When Should We Start Cereal?

I don't see any reason why you can't. My daughter started eating cereal when she was 3 months. She s now 6 months and eating baby food. Her pediatrician said to. Hope that helped.
Jessi

Cereal is not to be started until 4 months old. He is spitting up most of his bottles because you are overfeeding him...don't give him as much formula at one time. He is spitting up and then not having enough to satsfy him...try decreasing by 1-2 ounces and see how it goes.

Coming from a mom of two (3yrs. & 4yrs.), I would wait until the baby it 6 months old. It is very imporant for the baby's digestional tract to be well formed and ready. I can empathize with wanting to do more to help out the baby if he is hungry. However, It is my understanding that if you start cereals too early this also contributes to food allergies since the babiy's digestion is not quite ready to take in foods. Better to listen to the pediatrician who is trained in the profession.

Good Luck!

Don't listen to everyone around you- listen to your pediatrician. Starting cereal early (especially in the bottle mixed with formula) has been linked to juvenile diabetes later in life. 6 months is the standard for when they start on cereal, for the exact reasons you are saying- thier digestive tract needs time to mature. If he's spitting up, he's definitely getting enough to eat- actually probably too much if he's spitting it up. Talk to your pediatrician and he/she can give you the guidelines for how many ounces he should be getting at his age/weight.

C., My oldest was just about ten pounds when he was born, so, I understand what you are going trhough. I did start my son a little early on cereal becuase formula was no longer enough for him and he was drinking about 8 ounces of formula every three hours by the time he was four months old. I am trying to remember exactly when we introduced it though (forgive me, he is almost 13 now). I do beleive it was when he was about four months old and the mixture of cereal was pretty thin. At first it was actually almost liquid with some cereal mixed in just to try and give him something solid in his belly. Hope this helps some and good luck!!! My son, who was also almost 2 feet long when born will be 13 in November and is already 5'8" and 160 pounds!! So, needless to say, the large appetite has never gone away!!! Lol.

It's completely false that cereal will help soothe hunger in babies. What you may need is a type of formula that is thicker and easier to keep down. Your doctor is right--solids (including cereal) should not be given until 5 or 6 months because their digestive tracts are fragile. It's not like giving cereal is a "miracle solution" so don't do what everyone is telling you unless YOU want to do so. Plus, starting solids is more like exposing your child to eating with a spoon--not for exposing them to more food.

Hi C.,

My daughter just turned 4 months and weighs 16 1/2 lbs. The doctor told me to start cereal at her 4 month check up. I give it to her once a day and she seems to be doing well with it. I feed it to her from a spoon rather than putting it in her bottle. It's very soupy (1 Tbsp of cereal - 4 Tbsp of formula) so it's quite messy!

Good luck!
M.

My son just turned 4 months and our Dr. said to start him on Rice cereal. After 3-4 days we could introduce Oatmeal, and every 3-4 days something new. We are now giving him Oatmeal with Bananas. My dr. said to start with yellow vegetables. It is taking him time to learn the eating process so I am not going to start veggie's until he is eating the cereal well.

My daughter was 9 lbs when she was born, but by 3 months she weighed more than your son now. I always listened to my peditrician, I figured they would know better than I anyway. I did not start her on baby cereal until they gave me the all clear. and it wasnt until she was around 6 months. And it never helped her sleep through the night like I was hoping it would. Anyway, feed your son about 3-4 ounces every 2 hrs instead of feeding him a bunch and then him wanting more in 3 hrs. I had the same problem and that is what my ped. told us to do, and it worked. Plus they have growth spurts and they may just be a little more hungry for a few days. Wait on the cereal, its really best. if your baby's digestive track are not mature enough it can cause allergies for the rest of his life, and I think 3 more months of waiting is worth it for being on the safe side.

My son is almost 7 months and while he was your son's age, he was eating every 3 hours or so. It's normal for them to eat that much, that frequently. He also could be going thru a growth spurt and that usually means he eats a little more and perhaps sleeps a little more. I started giving my son (6 1/2 months and weights 22 pounds) rice cereal when he was 5 months old but it was more to have him "practice". He still had the tongue thrusting things going on but I would continue to just feed him as often as he wants. Don't rush the eating part.

