How to feed a baby who’s between jar food and solids

How to feed a baby who’s between jar food and solids.

If your baby has conquered jarred food but doesn’t have the teeth for chicken nuggets what are your options?  Don’t worry. You can come up with simple meals three times a day. The following will get you started:

Breads and Grains: The base of the food pyramid

Babies readily eat cereal, cooked noodles, soft breads, and rice.

Dairy: Babies this age are still drinking 16 to 24 ounces of breast milk or formula a day.

Fruits and Veggies: Babies should get five servings each day of fruits and vegetables.

Proteins: Serve extra protein in the form of chicken, fish, beans, or eggs.

• for a 6-month-old, a tablespoon or two can be a serving
• for a 1-year-old, a 1/4 cup or so can be a serving

A good phrase to remember is “Eat the rainbow”. Over the course of a day, serve lots of different colors; green (peas, green beans, spinach, asparagus, zucchini);  orange (sweet potatoes, cantaloupe); yellow (squash, bananas); red (cooked tomatoes, red peppers).  These fruits and vegetables can feel like the toughest things to work into a diet, but they’re vital nutritionally.

Juice is not as nutritious as you think.  There’s often added sugar and zero fiber. Juice can promote tooth decay, satiates a diet, plus, if juice replaces breast milk or formula, your child may not get the protein he needs.

Make things easy for yourself by using the jarred or homemade baby food your child already likes to introduce new foods.  For example:

• Instead of spooning a jar of peas into her mouth, you might stir the peas into mashed potatoes or tiny cooked pasta, or jarred peaches can be swirled into unsweetened yogurt, pears can become a topping.
• As you add new foods to your child’s diet, continue to watch for allergies, as you did with jarred food and baby cereal. Try to introduce only one new food at a time so you can quickly spot any adverse reactions.
• Let your child set the pace. Force-feeding a child may actually hinder their ability to tell when they’re full. Remember that babies have tiny stomachs, and even a few tablespoons of food at any meal may make them feel stuffed.