Feeding Cereal Before 4 Months?

Hi M.,
I did feed my son rice ceriel at 6 months. My mother in-law reccomended it. A 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon only. In formula before bed. It was perfectly fine. I only did rice because of a fear of wheat allergies. I feel rice is safer.

HI M.,
I fed my daughter rice cereal at 2 months old (at Dr. advice) The schedule was 1 feeding of rice cereal (usually at midday) The rice cereal was mixed very thin but it kept her fuller than just formula & she slept better throughout the night. I experienced no problems at all doing this & I was grateful for the extra sleep I was able to maintain at night & she was a much happier, full tummy baby. I did increase the feedings & the thickness of the cereal after about 2 weeks & continued to do so until she was about 6 months old. I hope this helps.

I don't wait for blessings from anyone. I started my son on rice cereal at just under three months; little porker just wasn't satisfied at night. The doctor disagreed but said if I was going to do it not to put it in his bottle, as it would cause him to overeat.

He's a very healthy almost 6 year old. Everyone has their opinions, just do what you feel is best!

Actually, the AAP, the WHO, and UNICEF all recommend waiting until 6 months. The question is why would you want to mess with your baby's tiny little digestive system by going against years of studies? Yes, many kids were fine when they did this years ago, however, you can directly link my husband's family's stomach problems to being formula fed and starting cereal as early as 6 weeks.
Why no just stick to guide lines? Let's not rush the precious little time we have with our tiny babies as babies by trying to rush in to "big kid" stuff!!

For the record, there have been studies done and there is absolutely NO evidence that feeding cereal (or any other solids for that matter) help a baby sleep longer. Babies are supposed to get up to eat. Their stomaches are tiny and don't hold much. Stuffing them in hopes they will let you sleep is a bit selfish. I don't know if this is your intent or not. You know why it works for tiny babies (like people who start at ungodly ages like 6 weeks)? Because the baby CANNOT digest the food so it just sits in the stomach taking up space and making the baby feel full. This means the baby doesn't get the hunger cues to wake up and want food and they actually suffer nutritionally. Just remember, until the age of 12 months, they get EVERYTHING they need from formula or breastmilk and solids are only teaching them to eat, they get very little from the small amounts they eat.

The websites etc are correct. Your babies digestive system wont be ready to handle it and so it will go straight through. The American Academy of Pediatrics has two subcommittees that deal with these issues. The nutrition subcommittee recommends some solids eg. cereals starting after 4 months and the Breastfeeding subcommittee recommends exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months. So somewhere between 4-6 months is the medical recommendation. yes our parents did lots of things that today are not medically recommended. Most of the time it worked out okay but why not benefit from better knowledge now and give your baby the best nutrition possible. My mom fed us eggs at 3 months and I got water at that age and rice in my bottle and no car seat.. she sometimes drives me demented with the "you should..."

I agree with Patrica's comment. We fead my son rice cereal when he was 5 month old and I wish we would of waited. He skin broke out in hives-come to find out it was exzema that was induced by a food allergy.I think it is better to wait than to have something like this happen. Good luck with watever you decide.

Hi M.,

I began putting a few teaspoons of rice cereal in my son's bottle when he was 2-3 months old because he had acid reflux and his pediatrician said it might help keep his formula from coming up so much. I did this for about a month and it really did not help at all. The cereal was too heavy for him to digest and so he became very constipated and gassy, which was very uncomfortable for him. It also did not help him sleep any longer, which some people had said it might help with. I stopped giving him the cereal and started it again with a spoon when he was 4 months. He tolerated it much better at that point.

K.

I fed it to my son at three months and it all worked fine, we started baby foods at five months.....he is now a happy healthy sixteen month old...

My sister and I (both under 35) both have. Her boys were so hungry, they actually would not sleep for any length of time, then she took my mother's advice and gave them some very forumulated rice cereal. They were actually getting full and started sleeping like they should! I, too started my little on one cereal at around 3 months for the same reason. Take it slow and listen to the little ones...

