When to Start on Baby Cereal?

My son is going to be 4 mo on the 19th and I started him on food when he was 3 mo. He was ready and he was eating a lot of milk and the food keeps him full a little longer. I asked my dr. and she said to start him at atleast 4 mo. But she didn't give me a good enough reason to not start him earlyer so I did. He can't sit up by hisself yet but he sits in his highchair good. I can't thing of any reason not to. Just start off slow like feeding him a half a small boul once a day. My baby got a little constapated but that was it. I just gave him some gas drops and he was fine. If you have any question let me know.
C.

Hi A.,

With my son we started him on cereal when he was supposed to be 4 months old (he was 3 1/2 months preterm so we had to adjust his age). But with my daughter we will start her when she is 6 months because they have found that infants who started solids at 6 months instead of 4 months had a lower chance of getting food allergies. Hope this helps.
C.

My daughter started a little cereal around 5 months, then the solid baby foods at 6 months. I think there is no harm in starting, just start slowly and with 1 food at a time. The bulk of the diet should still be breastmilk-I think they say breastmilk fulfills all requirements (except iron??) until baby is 1 year.

Our pediatrician told us to put cereal in our daughter's bottle at one month old because she acted like she was starving. She was on fruits at 2 months, veggies at 4 months, meats at 5 months, and eating regular table food at 9 months. Every baby is different and you are the parent. You get the final decision. What do YOU think is best for YOUR baby. Does he act like he's starving? Does he reach for your food when you're eating in front of him? Try giving him a little cereal and if he won't eat it then he's not ready. If he does eat it then he is ready. If you don't agree with something your pediatrician says, don't be afraid to get a second opinion, read up on it, or try something on your own. If it doesn't feel right to you or you're uncomfortable with something than it's not right. You should be comfortable with all the decisions you make for your baby. And remember, they're your decisions. Pediatricians can only give advice and guidance but in the end it's you that makes the decision. Make the decisions that feel right.

I started at 4 months. My daughter could get enough to eat and it really helped to give it to her as the last of the day feeding. She seems to have suffered no ill effects. I would suggest you feed your baby it with a spoon rather than in a bottle. That way he is only taking what he can handle. I continued breast feeding, just supplemented that last meal of the day with the rice cereal.

Good luck!

Everything that I have read and everything the doctors told me when my son was in the hospital in San Francisco was the later you can start on solids the better. All children really need is breastmilk until 6 months old. I read an article earlier this year in Parenting magazine that a study has shown that the later you start your child on solids the less likely he/she will be overweight. The down side to that is that they are more likely to be picky eaters. Hope this helped!

I also nurse, and my daughter is now 6 months... Thru all of my friends and my experiences all of our doctors tell us differently!! My pediatrician told me that it is ok to start at four months especially if they are showing signs of interest, however they say that it is most common to start at 5 months.... But here is what I have tried, and so far it has worked...

4 1/2 months: I started cereal one time a day
5 Months: I started applesauce, peas, bananas, sweat potatoes, and then squash.
(Only l feeding a day)
(My Dr. said that Fruit before veggies is just a myth)

My pediatrician said that by 6 months they want them to have tried at least 5 types of fruits & veggies. But not to worry, it is not for nutrition it is strictly for textures and taste.

F.Y.I
Since she is breast fed, my daughter went from 1 dirty diaper every 4 days to 4 times a day as soon as we switched

6 months: I give her Gerber�s cereal w/ applesauce at lunch time (for a good nap) and veggie and fruit for dinner.

7 months: they want her to start meats. Feeding her 2-3 meals a day

9 months: they want her to be eating 3 meals a day,

Good Luck!! Remember that the best advice is to follow your heart.

Mommies know best!!

J.

I think you should go ahead and start. I have three children my youngest is 8 months old. I started all of them on solids at 4 months. Back when my first child (now 4) was born the doctors were saying 4 months, now I am hearing 6 months. All my children took to solids great at 4 months. They were all very interested in us eating just like you said. Exspecially the younger two, watching their siblings eat. I think you should go ahead and start! I also read in Parenting that now they are saying you should start with a fruit or vegatable instead of cereal. They say the kids will grow up to want veggies and fruits more. Which I always did anyway. I figure let's start them out with something that taste good.

