Healthy eating for your sitter
Once your baby has become accustomed to eating foods with a spoon and her digestive system is more developed, you can introduce more variety—while still keeping breastmilk or formula as her main source of nutrition. Some developmental skills you may notice:
- Leaning toward the food or spoon
- Closing her mouth over the spoon to pull food into her mouth
- Drinking from a cup with help
- Using her fist to rake food toward herself
NEW TASTES OF FRUITS & VEGGIES
If your baby is already eating most of the GERBER® 1ST FOODS® purees and you notice her eating skills improving, she may be ready for additional foods. New foods could include GERBER® 2ND FOODS® purees with flavor variety from blended fruits, vegetables, and dinners.
NEW TEXTURES & COMBINATION FOODS
About this time, your baby may be ready for the new tastes of GERBER® Mixed Grain and Whole Wheat Cereals. You can also start to thicken the texture of your baby’s cereal. Experiment with adding less liquid, and follow her lead when it comes to the right texture for her development.
The time may be right to begin offering combination foods, as long as she has eaten each food alone and shows no sensitivity. Babies develop their feeding skills at different rates, so don’t worry if your baby seems ready for more advanced solids sooner or later than her peers.
EATING PATTERNS
Your baby’s diet should begin to follow a pattern, but remember to follow her hunger and fullness cues. Your baby has a small tummy, so she needs to eat more often than you do.
What should you offer when? Breastmilk or formula is still her main source of nutrition. In addition, try fruit, vegetable, cereal, and meat purees.
The exact time of day that you serve each type of food isn’t important, but be sure to feed your baby a variety to help her learn healthy tastes and textures. Find menus for your Sitter.