Yogurt for a 71/2 Month Old

Updated on March 25, 2008
M.R. asks from Clifton, NJ
58 answers

My pediatrician says to wait until my son is 9 months to start yogurt, but yo-baby makes a yogurt that says for 6 months +. He is a good but picky eater(loves all fruit, barley cereal, carrots -sorta-, sweet potatoes, squash, but NO green veggies). I refuse to give hime jarred meat, so I pureed chicken and thought that he would love it. Wrong! He gags everytime and actually threw up last night. I have tried it sporadically for 3 weeks now. I think it is a texture thing, because he has no problem with "smooth" foods. I also do not want him to be 1 and only eating jarred food. I really want to try yogurt but am hesitant because of what the Dr. says. He has not been allergic to anything - we never had to switch his formula(which is milk based) and he never really spit up - AT ALL. Factoring that in, I think I should try it.

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M.S.

answers from New York on

Definately wait. Obviously if your pediatrician is telling you to wait, then wait. Many children develop peanut allergies because of something the parent gave the child. Recent studies are showing that parents introducing too many new foods to infants are what is causing allergies to develop. As long as you are giving him the food he needs meat, peanut butter shouldn't even be introduced till 2 yrs old. Be creative with beans for protien. I did give my kids jared food either since it is all chemicals even the organics, set a little aside of what you cook each night before you season it, steam everything and use the blender to puree or leave food in small chunks for him to pick up and eat along to work on the eye hand coordination, try different things cut into pieces so that he can feed himself. Don't rush, let him develop more his stomach lining.

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T.S.

answers from New York on

If you are really anxious about him trying yogurt- go for it!...It is no different then the formula...which is whey based...he may spit up...may not though. As far as the meat, it probably is a texture thing, but he is very young. I did not feed my son any form of meat until he was two and now he eats anything. Go with your instict and the wellness of your child. After all, every Dr. will give you different advice. Take it, and learn as you go...you know what is right for your child.

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R.L.

answers from New York on

Hi M.,
We did YoBaby after 6 months, and before DD was on whole milk. She did fine with it. Our girl is the same way with textures. She used to gag all the time if the food wasn't perfectly smooth. She got all her teeth IN by 11 months. Molars and all. Once she had teeth, texture was no longer a problem. Not sure why, but... anyhow, don't worry, he'll get over his texture thing and branch out.
:) R

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J.K.

answers from Glens Falls on

Hi M.-
As long as it's an all natural yougurt (not the sugary ones) in small doses 2oz or like 1/4 a 8oz container per feeding should be fine. start with a few serving a week to see how he does.(lunch time works well).And if you mix it with the foods he likes, he should eat it'll actually be better because you only have to mix one dish up vs serving out of 2 or more.
Chicken is a texture thing.
Has the doctor said anything about Peanut butter or other "nut" or "soy" based products? Ice cream (in small doses -( Brain freeze)
I would talk to a baby nutritionst vs a GP if that's who said hold the yogurt.
Definately try to give him figner foods tha will "mush" easily. even if he does spit it out , it will give him a variety and ease the transtion to more solid foods.
Baby "toasts" or lightly taosted regular bread works well. I've heard Pot roast is apitizing if smooshed...or even some smooshed hamburg maybe.
Keep in mind the teeth are coming....so letting him chew on stuff will ease his discomfort a bit!
Good luck, J.

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J.C.

answers from New York on

Dairy is just not a great thing for anyone in general. Especially a baby, they just don't have the ability too digest it properly before the age of one. Do your research on the internet. The liver cannot handle all of the sodium in cow's milk prior to the age of one. My son loved chicken paired with pureed apples or pears. I would just mix them together, otherwise he wouldn't touch the meat. Good luck

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S.B.

answers from Albany on

Hi M.,

I have to say that I would suggest you contact your pediatrician and ask these questions specifically. Your pediatrician may have a reason based on your child's history as to why Jack should not have yogurt right now. He is aware of your child's and family's health history (any allergies you or your husband have, eczema, etc) that would make him/her make that recommendation. You may want to ask him/her about the chicken also. Feeding Jack pureed chicken now may just be too early (may need to be more smooth) and his little tummy cannot handle it yet, which could be why he is vomitting.

Don't worry M., I followed the guidelines and my little girl who is 14 months old LOVES all food. I didn't do stage 3 food though, she didn't like that. She especially LOVES chicken soup these days.

S.

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J.C.

answers from New York on

I give my 7 month old yo-baby yogurt and he does just fine....my pediatrician recommended that and cottage cheese at 6 months.

