When Can I Give My 3 1/2 Month Old Rice Cereal?

I would wait until 6 months before giving your baby cereal. They cant swallow cereal very well until then. It is normal for them to nurse every 2-3 hours. They are on a liquid diet. If we were on a liquid diet we would be hungry every few hours as well. The more she nurses the more milk you will produce. Let her suckle even if you feel that you dont have any milk. This will help you produce more milk. Also, drink lots of water and eat healthy (no dieting). When your baby does nurse encourage her to nurse for a long time, the milk that comes in later in the feeding is called the hindmilk and it contains more calories which will fill her up more!

Hi S. - we started giving my son (now 2 yrs) rice at 4 months, at the pediatrician's reccommendation and he wasn't ready for it. He got really constipated and irritable, so I stopped completely and waited until he was about 5 months. At 5 mos, he seemed more ready for it - enjoyed it more and wasn't so irritable.

I also have a 4 mo old girl (breastfed exclusively - no formula), and she's doing the same things your daughter is doing. Your daughter sucking on her hands might mean that she's starting to feel some teeth moving deep in her gums. It also might mean that she's discovering her hands and they're nice to suck on - it doesn't necessarily mean that she's still hungry.

All that having been said, you know your daughter best! So trust your mommy instincts and if you want to try to introduce solids, go ahead and try it - or check with the pediatrician and then try it. Good luck!

Talk to your pediatrician. She will tell you when it's appropriate to start cereal and should give you some other things to try.