Hello, don't worry moms are like that always on your ear annoying But there mom. No way you need to wait at least a year to start sippy cups. I did with my girl she did great. You go with the flow if she gets satisfy with her baby food thats fine just careful for alergy reactions, you know whats good for her nobody can't tell you what to do. Juice is not major for her so don't streess it now. If you see that she still hungry you can get the bigger jar. milk is priority until the first year. Good luck gurl
My son is 17 months old. Being a first time parent is so hard! They dont come with instruction manuals!
Formuala is still the most important nutrient for your daughter. I think she should be having 18-24 oz per day still, plus food.
I didn't start juice or a sippy cup with my son until he was almost a year old. The doctor said that juice wasn't necessary and sippy cups are for after they can hold their own bottle. I'd wait if I were you.
As for the food, it's got to be a gut instinct to be honest. I started to browse the second food groups and then around 6 months would introduce one or two per week. It worked out well for my son. He eats anything. I never really moved on to the third stage because I liked to mix in regular food with his jarred food. It's all up to you, there's really no right or wrong answer here, you just have to do what your daughter is ready to do.
Good luck! And besides your pedi, go with your gut above all!
:)
Carrie
I would let the baby have her bottle until she is a year old then start weaning her off the bottle and onto a sippy cup. I have friends who took their baby off the bottle at 6 months old and then they turned to other things for the sucking comfort like their thumb or putting everything in their mouth. In that sense I would hold off on taking the bottle from her so soon. If you want, when she gets closer to hitting her first birthday, start putting the formula in a sippy cup to get her used to it. That is what I did with my son, and he took it.
I see that you started her on the next step baby food without your dr giving you the green light---perfectly okay to do. I look at it this way, you know your baby and what she can and cant eat, its all trial and error with the first baby. You really cant go wrong in this, so stick with what youve been doing and take it step by step. As long as the baby can chew and has teeth to chew the food, there is no harm in starting her on the next steps. My son love pizza crust for teething and we would give him little tastes of foods here and there because he wanted to eat. That is another sign that she is ready, if she wants everything you eat.
With my son, I would give him some food and have him take sips of his bottle in between, or I'd wait a half hour and give him the bottle. At her age, your daughter's main source of nutrition is her formula, so any variety of 18-32 oz a day is what she should be getting along with her two meals or so.
Sounds like you are doing just fine, as far as annoying opinions go, tune them out, its your baby and you call the shots.
Good luck!!
Both my boys now ages 10 and 3 were drinkin out of sippie cups when they were 5 months old....I introduced them because I didn't want them takin a bottle all over with them where ever they went...as long as she can hold her bottle or even you can hold it for her until she gets the hang of it, she should be able to drink out of a sippie cup.
As far as what you put in the cup that is up to you,
Hi michelle......Sometimes Mom's think thier advice is the best, lol.....This is your child and you do what you think is best......I personally would keep the formula in the bottles and just put juice (cut 50/50) or water in the sippy cup.....just enough to fill the bottom.....and give it eveytime you sit for a meal. Your daughter will get the hang of it eventually, this is just the first step to introducing it to her.
As for moving to the second stage of food....go right ahead if you feel she is ready......just remember each stage is a little more chunkier that tne first so start with smaller bites.
With my daughter I came to realize that what the pediatrician said was a "guidline" Your the parent.....as long as your daughter isn't losing weight or gaining a ton of it......you do what you think is best and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.....Katie
Michelle,
My name is Jennifer and our son will be 7 months old on Thursday. I have been letting him try sippy cups since he was 5.5 to 6 months old. He started with juice, only 2 oz juice and 2 oz of h2o. As soon as he started to hold his bottles on his own, this last week, I have started to give him the sippy cup with formula. Here's the thing, When he eats food with his formula, I only give him 4 oz to a full jar of food. If he has a full 8oz bottle, I eyeball half of it and get him to burp and then let him finish. However, he still gets a bottle too.
As far as starting jarred food, every baby is different. Dylan, our son, started on stage 1 at 3.5 months old. When that wasn't enough, at 5.5 months old he started on stage two. At 6 months, he started to eat the full jar. That's why he only get 4 oz with food, but I make sure he gets juice too in between so he stays hydrated.
