Infant All Moms

There are MANY risks (such as Type 1 Diabetes and a huge risk for allergies) associated with early introduction of solids. PLEASE do some research on it (KellyMom.com & AskDrSears.com both have some great, fact-based information on it) before you consider it.
I know that formula is insanely expensive, but I would not introduce ANY solids until AT LEAST 5-6 mos of age.

Good luck!

My son, who is now 20 months, was 9 lbs 3 oz at birth. I waiting until the doctor said it was ok (about 5 months) before giving him anything but formula. I was worried his little belly wouldnt be ready for it and it would upset his stomach if I gave it to him too early. He seemed perfectly satisfied with just the formula though, so I didnt really have a problem waiting (even though my mother in law INSISTED that I should start putting cereal in his bottle at 8 weeks).

has nothing to do with size of the baby.

Now if the baby gainging too much weight, they might say give more water. or dilute formula more

K.,
I think it's pretty standard advice to wait til 6 mos for cereal, then veggies, then fruit.
Keep in mind that although your son may be "big," his digestive system is still only 11 weeks old. Same as all other 11 wk old babies. He won't have the ability to swallow or digest things more complex than formula. Be patient. He will be 6 mos old before you know it!

I started my son on rice cereal when he was 2 1/2 months old. We put like a 1/4 teaspoon in his bottle at first to make sure he didn't have a reaction. After a few day of that we increased to 1/2 teaspoon, then 1 teaspoon. That way it will still come through the nipple because it is not too thick. Once he can sit supported he can eat the cereal off a spoon. Doctor's don't like you to put cereal in a bottle, but my whole family did this with their kids and they were fine with it. The doctor isn't the one that has to hear them scream when they are still hungry and not getting enough from just formula. Good luck.

How much formula is he eating? I started my son on rice cereal at 4mos. I would not do it before then, although I know just how you feel. I wanted to try it too, but then decided to feed him more often throughout the day instead. It definitely helped! My son is big also, although he was only 5lbs 14oz at birth, he was about 12 or 14 lbs. at 3mos. He is now 6mos old and weighs about 21 lbs! So size really doesn't make a difference yet. Just try feeding a little more often during the day of formula only. Offer 6oz. every 2 or 3 hours if you have to, just to see if he will take it and if it makes a difference for him. Otherwise, ask your doc what he or she thinks you should do. Without sounding bossy (which is sometimes WAY too easy!), I would really not give him solids until at least 4mos. Good luck and I hope you figure out the best thing for him soon! :)

There are reasons we don't feed our kids like MIL used to! They used to make formula out of cows milk, salt and sugar. Years later they were finding adults with kidney failure because they were raised on a diet like this! Be patient. There are developmental steps to look for that indicate readiness for solids. We put rice cereal in my first sons bottle and it gave him constipation. He was fussy because his tummy hurt. We did it because my MIL said it would help him sleep through the night. You don't want to compromise their nutrition in any way. He will be fine if you follow the recommendations of doctors. Food allergies are a lot higher than they ever have been before and doctors are finding the longer you wait to introduce foods, the less likely allergies will occur altogether.

I did give my baby food long before they told me to, but 11wks is way tooo soon. I am talking 7 months here. There are diff formulas with diff caloric intakes, but your baby will even out.

K., I am aware of the challenges of a large infant!!! I hear your concern! My 2nd son was 11lbs, 3ozs at birth. ( no gestational diabetes) He is now 6 months old and weighs 24lbs, 10 ozs! I started feeding him at 3 months b/c he did not seem satisfied with his bottles and he is presently drinking 8 ozs. in addition to 3 meals a day. I would never fed my 1st at 3 months b/c the literature tells you to wait. I think it is more for food allergy development than anything. We have no family history of food allergies. I would start with just 1 meal a day, baby rice cereal mixed with formula, a couple of tsps to start. Your baby will tell you when he/she has had enough! Mixing the cereal with formula will also give you an avenue to get the recommended amt of formula in your child. Good luck!