Well I had the same problem. My daughter was eating 10 oz every two hours and was very grumpy and sleepy all the time by the time she was 3 months old. Her pediatrition said I shouldn't start her on solids till she was six months old. But I just couldn't keep up with feeding her. So I started her on cereal. She perked right up and started staying awake more and drinking less. When I went back to the pediatrition for her check up (we got a different one for the second appointment) she asked me why I hadn't started her earlier. So, I guess it also depends on the pediatricion that you get.

My daughter turned out just fine and was really healthier and happier after starting solids. You should be cautious, but you can always stop the solids if they don't agree with your son. My son did not like baby food at all and did not start eating solid foods until he was almost eight months old. Then he refused to eat any baby food and would only eat table food. Every baby is different.

Hi C.
I agree that he is a bit too young to start food. The digestive system is definaltely not mature enough to handle it. If you have already increased his formula and is still hungry maybe he just needs to be pacified til the next meal. Do you feed every 4 hours. Maybe he is going through a growth spurt. When we breastfeed we feed on demand because the baby drinks how much he wants. Sometimes during growthspurts it seems as though we are feeding all the time. Yes it gets frustrating. So I think maybe you might want to try feeding him as he needs it even if it throws you off schedule for a few days. he will eventually stop being so hungry.Just monitor how much. If he has a bottle then is hungry again a few hours later try just maybe 2oz of so to hold him over til the next feed. Follow your gut, even we have days when we want to eat more and days when we want nothing. There is no concrete set of rules. Just wait on the cereal til a bit later.
Good Luck

Hey C.- My son was also born a big boy, 9 lbs 10 oz. We started mixing a little bit of cereal in his formula at one month, then gradually increased it. By three months he was eating thicker cereal and then we started him on the basic 1st foods solids at about 4 1/2 months. He is almost a year now and eating pretty much whatever I cook for dinner, chopped up in small pieces. Every baby is different but don't let your son go hungry just because the pediatrician said to wait on the cereal. Sometimes the larger babies DO need more substance.

I started giving my son cereal at four months and he has had some food reactions. He gets rashes if he eats milk products and a few other foods. I did not start my daughter on cereal until almost 7 months. She is very healthy, with no reactions to anything. If I were to have done it again I would have waited. And by the way three hours between feedings is normal. He has a small stomach and digestion happens quickly. I hope this helps you.

My son is 18 months old and I started giving him cereal at 3 weeks old. He has acid Reflux but nothing happened to him. I have a friend whose son was always hungry and I mean always. Doctors told her the same thing. Finally she fed him some and he was happy and not starving. If you son is that hungry try some cereal but start him with rice. As a mom go with your instincts.
M.

good morning, i started all 4 of my kids within 3-4 days of being home. of course it was in the formula and i had to make the holes larger to let the rice thru. (bty, keep extra nipples around for those that you will mess up trying to make the holes.)

not to thick at first but as he gets used to it and with him being 3 months some people would say to mix a very runny bown of formula and rice and see how he does. he will be messy at first becasue of the suck reflex but they come around fast.

good luck, B. mom of 4 kids, 1 dog, 2 cats and 2 turtles. help!!! lol

My son had constipation problems so I never did use cereal. I went straight to baby food at 4 months and he did just fine. He too was a big eater. I believe I started out with fruits, then vegetables and then meat. Starting with #1 food, then #2 food, then #3 food. The jars tell you what age they are for. My child prefered Gerber versus Beech Nut brand. Hope that helps.