Good luck!

It will not hurt if you feed cereal to babies before 4 months. When my son was just about a month old, he was sucking down 8 ounces and still wanted more. it seemed like he was eating all the time, so I talked to the pediatrician and she told me to feed him cereal in his bottle and he would be fuller longer. Now about the allergies, i am not sure about. My son does have allergies but it is because it runs in the family.
I hope that works out for you. Good luck

The APA recommends waiting until they are at least 6 months old and even older if there is a history of food allergies. Your baby should have no problem staying full on breast milk or formula and not need food until 6 mths.

M.,

I have a 5 yr old boy and a 13 month old boy. I put cereal in their bottles from about 3 weeks of age. Both of my boys were big when they were born. 2 oz of formula was nothing - breastfeeding was out of the question - they cried and screamed all the time because they were hungry. Just beware, they can gain weight if you do this. Sometimes liquid just isn't enough. They will outgrow any weight gain when they start moving around. My 13 month old is now starting to walk and the lbs will go away. Adding cereal to their formula did not please the doctor but he didn't have to listen to him scream because he was so hungry.

Hope it helps.

We started at 4 months, and honestly, I wish we'd waited till 6. Back in "the day" not as much was known about how food is digested and processed in babies and while htere was almost always no harm done there is also no harm in waiting. This is just my opinion/experience: Kids often go through a growth spurt around 4 months and people think that their kids need solid(ish) food... in reality they need more breast milk/formula as they are growing. When we started Evie on cereal, she couldn't figure out how to get it in/keep it in, she couldn't sit up very well. When she was 6 months old she was able to sit up well, take food in and eat well... just my opinion. Good luck.

M.,

I have three children and I fed all of them before or at 4 months. When milk was not filling them up anymore, I started them on cereal. Just go easy and start of with the cereal in a bottle first buy not to heavy and don't make the hole too big. not too runny but not too thick. My kids turned out just fine.

C.

I gave my daughter who is almost a year now, cereal at 6 weeks old. She did just fine. The only time I gave it to her was at night so that she would sleep a little longer. She is fine. I gave her just a little (less then a baby spoon full). Made one nipple a little bigger. It worked. She would sleep about 6 hours at night. She kept sleeping longer as time went on. I stopped giving it to her at about 3 months and then started giving her spoon feed cereal at about 4 months with the ok from my ped.

It is NOT a good idea - a baby's digestive system definitely cannot handle solids, which is why babies are fed breastmilk or formula only for the first half of their first year, longer if there is a family history of food allergies. You're right to try to get as much info as you can, but ultimately the longer you wait to introduce solids including through their bottle, the better off they will be. Also, by adding anything other than breastmilk or formula to their bottles, you increase the risk of choking since it will be thicker, and you also teach the baby to ignore the innate signals that indicate fullness...the baby takes in more calories at a sitting that cannot be controlled, whereas the exclusive breastmilk/formula will stop drinking at fullness.

For more info, a good website is http://www.askdrsears.com

HTH.

I did with my oldest when she was at 3 1/2 months, she did great with it, my youngest however did not need the extra until at least 6 months.
Maybe start on a weekend so that you are with the child (in case you work during the week) that way you can watch for hives etc yourself.
Good Luck

My grandson was fed cereal at 4 weeks. It helps sustain them where the formula/breast milk doesn't. Especially if they are big babies to begin with. I have always been a big proponant of cereal (rice) to babies when they show the milk is just not holding them over. As far as the doctors advice to wait 4 month, let the doctor get up during the night to give this hungry baby a bottle. Doctors have their place (a very important place) in rearing children, but common sense also plays a big part. Hope that helps!

