General Guidelines For Feeding Babies
When you come to the realization that you are not sure what to do with this little bundle of joy you’ve just brought home, panic can set in. This is a mini guide to feeding that can answer such questions as:
What do I feed my baby?
How often should my baby eat?
When can I start my baby on solids like cereal?
Which baby food should we start first?
Newborn feeding info:
Feed on demand breastfed babies. The more you feed, the more milk your body will produce. In the early days you’ll have colostrum but by day 3 or 4, your milk will come in. It’ll be heavy at first with plenty of leaking but some breast pads and patience are in order. Dig through the archives here for more helpful tips about nursing your baby, breastmilk storage and dealing with pain while breastfeeding.
If you’re bottle feeding, newborns generally get offered a few ounces of milk every 3 or so hours. If baby seems fussy, don’t hesitate to offer more milk.
What do 4-6 month old babies eat?
At 4-6 months, your baby will probably be ready for some rice cereal. a tablespoon a day to start is a good idea. It’ll take some practice!
After cereal has been had for a while, you can change from rice to other grains as well and at around six months you’re ready for baby food.
Baby food guidance
Start off with a vegetable like carrots or peas and don’t mix two vegetables together. It’s best to introduce one vegetable at a time of the first stage of infant baby food so that if there are any reactions or allergies you’re more likely to know the culprit. After baby has had a month or so of vegetables, you can introduce fruits. Most doctors recommend veggies first because if you introduce fruit first, baby will probably snub veggies in favour of the sweet stuff.
Babies typically start off with cereal at one meal a day and then when you’re adding veggies, add it at another meal. As you introduce more foods, by about seven months old babies are eating solids three times a day while still having breastmilk or formula several times a day.
Once babies are about six months old they can have diluted (1:4) apple juice with water about 1 time a day in a sippy cup. If you can, avoid putting juice in bottles as it can lead to poor habits which can impact teeth.
Finger foods for older babies
As babies get teeth they can try small pieces of finger foods. Tiny toast cubes, Cheerios and small pieces of banana can be great starter food for them. Offer a piece at a time so baby doesn’t stuff their face.
Toddler foods
As your child gets a bit closer to a year old you can transition them to the next stage of baby food that has some texture and consider introducing healthy and bland table foods in very tiny bites with close supervision.
Food is a fun exploration for your baby. In what seems like no time at all, you’ll go from exclusively breast feeding or bottle feeding and suddenly sharing regular people food as well.
Talk to your family doctor if you have any questions and there are certain foods that need to be avoided before specific milestones but this baby feeding guide should offer great tips to get you started.
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