Stage 1 Vs Stage 2 Baby Food Oatmeal Consistency
What do the different baby nutrient stages hateful? How to tell which stage is best for your infant? Here'southward what you need to know about each stage of baby food.
Walking through the baby food aisle tin can often be disruptive. And so can reading recipes for unlike "stages" of bootleg baby food blends.
What does it mean when a infant food is labeled "Phase ane," "Stage 2," or "Stage three?" And how can y'all tell whether a given "stage" is best for your baby at this point in their solid nutrient journey?
Here's what you lot demand to know nearly the unlike stages of baby nutrient, and how to select the right one for your baby.
Note: "Babe food" refers to store-bought and homemade purees, as well as multi-ingredient blends. Finger foods don't fall into a "stage" of baby food.
Stages Of Baby Food: The Basics
The stages of baby food match up with unlike developmental milestones in your infant'south solid food journeying --- from the simplest purees, to thicker mixtures, to mesomorphic blends that about mirror some of your own table foods.
"Stages" aren't completely standardized, and the American Academy of Pediatrics doesn't include information on infant food stages in its official guidance for introducing solids. Simply baby foods in the aforementioned stage normally share like characteristics.
- Phase i: Thinnest, virtually watery purees with one ingredient
- Stage ii: Thicker, multi-ingredient mixtures
- Stage 3: Chunky, lumpy mixtures
Infant should move through the dissimilar baby food stages (and/or should exist introduced to finger foods) and so they gain experience with different textures and flavors. Cull or prepare baby nutrient in the thickest texture that baby is ready for. Motion to the next stage when the infant has mastered that texture.
Larn more virtually the baby food textures in this video from BuonaPappa:
| --- | Texture | Ingredients | When is baby set? | Ages to feed (approximate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | Smooth, watery, thinly pureed | One ingredient at a time | When they're ready for solids | 4-vi months old |
| Stage 2 | Thick, mashed or strained | Multiple soft ingredients blended together | Right later they've mastered sparse purees | 6-8 months old |
| Phase iii | Chunky, lumpy | Multiple soft ingredients in bigger pieces | Later on they've mastered the chewing needed for thick purees | 8-11 months old |
Phase i Infant Nutrient: Thin, Uncomplicated, Watery Purees
Stage 1 infant foods are the simplest purees, meant for babies who are merely starting solids (approximately 4-vi months former) . They are the thinnest baby foods, with no chunks or lumps. These baby foods are watery plenty that they'll easily baste off of a spoon.
Stage 1 purees are almost always made with one ingredient --- well-nigh usually, one fruit or one vegetable. Sometimes thin purees with only one pureed meat too fall into stage ane.
Start with pocket-sized spoonfuls, and don't be alarmed if the food comes right out of your baby's mouth when yous kickoff outset (they demand to become used to swallowing).
If you recollect it'southward helpful to get baby accepted to the food, yous can sparse out the puree fifty-fifty more with some breastmilk or formula, then end adding the breastmilk or formula once babe is used to swallowing the diluted version.
Examples of stage 1 babe foods:
- Mango puree
- Blueberry puree
- Avocado puree
- Pear puree
- Carrot puree
- Smooth craven puree
Phase ii Babe Food: Thicker, Multi-Ingredient Blends
Stage two infant foods are thicker mixtures that contain blends of multiple ingredients --- fruits, vegetables, proteins, and/or grains.
Even though they are sometimes called "thicker purees," they may be strained or mashed instead of pureed. They're unremarkably meant for babies between 6 and 8 months of age --- of course, every baby is different.
Although stage 2 purees are thicker than stage 1 purees, and although they may include extremely pocket-sized pieces of softer foods, phase 2 purees are withal fairly smooth.
Stage 2 purees are meant to start getting babies used to different textures and season combinations.
Then, once baby has mastered the thinner purees of stage 1, it's recommended to movement them to stage ii as soon equally possible. This will broaden their palates and introduce them to more textures, giving them a caput outset on a lifetime of audacious eating.
Introducing a diversity of healthy flavors and textures encourages baby to choose and enjoy these foods later in life, and helps fight off future picky eating periods. This also builds their confidence in chewing and munching more foods.
Don't exist alarmed if infant gags once they start stage 2 baby foods. That'due south but a natural way that babe's torso protects them from choking, as they start to explore the new textures for the first fourth dimension. Merely remember to start slowly when babe kickoff moves to phase 2, to help them adapt.
Examples of stage 2 babe foods:
- Zucchini, apple, spinach and chicken alloy
- Sweet potato with pear and pepper
- Apple, dark-green beans and broccoli alloy
- Blueberry, mango and avocado mix
- This list from Baby Foode has even more than stage 2 baby food ideas.