We sort of feel things out and let him try things off our plates because he has two teeth and wants our food badly. It just so happens the doctor told me to let him try pieces of cheese and crackers, etc as we were starting to allow him. I say go with your gut. The peds can hold you back sometimes when you two may feel that your daughter is ready! However, they can sometimes help. Do what you feel is right, only you know your child!
Goood Luck!
Jennifer
You don't have to introduce the sippy cup right now if you don't feel comfortabe but it would not hurt for her to start to get the feel for using a cup. I would put the juice in a sippy cup and keep the bottle for the formula. Putting the juice in a cup will help her to start to get used to a cup as well as the juice and then this way you can kill to birds with one stone on introducing new things. I would try to get her to hold her own bottle each time you give her a bottle. The more you try the sooner she will do so. Keep giving her formula everyday in her bottle but also try to keep giving her some juice. She needs the formula to make sure she gets the proper nutrients but she should also get used to the juice. As for the food you just need to go with what your gut tells you and how your daughter reacts. If you think she needs the next stage in gerber products then try the next stage in gerber products. If she isn't ready you will know it by her reaction to the food. As for the pedia. doctor they just tell you what the books say about feeding your baby but she is your baby and you need to do what you think is best for her.
I am telling you this from experience. I am the mother of three. I have a 5 yr. old daugher, a 2 1/2 yr. old son and a 1 month old daughter. All 3 of my kids had started eating cereal from the time they were 1 week old. I would make them a bottle and put the cereal in their bottle and it would help fill them up at night and get a good nights sleep. I then started feeding them the stage 1 foods when the were 1 month old. I started with the fruits and only gave them a very little bit.Itnever hurt any of my kids. They are perfectly healthy. I often think that this is why my 5 year old eats just about everything I put in front of her. She loves all fruits and vegetables. She would prefer to eat a salad with broccoli and mushrooms in it then candy or cookies. I am very glad for this. Well I hope everything goes well and what I told you helps. I still say the best thing is what you feel is best for your daughter. You need to do what you feel is best for her and your family not what everyone else tells you is best because to be honest with you noone really knows what is best other then you and your baby girl.
Hi Michelle,
My daughter just turned 1, so I have been through what you're going through. Here's what I've learned. The stage 2 foods are the foods the baby seems to eat the longest. Since you've already started them, just be careful not to introduce too many new things too close to each other. Give the same new thing 3 times (close together)or more to make sure your princess isn't allergic. Next,if your daughter can't hold a bottle, the sippy cup isn't a good idea yet. Just work with her to hold her own bottle. The whole idea of the sippy cup is for her to be able to eat and drink more like big people. If you have to hold it for her, it's too soon. My ped. suggested not introducing juice. He said it's fine if I feel the need, but all it really is is sugar water, so plain water is really better. At this age, your baby is getting all of her vitamins, etc. from her formula and her food, so juice isn't necessary. When you do introduce the sippy, use it with the formula, so she can start to realize that the bottle is going away, but she'll still get the drink she's been loving since birth! I actually introduced water (in a bottle) before the sippy cup. At first, she drank it the same way you described your daughter drank the juice, so don't be surprised. But that will change once she gets used to the flavor and texture. What helps is to give it to her at the beginning of every meal so she gets used to it. I'm now getting my daughter to drink whole milk, and she still lets it ooze out of her mouth after the first taste, but it's improving. Your daughter should still be drinking lots of formula - 32 to 40 oz a day. She needs those vitamins and the water content. Lastly, being a new mom has filled me with questions, and I've never been one to let someone else tell me what to do, or how to do it. While I totally agree with your comment that the doc isn't raising my baby, I also know that my doc has lots more knowledge than I do, so I take his guidance very seriously. He gives great guidance, listens to my questions - even if I think they're silly, and always makes sure I am satisfied with his answers. I do a lot of reading on my own and when I want to try something new, at least I feel like I know the pros and cons when I make a decision. If I am hesitant, I call the doc and ask his thoughts. When I read that you can't get a straight answer from your doc, that made me think that you don't really trust/like her and you should perhaps find a new one. You're likely to be involved with the doc for another 15 years or so, so it's really important that you like/trust him or her. I hope some of this might help you.
