Rice Cereal - Bethlehem, PA

My first daughter had reflux and we gave her rice cereal in her bottle and she did fine. It didnt help her reflux but she did start sleeping better/longer.

Hi J.

I made the mistake with my first of starting rice cereal too young - 11 weeks- he had a really hard time with it. He got extremely constipated and was overall really miserable. It was not good for him at all. Hi intestines were not at all ready for it. I waited with my daughter until she was about 5 1/2 months old and did not have a single issue. Please wait until his intestines are better developed to handle to cereal.

Hi J.:
We started my sister when she was six days old the formula was not enough for her, she did not have any side effects. However, each child is individual.

Best Wishes

I started at 4 months. Allergies run in our family so I didn't dare start him earlier. With my first we waited until 6 months. Since this is our 3rd and the others didn't have allergies to foods, we started him at 4 months. He is 8 months old now and eats just about all of the baby foods and many table foods. We do avoid nuts, eggs, and milk, though.

10 weeks seems really early, though. I'd wait longer unless there was a really compelling reason to give him cereal now. He shouldn't have outgrown the one reflex yet (forget the name) that will cause him to thrust the food back out of his mouth. Usually they want you to wait until then. Also, they should be able to sit up with minimal support and hold their heads steady.

On the allergy note, I'm 36 years old. When I was born, it was common practice to start solids early. I have had tons of problems with food allergies from early childhood on. My sister (who was born 7 years later) and my brother (born 10 years later), both born after they changed the guidelines to 4-6 months and not given solids until 6 months, did not have any problems with childhood food allergies. My sister has since developed a food allergy to tomatoes but no other food allergies and my brother remains free of food allergies.

Good luck. Hope this helps.

3-4 months is about right. Its not so much age, but the baby should be able to sit with support and have good head control so he can take the cereal by spoon and turn away when done.

Early introduction of solids has been HIGHLY correlated with Type 1 Diabetes!!!!! (The insulin-dependant, life-long kind!)

PLEASE look on www.Kellymom.com & www.askDrSears.com for some more information.

Are you breastfeeding or formula feeding? Are you trying to get your son to sleep longer? If so, I have to tell you that rice cereal/solids introduction has never been proven to lengthen babies sleeping habits. It sucks, I know, but it's a phase that he WILL grow out of!

Good luck, sweetie!
A.

Hi J.,

Your baby is currently too young to start solids. Most experts will recommend that you wait until your baby is exibiting many of the signs that he/she is ready. Some of these signs are: reaching for your spoon, opening his/her mouth when you put food in your mouth, able to sit up on their own, able to grasp with fingers. Most experts (including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the World Health organization and others) recommend waiting until the baby is AT LEAST 6 months old. Many pediatricians will recommend starting between 4-6 months, but the newer guidelines are actually recommending waiting until at least 6 months. Here is a link for you: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-when.html

Your baby shoudl get nothing except your breastmilk (or formula) until they are 6 months of age and then breastmilk should be their primary source of nutrition until they reach 12 months of age. Foods are really only for experimentation with different tastes and textures and should not make up a good portion of your babies calories until they are a year old.

Congrats on your new baby! Enjoy this time while they are little and don't worry about starting solids for some time. This baby-time passes too quickly - so enjoy it while your little one is still little.

J.

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I would wait as long as I can. Baby stomach's aren't able to handle solid food this young. Usually it's between 4-6 months. My cousin started he son early and he has reflux problems still. (He's 10). He threw up all the time from the cereal. Do what you think is best, but if the Dr. said wait, it might be good advice.

Hi J., I didn't start any of my children before the doctor told me it was okay. 16 yrs ago they said that starting ceral early contributed to allergies and my husband's family has a lot of them so I took the cautious route. Also you have to consider baby development. Babies are born with a natural "thrust" (with their tounge) so that they don't choke on things and until that goes away they are not ready or really able to eat anything. And I never believed in putting ceral into bottles, although some people will tell you that it makes babies sleep better I don't believe that. I always offered my girls more formula than I knew they would take (I wrote down the times my girls took their bottles and how much they drank until they were each about 3/4 months old). If I saw that they were consistantly drinking 3oz I filled my bottles to 4oz. Once they started taking 4oz I moved to the bigger bottles and offered them 5oz and so on. (I bottle fed the first two and I nursed my third for 8 weeks.) My girls were and still are great sleepers, none of them have had any health issues and I think I made the best decision for our family. (Which is really all you can do.) Listen to your doctor, listen to your insticts, and always when it comes to being a parent....let common sense be your guide! Good luck, Congrats on the new baby and best wishes!!

Personally, I waited until my daughter was six months old to introduce solids (rice cereal in particular). I breastfed her the first four months and the next two, she had formula. It worked out really well. Her doc said it wasn't necessary to start feeding babies solids until six months of age as their digestive systems are still pretty weak. But, your baby's doc might say something different. But just know that you don't have to push it early, he can wait if that is what you want to do.

Congratulations on your new addition!!! Have fun with him!