Stage 3 Babe Food: Chunky, Lumpy Blends
Stage 3 baby foods are chunky and lumpy. They comprise larger pieces of soft foods that train baby to develop munching and chewing skills (since munching and chewing are learned, not innate, behaviors). They're meant for babies who take mastered the stage two textures and who are set up to explore a wider texture variety.
Phase iii purees are designed for babies between 8 and 11 months of age. Again, though, every infant is unlike, so some babies will be ready sooner than others.
If you haven't already, this phase is an ideal time to introduce baby to soft, baby-safe finger foods , to build up babe's palate and chewing conviction even more. (Or, you might choose to wait a bit, until infant has started to chief the stage 3 blends, before starting finger foods.)
Examples of stage 3 baby foods:
- Check out this article for our seven favorite phase iii baby food ideas!
Approaches To Feeding Infant: How Infant Food Stages May Fit In
Surprisingly, y'all don't have to follow the three-stage approach exactly in gild when introducing solids. Rather, there are three main approaches to feeding babe, and the baby food stages fit in in different ways.
Infant-led weaning : If you choose this approach, yous skip all the "stages" of baby food. Instead, y'all introduce finger foods correct away when baby is ready for solids.
Stages in order, then finger foods: In this approach, you closely follow the three "stages" of baby food, introducing a new "stage" as before long as baby has mastered the concluding one. Then, y'all but introduce finger foods after infant masters the chunky purees of stage 3.
Purees + finger foods sooner: This approach introduces baby food "stages" and finger foods at the aforementioned time. First, introduce a few stage 1 purees. Then, after infant has eaten their beginning few smooth purees, showtime introducing finger foods. Feed them both the finger foods and phase ii meals. Then, motion to phase 3 meals alongside finger foods.
All 3 of these approaches are completely healthy ways to feed babe.
Notwithstanding, at that place are several things to continue in listen, especially if you decide to take infant through the baby nutrient stages before starting finger foods.
Things To Proceed In Mind When Feeding Baby: Making The Best Choices
- Introduce a broad multifariousness of healthy flavors (nosotros can't emphasize this enough!) to encourage baby to become a lifelong healthy and adventurous eater.
- Progressing through the different baby food stages as presently equally baby is set, and introducing finger foods, makes introducing diverse flavors easier.
- Introduce baby to a diverseness of textures as well (smooth, mashed, thick and lumpy), and then they're fix to confidently explore different foods.
- Remember that babies are not built-in knowing how to swallow, munch and chew. These are learned skills that take exercise. Introducing a variety of textures helps babe build conviction in these skills.
- As before long as baby masters one category of texture, challenge them with thicker textures.
- Fifty-fifty though texture variety is vital, if you're making your ain babe food , y'all'll need to stick to softer food ingredients to minimize choking adventure.
- Follow the U.S. Section of Agriculture (USDA) dietary guidelines for feeding children under the age of ii:
- Introduce a wide diverseness of foods from all healthy food groups.
- Prioritize fruits and vegetables, in a variety of colors.
- Innovate proteins like meat, fish, seafood, eggs, soy products, nut products, and seed products.
- As far as grains, focus on whole grains.
- Pick foods high in iron and zinc.
- Introduce age-appropriate forms of common allergy-causing foods, like "peanut, egg, cow milk products, tree nuts, wheat, crustacean shellfish, fish, and soy."
- Avoid baby foods with added sugar. Children under two years of age don't need added saccharide, says the USDA.
- Feeding added saccharide puts babies at adventure for preferring overly sweetness foods subsequently in life, then it may encourage unhealthy eating habits.
- Avoid babe foods that are loftier in sodium. Besides, avoid whatsoever rice-based ingredients in baby foods, because rice is high in arsenic.
- Aim to introduce finger foods at or before 9 months of age, regardless of which baby food stage your baby is currently on. This volition help them get used to gagging and finger foods, and then they won't be anxious most their natural gag reflex.
- Gagging is a perfectly normal mode that babies' bodies protect them from choking. But near their get-go birthday, babies start acquiring fears. Babies could start to fear gagging and finger foods if these foods aren't introduced early plenty.
Introducing Allergy-Causing Foods While Feeding Baby Food
USDA guidelines recommend introducing common allergy-causing foods during baby's first twelvemonth of life, in age-appropriate ways. Only it can be difficult to introduce these foods when your baby is only eating purees.
For an easy, rubber style to introduce these foods, Set up, Ready, Food! fully mixes with baby's puree, to give your infant the best chance at food liberty later in life.
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Source: https://readysetfood.com/blogs/community/guide-to-baby-food-stages