Tips on feeding a baby with a spoon for the first time?
MSA2004 asked:
Baby is 4 -1/2 months old. Eating cereal pretty well, except will sometimes push the food back out with tongue. Still learning.
Baby is 4 -1/2 months old. Eating cereal pretty well, except will sometimes push the food back out with tongue. Still learning.
Yes. My best piece of advice is to strip baby to the diaper and feed her in the bathtub in the sink. Have hubby standing by with a camera!
Thats totally normal, expect that to keep happening for a while.
Just keep scooping it off the kids face and putting it back in until
they quit trying to swallow. Its a process of learning that takes a
while and is quite messy , especially when they learn to
spray it all around. Just keep your sense of humor and a lot
of wet wipes….. Like anything else, it will pass as their
appetite grows tho you will still have a problem with foods
they decide they don’t like.
Don’t forget to get the video camera out.
babies do this is its all about the feeling the texture of the new food quiet normal. make sure you have a bib on the baby tho as eating from here on in is going to be messy and will get more messy as time goes on. Until the baby is old enough to feed her self and has good control over the spoon
My 5.5 month old daughter just started eating cereal this last week and i too had difficulties with her pushing the cereal out with her tongue. I found that if you make it very watery (abit thicker then the formula) then he will take it easier. Gradually thicken it each day until you get the thickness you and your baby are comfortable with. Pushing food out with their tongues is an involuntary reaction. They push food out with their tongues because if it is too thick they can choke on it.
Baby Feeding Tips
Bottle refusal
If your baby starts to refuse a bottle don’t give up, try a different type of teat. Many main outlets stock the same main brands and types of teat so try your local chemist as they may have more variety, especially different shaped ones. If you have been using silicone teats, try a latex one. Although they are a bit smelly and probably won’t last as long, they seem softer on your baby’s gums, a problem particularly if they are teething.
Thanks to J.B. for this tip
Establishing breastfeeding early
After reading some of your tips, I wanted to write in and share one of mine with you.
I would advise that as along as you are physically able to do so ( i.e. if you haven’t had a caesarian or a very difficult birth) to put your baby to the breast in the first hour as they are usually very alert during this time and the sucking reflex is strong.
I wasn’t able to do this with my third baby as I was shaking quite badly from a quick birth and I also wasn’t encouraged to do so.
My baby then slept for a long time and when we tried to breastfeed we had some difficulty in latching her on. She became increasingly sleepy and I increasingly tearful.
We have established breastfeeding but only through a very supportive midwife (she even visited at 4.30am) and sheer determination and alot of support from a wonderful husband .
Thanks to S.N. for this tip
Breastfeeding and extra fluids
When you are breastfeeding it is vitally important that you take extra fluids, especially water to help increase your milk supply. Tea and coffee are a diuretic so they are not as good. You need to be drinking at least 4 litres of fluid a day. Its a good idea to have a glass of water by you every time you breast fed. If you find you are getting headaches and you are breast feeding the likely cause is dehydration (and not because the baby is crying!) and you need to increase your fluid in take.
Blisters on lips
If you notice a blister on your baby’s upper lip, do not be alarmed. These are known as sucking blisters and may occur at any time while your baby is purely milk fed. they will disappear on their usually within a day or so.
Breastfeeding - The right diet
When you are breastfeeding you will probably find you are hungrier than usual. You will need to have complex carbohydrates in your diet e.g. bread, pasta, jacket potatoes etc.. This is because complex carbohydrates give you longer lasting energy.
Storage of baby food
If you keep bottles of made up formula, expressed milk or baby food in the fridge ensure you keep them at the back of the fridge as this is the coldest part, this is because it is less affected by the door being opened and closed.
Remember you can only keep it for 24 hours and you should discard any unfinished bottles or food. If you need to keep expressed milk or prepared baby food longer it can always be frozen.
Feeding the bump
As most of us know, your diet should change while you are pregnant. As a rough guide we, at Babytips have compiled a brief guide for your daily intake:
6-7 glasses of water
2-4 servings of dairy products
4-6 servings of carbohydrates, potatoes, pasta or other starch based carbs
extra 6 grams of protein
5 servings of fruit and veg must include the dark green veg
fats and sugars in moderation
Easy to rise
If you find that your baby wakes up when you get out of a chair or sofa, try feeding them on a chair with lots of cushions behind you. This makes it easier to rise from a sitting position and will also put less pressure on your back.