There are recommendations to wait. I think each baby is different. My first son was 9lb 10oz. (21 years ago) By the time he was a week or 2 old he was sucking down an 8oz bottle every 2 hours and was so hungry. We had to start giving him heavy cereal bottles to hold him off for 4 hour feedings. We also introduced baby food through special suction bottles that they made back then. Our doctor was fine with it because of his need. My second son was 8lb 11oz (13 years ago) and he was almost as bad as my first. He was not gaining in the womb and got as big as he did in his last month before birth, so the doc said he would have been well over 10lbs if he grew normally. The docs didn't have a problem with the way he ate all the cereal bottles and baby food either because that was his needs. He needed something heavy cuz drinking 8oz bottles every 2 hours wasn't satisfying. 4 years ago today we have our triplets. They were preemies two months early. They were obviously a different story. They had to work their way up to eating more over many months.

If your baby isn't able to wait 3-4 hours between feedings for their next bottle, try adding rice cereal to stretch them out. Always use cereal first before baby foods. My older boys aren't the norm. Most kids will do fine by adding the cereal.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets (turned 4 today!)

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Around 4 months I was told that you can start cereal. Then gradually add fruits and veggies.

I started feeding food around 5 1/2 months. At 11 weeks, you can feed your baby food, but last I heard pediaticians said they didn't have the physical ability to actually digest the food. So, you may fill them up with cereal, but you aren't adding nourishment. You are just putting "stuff" in their digestive tracks.

so I would stick to formula, and be sure the amount is appropriate when you go to your next check-up. It's also hard to tell in your request, how big your son actually is. My babies ranged from 7 to 9 pounds at birth, and I both breastfed and bottle fed them with either breastmilk or formula. None of them got "real" food until at least 5 months of age. And they have all been healthy.

I also had a big baby and my doctor told me to start baby food at 4 months. I honestly would not start sooner. Even if you did, the biology of babies will prevent you from any success. At 11 weeks your baby still has a reflex that will cause their tongue to push any solid food out of their mouth. They simply can not move it back to the throat to swallow. At this age they can only suck/swallow/breath in that order. This is ability at this age. Don't push it. Are you mixing the formula correctly? Some people actually are concentrating it too much and giving more calories than they think. Also, is your child over eating? Exactly how many ounces a day does your child consume. Some parents mistake fussiness for hunger and just put a bottle in the child's mouth every time they cry or fuss. Some children just need to suck on a pacifier and not a bottle to calm down. Good luck, maybe you just have a good eater.

K.,

I have 3 wonderful kids now 9,7,5. Straight breast milk or formula sometimes is just not enough. What I have done is get Baby Rice Cereal, its flakey and you want to grind it to a powder. Put about an 1/8 of a teaspoon full into the baby's bottle. It doesnt take a whole lot to fill at babys tummy at this age. Se if he sleeps longer or goes longer than 1-2 hours between feedings. If hes content, do that for a while. If hes still real fussy after a feeding or still wont take a good 2-3hr nap. add a 1/8 teaspoon more. A 1/4 teaspoon should be more than enough for his age. Then just keep an eye on him for any rashes, or constipation (these could be adverse side effects/dont want to scare your but is could happen), I would only give him the cereal no more than 3 times a day. If your looking for a good nite sleep definately give him the cereal in his last bottle before bed time. The fuller the tummy the longer he'll sleep at nite. Use the Rice Cereal, not the oatmeal or barley, they are better for toddlers. The rice cereal is very lite and very easy on the babys digestion. You know your baby better than the doctors. I never belived that giving a baby straight formula for he first 6 mos. was good. How hungry would you be if you only had liquids everyday for 6mos? When you try anything just watch your baby for any problems. They would usually consist of a lot of gas, rashes, constipation, and very fussy. You cant always go by the book. If you can talk to your mom or mother in law and see what they did when you were babies? Sometimes those old mom remidies work well.

K.,
My son was average size at birth and gained a lot of weight during the 1st 4 months. He was 20 pounds at 4 months. His pediatrician told me to start him on cereal at 4 months. My family believes in starting babies on solids (a few sprinkles of cereal in a bottle of milk) as early as two weeks, but I decided to wait until my son was 4 months.

