Just curious as to when other moms started their babies on cereal? Did you wait for the doctor to give you an ok, or did you just start when ready? My little girl is 4 months and seems ready, holds her head steady, smacks her lips, and sometimes is wanting to nurse every 2 hours! Also, nursing moms, did you mix it with breast milk or formula? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I am one of those moms who believes you can't be too careful and it's worth waiting until 6 months. Research suggests the digestive walls can't handle solids until then, and too soon you could trigger allergies and other issues. I would look into that.
My first was breastfed, and boy did she eat every 2 hours! It was just natural for her, though I know it's time-consuming. With my second I will most likely wait now that I know what I know.
I was in the exact same boat. Or pediatrician told us to start with cereals at 4 months, which we did. It took my daughter about a week or two though to even take a bite! Turned out she preferred barley and oatmeal cereal to rice cereal, plus once we started veggies and fruits, she ate better. Just heads up -- don't get discouraged! Also, I did breastfeed my daughter exclusively, and when we started cereal, I used breast milk all the time. However, a few months later though I was still breastfeeding, I wasn't able to keep up with pumping, so I started making her cereal with formula. Took her some getting used to, but I added half a jar of baby food fruits to make it taste better. She ate cereal with the formula and fruit until she was about 11 months old when she decided she was done with baby foods. Good luck with the feeding adventure, and beware of the messes! :)
And, like the other response below, I too made my daughter's cereal very runny at first and gradually worked up the consistency.
I have an almost 6 month old son and my mother-in-law thought that I should be feeding him cereal and such instead of just breastfeeding. At the time my son was going through a growth spurt so I was tempted. After a few days he was back to his every 3 hours during the day. When he was 5 1/2 months we started cereal as he was not sleeping through the night anymore.
I mix it with formula because sometimes he doesn't eat very much so we end up throwing it away. He still prefers breasfeeding. I am glad that I didn't start solids sooner as it is more time consuming and very messy.
As far as water- only small amounts should ever been given at this age as their tummies will fill up and they won't be taking in as many calories.
YOU are the mom so your decision will be the right one for you and your little one. Go with it and be confident in what you decide!!!
Hope this helps.
H.
The American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines are very important and use the latest research but not ever child falls into the same category.
Sorry but I am one of those moms who just doesn't do everything the doctor advises/recommends:
WATER is the biggie. Nobody has ever died from water...but drs advise against it. Water is crucial for digestion and supple skin, etc. They give preemies in NICU IV solutions loaded with water to help keep them alive. (I know...my twins were preemiees!) WATER IS A NECESSITY!
CEREAL - if your baby seems hungry, she may be ready for cereal. Add a little to breast milk and gradually increase as she adjusts. But stick to the rice cereal because it's most digestable.
Good luck...she will do great!
Our pediatrician gave us the green light at 4 months, but my daughter wasn't ready yet (like yours!!)...instead we waited until she was 5 1/2 months old. We started to mix it with breastmilk--made it really runny at first and then gradually increased the thickness of it--and she eats it up!! Good luck!
We followed the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommendation and waited until our son was 6 months old for any non-breastmilk foods. (To see the recommendation, go to http://aap.org/healthtopics/breastfeeding.cfm and click on "Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk" -- in the article, go to the section titled "Recommendations..." and look at #10.) Our pediatrician was recommending 4 months, but our son was growing and thriving just fine on breastmilk, and I figured that many pediatricians putting their heads together were unlikely to lead me astray. He had no problems adding solids at 6 months! I initially mixed his cereals with breastmilk, but as he got older and needed a little bit of help with constipation, I mixed it with some apple-prune juice or apple sauce. He's now 1 year old, still breastfeeding (and of course eating most any solid food) and doing great! Just do what is most comfortable for your family. Good luck! M.
