Cereal - Coram,NY

My son is 17 months old now and my pediatrician told me that it was ok to start my son on cereal at 4 months old and for two weeks if he was taking well to it to try oatmeal for a week and if he did well with that the following week to try barley and then from there he told me it was start him on the fruits and veggies. You want to try veggies first though because if you do the fruit before the veggies they will not want the veggies they will want the fruit because it is sweeter. It really depends on how you feel its your child if you feel that she is not getting enough then go with your instint and start her with the ceral.

It's okay to start now, it shouldn't effect the nursing, always nurse first, then if their still hungry give rice cereal or oatmeal. Some people would nurse 4 times a day instead of 5 and do cereal that one time... or 3 times and cereal 2. Whatever feels right to you, it's really trial and error, my son kept doing both.

It's funny how with every child being different so are pediatricians. With mine at his 4 month, she told me to start once a day "attempting" to give cereal as that tongue thrust prevents them from eating alot at first.

Anyway, I started with just the cereal once a day, and if I didn't have time one day, it wasn't a big deal, it was just to give him a taste and the idea of what was going on. I actually stopped a few weeks later for a week. When I started back up, he went full force with fruit too!

Do what you think is right, it is your child. If she seems hungry, maybe she is ready. My only real suggestion to not interrupt her breastfeeding or bottlefeeding is to do it about 1 hour after she has those. That way she fills up on the breastmilk/formula NOT the cereal/fruit.

A.,

What worked best when my son was this age was to breastfeed him more often. I made sure I was eating very well and I didn't have a problem with supplying as much as he needed. If you are supplementing with formula, perhaps it will be easier to feed her more as needed. Keep breastfeeding, my son didn't give up until he was 13 months old. We started rice cereal mixed with breast milk when he was 5 months, 3 weeks. He's loved everything I've fed him ever since.

Good luck,
R.

Hey A.,

This question usually gets so many different responses so be prepared. I believe that each child is different and some are hungrier then others. I started both of my kids on cereal early because they were hungry every 2 1/2 hours and just never seemed content. You are the only one who can decide what is right for your baby. If you do decide to start I am just going to warn you in advance she will probably hate it. What I did was make it very soupy at first and if she screams though the entire thing then nurse for a little first or give a few ounces of formula from the bottle. When they are hungry they do not realize that cereal is eating so they usually get frustrated and scream. Feeding a little first usually helps calm them down so they are not upset while trying the cereal. It takes some patients at first because they do not know what to do with the solids that's why I say make it really soupy at first. If your doctor is leaving it up to you then I think you are the best judge. Also, starting cereal does not mean give up breastfeeding at all. I just read a NEW study that says delaying solids in some cases leads to fussy eaters later in childhood. I will say I own a childcare center and have so many toddlers that will not eat solids because they gag. I know I am old school but my kids both were eating table food by a year old. They were both great eaters. Remember studies change every few years. What I did 24 years ago is not acceptable and what doctors are recommending now will surely change and who knows things may go back to the way things were 24 years ago LOL!! Good luck to you and your baby!!! MAMMA KNOWS BEST!!!

baby should still be thirsty, right....although the amount of nurseing may decrease a bit.

Hi A., I'm sure you baby will still want to nurse even after you start her on cereal. I know things have changed but when mine were small we started cereal at 3 months and the babies still continued nursing. My best, Grandma Mary

If she is hungry, when you give her a bottle put in a little more than you think she will eat and don't worry if you throw out an ounce or half an ounce that is extra (obviously make sure it is formula if you can). Someone in La Leche also suggested to nurse first then offer the cereal. My kids also have/had a mix of breastmilk and formula which is the main source of nurtition in the first year, even after starting solid food. You can keep nursing as long as you and your baby/todler want, certianly after she is eating mainly solid foods. Also, I started with oatmeal rather than rice cereal (less potential for constipation).

The reason doctors used to encourage waiting until 6 months to start solids was to reduce the risk of developing food allergies. Through research, this has been found to be a nonissue. Starting solids at 4 months will not increase the risk of developing food allergies-that is a medical fact.

As for your question about starting cereal and the baby still wanting to breastfeed...in my situation we introduced cereal at 4 months for one meal and breastfed the rest of the time, eventually working up to two meals until he was about 11 months old, when he decided he was done breastfeeding.

Ultimately the decision is yours-good luck!

My son did that at 4 months too...looking for "more" and he loved the cereal, he is now 3. Both he and my 4 month old daughter started cereal at 4 months. My daughter has been having it for a week now. I am exclusively breastfeeding her and it has caused no problems, nor did it with my son. I feed her first and then offer her cereal for breakfast & dinner usually an hour or 2 after breastfeeding. My doctor gave the OK to start the rice cereal at 4 months.

I definitely think so! My daughter is 6 months old and started showing interest in foods at about 5 months, so we started rice cereal and apples then. She still loves being nursed and sometimes prefers it even after rejecting bottle milk. Just remember to feed her as often as you can once you get home.

