Doesn't like Cereal or Oatmeal

My 2 1/2 year old didn't like baby cereals - I gave her oatmeal and also instant butter flavored grits - they have lots of iron - she really liked them!

I'd suggest backing off the grains. When you start solids, it's best to start with veggies. Many studies show that starting grains as the first foods, leads toward tendancy to constipation later in life. Take the time to introduce all the veggies and fruits first before grains.
L.

Keep trying different fruits to mix it with. Peaches, pears, etc. You'll find one that will catch her attention.

Good luck

i think she's too young to start solids. wait until she's at least 6 months.

Just keep trying. Also, you might try the mixed cereal. My grandson seemed to prefer it over the rice or oatmeal.

J.,

I had the same problem. I talked to our pediatrician and it became such a battle that she suggested that we just give fruits and veggies. Cereal is not an absolute necessity. It is just a filler. That, or your can wait 2 weeks and try again. Many people find that is helpful.

She still might be too young. Some docs say wait until 6 mos of age to start solids. I have 3 children and their first couple of feedings were them just getting use to the spoon. Also, do not give her applesauce until she is 7 mos old. Stick with rice cereal and make sure it is almost like soup, not too thick. Then move onto bananas, be sure and add formula or something to thin it out. A great book that I love and always give as a baby gift is "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron. Good Luck!!

I wouldn't do oatmeal yet, and it's perfectly normal for her to not be ready for solids yet. There's no rush, she doesn't actually need it. Wait another month or two and try again.

I would wait on the oatmeal for a bit and stick with the rice because it is easier for her tummy to digest. If she doesn't like it she may not be ready for it. Try waiting a week or two and then try again.

Good luck to you and congratulations on your precious new little life!!

K. - SAHM of 2 boys, 5 and 2

neither of my kids liked cereal or oatmeal. we started with sweet potatoes and they both loved them.

Have you tried the barley cereal? If she doesn't like those, I'd just skip it & give her fruits. Some kids just don't like the cereal.

I don't really know your situation, but she might not be ready for solids. You can wait a little longer then introduce them again. My daughter wasn't really interested in solids so I held out till 6 months and by then she was ready to start. If you believe your daughter is ready for solids, don't give up...it can take as many as 15 times or more for a child to actually eat certain foods. Hope this helps:) Good luck.

My daughter loved Rice Cereal with Bananas. I started her on it round month 6, a little at a time, so she would get used to the new texture. After a week she loved it and gobbled up every little bit of it. Keep trying.

J.,
Have you tried instant grits yet?? (use water in them). That is the only thing our son liked when he was an infant. Just follow directions on packet except only microwave for 45 sec and let cool down for a while. I must adimit he liked the butter grits better, but we started on the orignal ones first. Hope this helps.

My kids didn't like the cereal at all. I just skipped the cereal and gave them fruits and veggies.

Keep offering it. Sometimes kids need a food to be introduced a number of times before they take to it. My son, for instance, wouldn't touch a piece of pineapple the first 5 or 6 times I tried to give it to him, but it is now his favorite food. Also remember to wait about 2 weeks between introducing a new food. The reason for spacing it out is that if your child has a reaction to a food, you want to know which food to avoid. It could also be that your child isn't quite ready for solids. If she really refuses, take a break from solids for a week or so and then try again. Good luck!

My daughter didnt like the rice cereal or oatmeal either. Her Dr said it was ok. As long as she is still taking the formula and trying other foods, it should be ok. I tried atleast once a month to get her to eat the cereal, but she never liked it!!

I just wouldn't give it to her. Her body is telling you something we don't know. My sister in law never gave her kids cereal...its not necessary. I would just make sure she gets all the vitimans she needs.

I agree that she may not be ready for solids yet. Wait a week or two and try it again. I mix my little ones (5.5 mo)with breastmilk -very thin- and she eats it right up. Try mixing with her formula again but make it very runny. Be careful offering fruits so early as she may get used to the sweetness and not take green veggies after.

Good luck.

My youngest didn't like it either even with fruit mixed it so I just stopped giving it to for him awhile. When he turned 6 months we started to introduce fruits and veggies and once he got used to all of that I reintroduced the oatmeal and rice at about 9 months. This time though I bought the jars with it premixed instead of the boxes you mix yourself.

my friend mixes yo-baby yogurt in with baby rice or oatmeal. she didnt like the other stuff either.

My son did not like the cereal either and then I added apple juice to it and he loved it...worth a try! :)

My daughter didn't care for it either, and I talked to my pediatrician about it. If your baby is eating other solids like fruits and veggies, and taking formula, he is getting all the iron that he really needs. The cereal/oatmeal is usually fortified with iron which is really why it is recommended. But it isn't necessary if everything else is going well with feeding, so don't sweat it! Try again in a month and see how it goes. Good luck!