Baby food abroad
Well, we’ve just got back from a lovely weekend spent with Nige, Nicki, and baby George. They have given us plenty of ideas and tips and we’ll be posting them up for all to see over the next few days. They recently went to Spain and thought that they would save on luggage space by not taking any baby food with them. Big mistake! Unfortunately, George did not like the Spanish baby food one bit. Nicki said that it was completely different to the British baby food and didn’t look at all appetising. If you want to cut down on taking lots of jars with you on holiday, try taking the packet baby food which you just add water to. You can then easily add some chopped up, fresh, local vegetables and meat to enhance it
On to the bottle
If you find that your baby is resisting the bottle try putting a little of your breast milk on the teat. When he/she recognises the taste this will encourage them to suck more. Also, you may want to try a different shape teat, there are several on the market. The trick is to match your own nipple shape as near as possible.
Share the load with feeding
If you are bottle feeding, try to share the load with your partner. Organise it so that your partner does the last feed of the night. You can then get to bed that bit earlier and get a few extra hours sleep before the next feed.
Baby food - solids in funny shapes
If you find that your baby is not that keen on trying certain foods, ie: vegetables, try cutting them into different shapes. I used to do this for my daughter Sophie and found that if she could easily handle the food and it looked attractive, she would give it a go. I used to let her pick and choose. If she didn’t want to try something, after a little encouragement, I would leave it for that time, and then try it again on another day. I was lucky, Sophie was not a fussy baby, and would eat most things.
Peanut allergy
If you use nipple cream for sore nipples ensure you choose one that doesn’t contain peanut oil (also known as arachis) as this can cause your baby to have a serious allergic reaction to peanuts at a later date (sensitisation), speak to your doctor or pharmacist who can recommend one.
You should also remember that you are advised not to eat peanuts while pregnant or while breast feeding as this may also cause an allergic reaction in childhood.
Breastfeeding to express
Breastfeeding to express If you wish to express your milk, but don’t necessarily want to use it there and then. Sterilise an ice cube tray container and then fill it with your expressed breast milk, probably easier to express into a sterilised bowl first - unless you have a good aim! Once finished, place the tray in the freezer. It can then be used at another time. Just pop out a cube or two (depending on how much you need) and defrost in the fridge.
Thanks to RL for this tip.
Baby in the highchair
When you start feeding your baby in her highchair, make sure you have everything ready around you. Also ensure that you strap your baby into her highchair, even if she is very young. Never leave her alone in her highchair, even if you don’t think that she can get out - you never know. The main things that you will need around you are: - food, bowl, spoons, bib, and flannel.
Sterilising in the first 6 month
You should sterilise all bottles, eating equipment and dummies until your baby is 6 months old. If you are breast feeding and haven’t got a steriliser, you can boil eating utensils for 10 minutes (quite a pain).
Remember that milk is a good breeding ground for germs so give bottles,teats etc. a very good wash in hot soapy water before sterilising.
Jan used an electric steam sterilise with her boys but has invested in a microwave steriliser for Rebecca (And Jim says it a lot easier ) and doesn’t seam to pick up limescale like the electric steamer did.
Introducing normal food
To save yourself some time whilst you are cooking dinner put aside a little cooked potato, vegetable & gravy and puree thoroughly. Place into an icecube tray and freeze. You are then able to defrost as many cubes as required
A relief for painful breasts
When your milk comes in on the third/fourth day your breasts will feel very full and may become streaked with red lines. This is very normal. A good tip to relieve this, is to put uncooked cabbage leaves on your breasts, especially if the cabbage has been in the fridge. This sounds weird but it works and is very soothing
SMA Cartons
If you are bottle or breast feeding, but are going off for the day and don’t want to fuss with keeping bottles at the correct temperature, try using cartons of ready made formula. SMA is a good one. They can be stored in a cupboard, are sterile and are already at room temperature so they can be just opened and used straight away. Once opened, they can also be stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Clothes off–bib on. Set them in a bouncy seat or swing but cover it with a blanket first so they don’t stain the fabric of the chair. I recommend the spoons covered in rubber. They have silver spoons and plastic ones but I don’t think that’s very good for an infant who doesn’t have teeth. The rubber covered ones are much better in my opinion.
You may be pushing the spoon in too far. I hope you are using one of those small rubber baby spoons. Also try putting less food on the spoon. It will take longer to get the feeding done, but this is all still new for the baby. So, good luck!!!!
most or all babies push the food out with there tongue that is perfectly normal,just make sure that the spoon is a nice soft one as to not damage the gums,the rest will come with time this is a new thing remember,and learning takes time
Just dip the spoon in the cereal so it just coats the spoon and let them suck on it
Kepp trying practice makes perfect…….
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