gerber puffs

[CarolinaGirl]

The back of the container of Gerber Puffs says that the baby needs to be crawling before feeding the puffs. Did anyone give the puffs before their baby was crawling. Also how about before teeth came in?

[Brady]

My son wasn't crawling on all fours, but army crawling (I think the back of the puffs says "crawling on all fours" or something), he also had no teeth... but, he gummed/sucked on them and loved them! :)

He didn't get any teeth till 8.5 months. Still only has two, and eats everything!

[CarolinaGirl]

Okay - I might give them a try. I was worried about her choking but from what I've read on here, the dissolve really fast? I tried giving her a cheerio yesterday but she acted like I was crazy and started gagging and spit it back out. :rolleyes:

[magdesilver]

I'd say they dissolve a little better than cheerios. My DD is still not crawling (she'll be 9 months tomorrow), has no teeth, and has been eating the gerber puffs for a month or so, with no problems. She also eats cheerios, kix, and a bunch of other finger foods. Just fyi though, if you are trying to avoid wheat for any reason, there's wheat in them. I was so afraid to give DD cheerios I broke them in half for a while but DH didn't realize that and gave them to her whole, and she did fine! Their gums are quite strong, don't worry!

[twinnyme]

Like the PP's my DD didn't start crawling until about 10 months (was kind of cruising before crawling, though, so that's how I justified it), and had no teeth (still has none at 12 months) when I started the puffs. I started with those first, because I thought they dissolved better than the cheerios. I also broke the cheerios in half, too. One of my greatest fears with DD is choking, but as someone else said, their jaws are pretty strong! She likes the puffs, veggie wheels, and cheerios now.

[neenbean]

We started giving DD the Puffs months before she could crawl. She was 6 mo old and we would break them up into 5 pieces, when she got the hang of that, we would break them into 3 pieces and then half. Eventually, she began eating the whole thing in one bite.

At 9 months or so, she she began biting them in half and eats them that way- totally on her own. :D Sometimes she chews the entire puff, too.

I must recommend that until your DC is really adept at eating/feeding themself, you sit with them during every bite. Also, only give them one at a time until they are careful about not putting 2 or more in their mouth at once. DD used to be really quick to shove a bunch in, now, like I wrote above, she is so dainty and will never even open her mouth for a bite of what we are feeding her until she is done chewing and swallowing her previous bite. It is adorable and we are so proud that she is no longer "power eating". :)

[Natrat80]

My DD is 7 months old and isn't crawling and I just tried the Gerber puffs today. I broke them into 5 pieces and put a tiny piece in her mouth. She has 2 teeth but she really just gummed it and kept opening her mouth for more. (She isn't a big fan of baby food so I thought maybe she'd rather have something not pureed for a change--that's the reason why I tried them today). I stayed with her the whole time and fed them to her. I did give her a whole one to try to pick up but she hasn't developed the pincer yet so she kind of smushed it! :rolleyes:

[jki]

Cassidy is 6.5 mos. and she's been eating Gerber puffs for a couple weeks now. She is not crawling. I don't break them into pieces for her - she knows how to 'chew' as she uses a mesh feeder. She does have a pretty good Pincer Grasp for her age - she can get every other one into her mouth by herself.

[CarolinaGirl]

She also eats cheerios, kix, and a bunch of other finger foods. Just fyi though, if you are trying to avoid wheat for any reason, there's wheat in them.

I didn't realize there was wheat in them. Is this how you introduced wheat or did you introduce it some other way and then give the puffs. For grains, DD has only had rice cereal and oatmeal so far. Maybe I'll try breaking up the cheerios first.

[jrdhbunny]

DS is crawling, but has no teeth and he eats them just fine, although he won't put them in his mouth himself. I used to break them in half, but now I give them whole. It's actually kind of funny- he picks them up and tries to throw them, but gets frustrated because they stick to his fingers. :D

[alienhost]

IMO Gerber is being very conservative with their recommendations of being "ready".

We started puffs at 7.5 months, no teeth, not crawling. At 9 months she almost has her two bottom teeth but still is not crawling. Anyway, try one yourself and you'll see that they dissolve quickly. That might make you feel better, it helped to put my mind at ease.

I didn't break them up, since they are harder to pick up if too small. DD just started picking them up and putting them in her mouth with a very good "hit" rate. Two weeks later I started Cheerios.

Anyway, I recommend only putting a few on the tray at first so they don't shovel a bunch in at once.

Good luck!

PS the wheat thing, that was the first bit of wheat that DD had. I think "mixed grain" cereal also has wheat so you could introduce that if you want.

[usafwife]

Our friends were back for Christmas and they gave a couple to DD (she was a few days shy of being 6 months old). She was on the verge of crawling (she would go backwards mostly but she would also get on her hands and knees and rock back and forth). DH wasn't too sure about DD having one but our friend told him it was fine. They would dissolve in her mouth.

[jess&dan]

My DS was not crawling when we started, he was scooting, though. I think those are just guidelines for when a typical baby is ready, but your baby could be ready before he/she is crawling.