Hi C.! You need to trust your instincts and not use the doctors as a bible...if you feel he is hungry, I would give him the cereal...it definitley will not hurt him. My 2 girls were average babies at birth, 7 & 8 pounds, and I started them both at 4 mos old...which what the doc said, by 6 mos, they are on veggies and fruits...that is too long to wait, and if he is a big baby and he is hungry now, he is just going to get hungrier! I would definitely go for it!

i started my son on cereal at 3 months because he was soo hungry all the time

i would say go ahead and do it because i know that my son was fine on the cereal and he ate less and was actually better off

at 3 months he was drinking 8 ozs every 3 hours so i knew that something had to give so i went on cereal

i think that your son will be fine on the cereal

my son is doing great he's 8 months now and he's already onto the chunky type food and is doing great

i guess it's up to you really

C.
It sounds more like your baby is thirsty and not hungry. If the baby was really hungry I don't think he would by throwing up. I say this because I once thought the same thing about my babies and one day my mom gave her water instead of formula, because she just ate not long before, and sure enough this did the trick. She was satisfied until feeding time.
Just try a little water in a bottle.

Dont hesitate to start cereal now! My middle child was a very big and hungry boy and it also seemed to me that he was always hungry. As soon as I started giving cereal in his last feeding he loved it. He began sleeping thru the night!! Please make sure to properly burp the baby afterwards! Your baby will be fine! Good luck to you and let me know how you make out!

Be Blessed!

Hi C.,

First of all - you are Mommy - you know your child even better than your pediatrician. Although I certainly don't disagree w/ your ped - if your son is hungry - feed him... just a bit of cereal, mixed w/ formula... ALL THREE OF MY KIDS... were eating cereal WAY before the doctor "said they should" - but my son was going through 8 12 oz bottles and still hungry!!! I took about a teaspoon of cereal, mixed w/ breast milk (or formula) the consistency should be almost as thin as the milk, and spoon fed it to him... just a tiny amount at a time - if it agrees w/ him - keep giving it to him, you will know if it doesn't agree w/ him. Make sure it is only single grain rice cereal - nothing added to it. All three of my kids, before they were 2 months old were eating cereal - my oldest is almost 7 - and trust me, nothing wrong w/ any of them!!!! Do what you feel is right - it's good to get advice - I wouldn't give your son anything else but cereal - but most peds agree that by 4 months - you can start w/ fruits - but first see how he does w/ the cereal for a while - if he is content w/ just cereal - just feed him cereal for a month or two - you will know when it is time to add variety. After the child is about 4 months - the tiny holes in their stomachs are usually closed up (doctor's contribute colic to these little holes too!) and your son will better be able to handle different foods. Good luck, and if you ever have any other questions, feel free to email me!!

A mother knows best--use your "gut instincts" - - I would start him on gerbers rice cereal--I did with my son even sooner--I had absoulutely no problem and neither did my son--I also did the same with my daughter--both were breast fed--try once in the am and once in the pm---both are 14 and 16 yrs of age now--and more healthey than any of their friends.. good luck--go with your gut!

My son was 9lbs 6oz born. He was constantly hungry like your son. I wasn't able to produce enough milk so my pediatrician said mix some cereal in with his formula and he ended up sleeping more and not constantly eating. Our schedual was sleep for an hour eat for hr sleep for an hour and so on. But after the cereal was mixed in he ate for an hour and slept for 4 so we got more sleep out of it and he was happier. He's now a tall and skinny 2 yr old< not underwieght just pound for inch > and active and happy

Cyrstal, you should really listen to what your pediatrician say, they go to med school for a reason. I did not start giving my son cereal until he was about 41/2 to about 5 month.
I had a friend who started feeding her son pudding, rice cereal, mash potatoes and etc, because she thought he was hungry also. Sad to say but her son got eczema(skin rash).Sometime when you think your child is hungry, it sometime be other things that can be done to soothe a crying child. Just think about it, don't you eat when you are just siting there looking at TV or with nothing else to do. Babies are the same.At your son age he should be getting formula every four hour. I hear everyone bragging about how big their babies are! Not a good thing, being big are not being healthy. When you do start feeding your son try one item at a time, because sometime your child will not tolerate any and everything.