Hi A.,
I'd recommend waiting until he is 6 mos. old because it has been shown to help reduce the chance of him developing food allergies. My pediatrician (plus books I read on the subject) all said to just give babies breastmilk until 6 months for this reason. It's just one more month and it might help his health...
Good luck!

usually you just moniter whether they are being satisfied with just breast milk or is your child hungry again shortly after hes just eaten. if hes not getting satisfied then i would start him on baby food. i started both my children on solids at about 3 to 4 months old.

i started my now 5 1/2 month old when he was 4 months, it really helps him sleep at night because he goes to bed between 1130-1230 & is good till 8ish in the morning

Hi A.,

I am a mom of three kids (oldest is 23). Each of my children were breast fed...I started each on diluted baby cereal at different ages, my first child at about 4 1/2 months, the second was around 5, (this helped him to sleep for 4 hours in the night-time instead of eat every 2 hours (I was exhausted!) My last child I added baby cereal to her bottle at almost 5 months...As long as the cereal is diluted and the hole of the nipple is big enough for it to get through baby should not have a problem. All my kids thrived on the cereal...
Hope this helps!

C.

Hi there A., my name is J.. My pediatrition told me that too with my second child. Even though the doctor told me to wait until 6 monhts I started her on cereal at 4 monhts and then around 5 months i started her on stage 1 foods. Thats what i didnt with my first one as well. As long as they can sit up and hold there head up your baby should be fine. The doctors just worry about them choking when there so little. So just to start off with tiny bites. What I have found out what both my girls liked, is i would buy the plain rice ceral and then just mix a little bit of apple juice to give it flavor. I dont know of any baby's who just like it plain. Well happy eating!!!

We started our daughter at 4 1/2 months. Our pediatrician recommended 6 months, but also said to follow my instinct. If she was starving, it was OK to give her cereal. No one knows your child better than you, and pediatricians are only following guidelines by recommending waiting until 6 months, but every child is different, and so the guidelines are just that, guidelines, not rules ....

I started my baby on solids when he was about 4 months old. I have read articles stating that for the entire 1st year formula/breast milk is all the baby needs but I found it's definitly not all the baby wants! My son also loved to watch us eat and seemed to desire the "chewing" that he did when he ate the rice cereal (it was actually just sucking on the spoon). My son recently started seeing a new pediatrician who recommends new introductions to food from 4 months on. Moral of the story: You're the mommy and mommy knows best! good luck!

I started my son on cereal when he was 5 months old and had no problems. Alot of peds. are pushing for the 6 month mark to start because of the immaturity of the baby's digestion system (that's what mine told me), but I believe that no one knows your child better than you, and if you feel that he's ready, go for it. Just start a little at a time and see how he handles it. Of course it's easier to feed if he can sit up, but they make all kinds of things to help you out. We used the bouncy chair. Hope this helps!

Mare

Looks like you're getting varied advice. I'm another proponent of waiting. First you'll have less worries about allergies. Second, most little digestive systems just aren't ready yet. Your baby is less interested in "eating" as noticing what mommy and daddy are doing. Try giving a frozen teether or letting him play with a baby spoon if you want him involved at mealtimes. But really, right now, breastmilk is best and you may even end up compromising that by introducing foods. Many kids don't really start solids until after six months.

For the first year, your child's primary source of nutrition should be breastmilk. Adding foods gives them a little variety and lets them "practice" using their eating skills, muscles, etc. But food is a supplement, not the primary source of nutrition.

Good luck!

I have 4 children and it was different with all of them. When your baby starts watching you take bites and showing interest in your food , that is a good sign they are ready. I am a former breast feeder and would pump a little to add to the cereal so they still got the benefits of breastmilk as they tried textures and flavors.In the end your mommy instincts will lead you to the right choice, you just have to trust your own intuition about your baby. Best Wishes.S.

Hey A.,
I started my daughter on rice cereal at 3months, becasue she too was VERY interested! My doctor said it was fine to do. We only gave Peyton cereal at night and 1st feeding in the morning to fill her tummy a little more. We put it in the bottle and made the nipple a little bigger. other times we fed it to her w/ a spoon. you will know your little guy isn't ready if he can't swallow it....he won't choke, but 90% of it will be all over him if his throat is not ready...hope this helps. Give it a shot. Peyton loved her rice milk, and eating. She is now 9 months and LOVES LOVES LOVES EVERYTHING. :) J.

hi! my ped also said if your child is breast feeding wait till 6 mo. your breast milk has everything he needs. i would wait. my daughter was breast feed only for 6 weeks. i put her on rice careal at 4 mo. she was happy and does well. good luck!

