Expert Q&A

The latest research indicates an association between pacifier use and a reduced risk of SIDS.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends offering a pacifier when placing an infant down to sleep at naptime and bedtime (but not reinserting once the infant falls asleep) throughout the first year of life to help reduce the risk of SIDS. If your baby refuses the pacifier at first, don’t force it.

For breastfed infants, you should delay introducing a pacifier until 1 month of age.

Pacifiers come in all shapes and sizes. Learn about Gerber’s innovative pacifier line.

Breastmilk or formula should remain your baby’s main source of nutrition for the first year. Think about your baby’s first bites as complementary foods.

Your baby’s first solids are about the experience of tasting new flavors, experiencing new textures, and learning his hunger and fullness cues.

Starting solid foods corresponds with your baby’s increased need for calories, so he’ll still be drinking about the same amount of breastmilk or formula. As your baby continues his solid-food journey, you’ll notice that more of his calories come from solids, and his breastmilk or formula intake may decrease.

Most occupations are safe for expectant moms. However, jobs that expose you to pesticides, lead, or organic gases, such as those found in household cleaners, can be a problem.

• Pesticides. Stay away from pesticide bombs, no-pest strips, flea collars and dips, shampoo for head lice, and Diazinon (a pesticide for ants and other crawling insects).
• Gases/fumes. Avoid inhaling the fumes from paints, paint strippers and other solvents, wood preservatives, aerosol sprays, cleansers and disinfectants, moth repellents, air fresheners, stored fuels and automotive products, hobby supplies, and dry-cleaning products. If your job requires you to use or be near any of these items, check with your doctor. Then use the items strictly according to the manufacturer’s directions and make sure your work area is well ventilated.

Begin by ensuring that breastmilk or iron-fortified formula remain your baby’s main source of nutrition for the first year. As you add solid foods to her diet, nutrition will come from a variety of pureed meats, fruits, vegetables, and grains.

When feeding your baby, each feeding should consist of about 4 to 5 ounces of breastmilk or formula. (Your baby may drink about 24 to 30 ounces each day.) When your little one starts solid foods, you might start with a single-grain cereal. Then try pureed meats, fruits, and vegetables. Serving a variety of fruits and vegetables now will help start her on the path of good eating habits that will last a lifetime.

That’s why it’s important to understand the appropriate healthy food choices as your baby goes along the solid-food journey. We want to help you confidently move from one feeding stage to the next by providing you with stage-specific menus—each one planned by our team of nutrition and feeding experts.

Many parents wonder whether their baby is getting the right amount of food at each feeding. Your baby will let you know whether he’s hungry or full by his actions. Be sure to keep the following information in mind and look for the hunger and fullness cues below.

Breastfeeding

A breastfed baby is less likely to be overfed because he’s in charge of the milk flow; he won’t drink more than he wants. If your baby is consistently breastfeeding more often than usual or drinking more at every feeding, has good head control, and seems interested in food, he might be ready to start solids.

Bottle-feeding

Babies have their own eating styles—some babies are slow eaters and may appear to be “eating all the time.” It’s important to watch for your bottle-fed baby’s hunger and fullness cues and to never use an object to prop the bottle. The rule of thumb for formula intake is to multiply your baby’s weight by 2.5 to get the total number of ounces per day that he might drink (up to 32 fluid ounces per day).

Also be sure to avoid encouraging him to finish a bottle when he shows he’s full. Your baby can satisfy the urge to suck by using a pacifier.

Eating solids

A new eater may only take a few bites but will eventually eat more when he’s hungry or ready. Keeping a record of your baby’s weight gain and growth patterns to discuss with your doctor is the best way to confirm that your baby is getting adequate nutrition.

Each baby grows at his own rate—especially during the first year. A child 8 months old typically weighs 14 to 17.5 pounds.

Babies grow and gain weight at different rates. This can be attributed to many things, including family history, but healthy eating and activity is important even at this young age. You’re his role model so make sure to set a good example.

It’s important for your little one to develop a healthy relationship with food. Trust him to let you know when he’s hungry or full. If your baby is hungry, he may open his mouth toward the spoon or point and grab at the spoon. If he’s full, he may turn his head away from the spoon or even spit food out.

If you’re worried that your baby is underweight, know that he may have periods of little weight gain or even weight loss due to illness. It’s not normal, however, for your baby to stop growing or to continue to lose weight.

Talk with your pediatrician if you have questions or concerns. Your doctor can plot your baby’s growth on a chart to make sure that his curve is healthy for his growth.