Sorry, but I would have to agree with the other moms. 11 weeks is way too early to start any foods. I have heard of some people who put cereal in the bottle, but it's just a tad. And still, if your baby is big, he really doesn't need anything exta right now. Also, if you give him food, he may not take as much formula because he is full. If that happens, he will not be getting the nutrients he needs. This could cause problems sooner and later.
Try to wait it out. Trust me as a mom of three, if you feed too soon you'll just be making more work for yourself at the least.
Trust your dr on this. At least for now.

In all honeslty I waited till six months to offer baby food of any kind. I think she may have even been over six months. At six months I think my daughter was like almost 16/17lbs. Not for sure though. She was always in the higher %tile. At a year old she was only 19 though because she was more active. I am really hopeing that you have not yet begun to give him food. Wait it out! His needs right now is the formula! Nothing else.

The earliest you should give food is 4 months. Your baby's digestive tract is not developed enough to handle food. I've heard, but not sure if it's true, that you could encourage digestive problems down the road by starting too early, before your baby has developed properly. Anyone else have info on this? bAlso, from a food allergy standpoint, our doctor says to push for 6 months if you can. My babies, however, were all ready around 5 months. They'd start waking up at night wanting to be fed. It was always very evident to me that it was time to start with the cereal. I want to echo what someone else said. It's really good to try one cereal at a time at first, then give green veggies, then orange, then fruit. Always start out by giving one thing at a time to watch for any allergies to foods.

please don't do this. His little tummy needs more milk --breastmilk or formula if you have to, and to eat often, but not solid foods at 11 weeks. Maybe another mom with younger children can tell you how much and how often their child this age eats, I would say 4 oz every 2-3 hours might be normal, but it's been awhile and i nursed instead of using formula.

try giving him a pacifier, if you think he is hungry, maybe he just needs to suck or is bored and need to play, or maybe needs a nap,

It really isn't about how big he was when he was born, it's just about gaining weight at a slow and steady pace. If he is that huge maybe he doesn't need extra calories anyways.

The reason your dr will say not to give solids is because you son's digestive system isn't ready for solids. You don't want him to have reflux or allergies or anything else to make him miserable. Ask your dr for samples of formula if you can't pay for it, or see if there are some programs out there to assist you. If it's a matter of just not wanting to feed him as often as he needs it ask his father or a family member to help you if you need a break. All new moms are tired.

Please trust your dr on this.

Don't do it! You'll regret it! It's not about how big your baby is, it's about how they can digest the food. You run much greater chance of him developing digestive issues. Just wait until he is 5-6months, then start only with the very smooth cereal. There's a reason the Ped. has these rules about food...

Hi K.

I was tempted when my first son was about 11/12 weeks old - I don't remember how big he was - to give him cereal and it was horrible. His little tummy couldn't handle it. He got really constipated and gassy and then diarrhea. Not every baby has this experience, but I waited until the doctor recommended age and didn't have any trouble with my second and I won't start my 3rd until between 5 and 6 months either.

My son, who is now 2 1/2 was 9 lbs 14 oz. at birth and a good eater!!! By 6 weeks I could not keep up with him! He wanted to breast feed ALl the time. So, at my doctor's suggestion, I started him on rice cereal. It really helped!!! By 16 weeks we had him on jarred baby food. Today he is 38 inches tall, 36 pounds and extremely healthy. We did the same for our 9 month old who was 8 pounds 10 oz. at birth and she is thriving as well. Go with your gut. You know what is best for your child and like I said my doctor was the one who suggessted it. He said as long as they still nursed (a good 15-20 minute sitting each time) 4 or 5 times a day that they would be fine and he was right.

My baby was pretty big too, but I held off giving her baby food too early because of the allergy risk. My side of the family has no food allergies but her Daddy's side does and that was one of the big concerns from the doctor. Something about the sooner you introduce foods the higher the chance of developing an allergy. Also, there was some concern about digesting the food properly. I would talk openly with the doctor, but err on the side of caution. You can't take it back. If your baby is eating fine and developing normally, I wouldn't worry. But your the mom, no one knows your baby better than you.

