Rice Cereal?? - Arlington,TX

I also thought (because of other moms telling me) that my pedi would have me start the cereal at 4 months but luckily my pedi is up with the times and knows that a baby's intestines are not ready until 6 months. Also not a good idea to put it in the bottle because of possible choking hazards. I have seen lots of stories on this on the news etc to not start until 6 months. But everyone is different. I just go by what my pedi says. Good luck!

I think my boys were about 3-4 months when I started them on rice cereal. Just a tablespoon mixed with breastmilk at first. I would breastfeed first then if he is still acting a little hungry, give a few bites of the cereal.

When they hit about 4 months, they may start waking up for an extra feeding at night. All mine did... so I would feed them, then give some cereal, and they slept much better.

Hope this helps.

i start my twins at i week before 4 months they don't want more than 2 tbsp at first but by week 2 they like it with water or juice they hated with formula .

J., I started feeding my oldest oatmeal/mixed cereal, in his formula before he was 3 months old. I would cut the tip of the nipple, put about 1-2 table spoons of the cereal into a regular amount of milk. (Make sure that it is still a liquid consistancy, or it may be to difficult for your baby to drink). My son did not have any problems with eating the cereal and I did not consult my doctor before doing it. (FYI...sometimes straight rice cereal can constipate babies, in the beginning) Good luck.
M.

I started mine at four months. We would do just a tiny bit of very thin cereal after they fed a bit from breast or bottle. I always made mine with formula, rather than pumping just for a bit of milk for cereal. Maybe I'm lazy. ;)

You can talk to your pedi about it first to get his/her opinion, ofcourse. For my children, I haven't found it necessary to talk to ours for every little thing.

Have a great time introducing your guy to yummy food!

We started our DD on rice cereal when she was 4 months old. She didn't like it initially, so we put it aside for a week. After that, she took it much better. Like the other momma said, they only get a small amount right now. You can always call their pediatrician and ask the nurse.

Just fyi, the new recommendations from the Le Leche group say to exclusively breast feed with out any solids or supplementing until your baby is at least 6 months old. So, I know its a lot of work, but if you can stick it out for the next 2 months, its really best for your son. And great job breastfeeding period mama!

Well, I wouldn't count on the rice cereal easing the hunger. Each kid is different after I had two. My first took to rice cereal right away and loved it! My second did not take to it as much; however, ate it some but still woke up in the middle of the night for 7 months! Just make it real watery at first and have them take a bite or two. They will gag at first and may not eat it all for a weeks until they get used to it. I found that mine took to it more when I mixed the breastmilk in with the rice cereal and made it watery. My second really wasn't into solids until around 9-10 months or so for some reason. Good luck!

You'll probably get lots of advice on whether or not to put cereal in the bottle. I think most books and pediatricians will tell you not to but our mothers and grandmothers will tell you that they did it and you turned out just fine =) I breastfed for 7 1/2 months and when we made the switch to formula I had to add a tiny amt of cereal to it because she hated the taste. After about 2 weeks she was used to it and we didn't add cereal anymore. We started her on cereal (out of a bowl) at about 4 months. I always pumped extra and mixed it with breastmilk. I think some of the things you want to watch for is if he can sit in a high chair and if he tells you when he's full (does he push the nipple away). I think there were a couple other things but I can't remember. There are instructions on the box of cereal on starting it. Start out very thin (which will be very messy) but when he's keep down/swallowing at least 50% (i think) then add more cereal to make it thicker. As he gets better eating it add more cereal until you get the perfect consistency that is good for him. In the beginning I don't think the cereal will replace the breast at all, they often don't get much in because they're learning to eat with a spoon. But after a couple weeks it should get better. Use your best judgment. You know your son better than anyone and should be able to tell if he's ready. If you think he is ready give it a try. And after trying for the first time you realize he isn't ready, then you just wait a little longer. Good luck!

Definately consult with your ped first. Many now suggest delaying until 6 months -- especially if there's a history of food allergies, hay fever, excema, etc. Also, rice cereal is not the end all be all that some make it sound like. Mine absolutely hated it. It's really bland and boring for the bf'd baby imo. He much preferred other grains. Mashed avocado and banana are really good first foods. They're more nutritious and very easy to prepare.

don't feel you have to have your child on solids at 4 months. Some are ready, some aren't. Your baby will tell you. If they spit it out - they're not ready yet. Food the first year is just an experiment. As you mention, he should be getting the bulk of his nutrition from you. Good luck and have fun with the foods!

Hi J., We gave our kids rice cereal when they were a little older, but we gave them mashed banana, papaya, and avacoda when they were about the age of your son. Make sure the banana is fairly ripe and just mash up a bit of it and put a small amount in his mouth and do the same with the other things as well, but do it at different times such as banana one day, papaya one day, and avacoda another day and papaya is very good fruit to give infants as it helps with their digestion and they get more vitamins from other foods that they eat. You can use rice cereal as well, but use other fruits and vegies when they are young and they will eat other foods better when they are older. You can give them mashed sweet potato, pumpking, and squash as well. You can use other fruit if you can mash it up so that he can eat it. I wish you all the best. Regards Ed

Our pedi gave us the go-ahead for cereal at 4 months for my exclusively breastfed son. However, his tummy wasn't ready for it and he violently threw it up about an hour after I gave it to him. I tried it three different times with the same result. So I waited until he was ready instead of when I was ready. He was very content with just breast milk until he was about 7-8 months. I never tried cereal again. I moved on to ripe banana or avocado mashed up. Even now, at 11 months, he would rather have breast milk than anything else! Don't rush him too much, he'll let you know when he's ready to move on. And just for the record, solids have not helped my son sleep any better at night!!

My pediatrician said that if you put a spoon in front of your child and he/she tries to reach for it then he/she is ready. I actually had started putting rice cereal in the bottle at night to fill her tummy, which ultimately led to longer sleep times. I was pretty lucky and was going 6-9 hours at a time after she started eating solids at 4 months.

you should call your ped. office first. I know they HATE when you introduce any foods without asking the doc first. My ped told me to wait until she saw my daughter in her office first for her 4 month checkup ... so she could check to make sure she was on time for all the developmental milestones ... all signs that she's ready and can handle the solid cereal without gagging/chocking.
So I'd call just to be sure. They might ask you how much/how frequently the baby is nursing. How much does the baby weigh? sometimes if they are taking in more than 32 oz., then yes they want you to go ahead and start supplemental feeding with cereal.

when you do try, give only 2 tbsp (mix w/formula or water) and see how they handle it. try for a couple of days or so... sometimes baby is not ready for it at 4 months. I had to wait and go back to it a few weeks later, tried again and still she was not a big fan of it. spit it out mostly and then just got mad.

but now, a few days over 5 months, she loves it now. and the baby cereal feeding is a much peaceful, happier time.

I would really encourage you to wait until 6 months. Babies tummies need time to develop and you may be in for lots more night waking due to gas and tummy pains with solids. Even at 6 months my son woke up more after we started solids...just getting used to something other than breastmilk is tough for their little systems. Also, solids are in addition to breastmilk - that is the solids help with the increase in appetite. You will continue to nurse as much as you are now and the solids will compensate for the increase in appetite over and above what your milk provides - not replace any nursing sessions until about a year old. See www.kellymom.com for more on this topic. My son just weaned and I miss nursing so much! Enjoy it while you can. All the best.