A.,
If you think he is ready go ahead and try it. If he seems to swallow it down with ease then he is ready to eat it, if he doesn't seem to know what to do with it when its in his mouth or if he spits it out our acts "uninterested" then wait a few more weeks and try it again.
My little guy started solids at about 5 months and he did really well with them. It's easiest to feed them in the infant car seat I think.
Good Luck,
M.

I have found that each child is different. My first son was very interested in watching his parents eat, tracking the fork from plate to mouth. We started him on cereal at 5 months and he loved it from the first bite. My second son had no interest at all and we had no success feeding him solids until he was nearly seven months old. The guidlines for starting solids used to say that babies should begin cereal at four months, but the Academy of Pediatrics recently changed that to 6 months. The truth is babies get their nutrition from breast milk or formula and their first cereal is just kind of training for future solids. If you think he's ready, give it a try. Just don't expect him to get his nutritive needs from the cereal.

You really shouldn't start with any solid foods until your child can sit up. That's the biggest rule I've heard. My kids started sitting between 4 mo. and 5 mo., so when they mastered the skill of sitting is when I started feeding them solid foods.

Just because your baby shows an interest in food doesn't mean he has the skill to eat it yet. They also have to master the tongue. A baby's instinct is to push the food out. Until that stops he's not ready to eat.

Wait, be patient, there is no need to rush getting him started on solids. I didn't start my son on solids till he was 7 months old---only breastmilk before that. They really should be able to sit up on their own before solids are started.
P.

The doctors seem to want to suggest waiting until 6 months now but if I were you I would go with what you feel is right for your baby. Rice cereal is the best to start with . Most babies
can eat it pretty well.

Hi A.,
I started all 3 of my kids with baby cereal around 4 mos. They were all breast fed and were huge! My only reasoning was to change it up a little for them. It was really fun for them and me as well. Since I never was able to pump this also allowed someone else to feed the baby. They all did fine and enjoyed the cereal. Hope this helps.

My baby started on solids (rice cereal) at 6 months...I followed my pediatrician's advice and exclusively breastfed him until he was that old. He seemed interested at around 5 months too, but I just waited because the doctor said to. Once I did introduce it, he did fine but got constipated from the rice cereal almost immediately. So we switched to oatmeal cereal instead (made with breastmilk of course) and that fixed the problem. My sister started her baby on cereal at 4 months though, and he did fine with it. It's up to you, you know your baby the best. One tip: when they are that young they are too small for the high chair so we got a seat called a Bumbo-you should check them out. they are awesome for feeding them at that age. here's a website: http://www.bumbobabyseat.com/
I've seen them at target once or twice too and I know they sell them on ebay.

Good luck!

Hi,
I'll share my experience with you. At 4 months, our daughter watched us eat very carefully. She was so interested in food. After her 4 month check up I introduced oatmeal mixed with breast milk. Not much makes it into their tummies! But her doc said that it was okay if she seemed interested. The most important thing to remember is that the cereal does not replace milk in any way; it's just in addition to whatever your son is eating now. Don't count it as a meal. You're the Mom, you know best.

Just an opinion from my own personal experience: I think your son is still a bit young for solids. I think my fitst child was about 8 months old before we introduced only mushy food, nothing she had to chew. Just be careful, Choking is a scary thing, as you know,

I started my baby off at 4 months even though her pediatrician said to wait until she was 6 months. She did great with it and transitioned from baby food to table food really fast. She loves to eat now at 14 months. I don't see a problem with feeding your baby at this age as long as you continue his formula or breast milk feedings and remember that those are his most important feedings.

After Rainey joy was born, Heidi had to go back to work and I concentrated on baby care and running a home business. So it was me a lot of the time that changed her diet. Solids? I was all for it. It helped her sleep more soundly and seemed to make her much more complacent in her surroundings.

We didn't go way overboard, but experimented with different things. First was the cereal in the bottle, then by spoon mixed with formula, then yogurt mixed in the cereal and so on ---- now she is an adventurous eater at the age of two.