I didn't give my son cereal until he was almost 6 months old. We exclusively breastfed until then and he also breastfed until he was 1 1/2 and then stopped on his own. He was born about a month premature but still weighed 7 lbs, 3 oz. But grew quickly, by four months he was 17 lbs and by 6 months he was 21 lbs. Then it slowed down alot as he started moving. But I never felt I needed to give him solids early even though he was a big baby and I wanted to wait a little longer to avoid any chance of allergies. I would listed to your Dr. Babies really don't need solids as early as some people think. And I've also heard that it's not true that giving them cereal early helps them sleep better. It might be, but everything I have read is to the contrary.

All 4 of my kids were big for their age. I started them all on rice cereal early. Some as early as 3 weeks old. They are fine. It's up to you, really, you're the mom.

I breast feed my son, who was very big. He was in the 95th percentile for height & weight at birth & at 3 months. At 3 months he was still eating every 2 hours (24 hours a day). I needed some sleep & he needed more food. He would not take a bottle at that time (though I have to admit I didn't try very hard (I didn't really want to do formula). At 3 months I started him on rice cereal in a bowl. We started it at night, once a day(that seemed to be his hungriest time of day. People will say this is not true, but once he started on the rice he started sleeping 4 hours at night. We did this for a week, then I started to feel guilty for starting him so soon. I stopped. He went back to eating every 2 hours. I did that for a week then went back to rice w/o any guilt. He went back to sleeping 4 hours. We bumped him up to 2 rice feedings a day. Around 4 months we started adding the veggies & fruits. He never had any digestive problems & he definately slept better. By the time we were up to 3 feedings with a jar at each feeding he was sleeping 6 hours a night (around 5 1/2 months). The doctors could not believe how much he was eating (he was still breastfeeding 8-10 times a day too). At 6 months we started adding finger foods and a yogurt & rice snack just before bed. By 10 months he was completely off baby food & was eating what we ate, we just cut it up smaller. He has 3 solid meals a day & 2 snacks. He self weened at 9 months & switched to formula w/o a problem. As for people who say babies will get fat from doing this, that is not true, you just have to listen to your baby's cues. I would stop feeding him if he turned his head away. And now I never make him finish what is on his plate if he is not hungry. He eats when his is hungry & stops when he is not. He is now a year old. At his one year appt he was down to the 50th percentiles for both height & weight. (He had been slowly moving in this direction all year). He is very healthy, he has only had one bad case of diaper rash & one cold so far.
One more thing. Drs used to recommend starting food much earlier. MY MIL still has the forms from the dr recommending my husband start on rice at 2 weeks (with a spoon). By 3 months he was eating the jarred meats.
I think you have to go with your instincts. You know your baby best. If he is still hungry after bf or his bottle, then it may be worth a try. If he is sleeping well already & he seems satisfied after his bottle or bfeeding, then I would just continue what you are doing. Good luck.

My 6 month old was born at 8 lbs 9 oz. He is a bigger boys still at 17 lbs 4 oz. He has been a great eater and has shown intrest in food for a long time before I introduced solids. I started him at 4 1/2 months with your basic rice cereal. He was around 14 lbs at the time.

I would hold off on the solids due to a child that young lacks the ability to swallow solids in a safe manner. The tounge thrust reflex is still in full effect with a child that young. I would advise to stick to what your Ped. told you for the safety of your son.

No food yet! He's too young. He could develop allergies & their digestive system isn't ready for solids yet. I bet your ped will recommend breastmilk/formula (whichever you use) only. that's all they need.

ids.

Yes, we gave our son baby food at about 4 months. He is a pretty big boy. He is now 6 months and is 20 pounds. I believe if your baby is hungry FEED THEM! If your baby has the typical signs like watching you eat, following the direction of food, opening his mouth when you take a bite.... 11 weeks I thinks is too young but maybe just put a little rice cereal in his bottle with formula.

Why not just give him more formula if you think he need it? The studies on rice cereal are clear-- it doesn't help them sleep any longer (with the possible exception as a treatment for reflux) and you are just increasing the risk of allergies and digestive problems. He is way too young for solids-- give it another 5 or 6 weeks at least. The signs of readiness for solids are being 4-6 months of age, AND able to hold head up and steady AND interest in food.