I actually just started my son on it and he is 4 1/2 months old. He has had it 3 times so far and have had no neg. effects. I will start him on fruits in a couple of weeks. good luck

Why rush it? Bottles/breast are so much easier and a whole lot neater. Do what the doc says and wait the four months. Although I must admit, my youngest got up every 90 minutes for 3 1/2 months so I did start feeding him rice cereal at 3 months and 3 weeks. It did work... he started sleeping for 3 hours at a time.

Hi, my ped said to wait until 6 months if possible before introducing food so my son doesn't develop allergies. So, we introduced rice cereal at 5.5 months(he's now 6 months). It stopped him up and he didn't poop for 5 days! (And then, when he did... man oh man). Anyway, we stopped the rice cereal and switched to barley, with no problems. We're doing sweet potatoes next! Then bananas. Good luck!

We started rice cereal at 5 1/2 - 6 months.

We didn't start until 6 months with cereal. And when we did introduce, he had a terrible time with constipation. I wouldn't even introduce it until the dr says it's OK. They can't digest it yet and will get belly aches. Plus I think introducing too early may lead to allergies. The only thing they can handle now is breastmilk/formula and that's all they need.

their stomachs not ready for it. Also be careful with allergies. I prefer oatmeal or barley first as rice can actually cause gas. Had gas problem with first.

well with my first dtr i believe i gave her cereal at around 2 mo and she did absolutely fine. (and that was on the spoon, not in the bottle!) now with my second, who is now four months i've been giving her cereal since about two mo in her bottle here and there, the only thing with her is she does tend to get a wee bit constipated since it is more solid food. she has no interest in taking it off the spoon yet, but i do put some in her bottle especially at night.

Yeah, I waited too, just to be on the safe side. Tummies are funny things when it comes to infants.

Hi. I have a few friends that their babies had acid reflux and the doctor told them to put a little bit of rice in every bottle so if they could have it you would think a healthy baby could. My mother in law also told me that with her oldest son 40 years ago they put him on it right in the hospital. I started my formula fed children at about a month but I nursed my last two and waited because they were content without it. I think you really just need to watch for allergies with starting new things. Good luck to you.

I feel that every baby is different. the reason they say to wait until four months is that they do not know how to swallow food. Swallowing and sucking are two different things for a baby.If you feel your baby would sleep better with extra food in his tummy put some in his formula. DO only a teaspoon or so to start out. the only thing is that you have to make the nipple holes bigger. i used to use a safety pin,heat up the end to make the nipple holes bigger. i would have one or two nipple i would use especially for this. I started my son on rice cereal mixed with formula and water when he was 3 and a half months old.

My grandmother told me, and I have always found it to be true, all children are different. If your child seems to be eating constantly and still seems hungry it is time for something more. Start out with just a little, maybe two or three teaspoons of cereal with warm formula and see if that satisfies the baby. I started my girls at 2 months on cereal giving them just a little and then gradually giving them more. Their digestive system needs to get use to something other than formula at first and then they can take more. Watch for any signs of constipation, rice should not cause it but all babies are different. They are still hungry and the formula is not enough.

We started rice cereal at 4 1/2 - 5 months. I figured there are these guidlines for a reason...so we decided to wait.

We started at 3 months hoping it would get our girl to sleep better but it didnt help (just like the DR said it wouldnt). But she was fine with it, no side effects.
K.

Hi J.,

I started my 2 boys between 3 and 6 months. They did great. I have read (but don't know how true it is) that starting them early has been tied to obesity later in life.

N.

It is my understanding that now the AAP is recommending starting at 6 months of age. You shouldn't even be considering cereal yet. Your child is way too young.

J.,
I know it is best to follow your Doctors advice. My son was eating veggies before 2 months old. He was a 9lb 7oz baby and I was breast feeding him. He was nursing every two hours. And My Doctor did not want to put him on formula so he started on the little jars of green beans first. Does he seem like he needs something more then the bottle right now because you dont want to over do it either. If he seems satisfied I would not mess with the cereal yet. If you are really wanting to start feeding him make sure you talk to your Doctor first.Some of the baby cereals can cause constipation. I just want to wish you luck with what ever you chose to do.

I waited until 4 months and my son still had trouble with constipation.

I started my son when he was one week shy of 3 months. He was a preemie (2months early). And he did great. He slept better and wasn't nursing 24hours a day...He didn't have any negative side effects at all. Just make it real runny and don't give him alot the first time. Some mothers put it in the babys bottle but I don't reccommend that. He may choke or try to drink it too fast. Put a small amount in a bowl with formula or breast milk, make it runny and feed it to him with a spoon. That will start to familiar him with feeding habits and also the spoon. He will be eating fruits and vegetables very shortly so it will be a good start for you. Just make sure you still give him plenty of formula or breast milk so he doesn't get constipated.

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests starting at 6 months. No need to rush it!