Hi I remember starting my son on cereal at four months and that was on the advice of my pediatrician! He did fine and only a couple of weeks later i was starting him on his first stage foods. Half a jar of veg and half a jar of fruit and alternating so would be green veg for three days and then orange for three and so on. My pediatrician recommended staying to same veg and same fruit for three days to make sure of no reaction. At first he would only take a little as was getting use to texture and the spoon, but eventually he would eat the half jar of veg and the half jar of fruit at meals. I would do cereal and breastfeed in the am and the veg fruit breast milk at lunch and dinner. I introduced fruit juice i think at six months, one third juice to two thirds water. Still do that now with the juice and he is two.He did fine with the cereal and the food. First few attempts more all over than in the mouth but he had to get use to the spoon and the texture. I actually made the cereal very runny to start just mixed with my breast milk. Some people even put it in bottle with milk and i have heard of some people giving cereal in the last bottle before bed but i chose not to. He had plenty in the day. Just go with your gut instinct and see how it goes.

I started giving my son cereal in his formula at about 4 months. My dr is old fashion and he actually recommended it. My son was having a hard time with formula and he didn't hold it down well and had gas and acid reflux pretty bad. I switched formulas on him a couple times, and then I just started adding a little formula and he was like a new baby! He was happy and he started sleeping longer and he was more rested. Every baby is different, but it worked for us! Good Luck!

Do what you feel is right for your baby. My oldest daughter was 3 weeks old and I would put 1/2 teaspoon in a 8 oz bottle. Before I did this she was drinking a full bottle every two hours. Once I did this it went to more like three and a half. At 4 months old I was feeding her stage 1 baby food. She was ready. Now my second daughter is 6 months and BF. She started eating cereal at 4 months. She was ready then. I would find a new doctor that will not just go by what the AAP sais to wait until 6 months. That is mostly they want you to wait if your baby has health problems or you have a family history of food intolerance or alergies. And if you are BF. But have you ever seen a baby that was not given food before they are 6 months old? They are always hungry. The only advice I can give you is start with small amounts and thin as possible. and as he gets used to it add more and thicker. Also put him in his highchair and support him in a sitting possition while you feed him. Rolled up towels worked the best for both my girls. And as tempting as they are stay away from those bottled feeders. They will not teach they how to chew and they have a higher risk of choking on their food, and they will get too much food in their tummy at one feeding, and they will not want their milk, which will still be his main source of nutrition until he is 1 year old. Food is just so he can learn to eat. Oh and pick one meal time a day for about a month and feed him every day at that time. Dinner time always worked for me cause everyone else was at the table and as he is eating he is also spending time with the whole family. After a month or sooner if he seems to be getting more and more hungry do two meals a day for a while. So in three months time you will be feeding him every time you eat. Oh before you feed him give him a bottle. Do that until he is around 11 months. You will find that the more he eats the less he will drink and by the time you are feeding three times a day he will only want one bottle in between meals. That is why you give him the bottle before each meal.

Hi: I am the mother of 3 gils all BIG at birth. They were always very hungry. Each one got treated differently according to their needs. The first started cereal at 4 months per our pediatrician suggestion.. Just a cople of spoon fulls for the 1st few days and then gradually increased. She was eating home cooked soups with veggies by 6 months and has never had any stomach problem... THe second was born extremely colichy and with a few more problems digesting... she started solids at 6 months per our pediatrician. She did get very hungry but rather than feed her more per feeding we started feeding her more often therefore avoiding hunger and the spit up from being too full. She was slower at getting to home cooked table food. The third had reflux and used to spit up a lot. Although all my kids were solely breastfed her spitting up led our pediatrician to having us try Enfamil AR (formula with rice cereal) THis helped keep the food down and reduce reflux. It also kept her more full. SHe started this at 3 months and solids is the standard or because he fee(Rice cereal from bowl) at 4.5 months. my point is that each child develops differently... As your peduatrician if he is suggesting 6 mo. cause that is the standard or because he feels this is when your baby will be ready. As far as getting him full and reducing spit up try the enfamil ar: here is a link too read about it. THis is given to babies even at birth http://store.enfamil.com/enfamil_ar_lipil.html
Good luck!

It all depends on the baby. They are all different and some babys bodys mature faster. My first daughter I started about 4 or 5 months old, but my second WANTED real food at 3 months. If he is watching you like a hawk when you eat, and if you offer him some cereal and he eats it, he's probably ready. I learned with my second baby that you have to let your baby tell you what they need not some book. Some babies need more attention, food, cuddling, etc. and some don't. If you do what YOU think is right, he will be just fine. Good luck, and TRY not too stress too much and just enjoy that innocent little cutness!!!!