Kurt

I started one of my boys at 4 months and he was ready, but the other one was closer to 6 (he just kept pushing it out and wasn't ready) I would try it and see what happens, it won't hurt him

Hello A.,

I am a first time mom as well. My Dr told me the same thing, however I chose to start him on solids at 5 months. Same story here, he was interested so I tried it. He had a great time learning. If you feel the time is right it probably is.
DR's are great for help but don't always know what's best for us.
Good luck with the new mess of fun!

mommy knows best! I started my daughter on cerial when she was 4 months, since she couldn't sit up I put her in her bouncy chair or her car seat and feed her small bites. good luck with your new family. -Nicole-

Hi A.,

I am pregnant with our baby due your little one's birthday! I would love to know what kind of temperament he has.

As far as starting on solids, some pediatricians do start at 4 mos. but breast milk should suffice until at least 6 months. I think that it depends on which ped. you speak to about this. I know that my best friend started her son at 4 mos. as he was already 18 lbs, quite big, and had a hearty appetite.
He's your son and you know your son better than anyone else, right?

Truly,
Jessirvin

Actually, the AAP and La Leche League both suggest waiting until after 6 months to start babies on solids. Their digestive system is still forming and isn't ready for anything other than breastmilk or formula. Even babies watching you eat with curiosity aren't ready. It's hard to wait - b/c it's so exciting - but if you can curb your patience I'd wait another month.

www.kellymom.com is an awesome resource for information about breastfed babies. Here's her link on solids: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/index.html . She includes links to other sites to help you research and decide for yourself.

One month is not long to wait and there are many good reasons:

protection from illness
less likelyhood of developing food allergies
digestive system has time to mature

and more!

Hi there! I think a lot of it has to do with personal prefernce. I know I started my daughter on cereal a little earlier than 6 months. Howeve my daughter would get really hungry and was eating quite frequently. If you think your son is ready to start cereal, I would start introducing it to him slowly. Incorporate it into the current diet...Still using breast milk. I never really fed my daughter a bowl of cereal I often added rice cereal to her bottles. As far as introducing food I would give it a wirl, just be sure not to mix to much. Maybe one veggie per day...they can develope food allergies and you want to be able to quickly identify the source of an allergic reaction. Also I would suggest introducing veggies before fruits, because they can develope a sweet tooth and if you start with fruits they may never want veggies. You can probably wait longer to introduce meats...But so that you know - meats are a little more difficult to introduce because the have a funny taste, smell and texture. So when introducing meat I would get a combination meal Ie: squash and turkey, ect. Hopefully this was helpful I may have completely gone around the question you wanted answered.

Let us know how it goes!

-A.

my 7 mos. old started when my ped. recommended at 6 mos., but he could have started sooner. I think you should just try it and see how it goes. By the way my dd hates cereal, so we're on all the other food.

M.

My daughter didn't start solids until she was over 6 months, although we tried to get her to take them earlier (due to a serious endocrine disorder docs wanted us to suppliment bf) and she wanted nothing to do with it. Even at 6 months she only played with it. She didn't start in earnest until she could pick up bits herself at 8 months or so.

There are lot's of reasons to wait, and you'll find that many are similar to the reasons you decided to breastfeed in the first place. Cereal fills up your baby without giving him anywhere near the nutrient and fat densities he needs at this age. To promote proper brain development, combat the beginings of childhood obesitity, lower the chances of food allergy....ect...wait another month.

And then I seriously recommend that you forgo the cereal. It's just a tradition in this country that we start with cereal that largely started with the formula companies. Take a tip from the Europeans and start with something you'd like to follow through with...Try some mild veggies. Baked butternut squash was a major hit around here. Good luck with whatever you do.

you can try him at 4mos but many times they aren't ready. I was exited to feed my first and he seemed ready at 5mos but it was more frustrating so I stopped and waited till he was 6 1/2 mos. At 6 1/2 mos he easily ate no problems. never hurst to try and if he is not interested just wait. But really 6 mos is a good age to start.

Hi A., I think 4mo is a good age to start cereal. My first baby just turned 1 in september . but I started him on cereal at 4mo because milk was just not keeping him full. I just started giving him a little in the morning and some at night to start and he really liked it after a couple days. Now that My son is 1 he is a really good eater. I'm not sure about the IQ thing but my son is already walking and knows 6 languange signs to tell me what he wants.

I started my first boy on solids at 4 months. He was ALWAYS hungry, and he wasn't sleeping very long at night time due to a constant need to eat. I've read that a baby is ready when they start showing interest in his mommy and daddy eating. My 2nd boy is now 6 months. I started him on rice cereal as soon as he could sit up leaning on his hands, which was right between 4 & 5 months. I would get him started if you feel he's ready. Start with SUPER runny rice cereal, and only a few bites. Odds are he'll spit most of it out for a while anyway, but getting him used to the textures is a good start! Starting solids is a big deal! I believe it's up to mommy to know when her baby is ready! But remember that breast milk or formula is still their main nutritional need.