Is your baby pushing it back out with her tongue? If so, it might just be that she just isn't ready for solids. The reflex is not there yet. Many doctors suggest waiting until at least 6 -9 months for solids to make sure that that reflex is well developed. It is most likely either that or perhaps it is not the taste of the oatmeal and rice cereal, but the texture which is new and may take some time to get used to. i would suggest just waiting a couple months and trying solids again then. and don't worry about them getting enough - they get enough substinence from formula or breastmilk for the first year, the younger months of solids are just about them experimenting with different foods. Good luck!

My little girl is 8 months now and she was the same way. There are other healthy, safe first foods. I found my daughter loved squash so that is all she ate for about a month. I would still offer her other solids to try but she wasn't interested in them until recently. I would bake the quash and puree it adding water to get it smooth. She couldn't get enough of it. I think it just takes some babies longer than others to get used to different tastes and textures. Don't give up offering cereal to her, just try other foods as well. I would mix in some cereal (not enough to change the flavor or texture) in her squash so she would get at least a little. Be sure to wait 3-5 days between introducing new foods. Good luck!

Mix it in her bottles - You can not mix it as thick obviously but a tablespoon in a bottle she might be willing to take- Then introduce it a little later- my two children never really new the difference when it was in the formula and not so thick- she may not like to texture- If she eats applesauce off a spoon try not mixing it so thick (more applesauce then cereal) then slowly add more cereal.

Good Luck

My daughter was the same way. We tried everything and then I finally laid off for a while and reintroduced it when she was around 8-9 months old and she loved it! She may not be ready for it yet - when my daughter finally did eat it the only thing we put in it was formula or water. Sometimes it just depends on the child!

My son didn't like the cereals either. Our pediatrician said it's not necessary to do cereals. We started with veggies (I made them myself but you can buy the ready ones). I started with zucchini/squashes. Then peas, then green beans. Then fruits. Maybe she's not ready for solids at all yet? Have you tried giving her formula (half of the amount) first and then solids and then to finish her bottle? Maybe she's too hungry and just wants the more familiar formula to start out with? You need a lot of patience when you start solids. It's new and overwhelming to them. If she's not ready, wait a couple of weeks and try again. But it's really not necessary to do cereals. Best of luck!

I agree with so many of the respondents. I wouldn't rush. I have a 9 month old and we didn't introduce solids until he was 7 months. He was almost 2 months premature so his doctor suggested that we continue with formula and that it was okay. She said he was getting everything he needed in the formula. So many family members and friends tried to bully us into feeding him solids but I had to ignore them. When my son showed interest in what we were eating we then were able to introduce rice cereal and oatmeal into his bottle then in a bowl and it happened rather quickly. When your child is ready, you will know.

Hi J.,

Even my little one didn't like oatmeal or rice cereal, I also tried to mix it with breastmilk, but didn't work.
She actually ate little pasta, tiny shapes like stars or orzo.
I really don't think it's a big deal if she doesn't eat the oatmeal, I did taste it, and it's really not good.
Now my daughter is 18 months old, and she eats at bit of everything. Once in a while my hubby still tries to give her oatmeal, but she refuses eat.
I never forced her to eat anything, but I generally tasted all the foods and showed her that they were good, so she would tried them too. It took her a long time to eat meat...probably she started around 13 months old; before she would taste it and then just spit it out.
Anyhow, for some carbs, I would certainly try pasta.
Good luck!

Hey J.,

My 9 mo was just like that when we switched her over to solids. What I did was stopped trying to give her the cereal, and maybe a month or two later, tried again. For some reason, she actually liked it after the break. Now she eats cereal daily. I'm sure it has nothing to do with your & your husband's like/dislikes. They say, sometimes it takes 8-10 tries before a baby/child will take a new food. Good luck & God bless!

I would give her some time. Solids aren't usually introduced until after the 6th month and only if they show interest in what's in your plate.

You may also try varying her choices. My daughter started on solids at 6months, but she never liked cereal (of any kind), or apple sauce. I'd give her the babyfood version of what we ate, and she'd love it. Of course it's most foods that are in season, and organic/locally grown. Babies have an innate attraction to "whole foods".

You may want to research alternatives to first foods besides grains. This was a good resource for me...
http://westonaprice.org/children/foods-toddlers-preschool...

~L.

are you feeding the cereal in a bowl with a spoon or in a bottle, for our daughter i mix her cereal in a bowl with a spoon with white grape juice, she didnt like it mixed with water or anything she likes flavor and who can blame her that stuff looks bland! sometimes the spoon takes a while for them to understand is it any better if you feed her with your finger or anything? i also heat the cereal for just a few seconds to take the chill off it. i hope this helps! but she has also been on rice cereal since 3 months due to the amount of formula she was eating.