Nutrition And Your Baby
Feeding FAQs
Mealtime can be a very stressful and overwhelming experience when you’re not sure of how or what to feed your new baby. Nature's Goodness® baby food believes in making mealtime a pleasant time, and has compiled a list of every parent’s most important questions for your reference. Your pediatrician is the best source for detailed advice for feeding your baby.
General Baby Food Questions
- When should I start feeding my infant solids?- What solid foods should I start with?
- My baby doesn’t like new foods. What should I do?
Feeding Baby Questions
- Should a young infant eat only at the specified mealtimes?- How will I know if my baby is hungry?
- Is my baby getting enough to eat?
- Once my baby is used to eating solid food, do I start her meal with them or with her
bottle-feeding?
- Will giving my baby solid foods make her sleep through the night?
- When is it safe to give my baby fruit juices?
Questions about Nature’s Goodness® baby food
- Why are some of the portions listed on my baby’s food so small?- Are there starch, food colorings or preservatives in Nature’s Goodness® baby food?
- What is the shelf life of unopened baby food?
- Why do leftover baby foods sometimes become watery?
- How long is it safe to keep an opened jar of baby food in the refrigerator?
General Baby Food Questions
Q. When should I start feeding my infant solids?
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of life. Most parents introduce solids between four to six months, which is when a child is usually developmentally ready. Talk to your pediatrician if you are unsure.
You can tell a baby is ready for solid foods when she:
- Sits upright when eating
- Controls her neck and head
- Uses her lips and tongue to move the food from the spoon to the back of her mouth
When you do choose to begin solids, start with a rice cereal high in iron and fortified with important vitamins and minerals, such as Nature’s Goodness® Rice Cereal.
Start off by mixing it with enough breast milk or formula to form a semi-liquid. Remember to proceed slowly and give small quantities.
Source: American Academy of Pediatrics
back to topQ. What solid foods should I start with?
Foods with a single ingredient should be introduced, one at a time, in small amounts. Try to introduce one new food every three to five days. Rice cereal, such as Nature’s Goodness® Rice Cereal, is usually the first food given.
Vegetables and fruit, such as Nature’s Goodness® Carrots and Bananas, usually follow. And meats and eggs (yolks only) are next.
Once your baby has accepted a variety of single foods, combination foods like Nature’s Goodness® Chicken Noodle Dinner or Vegetable Beef Dinner may be added, one at a time, to the infant’s diet.
After each new food is introduced, watch for signs of allergy, such as a rash, diarrhea, vomiting, cramps, gas and/or irritability.
The following foods should be avoided until at least 12 months to help prevent allergies: egg white (and whole egg), citrus fruits and citrus juices, cow's milk, wheat, nuts, peanuts and shellfish. Honey should also be avoided until 12 months due to the danger of botulism.
Remember to consult your pediatrician if you’re concerned about food allergies.
Source: "Growing Healthy Kids: A Parents' Guide to Infant And Child Nutrition", prepared for The American Council on Science and Health by Kristine Napier, M.P.H., RD and Kathleen Meister, M.S.
back to topQ. My baby doesn’t like new foods. What should I do?
Infants are being exposed to new tastes and textures. They may reject a new food at first simply because it is different. Try the food again. As with older children, it may take up to 10 tries for your baby to accept a new taste.
There are many varieties of foods out there for your baby to try, including 115 varieties of Nature’s Goodness® baby food.
Finally, be careful not to convey your own food dislikes to the baby. Let your baby try it and decide for herself.
Feeding Baby Questions
Q. Should a young infant eat only at the specified mealtimes?
Consider general meal patterns of breakfast, lunch, supper and snacks only as guidelines, which most babies are ready for at seven to ten months. As a rule of thumb, when babies are hungry, we should feed them.
back to topQ. How will I know if my baby is hungry?
A baby will do a number of things to indicate that she is hungry, including:
- Showing an interest in food
- Reaching for food
- Opening her mouth
- Grabbing for your food
Q. Is my baby getting enough to eat?
Your child is getting enough food if she is gaining enough weight and growing and developing properly. Your pediatrician will be able to assure you of this.
Most babies have excellent instincts when it comes to how much food they need. So if you follow their cues, you’re usually on the right track.
Source: Feeding Baby Safely: Facts, Fads and Fallacies, A report by the American Council on Science and Health
back to topQ. Once my baby is used to eating solid food, do I start her meal with them or with her bottle-feeding?
Start with the solid food – her appetite will help her accept the “new” food. But since breast milk or formula is still her main source of nutrition – be sure to let her get used to the solids while getting her comfort (and nourishment) from her bottle-feeding.
back to topQ. Will giving my baby solid foods make her sleep through the night?
Though it is a widespread belief that babies will sleep better with just a bit of cereal, research does not support the myth. Introducing solids too soon can promote food allergies and prevent your baby from getting the nourishment she needs. Your baby will be able to sleep for longer periods of time when she is developmentally ready, and that age varies from child to child.
Source: "Good Nutrition for the Highchair Set" by Judith Willis, FDA Consumer
back to topQ. When is it safe to give my baby fruit juices?
Juice should not be offered to infants until they are ready to drink from a cup as drinking juice from a bottle can promote tooth decay.
Pasteurized 100% fruit juice from concentrate, such as Nature’s Goodness® Apple or Pear Juice, should only be consumed as a snack and should not exceed four to six ounces per day up to the first birthday.
Source: American Academy of Pediatrics
back to topQuestions about Nature’s Goodness® baby food
Q. Why are some of the portions listed on my baby’s food so small?
The portions listed on Nature’s Goodness® are the minimum amounts that meet the baby’s developmental requirements. Remember, your baby does not need as much food as you do. Let her set the pace – if she wants more, she’ll let you know.
back to topQ. Are there starches, food colorings or preservatives in Nature’s Goodness® baby foods?
Nature’s Goodness® baby food is made with the best nature has to offer and is prepared without modified food starches, artificial flavors, colors or preservatives*.
*This applies to all Nature’s Goodness® varieties except those with DHA, in which a small amount of preservative is required.
back to topQ. What is the shelf life of unopened baby food?
Nature’s Goodness® jars are vacuum-sealed and sterilized, so they will not spoil provided the vacuum seal is intact. When you open the jar at home, you should hear the familiar “pfft pop” sound. If you don’t
hear the pop, or the button is up, do not feed the contents to your baby. Take the jar back to the store for a replacement.
While vacuum-sealed food won’t spoil, for optimal taste and complete vitamin retention, the product should be consumed prior to the "best before" date printed on top of the jar.
Q. Why do leftover baby foods sometimes become watery?
If you’re feeding your baby directly from the jar, chances are you’ve transferred her saliva to the jar. Saliva contains an enzyme, which breaks down carbohydrates, creating a watery consistency.
To keep this from happening and to ensure the most sanitary conditions, use a clean spoon to remove each portion to a bowl. Feed from the bowl, not the jar.
Q. How long is it safe to keep an opened jar of baby food in the refrigerator?
Jars of Nature’s Goodness® fruit, vegetables, juices, desserts and vegetable/meat combinations that are covered and refrigerated should be used within three days after opening. Meats and poultry with broth should be used within two days.
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