O.K. No joke, my mother started me on cereal at 3 weeks old. This was in the 1970's, so there were different theories about how, when and what to feed babies, but here is how it went for me (according to photos and notes in my baby album): 3 weeks: cereal, 4 weeks: fruit, 5 weeks: vegetables, 6 weeks: meat, 7 weeks: egg yolks (weird, eh?). Doctors today would absolutely balk at what my mother was advised, and I would certainly not recommend it to anyone else, but frankly, I have grown up completely healthy-- I've never had any digestive problems, and I have no food allergies. My point is this: We mothers (myself included) try to follow the advise of today's experts to a tee, for fear of how our children will turn out if we don't. But past generations have had different rules for their times, and their children survived, so maybe it's OK to bend the rules a bit sometimes for our own kids when our motherly instincts tell us to...

That being said, our son's pediatrician advised to start cereal at 4 months. We actually didn't start him on cereal until 6 months because he had some blood in his stool, and the doctors wanted to run some tests on him first (turned out to be an infection, unrelated to food, and which he got over quickly-- he was soley breast-fed until 6 months).

Maybe you could mix a small amount of cereal into his formula when you make his bottles, just to add a little thickness to fill his belly.

Hi! My kids were both 3 months when we started cereal and at about 4 months we started them on veggies and fruits. By 9 months they were eating all table food. This all under the watch of a pediatrician who said it was okay. I've never heard of delaying food until 6 months. Your son will be fine with some cereal, both of you will be much happier. My kids were both born 9#3oz and were big eaters. They weren't really happy and satisfied until they were eating food. Now they are a healthy 4 and 2 1/2! Good luck!

Our daughters Pediatrician is adamit about waiting until they are 6 months old too. We started our daughter on cereal when she was about 5 1/2 months and even then it was slow going at first. It took her a little while to get the hang of it. We did cereal for about a month, then added fruit for about a month and then onto veggies. You can try it on your little one, he will let you know if he's ready. Good luck.

My question is, is it fair to give something to a child when it's not ready? I would just wait until six months, the time limit is there for a reason. Increase the bottle feedings slowly, but be aware of the amount. Good luck! Jen

We started cereal just before 6 months, but that was due to his stomach. He had reflux, and painful gas. The cereal totally cured him. Up until we stared the cereal, he ate every 2 hours, and he's an average sized baby. But, besides that my pediatrician said formula babies should get cereal at 4 months, and breast fed ones at 6. Everyone I know with formula babies started the cereal at 4 months. Hope this helps :)

Hi C.,
You've probably recieved several responses, but I had a similiar issue with my first child. My daughter at 3 months started waking every hour to 2 hours to eat. I was breastfeeding and got so sore from the constant feedings and fustrated from the lack of sleep, that I started giving her formula. The formula bottles hardly helped and she still woke every 1-2 hours to feed. My pediatrician was adamant about waitng till she was 4 months old to start her on rice cereal. I knew my child was hungry. I had that gut instinct that she needed more than what I was giving her nursing or formula, also there was absolutely no food allergies in our family. Against my pediatrician's advise, I gave her 2 tespoons of rice cereal in her nighttime bottle and she started sleeping 6 hours stretches. I waited a week and incresed the cereal to 4 teaspoons, she slept 8 hours. Oh and my daughter was only 6 lbs 14 oz at birth, but has a voracious appetite. My daughter is 3 yrs old now and is 110% hyper, healthy and strong (THANK GOD).
I would love to hear back from you and hear how things worked out for you. I am debating doing the same for my newest daughter, she is 1 month old now. I will wait and see if she will need to be started on cereal early. I will at least wait till 3 months.
Sincerely, R.