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J.S.

answers from New York on

Hi,
I just wanted to let you know that I have been giving my twins yogurt since 6 1/2 months and they love it! They each eat a whole container of the yo baby variety. You can either get the plain and put fruit in it or get the flavors (although they do have sugar). Also any whole milk yogurt with active cultures will do. I think it is ok to give to them and my pedi said it was ok too. My twins are also 7 1/2 months and have been eating and loving yogurt for a month. I also have picky eaters, no green stuff for us either!

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A.G.

answers from New York on

Hi! I too am a new mom, and my daughter is almost 9 mos old. Our dr had us start Yo Baby at 6 months. It is amazing how different all of the doctors are. It makes me realize that there really is no "right" answer, just opinions. I breastfeed and I actually had to go off dairy for several months because it affected my daughter, but she is actually fine on the yogurt. Of course, I would defer to your dr's advice, but I wanted to share my experience. Also, I tried to make my own pureed chicken, and she hated it! Again, I think it was the consistency. She actually likes the jarred stuff, though I find it nasty. Hope this helps a bit!

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K.F.

answers from Binghamton on

I wouldn't make him eat it if he doesn't want it. I am a diabetic and was a meat eater all my life. I am 56 yo. Now I find out that eating meat and animal products might be a reason why I have diabetes per www.pcrm.org
I have been eating vegan for awhile now and my numbers are really good down from 7.8 to 6.2 for my hba1c and down from 246 to 98 for my fasting blood sugar. My blood pressure went down from 179/110 to 126 /79 so there you see maybe your little baby is just born smart!!! If I were you I would listen to the children for out of the mouth of babes comes wisdom!!! I think they just naturally know!

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L.L.

answers from New York on

Hi M.,

I started giving Brendan yo-baby at 7 months. (he's 9 months now.) He loves the stuff and but I only give it to him once in a while, I think it constipates him a bit. Too funny about the jarred meat- I hate the thought of him eating it too, but, he does love it. Especially the turkey with rice. (I warm it for him atleast, God knows I wouldn't eat it cold!)
Hope that helps,
Lynsey and Brendan

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T.D.

answers from New York on

Go for it.
Mine is 7 1/2 months too - and I started her on YoBaby at 6 months. She loooooooves it!! There was one time that she was being fussy and wouldn't eat anything for dinner - no veggies, no fruit... so I whipped out a YoBaby just to see if she'd take it and sure enough - she downed the whole thing.

Give it a shot and just keep a close eye on him to see if there's any kind of reaction.... and good luck!

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C.H.

answers from New York on

If your son does not have an allergies to the fruit in the yogurt give it to him. I have 3 nieces, 1 god daughter and a 4 month old son. I helped raise all of them. I started giving my son baby cereal in his bottle at 2 months and now is already eating mashed potatoes. Give it to him. The worst that could happen is he has allergies to one of the fruits in one of the yogurts.

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L.Z.

answers from Rochester on

My baby, now 20 mos, has been eating yo-baby since about the same age as your baby. I also made a conscious decision to NOT feed her meat. We just make sure she gets protien from other sources, beans, pb, etc. Babies that age don't need meat anyway. He should be getting MOST of his nutrition from formula, right now, anyway.
My thinking is this, if the baby likes it and has no ill effects, it's up to you, not the Dr. Afterall, they (the Dr's) don't/can't know everything.
Best of luck!
L.

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Q.F.

answers from New York on

i started giving my daughter the yo-baby yogurts at 6 months and she's fine. once she was about 9 months i started giving regular yogurts, being that she has a very healthy appetite and LOVES yogurt and the regular ones have so much more in them.

as for the meats, don't feel bad, she was starting solids around your son's age, but wouldn't touch MOST meats until she was a yr old. she did pick here and there with strips of meat for her 1st thanksgiving (she was almost 8 months) but would only get 1-2 thin strips down and wanted the mushy stuff.

i would say if he's not allergic to anything, give him some of the yo-baby yogurts, and only what you've been giving him, once you know he's not allergic to the yo-baby yogurts then you're fine. just be careful, there is a fish product in them! i don't remember which fish, but i do remember some sort of fish in the ingredients and they say no fish until 1 yr old. of course, i didn't read the ingredients until she was eating that yogurt for a couple weeks...but since she was fine, i didn't stop it. good luck.

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J.G.

answers from Albany on

Yogurt contains whole milk and that's probably why your doc wanted you to wait. the same company that makes Yo Baby, Stonyfield, makes a Soy yogurt called "O'Soy" and I gave (and still do) that to my son when he started yogurt. He loves it. Buy the plain kind. I found it in the organic section of my grocery store. Once you introduce strawberries, blueberries and peaches, you can buy flavored, or you can puree your own strawberries to put in the plain yogurt. That's what I do. Make sure you don't feed your son from the container as you can't save the unused portion. Spoon a little into a bowl to try. My son, now 14 months, loves to "drink" his O'Soy from a cup. Good luck.

