My Pedi says it's time to start my 4 month old w/ rice cereal with a spoon. Currently i put it in her bottle at each feeding. they told me to mix it to a soupy consistency and to give it to her with a spoon. I didn't ask what to make it with - water or formula? They said to give it to her 2x a day but should i give her a bottle first and then give her the cereal? Thanks for your help!
For my kids I started by making the cereal with a little formula from their bottle. After I feed them the cereal I would them give the rest of the bottle. Hope this helps, good luck.
If she's used to warm food, then by all means, warm it. It's like oatmeal, would you eat it cold? I'm not sure why you are putting it in her bottle. The point is for her to start learning to eat solid foods. Here is an exerpt from Dr. Greene, "Babies are born with a wonderful mechanism for knowing how much food they need. During the early months, they take their cues from the volume of what they drink. Adding cereal derails this mechanism. It forces them to take in deceptively large amounts of calories. It teaches them to overeat.
By starting with a spoon, resting between bites, and stopping when your child lets you know he’s full, you will be laying an excellent foundation for good eating habits throughout his life."
In the beginning she will spit most of it out, no big deal, formula will still be her main source of nutrition for several more months. You are just trying to get her used to the process and slowly introduce new foods.
Mix it with formula and thicker than soup because it won't give the baby a chance to manipulate it with her tongue. It'll just run out. I've always made it a bit thicker.
And give the cereal first. Start with a small amount. The baby still needs a certain amount of formula a day. You can gradually feed more cereal as they get used to it and still keep the same amount of formula. You don't want the baby to fill up with cereal and not have enough of the formula, which is their main source of nutrition.
K. B
mom to 5 including triplets
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Your supposed to mix it with formula. (or breast milk) Just like the other post said...you can mix in the baby food in a week or so if you want to. I used to give a small bottle after the cereal to help wash it down. Everyone is different though.
Hi D.. Mix it with formula or breast milk to a very thin consistency. Whatever you are using. I usually nursed my son first and then gave the cereal. Everyone's different. I wanted to make sure my son got his milk first and then cereal second.
D. -
When I started cereal with my daughter I gave her the cereal and then finished it off with the bottle. I always mixed it with the formula. I would take the formula from the bottle I had made up and then feed her the rest of the bottle when she was finished the cereal. It is perfectly ok to heat it too if you would like. I used to put it in the microwave in a gerber bowl for like 10-15 seconds. Not much just enough to take the chill out. Make sure you stir it will to check for any possible hot spots. Good Luck and Happy Holidays.
It will tell you on the box of cereal how much dry formula to mix with it. Then you just add water to the consistency you need. I gave the cereal first and then followed by a bottle a little later. That way if she is still hungry she will drink the bottle and if she won't then you know she's full. Good luck on the spoon feeding. Have LOTS of clean bibs around.
Hi! I have a five month old and my ped said it was also ok to mix it with water and a splash of apple juice. It sweetens it up just a little bit for them and my daughter really loves it. If I'm making her 4 tbsp of cereal, I'll add 3 tbsp of water and one tbsp juice. Enjoy it! It's so much fun. :)
Mix the rice cereal with your babies formula, then heat it up a bit in the microwave...just to take the chill off, don't want it too hot. When you first give the baby the rice cereal on the spoon, make sure it is not too thick...fairly runny consistancy. My kids always hated it at first, more seemed to be squishing out of their little mouths than going into them. I did not give them a bottle first, becuase I wanted them to be hungry when getting the cereal. It is a little rough the first few times, but your baby will get the hang of it....it gets much easier. Good luck!
Mix the Cereal with formula. Also, I found that feeding my son the cereal first, then finishing him off with a bottle works best... :) OH The joys of solid feeding! I'm in the process of starting my little man on Baby food! Can't believe it! :) Good Luck!
Mix the Cereal with formula or water. Also, I found that feeding the cereal first, then finishing off with a bottle works best. Clearly think about how you eat when feeding your child. Would you just want to eat and not drink anything to wash it down with? :) I hope this helps!
Hi D. (I'm a D. too!)
I would mix it with formula--very very very thin consistency. I would also feed the cereal then give her a bottle next. Good luck. Get the camera ready! You'll know right away whether she's into it or not yet!
D.
D.,
|Make it with formula. Mix a 2oz bottle and then mix it into the cereal until it is a little bit thicker than soup. Not very thick but thin enough that she won't gag too much. Although she will gag at first probably, most do. Is there a reason you are putting cereal in her bottle? Not necessary but if she has acid reflux then I can see that. I did it for my son 2x a day cause he had moderate reflux. Start with cereal in the morning and in the evening. Still offer her a bottle after the cereal esp before bed. In the next 2 weeks when she is used to the cereal from a bowl add banana, pear, applesause etc... mixture to the cereal and make it thicker to her liking.
Good luck
C
Mix it with warm formula or breast milk. Make it very soupy at first and as he gets the hang of eating with a spoon, then start to add more cereal. This feeding is more to get him used to eating, so it's something he's never done before so he needs to get the hang of it. I nurse my son, so I started out with nursing in the morning, then offering cereal (he didn't eat much that's okay) then in the evening after I nursed, I would offer cereal again (this way his belly was full before bed and would sleep a bit longer). Good luck.