I introduced cereal in a bottle at 1 month. It wasn't a lot and I used a nipple with a bigger whole to make it easier to get out. My parents/grandparents also did this and I did it for selfish reasons (getting more sleep) but my boys did great with it and are very healthy!

my boy ate formula like a little pig (over eight ounces at a time when he was two months old). my mom is a pediatric nurse, and recommended that i add a bit of cereal to his formula at that time. i gave him cereal at least twice a day. just make it really runny. u can use a regular formula bottle, and just make the hole in the nipple a bit bigger than normal, just not too big or it will run too fast. good luck!

hello...I did put just alittle bit of cereal in both of my son's bottles when they where like 4 1/2 months old. I did this so they would sleep alittle bit better at night. I didnt put alot in, you want to make sure it is still thin so it will go through the nipple and they are able to swallow it. Just put alittle bit in there and see how it goes...start off with the plain flavor first so that way you can see if your child has any reactions to it.....Hope this works for you...Good Luck...K.

I fed my baby cereal before 4 months because she wasn't satisfied and held over with the breast milk and formula seemed to irritate her little tummy. I started it very thin in a bowl with a spoon. She loved it. I did call the doctor's office and the nurse agreed that starting cereal was the right thing to do. The baby's weight can have something to do with when you start cereal. My baby was 10lbs. 9ozs. at birth so keeping that up for her was tough. We started it for the feeding right before bed. HOpe this helps and good luck.

Hi M.,
I am a mother of two little girls 3 1/2 and 17 mo. I would not recomend giving cereal before four months and definetly no other food untill six months. Like others have said alergies, Digestive system not ready. There are reasons they do not recomed it beacouse they have found harm done. I myself had digestive problems and others that stemed from my mother giving me food and cows milk to earlly. Cereal also does not have all of the nutrients that a baby needs it is important to feed your baby breast milk or formula for at least the first six months to two years. My first nursed for 9 1/2 mo then on formula she enjoyed food around 6 mo she was 8 lbs 6 oz. My second baby Nursed untill she was 15 months old and didn't even really care about food untill she was around 10 months old. She was born 9 lbs. 3 oz. So big babies do not need cereal they just need more milk. I understand the no sleeping it will eventually change. I hope soon the 17 mo still wakes up a couple times in the middle of the night not because shes hungry just beacause that is what babies and toddlers do.

Trust your gut. You are his mom. If you think he isn't satisfied w/ breast milk or formula than a little cereal can't hurt. We started both of our boys (now 3 yrs and 19 mo) around 3 in a half months.

Hi M.-yes I have had experience with it and it was not successful with my first child and now am a mother of four. Babies digestive systems are not ready and can cause cramping, constipation and gas.

T.

I fed all 3 of my boys cereal before 4 months and they are all fine. No allergies or anything like that. Go ahead and give it a shot. Just be sure not to put too much cereal in it. I only started with like one tablespoon in their formula. I'm sure your little one will be fine.

I had the same question when mine was 3 months, and was told by all of the older and more experienced ladies in my family that they all gave their babies cereal by 2-3 months. Finally I asked the doctor, and logically stated what is the real reason, and what harm can it really do? She looked me right in the eye and told me that due to babies undeveloped digestive system, it could increase the risk of the baby developing diabetes by 75%. For me that was a big enough percentage to just hold off. Usually I try to use common sense, and find that what Grandma did worked with 11 kids, so why not just follow her advise, but that was too big a number to ignore expecially when diabetes runs in my husbands family.

There are so many reasons not to feed early (some of which you mentioned) and there really aren't any reasons TO do it (some people say it makes babies sleep through the night, but studies find that it doesn't at all and do cause upset stomaches, etc) Current guildines (according to American Academy of Pedictrics, World Heath Organization, etc) acutally no solids before 6 months, not 4mo. Smaller babies immune systems just aren't ready for it!

Good morning M., I think it all depends on the weight of your child. I gave both my babies cereal before the recommended date and they both were just fine. They were also big babies though. At birth my daughter was 8 lbs 12 oz and my son weighed 9 lbs 6 oz and they were definitely ready for the cereal. At first I only gave it to them for their last bottle of the evening and it really helped them sleep longer during the night. I hope this helps.