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C.G.

answers from New York on

I am a mom of four, a nurse married to a doctor. I think the doctor is worried about allergies and sugar. If your families do not have food allergy problems, then I think it is fine to give the baby yogurt that does not have artificial sweeteners or (the light brands usually do) or high fructose corn syrup (form of sugar). Babies prefer sweets. Once you introduce them, they might not want to eat the healthy protein and vegetables that they need. It is best to give the yogurt after the vegetables and protein. I would give plain yogurt with pureed fruit in it.
I hope this is helpful.

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H.B.

answers from New York on

6+ months usually eat pureed fruits and veggies like sweet potato. HAPPYBABY makes a spinach/mango/pear that works just great with kids 7+ months who don't like green veggies.

If you email ____@____.com they'll send you a free Nutrition Guide written by Dr. Sears and RD Amy Marlow with recipes you can make at home. It also indicates when to introduce meats (usually 9+ months) and other foods based on the development of baby's digestive system.

H.

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L.S.

answers from New York on

I would go with your gut and if you think your son is ready for yogurt than he most likley is! I was tempted by the Yo Baby too but I soon realized that sugar is the second ingredient! Maybe try plain yogurt mixed with his fave fruit puree. My daughter is 12 months and she doesn't like yogurt but I wish she did...I will keep trying though. Good luck.

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C.C.

answers from New York on

I am a mother of two, now 6 and 3, and I started with yo baby when my kids were 6 months old. It was one of their first non-gerber foods and they both loved it. My son, who eats about 5 things, used to eat 2 yo baby yogurts a day, and he never had a problem. While I waited to give them milk and other dairy products until they were both 1, the yo baby was a big hit and actually my pediatrician recommended it at 6 months.

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N.F.

answers from New York on

Hi M.,
I would be careful of the yo'baby yogurt, because it is very sweet and has alot of sugar in it. Be patient with your son, and introduce new foods, but try to not have an agenda. Your son is still very young and may not be ready for what you want him to eat. (ie. chicken) There are reasons why babies only eat pureed foods. Take your time with him, this is how he develops eating patterns, so be encouraging but not pushy.
Good Luck
N.

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L.P.

answers from New York on

Hi M..

I am a mom to 2 sons, 5 & 2 years old. This topic about food is one that I feel like I have to put in my 2 cents. I RUINED my first son...in a sense. I tried to make my own baby food...whic h is GREAT and healthy, etc, etc...but some of us aren't so organized, etc. to do it properly (talking about myself here)...to some extent I feel like if I had jar fed him through all the different stages he would've gone through learning to deal with different textures. He wasn't really picky until about 14 months though. But I was also grossed out by jarred meat...and meat in general at the time, but my husband and I eat meat so it was a dumb move on my part not to get him used to the consistency of it.
Anyway...when my son started on yogurt...he loved it because it was a very smooth consistency and after a while I wound up giving him it a lot because he was picky and it was the easy choice. That really backfired when he reached the age where he could really express his opinion and refused all foods...and anything with any chunk whatsoever.

My advice is to give the smooth jarred foods that are age appropriate and then change the stages when age appropriate. I know that especially boys are sensitive to texture, but I think if you can help them overcome it early there will be less problems later.

It has been like a year and a half of us really working on getting him eating like a normal person. he is now 5 and it is stil a struggle but I've been tough on this subject for a while now and thank God have had some improvements. I always said that if anyone asked I would have to encourage them to do better than me.

So this is the end of my long winded response. :) I hope you can get something out of it and learn from my mistake with my picky son. :)

L.

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C.H.

answers from New York on

M.,
My daughter is 8 1/2 months old and she has ben eating YoBaby since she was 6 months old. She loves it!! I have learned after 3 kids that what the pediatrician says is not always what you think mught be best for your baby. As long as your son in on a milk based formula or breastmilk I would go ahead. If your son is on another typeof formula then you might want to wait. Also make sure that any of the fruits that are in the yogurt your son has already had. Goo luck and go with your gut!!

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E.E.

answers from New York on

My son in 9 months old and has been eating and enjoying the Yo Baby yogurt for a few weeks now without complications. I also plan to try some small curd cottage cheese soon and have started to give real food in small pieces (gradually increasing the size and texture as tolerated). My personal opinion is that if you and your husband/baby's father don't have significant allergies and if your son has had no adverse reactions thus far, go for it! My son thinks he is such a big boy eating "table food" sometimes and definitely gets more excited about dinner!