Hi I have a 2 1/2 month old son who was born at 9lbs 4 oz. By the sound of it our sons could be the same person :) I am feeding him every 4 hours but same thing he wants to eat every 3. I told my doctor and she told me to feed him half his weight so he is now 13 lbs 3 oz so i feed him between 5 and 6 oz. I thought it was alot but it is making him happy. He has a bad reflux problem where he spits up and some times throws up all day long. My Dr. told me to give him rice in his formula 1 teaspoons per oz. In his bottle. 6 oz of formula 6 teaspoons of rice. It has worked he is not spitting up nearly as much. I did try Enfamill AR it reduces spit up by 40% but my son didn't like it.
I hope this helps.
Take care,
Emma

Hi C., I have a daughter that will be 6 months next week. She was 5 pounds 5 ounces when she was born. I started giving her cereal in her bottle at night at 3 months and Gerber 1st foods and cereal at 4 months because she was hungry all the time. She still gets her formula, 6 ounces every four hours but I feed her food three times a day also. I know a lot of people do not like the idea of cereal in the bottle and I was nervous at first, but she tolerated it great and seems very satisfied. She is almost 15 pounds now. Good luck and I hope this helped!

Hi Cristal,

I have a son, he's 22 months, and I started the cereal when he was only 3 weeks. I asked the pediatrician first and she told me the same as yours, not to start until 6 months, for that same reason they told you. But, my mom was always telling me that she gave us (me and my brother and sister)the cereal during the first weeks, not even a month, and that way we sleep through the night. I decided to follow my mom's instructions and I told the doctor and she told me that if I want to give the baby cereal I had to make sure that no one in my family suffers asthma. Since there is no asthma in our family I started the cereal at the age of 3 weeks. She told me to give him only a small amount (I think it was like 1 tsp. for every oz. of milk), I started like that for a week. Since the baby had no problem with the cereal and he was still waking up during the night I decided to increase the amount to such way that we had to open the bib with a scissor, since the hole was very small. So when I gave a bib of milk to my son it looks live I was giving "Quaker oatmeal", very thin. But it was the best, he start sleeping through the night, he was not hungry during the night. He loved the cereal so much. I gave him more Oatmeal cereal than rice.

If you have no asthma problems in your family I recommended you the cereal.

I hope this can help you in your decision.

H.

my son was born 8 lbs 3oz. I breastfed him until 6 months. his pediatrician gave the go ahead for cereal/stage 1 foods at 4 months (he had already doubled his birth weight by then) BUT...there are a few more important factors BESIDES age that doctors usually take into consideration: head control, tongue reflex, sitting support, weight, and the baby's interest in eating the food. It is very true that the baby's digestive system needs to mature and may not be ready for solids and more and more experts are reiterating NOT to put cereal in the bottle,bottom line---every baby is different. 6 months is a bit long to wait in my experience, especially with your baby being so large. I would suggest waiting a few more weeks and then giving cereal a try. If he doesn't take to it give it a break and try again in a few days... good luck!!!!

If he is ready for cereal start with some really runny rice cereal. It should be mostly formula with a little bit of cereal in it. Give it to him with a spoon. He will let you know if he is ready or not. If he isn't ready he will push it out of his mouth. In that case wait a week or so and try again. The first time, he probably won't like it, expect that and try again. Change your pediatrician if he is telling you 6 months. I am not sure where you are, but Pediatric Associates is WONDERFUL!!! Most babies should start between 4 - 6 months usually, but sometimes need it as early as 4 - 6 weeks too.

I started my daughter at 2 months old with very diluted ceral and let it get thicker as we went.She was satisfied and slept through the night.

Hey C.

Boy do I undertand you, my first born was 10 1/2 lbs I was shocked more shocked when I got home and the little guy almost ripped my nipple off, I knew then that this tyke needed to be formula fed. I come from a Cuban family as much as we respect our doctors opinions we also know that all babies are different and that we all have to try what works. I started my one week old with 4 oz of formula and 2 spoon fulls of banana baby food the more I increased the formula I increased the baby food till at one point it was more like a milkshake and it worked. by the 3rd month i was making him homemade purees with vegetables...progressing into chicken and meat. My son has alwasy been big for his age he is now 2 1/2 and is as big as a 4 year old. Remember to always try new things in the am that way you can see how it works throught the day. Also week by week one week banana the next papaya ect. hope this helps...;)