Hi A.
Just remember that food is food and breastmilk/formula is just that. A lot of times, people add cereal to the formula or breastmilk, but I wouldn't do that. It doesn't really fill them as well as a simple spoonful of cereal.
I started my daughter with cereal at 4.5 months, and she is a big baby and was very hungry too. (She is 15 months now and she is 28.9 lbs and 34.5 inches long. She wears 3T and 4T clothes already!!).
I started with a teaspoon of oatmeal mixed with a little bit of formula. (not runny, but not too thick either).
Just sit her upright and give her a little bit at a time. My daughter seemed to know exactly what it was for and she swallowed it right down. Some babies take time and spit it out a few times. Just keep spooning it back little bit at a time, until she takes it. As long as you feed her the cereal separately from your breastmilk, I cannot see why she would ever want to stop breastfeeding. At the very beginning, I gave the teaspoon once a day to see how she tolerated it. Then I increased it to twice a day, and then I increased the amount as she went along. It is all a judgement call, but not too much too soon. P.S. I gave her rice in the very beginning, but she got very constipated on the rice (Which is common), so I switched to oatmeal and that seemed to work out really well.
That small amount is just getting her tummy ready to start taking food. It will not interfere with your breatfeeding schedule. She will take the same amount of breastmilk feedings as she is now. But she will be more satisfied especially at night time!
That seemed to be the way things worked out for my daughter.
Good luck to you.
I'm sure all will work out just great for you.
P.
P.

I was in a similar situation. My son was 4 mo and breastfed and very hungry. I was reluctant to feed him cereal just yet, but my husband pointed out that if the baby's hungry, we have to respond to that. So we gave him cereal (he lapped it up) and within a few weeks was on all sorts of foods. I'm really glad we didn't wait. Just go slowly - your baby will tell you what she's ready for. She may only enjoy the cereal or only want a few foods. But if she's healthy and thriving, chances are she's fine for food at this point.

Good luck!!!

The World Health Organization says that you should not start with any solids until 6 months. They don't need them before then. If she seems hungry feed her breastmilk or formula more often. Try to hold out a little bit longer -- the earlier they start solids the more likely they are to get allergies. We started at 5 and a half mo.s -- he was grabbing food out of our hands. It's obvious when they're ready.

Angela,
I nuirsed two of my children until they were 30 months, yes I said thirty months they ate some table foods but not all. Please keep in mind what ever you mix breaast milk with will break down. Breast milk has a composition that digests food if you are mixing it with processed milk it changes it's consistency. Having cereal will not change her appetite, also breastfed babies nurse as needed you don't put them on the same type of schedule as a bottle fed baby, because your milk flow matches their needs. Breast fed babies go through a growth spurt if you have the joy of experiencing it they nurse around the clock or frequently, To increase your milk flow and if you are not nursing her at these times you will not be producing enough milk.

Hi, I am amazed at how many Mommies out there feed cereal to their babies too early. Medically, their little digestive tracks are not completely developed and should only be fed breastmilk or formula (or both) until they are 6 months old. It's a fact....a medical fact.
If your baby is hungry - then simply feed her/him larger servings of formula or breastmilk at each feeding....or actually just feed on demand. It truly is only a minor inconvenience to feed them on demand....think about it - two more months!? No big deal - and I think worth the wait. Why chance it? Why put your babies digestive track at risk? Better safe than sorry.
Just my 2 cents.
Good luck.

I exclusively breastfed my daughter until she was 5.5 months old. Then, I started her on cereal and although she took to it immediately, she still nursed fine. After a couple of weeks when your baby starts taking solid foods, your body will naturally know that it doesn't need to produce that much milk because your baby doesn't require that much of it. I continued to breastfeed my daughter, as well as give solid foods, until she was 9 months old when it was clear that I definitely no longer had enough to nurse her. I started to wean her to formula with no problems. Good luck with your little one!

Are you/your mother feeding her on demand? Only you can know what is best for your daughter. I think you will find opinions either way. I, personally, waited to start cereal until 6 1/2 months because I have a history of allergies and I wanted to let my daughter's digestive track develop as much as possible before starting solids. But to do this I fed her whenever she was hungry. There was a basic structure/schedule but I didn't hold back if she was hungry a little early.

Hope this helps.

Hi A.,
I have a 5 month old as well and I am breastfeeding too. My doctor said I can start feeding him cereal. I wonder why your doctor told you to wait? I would start with a little cereal at 4 months and veggies and fruits at 4 1/2 months. (but this is my third). I am still breastfeeding as well. Sometimes he is so hungry that he is crying so to calm him down before I give him cereal I breastfeed him a little before and then I feed him after he eats the cereal. I am sure that your daughter will breastfeed when you get up in the morning,when you get home from work, at bedtime, and if she gets up during the night. It is soothing thing for babies to have that close, quality time with their mommy. Good Luck!

Hi Angela,

Here is yet another response for you. :) Nursing can and should continue even after you introduce solids. My toddler nursed until almost a year and started solids by 4 months. He took to them immediately and never looked back, but nursed just as much. You can mix the cereal with breastmilk to see if it goes down easier and to flavor it a bit. My now 8-month-old freaked out every time we offered solids so we just let it go. He finally started being interested in them about a month ago and even now doesn't always want them. Both of my boys are on the high end of the growth curves and very healthy, just very different in their interest in solid food. Whatever your child wants is fine. Remember that cereal at this stage is a way to train them to eat, not necessarily vital for their daily calories. Some babies also hate rice cereal and do better with oatmeal, you just have to mix it better to avoid clumps. Good luck!

If she seems interested in eating cereal, go ahead and give it to her. I breastfed my son as well, and at his 4 month check up, our doc told me to start cereal anywhere between 4 and 6 months. He seemed interested when my husband and I would eat anything, so we decided to start cereal. It didn't interfere with his wanting to breastfeed because your milk is still going to be the main source of nutrition. We did a little cereal in the morning while we ate breakfast, mainly so he would learn to eat from a spoon. Our doctor told us that is the point. You want to teach your baby the skills needed to eat, chew and swallow that she will need later on. Follow her lead. If she rejects it, try again in a few days. At this point she doesn't need nutrition from anywhere else other than your milk, so just have fun! My son is now 7 months old and eating many of the things my husband and I eat and still breastfeeding.