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L.R.

answers from New York on

Hello M. and Jack! I have had a VERY different experience due to the fact we waited to give our twin girls yogurt (not on milk based forumla due to acid reflux) until 9 months. Turns out my one daughter is allergic to dairy. Having said this sounds like dairy is not an issue for Jack BUT why be in such a rush to have him grow up? You can not be too careful as we just were in the ER for an allergic reaction from amoxicillian for an ear infection. My GI has an expression "life is long, go slow". I thought it was negative but then realized why push solids so h*** o* my kids. They will be eating three squares before we know it. This is my one cent. In summary, give the GI system time to develop and little by little he will be able to eat "heartier food" (thicker) and yogurt. Wishing you all the best,
L.
mom to Josie and Bea (2/15/07)

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C.D.

answers from New York on

My daughter is almost 8 months old and she started eating yogurt at 6 months. She loves it. Our pediatrician says that yogurt is a good dairy supplement for babies her age. I would suggest trying it. Start off with just plain or vanilla, maybe mix it with some fruit and see how your baby responds. Good luck!

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M.F.

answers from New York on

Go ahead! I gave yogurt to both my babies around 7 months and they loved it. It had no negative effects on either of them. If you are worried, wait until 8 months, and then you'll definitely be fine.

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J.C.

answers from New York on

M.,

I'm a first time mom also to a beautiful 17 month old girl. My advice, give him the yogurt. Every doctor is different. My doctors advice was to go with my own judgement based on my childs progress. I would give him a little at a time. My daughter started yogurt around 6 months. She ate eggs, peanut butter, and was on whole milk at 9 months. My daughter is healthy, active, in the 10th percentile for weight and 75th for height. She doesn't have any allergies and she loves to eat. I wouldn't worry too much about the fat, calories, and sugar content at this point in time. Yogurt is a healthy snack, much better than cookies. On top of that, babies tastebuds will change over time and you may find that in a couple months, he may refuse the yogurt.

As for the jarred meat.....NASTY!!! I never gave it to my daughter, but I thought it looked and smelled like dog food. I couldn't feed it to her because it made me gag just smelling it. I didn't start meat with her until maybe around 10 months, but she also had 9 teeth by then, so as long as I cut it up really small.

Trust your own judgement! Don't doubt yourself. Doctors are great, but they're human too and make mistakes. You are your child's best judge of character right now, not the doctor who only sees your son for maybe ten minutes diagnosing a sickness and/or a well appointment. Keep that in mind when making decisions regarding your child.

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J.M.

answers from New York on

I have given my little boy yougurt since he was six months old - if you are concerned about the cows milk you can buy a soy based yogurt - otherwise just introduce a tiny bit at a time. Yo Baby is great becasue some of it also has cereal. Just be sure if you are giving say the raspberry pear you give it for a few days straight to be sure he is not allergic to rasberries.

Good luck - have fun with new foods and the baby :)

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S.C.

answers from New York on

Hi M.,
You could try Goat's Milk yogurt found at Whole Foods.

Best,
S.

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D.V.

answers from Elmira on

Since Jack is just 7-8 months food is something to still offered a bit here and there. At 9-10 he will be more ready to start other foods and textures. When trying green veggies I would give one spoon of fruit and one spoon of veggie, and most my kids did well eating. I always used my baby cereal(rice) as a staple adding fruits to it for Breakfast and supper until they were quite old..but after 10 month they can do finger foods and start to feed them selves. I used the jar meat spread cold on bread as a sandwich to make sure they got good protein closer to a yr. I have ten kids, so my advice is to not hurry him but add foods slowly, I don't see a need for yoggart until you cut back on his formula. My kids did not have milk allergies and I did start reg. milk near 11 months and added yogart then. Hope this helps~D.

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K.F.

answers from New York on

I have a 3 and a 1 year old. With both children I started yougurt at 7 months. My older one was a soy baby and the younger one was on "sensitive" formula, neither had a problem with the yogurt.

As for meats in a jar, I totally agree. Both of my kids disliked the jarred chicken, I even tried it myself and almost died with disgust. Once the kids were 6 months, I boiled chicken in stock and cut up carrots very tiny and boiled them seperately. Once the chicken was cooked, I diced it up in tiny pieces and added it to the stock with the carrots and finally added pastina or mini star pasta. That type of soup seemed to work best when starting chicken. I did attempt to blend it once, but found mincing into tiny pieces was best since they ate it. The blended version did not go over as well. You can make an entire put and freeze in little containers for later in the week.

