as long as she's not choking, and there isn't any reactions to the foods, I think she should be fine.

But if you are concerned, it wouldn't hurt to call your pedi just to make sure.

I think you are doing fine. Stage 1 and stage 2 foods are EXACTLY the same except that they add more water to Stage 1.

As long as her BMs aren't difficult or hard, then going every other day is considered normal.

Don't decrease the formula, keep those bottles coming to make sure she is getting enough calories.

Good luck!

every baby is different and it sounds like you are doing great with her! keep it up! yes, i agree that formula/breastmilk is their main form of nutrition until a year, but my kids took to baby food like crazy too!

I have 2 kids and take care of others. I started feeding my kids table food at around 8mo. So yes you are fine to give your baby 2nd stage food. I would actually be giving her the whole jar and not just bites. By 9mo she can move up to the size 3 jar. It's realy not that much food. Just wait a little while before giving her the next bottle. You will get into a routine. My children are very good eaters--not picky at all, not over weight, just healthy kids. I started both on cereal at 4mo and quickly moved through each of the veggies and fruits. By 5 1/2mo they were on 2nds by 7mo they started 3rds and then by 8mo it was off and on table food. (green beans, peas, noodles, potatoes, sliced ham or turkey...) It may slow down while teething which is very normal for just about any child.

I just read over your message again to make sure I covered everything. I would be more conserned about her weight. 12bls at 6mo is a little low. Mine were both 8 bls at birth so definatly onthe higher end. I would consult your pedi. You may not be giving her enough solids.

As long as she is healthy, gaining weight and going in her diaper regularly, then it sounds like she is doing fine on #2's. I've heard not to feed meats too early, but I'm not sure of the reason. Maybe you could call your pedi just to make sure meats are ok at this age.

The primary source of nutrition for a child up until age 1 should be breastmilk or formula. Giving solids at this age is just to get them used to eating solids. Given her slow weight gain, I would be somewhat concerned, unless this is the norm for your family. The less frequent bowel movements might also make me somewhat concerned, in particular if the foods you're feeding her are not organic. BMs are designed to remove waste and toxins from our bodies, so the longer the waste stays in our bodies the more toxins we have circulating. Also, more fruit would help to increase the BMs. And, it's important to keep in mind that at this age, one serving of food is very small (no more than 2 tbsp, as I recall), so a jar of baby food contains at least 8 tbsp. The websites for the baby food manufacturers seem to suggest far more solids earlier than what is really best for them (obviously to increase sales since it's such a tiny window in which you really need the jarred foods).

So, IMHO, if you want her to gain weight, I would actually be giving her breastmilk or formula before she eats and then the solids. The jarred baby food is just not as nutrient dense as the breastmilk or formula. And, actually at this age, if you start feeding her chunky, finger food size table food, she can eat at her own rate. My younger son did not start solids until after 9 months and he weighed 13 lbs at one month and 15 lbs at 2 months, so there really is no correlation for infants starting solids and healthy weight gain.