Enjoy your princess! I can tell by your message that you adore her!
Hi Michelle I'm Melinda. And I think I can help you about your problem. See I am 22 and I have a 3 year old and an 18 month old as well so I am well versed with the sippy cup. My first daughter was put on a sippy at about 18 months going off of what her doctor told me. She said breast feeding can stop at 1 year (if you can last that long...lol), and bottles can stop at around 18 months. My other daughter is a whole nother story...lol. She's been using a sippy cup since about a year old. She never liked the bottle and went straight from nursing to a sippy. But then again you only have one and trust me if and when number two pops around they want to do everything your oldest is doing...which does make is slightly easier the second time around. So my advice to you is at only 6.5 months, if she cannnot even hold her own bottle yet then do not push the sippy cup issue. You'll learn very quickly that when she is ready to do something she'll just up and do it. There is no forcing them...trust me I learned the hard way. (haha) I would stick with the bottle and see how it goes in a few months from now. (around like 10-12 months) Oh, and while still on this I would not give her juice! The reason being is because juice is very rough on their systems at such a young age and also is full of carbs so they will get used to the juice filling them up and will not eat the food you give them. You're better off waiting until she is eating full time till you give her any kind of juice.
Now as far as the food issue goes (I'm full of information today...haha) she should be eating most of the stage ones at this point. Becareful not to give her too many different things at once though. They say introduce one new kind of food a week because if there is some kind of reaction you'll know what it is causing it. But also at this young age she should not be eating full time. She should have some foods...like maybe a jar during each eating time of the day...and maybe a little dessert or something...but her main source of food should still be the formula.They really shouldn't be eating full time till they are on the stage 2's and 3's which are around like 9-12 months.
And finally...lol...the issue with your mom. I know how you feel cause the first 2 years and 9 months of my daughters lives I had to live with my parents and they drove me crazy! I constantly felt like they were telling me how their way was better then mine...which resulted in me feeling like a bad parent some of the time. Till I finally realized somethingthat other people told me since I first found out I was pregnant with my oldest. There is NO such thing as a perfect parent! You're going to make mistakes...everyone does! But the most important thing is to do what YOU think is right! No one has all the answers cause every kid is different and every person has a different way of parenting! You do what YOU think is right and tune out everyone else, cause there is NO right way to do things...ony the way you think is best! Trust me, do things you're own way, and forget everyone else and things will be just wonderful! :)
Hi Michelle, Well you are right when u say u r raising ur daughter. First of all I have always been told and with my 2 grls. I didnt get rid of the bottle til they were a yr old, and then its hard to do sometimes. She is to young to go off her formula, if she is eating then what I would do is give her a bowl of cereal with a little baby fruit in it and then give her a small bottle then at lunch 1/2 jar veges and 1/2 jar fruit with another small bottle and at supper the same and then just before she goes to bed give her a large bottle of formula. Your pedi should be answering ur questions and I would tell him or her that u have questions and u want them answered! Your mom is just trying to help but if you are close and can talk to her tell her that she had her turn and u turned out fine now its ur turn and you want to learn and experience it urself shes a mom she will understand and let her know that ur not trying to hurt her feelings you and ur husband want to be able to make decisions about ur child. Also there is nothing wrong with her haveing a bottle of juice with breakfast or when shes thirsty. I personally think at 6 months shes to young for sippy cups try at a yr old. Hope all works out and enjoy that precious little grl. I have 2 and they are grown and I miss the little stage lol enjoy and dont get stressed cuz she will feel that too.
First of all, there will be many different advise/suggestions about all of your questions. So you have to see which one of these you are most comfortable with, and also whether it will work with your daughter.
1. I introduce a beaker when both of my children were 8 months. For my case,I use it with water or dilluted juice for them after meal. With both children, they could hold their bottles when I started using beakers. If I'm not mistaken, in baby books, they suggest that you can start using beaker when the baby has their teeth (teats can cause tooth decay). If I were you, I would wait until your daughter can hold the bottle. her reaction of spitting up the juice is normal. she's only learning. she will figure out that she doesn't need to
suck hard to get the drink out as she does with teats.