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J.N.

answers from Buffalo on

i am a big supporter of listening to the doctor. they know what they are talking about & are educated in the field. if it's only a short time to wait, do it. go with the doctor & not what is written on the side of a container in the store. i use yobaby & my son loves it - also a picky eater, he has one a day with lunch. but i waited until the doctor said. it has a lot to do with what the child's intestines, stomach & whole digestive system can or cannot take at this time. they have to mature & developed enough before being ready to digest foods. don't push it, although you want to try so much with your child once they start eating - b/c it's fun - don't. you have the rest of their life to do so. if he's only 7 months give his system time to adjust to so many new things. you'll be better off in the long run. hope it helps!

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S.H.

answers from New York on

Hey there M.. I started both of my children on Brown Cow full fat plain yogurt at 6 months and they have not had a sick day in their life. I would mix it with fresh fruit and that was their breakfast most mornings with a boiled egg yolk. Check out the book Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. It is very easy to make your own food and it is really the best for the kiddies.

Good luck. S.

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L.S.

answers from New York on

My daughter is almost 9 months and I've been mixing in plain, full fat, organic yogurt (I think the brand is Horizon?) with jarred fruit since she was about 7 months. She eats it and has had no adverse reaction.

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L.G.

answers from New York on

I had the same problem with my daughter who is now 22 months old and is a very picky eater. She absolutely LOVES Yo-baby yogurt and has been eating it ever since she was 6 months old! She does not like meat at all no matter how many times we try to give her meat [she never like jarred meat either]. She loves spaghetti as long as I make it with my own sauce. She also loves broccoli if it is cooked very soft. I say try the Yo Baby - there are no artificial colors or anything in them and that is great! Also, talk to your pediatrician about your sons eating habits as he/she will have reccommendations too! Good luck and God Bless You. - L. g -

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L.Z.

answers from Utica on

There's really no rush in getting kids to eat new foods. They won't be on jar food forever and there's plenty of nutrition to be had in breast milk/formula until 12 months or even 24 if necessary. And doctors have have your child's best interests in mind, not food manufacturers. But my best advice for you is to be sure you add potential food allergens to your son's diet with plenty of time in between to watch him for side effects. When my son was 2, he loved peanut butter and jelly sandwiches - he ate them at least 3 times a week for a good 2 months. (Back then there wasn't a recommendation of waiting until they're at least 3 to have nuts.) One day I gave him strawberry yogurt (his first ever strawberry anything) the same day my sister gave him a mini peanut butter cup. It took us 2 weeks and a (painful) blood draw to find out he is allergic to all nuts. And anyone who has a child with a food allergy knows it's a difficult thing to deal with. So many things are processed with, or in the same factory as, several different food allergens. Hayden can never eat any of his candy from trick-or-treating or even have cake at his friends' birthday parties. And we certainly don't go anywhere without our Epi-Pen. Bottom line, don't rush new foods to make your life easier today because your son could pay for it for the rest of his life.

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L.D.

answers from Albany on

You know, sometimes I read the other responses moms get and I find myself sitting here shaking my head. I am not saying doctors are always right. Trust me, as much as I love mine, I discovered my one son had allergies before the doctor did but when it comes to statistic things, I refer to the doctor for that because he is the one who went to medical school and reads the journals every month, not me. As someone else said, did you ask why he says to wait until 9 months for the yogurt? My pediatrician said to wait as well and my son is 7 months old but I didn't ask why because I know there are plenty of other foods for him to try. My 7 month old doesn't even eat meat yet.

I guess I don't understand the rush with things. They grow up so fast as it is. The parents who are giving their children pork chops and steak much less eggs and peanut butter off their plate at 9 months make me want to cringe! Babies' digestive systems are sensitive! It is just like a teenager having a baby. She may have the organs to do it but studies have shown that her organs are kind of babies themselves. Perhaps that's why there was such a high mortality rate in the day when girls got married and became mothers in their teens. His digestive suystem needs time to mature. Just because he has one doesn't mean it can handle everything yet.

Things change. Just because something was okay 10 years ago, doesn't mean it's okay now. Please don't think I am jumping all over you. This is more in response to responses to posts I see both here and in other requests. Sometimes I just find myself sitting here shaking my head and wondering.

In the end, talk to your pediatrician and understand his reasons why. If you don't trust him enough to answer your question about yogurt I'd be concerned about trusting him with my child's health in general.

BTW, allergic reactions can happen at ant time with no warning. My best friend's daughter is 18 months old. She had a reaction while they were on a trip and my friend who is a nurse still has no idea to what it was. She hadn't eaten anything different but yet swelled to the point her feet turned blue, broke out in hives which she still had a few weeks later, was hospitalized, had to get IV treatments and now has to go through multiple blood work and allergy testing. Her family has no histiry of allergies either.