We found with my oldest--who I thought "he's such a big guy, I'm SURE he needs more than just breast milk!"--that as soon as I started feeding him solids at 4 months he quit pooping. So I held off until he was 6 months and he did just fine! His digestive system just wasn't ready yet! My youngest we tried the same thing at 4 months but he developed acid reflux--so we waited until 6 months and it was better. So...that's my $.02! We also found that avocado was a great first food. We used the book Super Baby Food (loosely--I found it a tad radical) and LOVED it!

Good Morning A. my two month old son Elijah is currently on formula. He has single grain rice cereal for all of his meals because he has acid reflux. The only reason I am telling you this is because my son is doing well with it. If it has not done him any harm @ 2 months surely your son being 4 months should do well also. I mix one tablespoon of rice cereal to every 2 oz of formula in a bottle, please be sure not to make the hole in the bottle to big. You could probably mix the cereal with your breast milk. The cereal has to be single. You can also get a second opinion form another doctor. Some doctors are hard core about keeping babies on breast milk for as long as possible but I did not produce enough breast milk to breast feed in the first place. The main thing is as long as your baby is not losing weight on breast milk you are doing great. Also if you would like to continue working from home either full time or part time please take a look at the business opportunity on the following website: www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/jameshayes you may or may not be interested and it will only time 15 minutes of your time. Make sure you look at the business opportunity section of the website. Should you have any question I can be reached on my cell phone @ ###-###-####. Good luck in the future with feeding your son. I hope every thing works out for the best for you.

Hi A.! I am a mom of three very healthy kids (14, 12, 10) and I started them on baby cereal when they were about a week old. I know that seems kind of early, but when you think about it can we, as adults, sleep well with only liquid in our stomachs? I know personally I dont, and in fact they are just mini adults. Their doctor knew from the start that I had done it and said as long as they weren't having any kind of reaction to it, then it was fine. If you feel your baby is in need of more than just milk then by all means do it. Doctors are great dont get me wrong (I'm studying to be a MA) but nothing beats mother's intuition.

I would shoot to start your baby at 6 months...a week or two early would be fine. your baby showing interest is a good sign, but your Dr. is right, the baby doens't need it. Tehre have been studies showing that sodlids befreo 4 months lower IQ. I found that very interesting. I bet if you tried now, you would find, even with the interest, your baby wouldn't really know how to handle the food. Even when you start feeding the babe foods, his (her) primary source of nutrition comes from the milk for several milk as he learns to eat. I would suggest trying really hard not to rush it. :)

I started my son on cereal long before the doctor told me it was ok. My son was just hungry all the time. He needed something more than milk. Now he's 2 and a very healthy boy. So, take your doctor's advice as what it is, advice, and go with your gut. The only reason that you might possibly want to hold off is if you have a history of food allergies in your family. If not, I say go for it if you think he's ready.

Hello!

Starting solids is a really personal choice. I believe the AAP reccommends starting solids between 4-6 months for babies, with bf babies on the later end of that figure. Breastmilk is a perfect food for a babies first year and solids are really just for exploring w/ taste and texture rather than nurtrition anyway (whether baby is formula or breastfed). Check out www.kellymom.com, if you're breastfeeding there's a lot of good info there.

But if you want to start cereal and you think he's ready, it's not bad to start him at 5 months.

Good luck!

Hi, my second child I decided to do things differently and breast feed as long as I could. I was able to breast feed and nothing eles untill he was 10 months old. it took a lot of time and determination. Heres the facts that I have learned from him, first he was A LOT healthier then my first son. He did not get sick one time until he was 8 months old when he started to teeth. He was very content and happy, slept through the nightSo I think you need to feel OK that he will not be suffering or missing out on any thing. Breast milk is the best and safest thing for him. However I have some advice for you also, if this is not something you want to do or feel comfortable doing so then don't. Breast feeding is always the best and most wonderful thing but you have done it for four months and does not sound like you want to give that up so do what works for you as well as him. Solids will fill him up so he goes more time without food so you will have more freedom to work and so forth. This is something in my opinion that is a choice for mothers to make. Doctors advice is always to be taken into consiteration but a mothers own mind and thoughts will forever be more important, you know your child do what feels right. I hope this has helped, good luck!