Good Morning M.

I fed my eldest son rice cereal when he was 2 weeks old, but that is only because he was a big baby (9.0lbs) and formula wasn't enough for him. He was still hungry, so I tried it and he loved it, just made it runny. He is now 19 years old and allergy free! I also fed my other 3 boys cereal before they were 4 months old, and they are all allergy free.

You can try it and see if it upsets his stomach. I am a true believer that if your child is hungry, feed him.

Good luck

God's Blessings
D.

Do it! Do it! Do it! It will not hurt the baby and you will get some sleep. One small teaspoon of dry cereal added to the evening bottle works wonders. Don't forget you have to enlarge the nipple on the bottle slightly so the cereal can flow. Enjoy the rest.
I am a 46 year old mother of 2 adult children and a grandma to one beautiful girl.

I started my oldest on cereal in the one bottle she got at bedtime at about three months. I put about a tablespoon to an eight ounce bottle and it seemed help her sleep a good four hours at a stretch. She was always hungry and always up at night. I literally didn't get a full nights sleep until she was probably nine months or more. Hard to remember now.

My husband would give here that bottle around 9pm....as I rushed off to bed to get a little sleep. She would then start her every two hour routine around 1 am. If I could get that first four hours of solid sleep I usually felt okay. It was hard getting up that often and I was 35 when I had her so I was use to my sleep.

Now her sleep problems were caused by a few things...me keeping her in a bassinet by my bed too long (she was probably six months...Yikes!!) I always had a hand patting her bottom or sticking a pacey back in her mouth....bad, bad, bad mommy. When I finally got the courage to put her in her own room she couldn't sleep on her own....she woke up constantly needing mommy to pat her bottom, hold her little hand through the slates...I'm ashamed to say it but I spent many night on the floor by her crib with my hand sticking through the rails holding her little hand...just so I could get some sleep. So there were many reasons she didn't sleep well....and, of course, I learned my lesson and didn't do the same with the second child. She was sleeping a good six hours a night by the time she was about two months old. I typically only had to feed her at 7pm which was bedtime...then at 11:30 after I got home from my part-time job and then again around 5:30 or so. She would then sleep until 7 or 8pm. Thank God I learned and she was easier.

The only thing I would recommend with giving them cereal that early would be to keep an eye out for constipation...of course, formula does that too. But if you notice constipation and a bloated little tummy, then lay off the cereal for a week or two.

Have you asked your pediatrician? What did he or she say? Is there a particular reason why you're wanting to introduce cereal?

I myself did this for my second and 3rd child. My docter actually suggested it because this because they were having trouble with just formuala. You can buy a bottle just for ceral and milk. But you are the childs mother and I would listen to my own instincts.

M.,

When my son was a baby I HAD to feed him cereal in with his milk to help keep his milk down. Even if the Dr. would have told me not to, I would have anyways... If anything, you can try it once and I would bet you lunch you would get a full night sleep if you have him drink the bottle right after a bath! Nothing like a bath and a warm bottle with cereal to put a baby to sleep ALL night!! His tummy will stay full longer which means... you can get some extra shut eye!!! =) Ok, well not extra, just a little bit more..

Our pediatrician had us start our twins on barley cereal at 3 1/2 months.It takes them a while to learn how to eat it so just get them used to the texture and don't expect them to eat very much . By 4 months they will be able to eat a couple of tablespoons maybe. They say not to put the rice or barley cereal in the bottle because they won't learn how to eat as well.

L. K -SAHM of 23 month boy/girl twins

M.:

the reason not to do this is a) the baby can not digest the cereal so what is the point? b) it can be an irritant setting up for allergies c) it is a filler so instead of getting nutrients your baby is getting filler.

P., RLC, IBCLC
Breastfeeding and Parenting Solutions
www.breastfeedingandparentingsolutions.com

I fed ALL four of my kids cereal by four months of age. They are all healthy and not overweight or anything. Don't believe everything docs tell you!! :) It really does help them sleep longer too!! Well, most kids...
Good luck!
Mom to four busy kids!

