4 Month Old-solid Foods Questions

I held off all solids until 6 months to avoid food allergies. Even so my youngest still has food allergies despite no family history. Food allergies can be a serious threat so I would reconsider starting solids and bumping up his formula if he is still hungry.

When it comes to food the most important thing to remember is that formula is still the most important way for babies to get nutrients. So as long as he/she is getting the correct amount of formula you can give whatever other food you would like. Just be sure to only try one kind at a time in case there are any allergies. And he will guide you and let you know when he is full...it is amazing how early they can do this. With my daughter I did cereal for breakfast to start. I went through rice, oatmeal, barley and mixed each for 5-7 days before I even tried real food. So she was probably about 5.5 months before veggies came along.

Hi L. - I just went to my Pedi last night. I also just posted a similiar question! My daughter Gabriella just turned 4 months and she's 16 lbs.
Gabriella has had rice cereal in her bottle for about 3 weeks now. I was told to eliminate the rice from her bottle and to give it to her with a soup consistenct - couple tablespoons or until she turns her head. I was also told that once we start yellow veggies and fruit to stop the rice cereal all together. I would love to see a sample feeding schedule as well

Baby food companies such as Gerber and Beechnut have good web pages that break it down for you in an easy to read and check format. In case you are like me and need things in writing. I'm having my second son anyday now and I can't remember any of that stuff from my first son. My first was a big boy too, now he's 2 and a skinny little man, good eater though. You never know, trust your instincts though. Good Luck!

Our ped told us 1 tablespoon per 2oz of formula for my son's reflux. He's 4mos and 16lbs and cannot handle it. His tummy aches for hours trying to digest it. So, we go with 1 teaspoon per 2oz of formula.

I know your son doesn't have reflux, but his tummy may still not be able to digest cereal this soon. Start with the dr. recommendation, and you may have to tweak it from there. Good luck!

I seems like things have really changed nowadays. I have four kids, the youngest is 4. I started them about 3 months and i never measured anything. I would just make a small bowl of rice cereal (pretty thin until they got older). I never had any overweight children or feeding problems. I went right from the cereal to mixing in a little fruits or veggies pretty quickly. Best of luck to you and in my opinion only you know your baby the best!!

p.s That seems like such a tiny torturous amount to start with :(

I see there are lots of responses to your post. I haven't read them, but I'm sure there's lots of good advice! I just wanted to mention that the book Super Baby Food is great. I have 3 kids. The third is 4 months and will soon be starting on cereal. This book is awesome- it's like my "bible" for feeding my kids til they are toddlers. Best of luck to you!

Hi L.-
I would recommend sticking with rice cereal for at least the first month to make sure he won't run into any digestive problems (ie. allergies or constipation). Start with 2 TBSP and try that for 4 or 5 days (1x a day). If he does fine, then you can add a TBSP of cereal each week- up to 4 TBSP a feeding. Go slow so his little tummy will have time to adjust.
When he is 5 months, and he's done fine I'd recommend switching him over to oatmeal(Up to 4 TBSP- he may not eat all of it at first though so don't force it). Give that a week and if he is fine then add a second feeing in so that he is getting 4 TBSP of oatmeal 2X a day. Once he is doing 4TBSP 2x a day with no problem you can consider adding in a TBSP or two of a veggie. Start with veggies first because if they get the taste for the sweeter fruits first it can be harder to turn them onto veggies (We started with carrots then green beans).
Go slow even though your little man is big for his age. Remember his tummy is still small.
Good Luck!

I uped by babies amount of cereal very quickly after starting. I also added stage one foods within a week of starting cereal. I just tried 1 new food every 4 days. I fed them half a stage 1 at a feeding and the next day finished the jar off. I also started with veggies, following the theory that introducing fruit first would turn them off to veggies. That probibly is not the case and more of a wivestale. I used to alternate feeding with food 8am breastfeed, 11am cereal & breastfeed, 2pm breast feed, 5pm veggies and breastfeed, 8pm breastfeed and bedtime. As long as your baby is still getting his quota of formula there is nothing wrong with adding foods.

Just because other people do it, doesn't make it right! Your doctor only wants you to give him a little bit of cereal to start getting him used to solid food and check for food allergies or other problems related to eating solid foods. A baby's digestive track is not ready for most things until 6 months old, his size has nothing to do with it. Formula or breast milk is the BEST nutrition at this point and should be his main nutrition. If he's hungry, give him more formula or nurse. In the next month or 2 when you do introduce other foods, 1 at a time for about a week starting with fruits or veggies to check for allergies or other problems. Do not give a 4 month old yogurt as someone suggested - cows milk should not be introduced until after 12 months of age for allergy and digestive reasons. He should also never get 'food' through a bottle. If they can't take it by mouth then they are not ready to digest it! Good luck.

I would wait another month to feed him fruits and veggies. I would give him some baby rice in a bowl if the formula and rice does not seem to be enough. may be start off with four tablespoons of formula and feed it to him. he may not seem to swallow to well at first but he will get the hang of it after a few weeks. when he is five months then try some fruits first. you are supposed to try one food at a time for at least a few days to make sure their are no food allergies.

I'd stick with the cereal only. No matter how large your son is, his stomach has only been functioning for about 120 days now and probably can't handle too much "real food."
Careful with the cereal--he may not be capable of swallowing solids yet.

Why do you think that it isn't enough cereal? Does he cry when it is gone?