2. about baby food, sorry, I don't have the answer. I make the food for my 8 months old baby by myself. I think the basic rule is, you introduce 1 type of ingredient for 3 days, to rule out allergic reaction. once you are sure that she doesn't have allergic reaction to several types of food, you can combine them together. For ex, bananas and pears, peas and zuchinis.
3. Personally, until babies are 1 year old, I think the best food for them is milk. so I usually don't give them much solid food yet. with my 2 children, I started solid food when they were 5,5 months old. they only had 1 solid food a day until they were 7/8 months old. my 8 months old son now has lunch and dinner. and occasionally I give him teething biscuit to chew.
good luck.
Hi michelle...im a first time mom myself and went through the same things your going through. I personally didnt introduce a sippy cup until my son could hold his bottle himself and its been great ever since. It will run right out of her mouth and down the front of her until she gets used to how the cup works bc matthew did the same thing. As for the food, I would definitely go ahead with it. I started matthew on solids when he was 5 months and hes on table food now and whole milk. What i used to do that worked for me was give him 8oz of milk in the am when he first got up then give him food with lunch and then only 6oz of formula. And then just a little food for supper and probably an 8 or 6oz bottle depending on how much he took in. I tried to mix up the food and a bottle so that the transition was easier....by that meaning i didnt take the bottle away completely. (and my pedi actually admitted to me that there seems to be nothing wrong with giving kids food earlier, but she cant tell people that in case something goes wrong) And here he is going to be a yr old next week and is on sippy cups, solid food and whole milk. So..i would say it all depends on your instincts and what YOU feel is best for your child. The dr can give advice, etc...but their advice is based on children all over the place, not just yours. My son turned out just fine. Hes healthy as can be and has met all the criteria for his growth chart. So, i would say if you feel like your daughter isnt being satisfied with just a bottle, then add just a little food with it. So, i hope this advice helps you out!
jenn W, groton vermont
I started using sippy cups around 7-8 months, because i wanted the transition from bottle to cup to be easier when i dropped the bottle at 1 year. And my son hated to hold his bottle, but he had no problem with the cup. I honestly used my best judgement instead of waiting to ask the doctor everything. I actually used the cup for juice at first, and slowly introduced the formula one feeding at a time. They recommend to try the welch's white grape juice for the first try and dilute it, but my son only likes apple juice and always has. they also have those gerber diluted juices which are good. if she doesn't like the juice then try the formual in there, it can't hurt. If she has been on first foods for a couple of months then i would move her up. The more food you give her the less formula you give her, but it still needs tobe part of her diet. I would say at that point she should still be gettign at least 3 bottles a day and have food at least 2-3 times a day.
Just remember that you are the best judge of what you child wants and needs, and never doubt yourself as a mother. I was in the same boat, and you start to doubt yourself. People mean well, sometimes they don't realize what they say is more harmful than helpful. Just say thanks to what they tell you and do things the way you want.
We started my daughter on the Nuby Soft Spout Sippy cup at 3 months because she was breastfed and had a hard time using a bottle, so this was one of our alternatives (Nuby cups have very soft, squishy spouts for beginners). At 6.5 months, yours can definitely start experimenting. Let her play with it; It's ok if she spits it out, sucks on the handles and gnaws the spout! Fill it with whatever she seems to respond to. It could be water, juice or formula, whatever she ends up liking. She may not even be interested in what's inside the cup at first, but eventually she'll catch on that something tasty is in there. We started experimenting with a sippy 4 months ago (always holding it for her at first and then letting her try) and now at 7 months, she can hold it on her own most of the time, but still spills a good bit down her bib. She is no expert and yours won't be either for months to come, so it shouldn't replace her bottle yet.