Hello! I started both of my boys on cereal very early with the blessing of my doctors. My oldest was started on cereal when he was 2 weeks old. He is 9 yrs now and is perfectly healthy. My other son is 16 months old. He was probably a month old when I started him on cereal. He too is doing just fine. Some babies don't get satisfied on just formula or breastmilk. I don't regret the decision to start both boys on cereal so early. The only thing that the doctors did ask of me was that I never use a bottle feeder. They said that kids need to learn right from the start that solid foods come from a spoon. I never had a problem with this. Once they figured out that there was food on the spoon, the only challenge was keeping them from trying to eat the spoon. Good luck! I hope this was helpful to you. Shannon

The new recommendation is 6 months b/c of possible allergies. I waited 6 months.

Hi M.,
I started my son on rice cereal at two weeks, following the advice of my mom (4 children) and my sister (3 children). What I did was took some breast milk/formula in a bowl and put a small amount of rice cereal in, not even enough to thinken the milk. I then baby spoon fed it to him (essentially pouring it into his mouth). I watched for any sort of reaction (allergic, etc) for 24 hours. Then I started to feed it to him every night; he took to a spoon really well, and quickly started to suck from the spoon.
For me, it was a life saver and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Good luck!

I wouldn't, my mom did this for my sister and I when we were 6-weeks and we both are gluten intolerant, now I am nervous to give my daughter gluten and waited until she was 5 1/2 m before introducing solids and I introduced an avocado first and she absolutely loves it. Get the book Super Baby Foods, it is a GREAT book that tells you step by step on when to introduce foods and has you take a quiz to assess whether your baby is ready for solids.

Yes, I fed my second child much earlier than 4 months. I have two boys, one was 9 lbs 14 oz and the second was 10 lbs 9 oz. at birth. The Ped. suggest I start my 1st child on cerial before his 3 month check up because he was already 15 lbs. So on my second, I just based it on my baby's food demand. When he seemed to go through breast/bottle more quickly, I introduced very very soupy cerial at 6 wks. He held his head up early, so he it took to it very quickly with the gradual thickening over time.

As to the Gluten intolerant responses -- Rice cerial is Gluten Free. Gluten intolerance, unfortunately, appears to be hereditary, and you don't outgrow it---yes, I am an adult with Gluten Intolerance ;-)

Why would you want to feed them cereal before 4 months? They have no need for it before then. Besides, just because your parents did it in the 50's is certainly not a solid argument for it...and besides, how do you know that no harm was done? Who knows what would have been different if they had waited.

M.,

I started my first son on cereal after he was checked out by the doctor at his 4 month check-up. She actually suggested that we start the cereal with him. With our second son, I decided to wait until his 6 month check up (next month). Well, at about 4 months he hit a growth spurt or something and was eating over 35 ounces of expressed breast milk a day and nursing twice in addition. I simply couldn't keep up. I called the doctor and we did start cereal right at about 4 months. I preferred to do this rather than supplement with formula.

My son is on the large side (16 pounds at 4 months and 18 pounds at 5 months), was sitting up in the chair well (supported) and he took to the cereal after a few bites. He didn't push it out at all and swallowed it just fine. It did fill him up and I was able to maintain a better supply of BM for him. He's now 5 1/2 months and we just tried giving him oatmeal instead of rice this weekend. He was fine with it. We are going to wait until closer to 6 months to actually start the "foods" though.

I would talk to your pediatrician. See what s/he suggests. If you are considering cereal to help with sleeping, I don't think it's the best idea or worth the allergy risk.

Good luck.

Duh, I wanted to also say that there were a LOT of things that my mom and grandma did when we were babies. Whisky on the gums for teething?! Sleeping on our stomachs. Walkers. Honey on the pacifier. But, medical research and our knowledge has advanced. I prefer to err on the side of caution and follow recommendations as much as possible.