I would do what your doctor says. At this age they need to be getting all their calories from breastmilk/formula, not from solids, and the solids are so much lower calorie than the formula. So it is very easy to fill them up on solids and then they aren't getting enough calories or fat for their development.

The stage 1 containers are the size they are because that is the average serving size that a child eating them should eat. If he can't come close to eating a size 1 container, he's not ready for them.

I know a lot of moms say "feed veggies first because the won't eat them if they've had fruit first" but studies have shown that it just isn't true. Breastmilk is MUCH sweeter than any fruit, and the formulas have added sugar to make them sweet too. Kids either like veggies at first or not, but keep giving them and they will learn to like most of them.

I did cereal at 5 months, and held off till six months for food. If I remember correctly I was going through 1 jar a day(you must feed them the same food for three to four days to see if there is a reaction), the go to the next food. I started veggies first cause I found in a few kids that if I started giving them fruit first they did not like the veggies later. Every kid is different. Starting green is better I have found(peas, green beans). Babies are less likely to have a allergic reaction to green veggies. Good luck, but my advice is to just stick it out with the cereal. Talk to you ped.

My son was a big eater (still is, he's now one and eats the same amount at breakfast & dinner as I do, his lunches are usually a little smaller). We started him on rice at 3 months. By four months he was on stage one foods. We started with yellow veggies, then green veggies, then fruits (fruits are really sweet & kids usually love them, they say to intro them last so they don't reject the "plain" veggies). By 5 months he had tried all the stage ones & was on to stage twos. By six months he was on stage 3 and eating finger foods. Most doctors today will tell you this is too fast, but every kid is different, this is what worked best with our son.
I think 1 tbsp of rice to 4 of formula sounds really runny. I never actually measured anything myself. I used to dump some rice in a small bowl & add some water until it looked to be a good consistency. I never made mine really runny, it made too much of a mess. I also think stage 1 and 2 foods are too runny. I used to make my own with much less water & he could swallow it just fine.
When we started him on food I gave him the rice at dinner time. I gave him as much as he was willing to eat. At first that was less than a tbsp. Within 2 weeks he was up to about 5 tbsp (i'm told this is an unusually large amount for a baby at one sitting, but again he was fine). I always stopped when he turned his head away. We later added a second solid rice meal at breakfast. Again as much as he would eat. By 4 1/2 months we were up to 3 meals a day, varying rice, fruits & veggies (a different thing at each meal). And at each sitting we let him eat as much as he wanted. This would change every day. Sometimes it was only 1/2 a jar, sometimes a whole jar, sometimes 1 1/2 jars (this was usually during a growth spurt). When he regularly ate more than a jar we went up to the stage 2 foods. When he was regularly eating more than one jar of that at a sitting we went up to stage 3.
I always fed him close to my meal times (either just before or after I ate) I figured this would make the transition to regular foods & meals with the family easier. It seems to have worked.
When you get to the stage 3 foods, make sure you read the ingredients; especially if you get their early. I was shocked & found out most of my friends had no idea what was in some of them. Many of them have added sugar. All the "desserts" do, but so do some of the others. Also a lot of the dinners have eggs in them. Babies are not supposed to get (I think I have this right) yolks til 9months & whites until 1 year. Some of the dinners had egg whites, egg yolks, or even whole eggs in them. So make sure you check. This is not a problem with stage 1 & 2 foods.
Good luck

Hi, I was in your place. One of mine wouldn't stop eating. I followed my mothers advice and used plain yogurt. just a very small spoon full in her bottle a few times a day. It thickens it nicely and filled my lil one no problem. Its a lot easier then trying to feed a baby who might not be ready for solid foods, it also wont clog the the nipple like cereal does. Hope this helps

Jenn

L.,
I have 3 boys and each was different with foods. My 5 1/2 month old is still getting started on cereal. We did try squash, but he was refusing his bottle even after only about 1/3 of the 1st foods container. I tried the bottle first, but then he wasn't interested in the food. All babies are different.
You do need to take a little consideration to what the dr said. He/she knows your baby better than we do. Not sure when you're feeding the cereal. If you haven't done it like this, try it. Sounds like he can handle the food first. Have the bottle ready to put it right in after he is done. Don't be tempted to do too much too soon. My son likes the cereal thicker. Add a little more, but you could also bump him up on his formula. An extra oz in each bottle will add up for him. If he's a spitter, try a little cereal in the bottle (with Y nipple). You could also give a "snack" bottle if he seems to need it.
All just advice since I don't know all about you and your baby. Just don't try too much at once or too much too soon. Gradually is the way to go.

I wouldn't rush into the jar food yet. Just give more cereal at a sitting. The oatmeal is heavier and tastier than the rice.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

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You def have to start with veggies. You dont want to get him used to the sweetness of fruits then he will never eat veggies. Im a mother of four daughters and each child is different. The doctor would always tell me not to feed them food til at least 6 months but i would go by what they wanted. Try just cereal in the morning. Then a veggie for dinner. But make sure he is still taking a good amount of his bottles during the day. When you start them on foods he still need the supplements from the formula so dont cut back on that. Well good luck I hope I helped at least a little.

Hi L.! Give the boy some more cereal! You also don't have to make it so thin if he is not pushing it out and actually eating it! Start with veggies! One new veggie every few days or week just to make sure he doesn't have an allergic reaction to it. You can start with cereal in the morning after his bottle, then a veggie at dinner time. If that isn't enough you can do a veggie and some cereal at dinner. Check out the book What to Expect the first year. I found it to be very helpful! Good luck and best wishes!