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P.J.

answers from New York on

Well, I had two completely different experiences with my children. My first - got his first tooth at 9 months and his 2nd tooth at a year. So, he tended to enjoy the jarred food and the baby cereals. He loved them so much that at 4 he was still choosing to eat that way on a fairly regular basis (yes, by that time he ate table food as well, but often would choose "cereal and a jar".) My pediatrician said - don't worry he won't go to kindergarten in diapers with baby food jars in his lunchbox. On that she was correct. She also said - be thrilled he still wants the jars as he is getting more fruits and veggies than a child his age would want to have. Well - wrong on that count...yes, at that point he was...but now...he is 15 and there still aren't any vegetables and not many fruits that he will touch. So for the year or two that he got some extras he has had a lifetime of not the best eating habits.

On the other hand, my youngest was breastfed. Did not want to eat anything that you were not having. I was able to get the jarred stuff into him strictly for the allergy testing...and the meat - forget about it! He would not open his mouth to eat anything unless he saw it on your plate and saw it going into your mouth. Well, he is a fabulous eater. Likes most fruits and veggies. Loves shrimp, lobster, crab and of course chicken, turkey, fish etc. My older one would live on chicken nuggets, fries and pizza.

I believe it was the younger one that needed to have yogurt for some reason...maybe for calcium as he was strictly breastfed and would not go near formula or even milk when he was old enough for it. The Yo-Baby by Stonyfield is WONDERFUL!! If he loves everything but the meats you will have NO problem getting him to enjoy this... as far as the meats are concerned - the stage 2 dinners could be a way to introduce the meats for allergy purposes if they are with the veggies that he has already had. Just read the jar first. But, I wouldn't push staying on the jars...I would give him plenty of opportunity to eat the adult versions of the fruits and veggies that he already is not allergic to and I would highly encourage that particular yogurt. (many yogurts have added sugars which is why your pediatrician may not want him to have it so young...and I have heard that plain yogurt is a good suggestion so as not to get the sugared ones...but then I have heard people sweetening that with honey so as to stay away from the sugar. Infants should NEVER have honey before a certain age. The Yo-baby does not have added sugar or honey. and it tastes awesome! It also comes in a little 6 or 8 pack that is a good size for a baby.

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L.W.

answers from Albany on

Hi M.. I am a mother of 3 wonderful, healthy kids. I think you should follow your instincts about your son's eating and what to feed him. I know your doctor warned you about certain things, but it can't hurt to try! My children ate almost no jarred baby food and by 6-9 months were eating mostly table food, some mushed up of course, but they ate what we ate, steak, chicken, veggies, the works. I think you should try to hand your son a small piece of well cooked chicken and let him try it on his own with his own fingers, you may be surprised at his reaction. Good luck!

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T.W.

answers from New York on

I'd probably wait another couple of weeks, but not necessarily until 9 mos. Go with your gut as a mom. You know your child better than anyone.
As far as giving him things other than jarred food, there are other things you can try. Bananas mash easily with a fork (even fingers), I gave my guys grated apple, mashed potatos - both white and sweet - with a little formula/breastmilk added instead of cow's milk, a few cheerios on their high chair tray for getting them used to texture and practicing their pincer grasp.

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M.L.

answers from New York on

Yogurt is great. Its very easily digestible. I would add plain yogurt mixed with fruit puree if you are worried about the sugar in the yobaby.

Pureed chicken is terrible even to me. Meats are challenging with my kids as well. Even when they can chew well they are sometimes tough to chew. Ground beef, veal, chicken works for me. You could start adding pick up foods like cheerios so he has some variation in food texture. When he is comfortable with that add beans. They are a great protein source.

Have fun!

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W.O.

answers from New York on

Dear M.,
I see no reason you cannot try giving your son yogurt; it's a wonderful, nutritious food. The only reason I can see that your pediatrician is hesitant is that many brands of yogurt are loaded with other ingredients such as sugar and gelatin, which are more difficult on the digestive system. I used to make my own, but I find Stoneyfield brand the most natural.
A word of advice my mother gave me and worked like a charm, is to introduce all veges before fruits. Kids will always take to fruits because they are naturally sweet. I never had a problem with my kids eating veges and i don't understand why pediatricians do not suggest this. My suggestion at this point would be to re-introduce green veges, but feed them to Jack first before bites of other foods while he is still hungry. Another suggestion: I introduced my kids to fish, such as talapia, flounder, and orange roughy before meat. Fish is bland, easy to chew, and easier to digest as it contains omega oils rather than complex animal fat. Scrambled eggs is another food I introduced early.
The main thing is to listen to your child. Try different foods and see their reaction. All children are different. My kids grew up liking quiche, duck, filet mignon, swordfish, and salmon rather than the items on the children's menu. Their father ordered cheesesteak and burgers, so does that tell you something?

