Your baby's diet

Follow your baby's hunger and fullness cues

Help your child have a healthy diet by serving nutritious foods in age appropriate portions. The portion amounts given are just suggestions. Always listen to your baby's hunger and fullness cues and let him decide how much to eat.

Follow your baby's developmental cues

Use your baby's developmental cues to help you decide if she’s ready to start solid foods. Remember that solid foods should not be introduced before 4 months of age. If your baby is already eating solids, you can use her developmental cues to help determine when to introduce new foods.

Birth+

From birth until 12 months of age, breastmilk or formula should be your baby's main source of nutrition. As a newborn your baby will breastfeed on demand. Breastfed babies typically should nurse eight to twelve times every twenty-four hours. After the first few days, formula-fed newborns will take 2 to 3 ounces per feeding and will eat every three to four hours, on average, during her first few weeks.

Supported Sitter

At this stage, breastmilk or formula is your baby's main source of nutrition but he may also be ready to start solid foods-take our quiz and find out.Your Supported Sitter's daily diet may include the following foods and amounts:

Breastmilk: on demand
(or)
Infant formula: up to 32 fluid ounces per day

Serving Size Example:

• Typically 4 fluid ounces GERBER® GOOD START® formula. Let your baby’s hunger cues determine serving size.

Supported Sitter (continued)

The amounts listed below are only a guide. If your baby is just starting to eat solids, he may gradually increase his intake once he’s accustomed to eating solid foods.

Grains and cereals: 6-8 tablespoons dry infant cereal with iron. When introducing solid foods, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends starting with simple basic foods such as rice cereal.

Serving Size Example:

• 3 to 4 tablespoons dry infant cereal with iron, such as GERBER® Single Grain Cereals (Rice, Oatmeal, Barley), GERBER® Organic Oatmeal Cereal

Supported Sitter (continued)

For fruits and vegetables, the order in which you introduce them doesn’t matter. Start with single ingredient foods and wait a few days between varieties to make sure your baby tolerates them.

Vegetables: 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) per day

Serving Size Example:

• 2 tablespoons GERBER® NATURESELECT™ 1ST FOODS® vegetables.

Serving Size Example:

• 2 tablespoons of GERBER® NATURESELECT™ 1ST FOODS® fruits.

Sitter

Breastmilk or formula is still your baby's main source of nutrition but he may also be eating solid foods. If he's not, take our quiz to find out if he may be ready to try solids. Your Sitter's daily diet may include the following foods and amounts:

Breastmilk: on demand
or
Infant formula: Between 24 and 32 fluid ounces per day

Serving Size Example:

• Typically 6 to 8 fluid ounces GERBER® GOOD START® formula. Let your baby’s hunger cues determine serving size.

Sitter (continued)

Grains and cereals: 6-8 tablespoons infant cereal with iron

Serving Size Example:

• 3 to 4 tablespoons dry infant cereal with iron, such as GERBER® Single Grain Cereals (Rice, Oatmeal, Barley), GERBER® Organic Oatmeal Cereal, GERBER® Mixed Grain Cereal

Sitter (continued)

By now, your baby may be ready to try a wider variety of vegetables and fruits, including vegetable and fruit blends that have more texture.

Vegetables: 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) per day

Serving Size Example:

• 2 to 3 tablespoons or 1/3 container GERBER® NATURESELECT™ 2ND FOODS® vegetables.
• or GERBER® SmartNourish™ Organic 2ND FOODS® vegetables

Fruit: 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) per day

Serving Size Example:

• 2 to 3 tablespoons or 1/3 container GERBER® NATURESELECT™ 2ND FOODS® fruits or GERBER® SmartNourish™ Organic 2ND FOODS® fruits

Sitter (continued)

Meat/Beans: 1 tablespoon (or ½ ounce) pureed meat, poultry or beans daily

Serving Size Example:

• 1/2 to 1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) GERBER® meats

Crawler

Your Crawler's daily diet may include the following foods and amounts:

Remember that breastmilk or formula is still the major source of nutrition in your baby's diet.

Breastmilk: on demand
or
Infant formula: 24 fluid ounces per day

Serving Size Example:

• Typically 6 to 8 fluid ounces GERBER® GOOD START® formula. Let your baby’s hunger cues determine serving size

Crawler (continued)

Vegetables: 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) per day

Serving Size Example:

• 2 to 4 tablespoons or about 1/2 tub (or jar) GERBER® NATURESELECT™ 2ND FOODS® vegetables.
• GERBER® SmartNourish™ Organic 2ND FOODS® vegetables, or about 1/3 jar GERBER® NATURESELECT™ 3RD FOODS® vegetables.
• 1/2 jar GERBER® 3RD FOODS® Dinners, Mixed Vegetables and Turkey

Fruit: 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) per day

Serving Size Example:

• 2 to 4 tablespoons or about 1/2 of tub (or jar) GERBER® NATURESELECT™ 2ND FOODS® fruits, GERBER® SmartNourish™ Organic 2ND FOODS® fruits, or about 1/3 jar GERBER® NATURESELECT™ 3RD FOODS® fruits

Crawler (continued)

Fruit Juice: Limit juice to no more than 4 fluid ounces per day.*

Serving Size Example:

• 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) 100% fruit juice such as GERBER® NatureSelect™ 100% Single Fruit Juices, GERBER® NatureSelect™ 100% Fruit Juice Blends

*4 fl. oz. = 1 serving of fruit per the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP); limited to once a day. The AAP encourages the consumption of whole, peeled fruits that are mashed or pureed for the remaining fruit servings.

Crawler (continued)

Meat/Beans: 2 tablespoons (or 1 ounce) meat, poultry, beans or eggs daily

Serving Size Example:

• 1-2 tablespoons plain, pureed cooked meat or poultry
• 1-2 tablespoons GERBER® 2ND FOODS® meats
• 1-2 tablespoons cooked and mashed beans

Crawler (continued)

Grains: 6-8 tablespoons dry infant cereal with iron

Serving Size Example:

• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) dry infant cereal with iron, such as GERBER® Single Grain Cereals (Rice, Oatmeal, Barley), GERBER® Mixed Grain Cereal, GERBER® Organic Oatmeal Cereal

Whole Grains: Try to have at least half of your child's grain servings come from whole grains.

Serving Size Example:

• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons or half of baby's daily grains intake) dry infant cereal with iron, such as GERBER® Mixed Cereals made with natural whole grains

Menus Just for Your Baby

Make sure your baby gets the nutrients she needs with menus that are nutritionally balanced for her stage.