We started at about 4 months with a little rice in the bottle to manage reflux (with the doctors permission, and along with medication). If you do it, please at least tell your doctor so he/she knows what is going on.

Please do not give your baby any food prior to at least 4 months old... there are medical reasons why these guidelines are in place... the size of your baby should not dictate your giving him food prematurely... his organs and body overall will develop at the same pace as other babies and they simply are not developed enough to handle food prior to this timeframe. The recommended timeframe is 4-6 months, and even then if the baby isn't able to feed properly you should stop for another week and try again.

I just want to be sure you protect your baby from possible side effects - including allergies and digestive problems.

Hi K. -

With my first son..I followed the doctors direction. I started a bit earlier with my second son. Defintely do not start solids before 4 months (11 weeks is too early). Six months is a better time-frame to start. Your child may be big...but that doesn't mean they have learned to chew and swallow). Be patient....you'll be making your baby solids before you know it. Good solid to start with is rice cereal or oatmeal cereal (with lots of breastmilk of formula added at first...decrease the liquid as they "grow" into better eaters). Next step - veggies (b/c they will never eat their veggies if you start with fruit first). Good luck!

Hi K.,
First off, how big is "pretty big?" Does your ped think that your baby is too big? My son went through this Jabba The Hut phase when he was about 3-4 months old and he passed through it just fine. I could send you photos if you like to gauge how big I'm talking about and send off one from now to show you what I mean. Like the other moms said 11 weeks is too young for solids. I would seek the advice of your doctor. I wouldn't worry, babies all tend to even out eventually.

J.

K.,
Breastmilk only! will keep his weight where it should be. No solids yet--wait 'til at LEAST 6-9 months.
smiles,
L., Brianna & Shannon (2y 2m & 7w and both still bf'ing!)

K. C. My son was 9lbs.7ozs. at birth (my biggest baby) I breast feed him until the age of 2 1/2 (my obgyn told me he would stop on his own since I was expecting again, he did not)any way his doctor put him on Green beans baby food when he was a month old every month we started a new veggie until he tried them all. then we started with the fruits. It satisfied his hunger and he enjoys veggies and fruits to this day and he is almost 18 years old now. Good Luck with everything. J.

K.,
My son who is now 6 yrs old was given cereal at 2 weeks old. He was eating 3-4 8 oz bottles during the day and would still want one at night. I added cereal at his last feeding before bed and he slept thru the night and was happy. It didnt bother him in any way and he always seemed to be more content with that then just a bottle at night. He was more on the average size. I also noticed that your other responses are saying about allergys. My son has no allergies to any food. I made sure that I just gave him a new food once a week to make sure that there was no reaction to that.
My daughter I started her on cereal around 6 weeks and was testing baby food with her around 3 1/2-4 months. I put her thru the test with all the baby cereal to make sure that she wasnt allergic to any of the grains. Now she is on the smaller side. She is now 19 months old and only weighs 23 lbs and my son weighed that around 6 months old.
I always looked at as if they dont seem full enough with just the bottle and he can sit up with out falling over it cant hurt to try. You can also add cereal to his formula and see how he does with that. Every baby is different and you just have to go by what you feel is right. Mother always knows best. The doctors like to go with an average and every baby is not average. Good Luck.

put some rice cereal in the formula if he is not seeming to fill up. start out with a tablespoon. take a safety pin and heat the end of it up and put it in the end of the nipple so the formula mixed with the rice will come out. i did feed my son straight cereal until he was over four months old. they do not have the swallow reflex yet until around that age. I understand your child may be big for his age but that does not mean his disgestive track is mature enough.

Their tummy isn't ready for solids for at least a few months, but the real concern is not the food, it's replacing servings of the breast milk or formula which has all the essential fats, protein, calcium and brain developing nutrients with other food that make them feel full. If they feel full from solids, you may accidently give them less formula-which is NOT GOOD! So feed him as much formula as possible all day long, and only fill in with food a little bit and add cereal to formula after 4-6 months. My baby boy is enormous, and I have been constantly feeding him for 9 months! I feel for you!