How to Navigate Starting Solids with Gerber

Even as a second time mom, I still worried and researched what I should be giving my baby to eat once he started on solid foods. Switching infants to solid foods can be overwhelming.  What type of baby cereal do I buy? What brand? Flavored or unflavored? Do I replace nursing or a bottle with the cereal? Do I add it in addition?  How much should they eat?  The questions were piling on but luckily I quickly realized I was stressing out unnecessarily. With a little perspective I've learned that I didn't need to stress so much.

With both of my boys once they turned 6 months old I introduced Gerber oatmeal cereal to them. I found so many options for Gerber Cereal at Walmart but opted for the oatmeal cereal and worked the babes into the various flavors.  Gerber and Walmart offer organic and nonorganic options and so many varieties therein; rice cereal, oatmeal cereal, whole wheat cereal and multigrain cereal.

 

Both boys love Oatmeal Cereal and I love the nutrients they get eating it. Two servings of Gerber Cereal has 90% of a baby's daily iron needs, there are no GMO's, its high in calcium, vitamin C, E, Zinc and 6 B vitamins. Plus, mixing in fruits and vegetables make it that much healthier.

Once the boys mastered eating solids I started introducing fruit and veggie puree into the oatmeal to make it a little more substantive, and now i've added Gerber's lil bits puree to help Bronson work on chewing and accepting new texture. So many of the concerns I've had were put to rest with Gerber Cereal but here are 5 things I wish people would have told me early on:

1. First and foremost, you ARE more capable than you think.  The responsibility of being a parent is a huge one.  Mothers especially, tend to doubt themselves and constantly compare themselves to one another.  Don't! You don't need to prove yourself to anyone.  You're doing just fine.
2. Giving love is the single most important thing you can provide your child. 
3. It's okay to make mistakes.  It is inevitable that you will make a mistake. You will take your eyes off the baby right when he rolls over, you will forget to bring diapers with you shopping, you will do a million other things that suck in the moment but don't define you.  
4. Going off of No. 3, try lots of things to see what best works for you and your baby. I tried rice cereal, then Gerber's oatmeal.  I offered veggies for months before then introducing fruits.  It didn't matter, my son still hates to eat his veggies but absolutely loves fruit. Oh well!
5. There no one right way! Just because your mom, or your sister, or your coworker's best friend did it one way doesn't mean you have to too. Each mom is different and each baby is different. 

I learned to relax a lot more, hence letting my 10 month old feed himself and make a complete mess, but why not.  He loves it and he was getting a bath regardless. Let them be little and let Gerber help!