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D.M.

answers from New York on

Please think again before giving the yogurt. It is not the milk that is the problem. It is the cultures. A baby's intestines are not able to handle them. Serious illness can occur. I'm a mom, and a nurse.
Don't be in such a rush to treat your baby like an adult...enjoy this time. As long as your child is healthy,and is an appropriate weight for his age, he doesn't need to eat big boy food.

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G.A.

answers from New York on

hard to say, 44 years ago when I had my oldest they went on whole milk at 3 months, now the medical community thinks otherwise. If you trust your Dr. you should take his advice after all what's 3 months wait and he's eating a large enough variety of food for now. Give Jack a kiss for me and enjoy him.

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B.J.

answers from New York on

I am a mom of 7 and a grandma of7!go ahead and give him the yogurt as long as it is the children's version.Every one of my kids and grandkids eat yogurt and have since infancy. It is good for their stomachs,the digestive system. Only try one flavor at a time,as with anything else,to check for allergies.Other than that,I wouldn't worry.
Congrats on your new life of love and joy!!

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R.M.

answers from New York on

M. at your sons age yogurt is very good for him because it will help his bowel movement easily instead of him being constipated. My son loves yogurt and I have no problem with him eating it, Doctors like to go by the book too much and sometimes you have to go outside their books and do what u think is more important for your kids.

Try it and see what happens ok, it would not do him any harm.

Good luck,
R. M.

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M.T.

answers from New York on

Hi M.. I would ask your doctor why he recommends waiting until 9 months for yogurt, so that you can determine if his reasoning makes sense to you. Remember that at this very young age, food is just about experimenting. Until a year, the primary source of nutrition is their milk, whether beastmilk or formula. That gives the under a year baby all of their nutritional needs, so it doesn't matter if they don't eat green veggies or meats or whatever else at this point. It can take many tries for babies or young children to like certain foods. My daughter really didn't eat any meat til she was close to 5 years old other than chicken nuggets or a hot dog and I tried not to serve those things often.

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T.M.

answers from New York on

I would listen to the doctor. I'm not giving my daughter yogurt until she is a year old. Also, yo-baby has a lot of unnecessary sugar in it. Just buy plain yogurt and stir some pureed fruit into it.

Good luck!

-T.

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R.A.

answers from New York on

Hi M.,

I would think your son should be ok with the yo-baby yogurt. As with any new food, try it and don't try any other new foods for 4-5 days to see how he reacts. Around 8-9 months, my daughter (now 2 1/2) was eating yogurt. I bought the greek yogurt Fage (most grocery stores carry it, I bought mine at Trader Joe's). It's available in 2% fat or full fat. For her, I bought the full fat. I would add a tiny bit of sugar and it was still less sweet than any premixed yogurt. She loved it.

I also recommend a great book that has recipes for kids' foods for any age that you can make yourself and they freeze (most of them). I was also looking for ways to move beyond jarred food, this was a great book. I used it up until 18 months, then my daughter started to eat many of the same foods we do, so I haven't used it much in the last year, but it was great. I started using at 4 months and made a lot of her pureed foods (carrots, sweet potatoes, etc.). You cooked them, pureed them and put them in ice trays. Then you would defrost 1-2 cubes and had an awesome, healthy "jarred" food.
The book is FIRST MEALS by Annabel Karmel and I think it has recipes through early school years.

Good luck.

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S.M.

answers from New York on

Yo baby's yogurt is no different than other organic whole milk yogurt. Have you tried any of the baby cook books, like 'Super Baby Food'. I think they have some recipies on the website: http://www.superbabyfood.com/ She might also say yogurt is ok from 6 months on, I'm not sure offhand.

My pediatrician said 12 months! Which is more than I had ever heard. I think I tried it around 10 months, but I can't remember. Anyway, I'd go with your gut. BTW - My kids, especially my son, LOVE jared meat baby food, yuk! We even mix it with pastina and chicken soup, olive oil, and they eat it all up.

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E.S.

answers from New York on

Try it i have 5 boy and each one of them like and dislike different things.

The doctor said no soda no this and that but i did everything that the doctor suggest that i don't and my children are fine.

think about it when you was younger your caregiver didn't talk to a doctor every 5 min's about what you should eat. your caregiver gave you what she had on her plate. to be honest at 7 month old my children was eating rice and bean steak pork chop right off my plate.

