when to start yoghurts - and why? baby on finger food only

[aitch71]

hello there,
this is my first ever post, typed with the aid of a six-month-old who should be sleeping soundly right now...
anyway, we've been feeding her finger food for the last two weeks (okay, she's six-and-half-months old) and she's doing fine with it. loads of fruit and veg, some very garlicky risotto and bits of bread and cheese.
i'd really appreciate it if someone could tell me when, if ever, i should start giving her yoghurts? what is the point of them? she's still taking loads of milk (formula, which is another story)so surely she's getting enough calcium?
any advice gratefully appreciated,
thankyou

[Dior]

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[Frizbe]

erm from what I remember last time, you can use the fromage frais stuff ok from 6mths, and if your baby isn't taking loads of milk, it'll help boost supply of calcium, same as cheese etc, but if they're taking lots of milk then you don't need to worry about the calcium thing!

[hunkermunker]

You don't need to give her yoghurt ever.

And (Dior, sorry) I would never give a baby that age Petit Filous because they're so high in sugar. Yeo Valley do a lovely plain yoghurt that you can mix with fruit puree if you need to, or mash a banana into, or give plain - DS1 loves it.

[Dior]

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[hunkermunker]

Blinking HVs.

DS1 had his first tooth when he was 24 weeks old.

Sugar in bmilk goes to the back of the mouth when they feed.

You're right though, different strokes and all that. I just didn't want DS1 getting a taste for sugar when he'd eat plain yog. It worked. He pesters me for crisps instead now

[Dior]

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[lazycow]

I think youghut is just something they might like - it has a similar taste to milk and a lot of bebies like it (though not all). Also some babies and toddlers start to drink less milk so yoghurt is sometimes a good substitute. Most of them do have a lot of sugar though I tend not to worry about that as much as a lot of the other rubbish in most yoghurts (just read the ingredient list on most of them !!)

Plain yoghurt or plain with fruit/fruit puree mixed in good - though ds doesn't tend to eat as much as he'd like as I like it too so I'm always nicking bits of his.

I do use the Rachels or Yeo Valley fruit ones too sometimes. They have just as much sugar as petit filous etc but they have none of the added ingredients - just fruit/yoghurt and sugar - To me that is fine.

[Bozza]

I think it is up to you when you introduce yoghurt - he has no real need for it but may like it.

[DanielMummy]

There's also Mums4 organic yoghurts with no added sugar. Come in either banana or apple & pear flavours.

[lazycow]

ah yes danielmummy I forgot those. My local supermarket has stopped offering those so haven't bought them in a while

[Tommy]

the prblem I had with buying full fat natural yogurt and putting my own fruit in was that I could only find huge pots and they were going out of date before DS had a chance to eat them./ I was chucking so much out every week that I sold out and went onto the little pots.
Hunkermunker's right though of course - you don't have to give them yogurt

[hunkermunker]

The natural Yeo Valley one is sold in little pots - ordinary yoghurt sized ones. It's the nicest plain yog I've found - I even eat it myself sometimes!

[NotQuiteCockney]

Yogurt is tricky if the baby is only doing finger food. A friend of mine gave her DD4 yogurt, and let her use it as a finger food, but I was never brave enough.

[aitch71]

brilliant, thanks for clearing that up for me... i eat the Yeo Valley stuff myself (but have also found i throw it away a lot - and i guess i have to be careful about sell by dates and things now, where previously i have waited until the green fur appeared). so i'll maybe get some wee pots in for the days when she's not drinking much milk.
as i am trying to let her feed herself i am delighted to hear that i don't necessarily have to give it at all, however,
thanks again,
h

[Tatties]

I find it hard to eat plain natural yogurt on its own but ds likes it! It's interesting to find that sometimes babies like things you wouldn't expect.

[hunkermunker]

Tatties, if you expect them to need sugar on everything, they'll want it IMO.

If you give them plain yog first, they won't know any difference.

DS1 loves it because it has a flower on the pot

[Tatties]

I agree HM

[Saline]

I was using Rachels little ones yogurt until a friend pointed out that it has loads of fruit concentrate in it, which I always try to avoid. I use mums 4 organic yogurt now as it really is only fruit and yogurt, I get it in my local Tesco's Must say I eat it too!!