Also, if you have run the gammet of options with Stage 1 and know your daughter doesn't have allergies to the basics, then you can make the decision to start Stage 2. You know your daughter best, and if she is an expert at Stage 1, she can do Stage 2. I have found there is very little difference in consistancy between Stage 1 and 2, so just make sure if you choose Stage 2's that are food-blends (Apples and pears, oatmeal and bananas, etc), that she has already tried and had no reaction to the various ingredients. At 6.5 months, you can also start on finger foods if you want. Again, know your baby and make a decision based on what she seems interested in. I found little sweet potato puffs by Bright Beginnings that are great for practicing grasping skills with her hands, and when she does manage to figure out how to get one into her mouth, they melt pretty easily without much chewing.
If you have a doubt about starting a new food, call your doctor's office and ask the nurse on duty her opinion. There's no need to wait for your next appointment.
Here's a good article on foods to definitely avoid: http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/babyfeeding/9195.html
Also, Formula is still your baby's main source of nutrician at this point. All this solid feeding should be considered supplimental for learning right now. My 7 month old still nurses or gets a bottle 6 times a day (she's breastfed, though, I know formula-fed kids eat less since Formula's more filling...) and usually does so right after we have "snack time" with solids. She's just now getting better at filling her tummy with solids, so has been disinterested in a couple feedings lately. We may be able to cut back on nursing soon. But I will take my cues from the baby, and not from the doubters!
First you are right. You are your daughter's mother. You can politely tell yur mother so.
Introduce the sippy cup when she can handle the cup. You can try sugar water that usually appeals to children. (just add a little sugar to the water)
I never followed doctors advise on introducing food. The most important is to add one thing for a couple of day so that you are sure that she is not allergic, then proceed to something else.
I hope that this helps.
Well you guys know your daughter the best. Sippy cup try water that way she doesn't get all sticky. If she needs juice make sure you are doing 1/2 water and 1/2 juice. At her age she does need formula and an 8 oz. If she gets full she won't eat and that is ok. As for your mom let her know how she is making you feel and that things have changed since you were a baby
Usually you go with the same kind of food for a week or so to make sure she doesn't have an allergic reaction to it. Then introduce a new one.
I would hold off on trying a sippy cup if she can't hold a bottle. Maybe wait another month or 2. Or give it a shot and if it doesn't work, go back to the bottle. I started giving my son a sippy cup around 10 months old, but every child is different. :)
Hope this helps and good luck! :)
I was the same with my first but now i few children later i suggest that you go with what you feel is best -- if she wants a sippy cool-- but sdencond never wanted one and i ended up giving her a regular cup at 8 months. cynthis, whos know 1, and gabby whos 5 never ate the mushy baby food so they were on solids from about 6 months i just monitored them closely my mom always had a miilion and one things to say to me about my parenting and she still does but i am confident that i'm doing the right theng-- about the formula-- she should still be getting the majority of her nutrients from formula but she should be drinking less then she was in the past. the docs go based on child "norms" so what they say may not be correct for every child!
hope this helps!
We introduced the sippy cup at about 6 mos. My son could hold his own bottle (she won't do this if you don't make her try too) and he kept wanting to drink from our glasses or bottles off the table, so I said fine, if you want to drink from a cup you can have your own. At first it was hard because he didn't know how to suck on it, so I took out the anti-spill until he know that there was something in the cup. It took him a week or so to figure it out. I also only bought sippy's with a soft spout (Gerber makes some great ones) so it was easier for his mouth to adjust. It did make it much easier to remove the bottle at 1. He was so use to having juice in a cup that one day the bottles just "disappeared". My son was totally off the bottle by 13 months. The table food thing, I'd be careful with. The stage 2's are thinker and the dinners can be a little chunky. If she's not use to chewing yet, it could be difficult for her. I wouldn't worry about the fruits and veggies are about the same consistency as stage 1's, but treat them the same by only introducing one new thing a week to watch for allergies. They introduce more flavors like plums and apricots, strawberries and pineapple. It gives her more options for dinners, but move slowly. Remember you only get this stage for so long. It won't be long before she's feeding herself so enjoy this while it lasts and don't rush it.
Hi, first always listen to advise then listen to your inner self. I usually introduce a sippy cup at around 7 to 8 mos, and will use it for juice. And as far as the food goes you didn't say how long you had her on first foods? But by 6.5 mos she shouldn't have a problem with the 2nd foods, its just a little thicker. And yes she should at this age still be getting a few bottles of formula in. I hope that helps.