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L.B.

answers from New York on

For context, I am not an earthy crunchy organic person. My children only ate organic jarred fruit like peaches in the winter and organic jarred vegetables like peas which I wasn't going to buy fresh, shell, cook, strain (you get the message). Buy First Meals by Annabel Karmel. I was working very full time and had no problem making the recipes and freezing in them in ice cube trays. I strongly recommend avoiding Yo Baby. It is full of sugar and your son will never eat regular yogurt because it won't be sweet enough. Buy full fat yogurt and mix it with a little fruit. If your son is on formula he is clearly getting milk but i would wait a little bit. There are enough foods that aren't controversial.

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K.D.

answers from New York on

Hi M.,
We gave my daughter yogurt around 6 mos, maybe even earlier. We didn't even ask the doctor about it. We gave her a small amount and when we noticed she was fine with it, we gave her more. She has never had any allergic reaction to anything. When we went to her next Dr appt back then we told the doctor we gave it to her and she was fine and she didn't say anything. My daugther also had alot of texture issues with certain baby foods. Anything too thick or lumpy - she would gag.
We also gave her cottage cheese early - maybe around 7 months or so and she loved it and never had a problem with it. Hope that helps. I just went with my instinct. We even gave her peanut butter early and she's fine with it and has had it several times. I guess we didn't go by the books or what the dr recommended but everything worked out fine :-)

K.

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J.B.

answers from New York on

Hi M.,

I gave my daughter yogurt at 6 months old (now 10 months ) she loves it and she is fine with it. Every doctor has different ways but if you feel comfortable trying it then go ahead. The yobaby stuff is good for them. If he has a reaction to it you should see it in 3-5day, bowel moment changes or rashes etc.

I agree give it a shot will not hurt :)

J.

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M.F.

answers from Rochester on

M.,
I would really press the doc to see why he feels you should wait till 9mo's.. I can see no reason to, Yo baby is great, my son loved them.
As for jarred meat, why the aversion??? Buy the organic kind if it makes you feel better.. just remember, now is the time to introduce as many flavors as you can to his palate. Plus he needs the protien. They puree the meat such that its a texture the babies can deal with. A trick I used was I mixed a little (chicken / turkey) with applesauce, or sweet potatoes, whatever he already chows down.. put a little in at a time. I never gave him the straight meat.. thats too much information for anyone, let alone a baby. Don't buy the (chicken N applesauce) combo in a jar, as my doc said there isn't enough meat in those. Your better off mixing your own.(jarred meat N applesauce that is) I just read that he is only 6 mo's.. run through the fruits and the veg first then introduce the meats.. I forget how old they are supposed to be for meat.. don't skip the meat!! If you think he is picky now.. wait till he is older and he hasn't been exposed to meat and now he is boycotting it!!
Good luck, I know it can be frustrating, just keep trying!
M. F

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A.P.

answers from New York on

I honestly didn't try yogurt w/ my daughter until the doctor said too, and than they said only plain yogurt. But what I did is, I did try the Yo-baby...but it is on the expensive side. Regular yogurt (for instance, I get Yoplait) should be fine once they get to 9 months, you just need to make sure they don't eat the chunks of fruit...so what I did is I would share a yogurt w/ my daughter...she would eat most of it and I would eat the fruit chunks (they worry about gagging). Your son being 7&1/2 months, still needs the smooth texture foods...that's why they make 1st, 2nd and 3rd stage foods. You also need to take other things into consideration, how many teethe does he have?, what other things have you given him that he's been o.k. w/? At this age, Gerber Graduate Puffs are great...and not only do they have fruit...but also Sweet Potato and Corn.
I assure you by the time your son is one, he won't only be eating jarred foods...but as he gets more teethe in - than you just try different things. But just about everything takes them some time to adjust and accept.
Your pediatrician should be giving you good advice, if you don't jive w/ your pediatrition and you don't feel comfortable than I would suggest finding another one.

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M.K.

answers from New York on

Hey M.,

Just wanted to post something,

The reason doctors delay the introduction of dairy is because the earlier the introduction the more likely the possibility they could develop a food allergy.

Now that being said, I gave my kids pretty much everything once they had teeth,
and my oldest started milk at 9 months,

He actually has a lactose problem

My other 2 i waited til they were 12 months
and they are fine.

My sister has a lactose problem and so does my sons aunt

I dunno if its a Family HX or what,

BUT I know that the longer you wait the better it is for your child.

Give him a chance to develop his immunities first before introducing the bacteria found in yougurt.

I strongly believe that waiting until AFTER 12 months is the best.

Good luck either way.

M

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