When Do I Start Giving My Daughter Cereal?

I started giving my daughter cereal with a spoon at 10 weeks. It took a couple of times but she quickly learned exactly what was going on.

Hi K.,
Congratulations on your new baby girl!
I "thought" 4 mths was the right time to start feeding my baby rice cereal (at least that's what it used to be) but at my son's 4 mth check up, the Pedi said they've changed it to 6 mths due to food allergies.
It seems as if the Moms I know that started their babies on rice cereal too early, their babies do have more allergies.

You do sound like you're doing everything right and I wouldn't worry about her not being interested in solids as she gets older.
That's just something they will eventually learn and sometimes 6 mths might be a little too early to start solids. 7 mths seemed to work great for my baby. (With spoon feeding)

Good Luck with your baby girl!

http://www.babycenter.com/expert/baby/babyfeeding/9155.html

"Adding cereal to a bottle of breast milk or formula has often been recommended to help a baby sleep better. But there's no evidence that babies will go to sleep faster or sleep better if they're given cereal — or even a full meal — just before going to bed.

For one thing, babies are programmed to wake up fairly often during the night, not only to eat, but also to socialize and touch base with their parents. Moreover, your baby won't be able to sleep through the night (defined as a five-hour stretch) until his central nervous system has fully matured; it has almost nothing to do with whether he has a full tummy. Every baby is different — and some will be able to sleep through the night sooner than others.

Keep in mind, too, that breast milk or formula provides everything your baby needs until he's 4 to 6 months old. Introducing cereal earlier than that puts him at a higher risk for allergies.

The next time someone tells you to "just give the baby a little cereal to get him to sleep better," ask what she would recommend for an adult who can't sleep. Chances are, her advice would be to drink a glass of warm milk."

http://www.babycenter.com/expert/baby/formulafeed/3534.html

"The American Academy of Pediatrics, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and the World Health Organization recommend that infants receive only breast milk or formula for the first 4 to 6 months of life, followed by the introduction of complementary foods. Despite these recommendations, many infants, particularly those with adolescent mothers, receive solid foods (often cereal mixed with formula in a bottle) and liquids other than formula or breast milk in the first few weeks of life. Decisions on early feeding are often guided by grandmothers and influenced by beliefs that infants need complementary food to counteract signals of hunger, reduce crying, and sleep through the night. "

"The feeding of solid foods apparently had no effect on the sleeping pattern of the infants as evidenced by the number of feedings, nor did it increase the cost of the food itself. It did, however, increase the time and effort involved for the mother. Since there was no increase in the caloric content of the diet, the solid foods must have replaced milk rather then to have supplemented it."

Hi K.
I don't think 3 months is too soon but don't give more then a Tbsp or so because it can cause the child to have constipation. I start my youngest boy on cereal about the same time as your little one for night time so he would stay full and asleep at least half way there the night. I don't think every 3 hours is too much I think that is pretty go most children at that age are like 2 hours it is get she is almost to the every 4 hours mark. 4 months is the time frame the nutritionist and your Dr will give you so you are only two week a way I don't see a problem with it.

I am the mother of 4 children, the oldest being 14. When he was a newborn we had an "old school" pediatrician (he was the BEST!) My son weighed 9lbs. 4oz. At my son's 2 week check up the told me the my son was hungry, that was why he was wanting to nurse every 2 hours & then I supplemented with 1oz of formula as well. I went home that day & put a little bit of rice cereal in his bottle (we found a nipple w/a bigger hole so that the cereal could get through) at his nighttime feeding and from that day on he slept at least 6 hours a night. My 2nd child is a girl(now 12 yrs). I started cereal with her at 3 months. SHe never seemed like she needed it until then. My 3rd child I started her on it @ 6 weeks. SHe had lots of tummy issues so my dr. recommended I change to oatmeal and she was much better. My 4th child I started on cereal at 8 weeks.

Honestly I think each child is different. As of now, not 1 of my children have ANY types of food allergies. You know, I have come to believe sometimes mom knows best. Like yours mine told me when my oldest was 7 days old he needed ceral.

I don't know if any of this helped, I hope it did. Don't stress!!! :) If you try & she doesn't do well with it you can always stop.

Best of luck to you!! COngratulations!! Remember to enjoy every minute of it, it's true it does go so quickly!!!

DEfinately give her cereal a teaspoon thats ok.If you want start to give it once a day to see how she does. If she takes it ok then start trying every bottle. Once she gets that she''ll be ok.

You could try and give her more per feeding in her bottle and see if you can stretch her feedings out. I wouldn't move her feedings more than 1/2 hour more than you doing now at first. If successful, keep it up for a few days to a week and try stretching her out again. Always keep in mind that they go through "growth spurts" from time to time and need more formula help them through it.
Also I personally think that 3 months is a bit early for cereal. I started both of my boys at around 4 months. Most are recommending around 6 months now to help cut down the chance of food allergies.
But I have a friend that is now struggling to get her 6 month interested in solids. Could it be from waiting too late(?)
Cereal will put a lot more calories in her diet and in turn she will drink a lot less formula. Sometimes this causes some tummy issues like constipation and gas.
Looking at what she is eating, I don't think it sounds like too much to me. I always let mine eat until they where done on their own and never put a limit on them. Most babies are fat looking and its normal. I have one that was never round looking and the other is all rolls! :)
As long as you continue with baby well check ups your doctor can help guide you with the amount of food your baby should be getting.
Congrats on your new little one!
Best regards,
C.

HI K.~

I started giving my twins rice cereal in their night time bottle at 2 months. We did 2 tablespoons with 8oz of formula or breastmilk. This was per the Dr. Both of my boys are on the chunky side (4 months old and one is 15.5 and the other 14.7) but the Dr. said they were doing great!

Never worry about your infant getting chunkier, it is completely normal. She needs a lot of baby fat to get her through the first year and as soon as she starts walking and running around, her baby fat will start to go away and she'll probably start to look too skinny! Most babies are able to start cereal between 4-6 months, but it mostly depends on the reflexes in their tongues. If you put a little bit of cereal in her mouth and she instantly sticks her tongue out and pushes it out, it's probably too soon. I just tried about once or twice a week starting at 4 months, and he eventually got the hang of it and started swallowing(make it really runny at first, otherwise it will make them gag). Just remember, until at least one year old, babies get all their nutrition from their formula, so don't let her fill up on cereal and start slacking on the formula, she really needs her milk. Good Luck!!

Hi K.!
I am a firm believer in demand feeding. Babies know when they are hungry and when they are full. I do not think that 4 ounces every 3 hours is a lot. About every three hours is really quite normal for babies. You really shouldn't start babies on solids like cereal until she is at least 4 months old and sometimes as late as 6 months old depending on the baby. You also should not put cereal in the bottle - solids should be fed by a spoon. Babies are supposed to be chunky - that is a sign that they are healthy! Enjoy those cute little rolls! They don't last long - as soon as they start crawling and walking the baby fat just melts away! Don't worry about your babies weight - it sounds like you are doing everything just right!

The ped association is now advising holding off on solids until 6 months or until the child shows an interest in eating. If you have any family history of food allergies, hay fever, excema, etc you would be wise to hold off on the solids. Some are even advising not introducing cereal until after 12 months. This probably sounds severe to someone like your mom who is older, but the reason for this advice is due to the increased number of people with food allergies and sensitivities.

You say she is chunky, but has your ped expressed concern regarding her weight? She's not even 4 months and I highly doubt weight would be a concern so early. A lot of babies start out chunky but once they start crawling and moving, will slim down. Talk to your ped at your next check up if you're worried, but it may not even be an issue.