Hi A.,
I started both my girls at about 5 months, they too were breastfed. You want to water that cereal down, I did it with breastmilk, as they get used to it, then I would make it thicker. I would only give it to them for breakfast for the first couple of weeks, you don't want it to replace your breastmilk. Good luck.

Hi my name is G. (Gabby), I have 3 children from 4 years old to almost 11months old... You should start your child on cereal and baby jar food when you feel he is ready, it also helps with them sleeping through the night. I started all of my children on food by 4 months of age. Also, doctors told me not to take my son off of formula until 1 year old, at 8 1/2 months- he refused to drink formula and I started giving him the same milk I drink...he is still alive and well. I feel that if you think they are ready, you should try it.

Hi A.,
I have two daughters, 5 and 8. When they were babies the Dr. told me and I've also read that starting them too young (before 5-6 months) can cause allergies later on in life. Allergies run in my family so I waited. Both of my daughters did just fine with breast milk and formula until 6 months. One other things that I've read is when you start giving your baby food, wait a week before introducing new foods. Try a new food for a week at a time to make sure there is not an allergic reaction. Once you decide to move on from cereal, I've heard to do vegatables before fruit because once they taste the sweet stuff they are less likely to want veggies. Remember not to ever give a baby under one year old honey. It contains a bacteria which can be very harmful and even deadly if given to babies.
Good luck.
E.

According to my "standby" pediatrician, they do prefer that you wait until closer to 6 months to start on solid foods. I can't remember what we did with my oldest daughter - it was 6 years ago. But my youngest (9.5 months) was always hungry. I mean, I was giving her 6+ bottles that were 8 ounces each. I talked with them about it, and they were not real interested in my starting on cereal. But, they DID say that I could start on cereal if I thought the time was right. So, I started cereal. The deal is that when you introduce a new food, you need to continue to serve that for a few days so that you can see if there will be any kind of an allergic reaction. So, if you start the (rice) cereal, use just that for 3 or 4 days. I started with cereal and used that for about a week before I started to introduce other foods. Start with "yellow" veggies (squash, carrots, sweet potatoes) first. Then you can move to green veggies and then fruit. They suggest you don't start with fruit in fear that your child may not then want the veggies.

If your son is showing an interest in food, try a small amount of cereal. Rice cereal is pretty cheap. So, if you get a box and try it with not great results, no big loss. But, if your son is showing an interest, you may be pleasently surprised!!

Let us know what you decide and how it works out for ya!

Hi everyone!
As long as your baby can sit upright on his own(to reduce the chance of choking), a little cereal mixed with breast milk seems fine. Until reading some of the other posts, I had not heard of putting cereal in a bottle. I see no reason not to, but I found that introducing a spoon earlier rather than later made weaning off the bottle a bit easier.

Sounds like you have a great Pediatrition! If I were you I would wait it out. My daughter is almost 7 months and I have only let her taste some yams so far. She also likes to watch us eat and will even chew! But when I actually offer some food, she is not that interested. Breastmilk is by far the best for your baby, and you should do it for as long as you possibly can. The fear behind introducing solids too soon is that it can trigger food allergies, especially if it runs in the family. I introduced solids to my son(now 2) at 4 months, and he LOVED it. He actually did not like cereal, but loved bananas and pears(wish i had started with veggies!). He reacted to foods through my breastmilk, but I did not think he would react to fruit. It took me almost 2 years to realize he strongly reacts to fruit. I have no idea why, posssibly because I introduced it before his system was ready. I plan to exclusively breastfeed my daughter for as long as possible.

Here are some articles you may be interested in.

http://www.breastfeedingbasics.com/html/starting_solids.s...

http://askdrsears.com/html/3/T032000.asp

Good luck!

When I called my mom in tears on my son's 1 week birthday "MMMMMOOOOOMMMMM they're hurting my baby, he's crying!" (they were just circumcising him, I was being a wuss), after she told me to knock it off, she asked me if I had been putting cereal in his bottle yet. Despite smoking like a chimney (sp) with all 3 of us kids, we were all pretty darn healthy, so I always took everything she said as the way to go. Always listen to your doc, but it never hurts to go with what you feel. Especially if he is interested in what you're eating, cereal or instant potatoes will be a good start. Fills up his tummy and he will probably be a happy boy! Just remember if he's been a breast milk boy til now be prepared for different diapers!