For more information, check your baby’s weight against national averages by using our growth chart.

Nutritious food choices are important, because a lot of nutrition has to be packed into that tiny tummy. A healthy introduction to solid foods may ensure normal growth, weight gain, and promote development of healthy eating habits. Gerber sponsored the nationwide Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study in 2002 and found that many toddlers:

• Don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables in a given day
• Don’t consume adequate potassium
• Don’t eat enough healthy fats
• Don’t get enough fiber and vitamin E

You can offer your toddler smart food choices to help reverse this trend. Choose nutrient dense foods, such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats, healthy oils, dairy, and whole grains.

Sometimes feeding vegetables to your baby can be a challenge. The Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study sponsored by Gerber showed that a 15- to 24-month-old’s most commonly consumed vegetable is french fries. It also showed that in a given day, 25 to 30% of children 9 to 24 months old don’t eat any fruit, and 20 to 25% don’t eat vegetables!

Here are some fun ways to help you serve a nutritious diet:

• Mix GERBER® 2ND FOODS® or 3RD FOODS® fruit purees into iron-fortified cereal.
• Add GRADUATES® veggie dices or 3RD FOODS vegetable purees to pasta, rice, soups, or macaroni and cheese.
• Spread 3RD FOODS Banana Strawberry or Peaches purees onto a cracker or piece of whole-wheat toast.

Many fun family memories are built at the dinner table, but meals together also have many benefits that surpass the act of eating. During this time, your toddler can learn mealtime manners and how to feed herself while also increasing her vocabulary and learning how to put sentences together. Plus, studies show that families who eat together generally eat healthier meals with more fruits and vegetables—a way to promote good health for the whole family.

Even though eating as a family has its benefits, it still may be hard to find the time to sit down together. Here are some tips:

• Plan ahead. Make a menu of the week’s meals to help you be prepared.
• Keep it simple. Meals together don’t have to be elaborate. Cook a stew, chili, or other one-dish meal in the slow cooker during the day. Or throw together a quick meal with pasta, sauce, and precooked chicken.
• Make it fun. Have a picnic at the park or during an older child’s soccer practice.
• Make it fit the family. If dinner doesn’t work, make it breakfast. Meet dad, mom, or grandma for lunch at work.
• Keep it positive. Make family mealtime an opportunity to share highlights of your day.

If your baby doesn’t seem to like a new food, don’t be discouraged. Some experts say it may take a minimum of 10 exposures to a new food before he may decide that he likes it.

Be sure to make eating a positive experience. Avoid pressuring him to try a new food. Also try to respect your baby’s signals—stop when he’s done, even if it’s after just a taste.

You might try introducing a new food along with a familiar food, even mixing the two. For example, if your baby likes bananas, introduce peaches by mixing them with bananas.

Your baby may not have a preference for warmed foods, so it’s not always necessary. But you may want to warm refrigerated food to room temperature.

Remove as much food as you think your baby will eat at that meal and place it in a microwave-safe dish. Heat for only a few seconds at reduced power and warm to body temperature. Stir to eliminate any hot spots and always test the temperature before feeding to your baby.

Organic foods meet the same quality and safety standards as conventional foods. The difference lies in how the food is produced, processed, and handled.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) sets forth a strict set of guidelines that products must meet to be considered “certified organic.” All organic foods must be produced according to these guidelines and certified by a USDA accredited inspection agency. Organic farmers are required to keep detailed records of crops, and only materials approved by the USDA may be used. If a food bears a “USDA organic” label, it means it’s produced and processed according to the USDA standards.

The GERBER® Organic line has organic choices just right for your baby or toddler. Try GERBER Organic Cereals. They’re made with organic whole grains and are excellent sources of iron and zinc for infants.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that your baby should be placed on her back to sleep. While she is awake, she should have some tummy time—make sure she is always being watched closely and on a flat surface. This is important for developing gross motor skills such as holding up her head.

Make this special time fun for both of you. Try getting on your tummy in front of her. You can even play fun music. Never leave your baby unsupervised during tummy time.

Adequate weight gain is the best sign that your baby is eating enough. Once she has regained her birth weight by the end of the second week, she should begin to gain 4 to 7 ounces per week.

Your baby’s diaper is another sign. Generally, in the first week of life, your baby should have a minimum of one wet diaper and two bowel movements every 24 hours. By the time she’s 8 days old and onward, she should have six to eight wet diapers and four to six bowel movements each day.

If you have questions, call our staff of experts at 1-800-508-1717.