Hi,
I started my daughter on cereal when she was 3 months old. She loved it and didn't stop eating it until she was about a year old. I tried my son on the cereal at the same age and he gagged on it. So I waited, then tried again at 4 months. No such luck. I wasn't able to get him to eat cereal or any other baby foods until he was 6 months old. Even then I had to really make the cereal loose. He is 9.5 months old now and loves the cereal. I mix some baby fruit into it, he eats a huge bowl every morning. I guess some babies are ready for it and others aren't. I don't think it will hurt to try. If he likes it then great, if not wait a few weeks and try again. Just remember for the first time make it loose, make sure it's single grain, don't follow the directions on the box it'll come out like a paste, and be sure to have the camera ready. Good Luck.
C.

I personally started my son at about 3 months...which is about where you're at. It helped hin to sleep for longer periods but doctors tell you to wait. My son actually spit up less with the cereal. I originally started it because he was going thru alot of formula. I only gave it to him with the bottle until about 6 or 7 months. then i introduced baby foods slowly. You'll just have to take signs from your baby...and like others said, every baby is different. But my son has had no adverse reactions or food allergies to this day.

I started all three of my daughters on barley cereal at 3 months.. I tried to boil the barley and grind it up myself in the food processor to begin with but it didn't last too long since it takes more time than just buying the gerber or beech nut flakes...lol. I have never experienced any downfalls or side effects from the cereal and my kids are 3, 7 and 11 now... With NO food allergies whatsoever!! I really think it depends on the child though.. Some babies are unable to digest the cereal quickly enough so it constipates them. Always start out with just a tablespoonful and work your way up from there ( that was what worked for me including with the baby foods!)... HTH

Hi J., I am the mom of three and with my first child I followed all the dr. directions but as you have more children you realize that you really dont have too. If your son is not getting satisfied and seems hungry all the time then give him cereal. just start out with half a teaspoon in his formula and just see how he does. now I will tell you that it is normal for him to get a little bound up at first until his body gets used to it. if he does you can give him a little plain water and that will help with that. Hope I helped you good luck

on a differnt side of the spectrum, we had to start adding rice cereal to his bottle at the age of 2 days old, i know crazy huh?
he had severe acid reflux and it was to help thicken the formula, to help him digest it better...he has no allergies or any problems what so ever now, but if your baby doesnt have gerd then wait until he/she is around 6 months ; )

It depends on what you mean. By spoon? That would be when they're able to swallow properly, between 4-6 months. In the bottle? That depends on your baby's needs.

My oldest weighed 9-10 at birth and started heavy cereal in his bottle by a week old. He drank an 8 ounce bottle almost immediately and he could not keep full. Adding the cereal let him rest 3-4 hours between feedings vs the 1-2 hours before with just 8oz formula.

My second weighed in at 8-10, and would have been much bigger if he had gained weight properly through out the entire pregnancy. He didn't gain until his last month. He started cereal at about 2 weeks old. Same situation as my first son.

With my triplets, it was entirely different. They were two months premature and started eating just 2-4 ounces a while after getting home. The larger one started cereal at 2 months because they thought he had reflux and thought it would help keep the formula down. Ended up being Pyloric Stenosis. But the docs said if we're giving the cereal to one we might as well give it to the other two, and we did. We didn't do heavy cereal with them except at bed time to urge them to sleep better. during the day they got light cereal in their bottles. We ended up taking away their cereal during the day since they seemed satisfied with just formula and just gave them cereal at bed time. They started sleeping through the night at 3 months and that bottle helped keep them down for the night.

You should work your baby up to a full 8 oz bottle before adding cereal, if possible. Stretch the feedings out to 3-4 hours. If he still seems to be hungry with full bottles and can't wait at least 3 hours, then start adding rice cereal in. Start with just a spoon full and slowly go up as needed. Do not start puncturing nipples right away. You can stretch a hole but don't start cutting away at them right off the bat. You don't want the baby to choke or drink too fast.

Good luck!

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/harrisburgpachat

Hi J.-
Personally for my daughter, I waited until she was 6 months old. She was breastfed until that point and I continued to give her breast milk and cereal until 12 months. I just don't know that her stomach could have handled it any earlier and she was doing so well on breast milk that I figured there was no reason to add cereal to her dieat any earlier. And another positive is that I thought it was so much easier to just do bottles anyway. Less mess! :)

if hes not getting full on the formula alone common sense tells u to give him more right? the best sleepers and the happiest baby is a full baby. if he wants a lil more give him a lil more. im not talking out of a bowl or nething just thicken the formula a lil in his bottle. or maybe not all the time maybe just before bed so that he sleeps better.. it is totally up to u.

You really need to wait until he's closer to 6 months (4 months at the earliest). Babies have a tongue-thrust reflex that helps keep them from choking, if you try to feed him now, odds are he'll just push it back out with his tongue and you'll be frustrated. His stomach isn't prepared for solid food right now either, introducing it this early could cause problems down the road.

Back in the day it was common to feed babies solids very early but then again formula was considered superior to breast milk - and we all know that's wrong now. Some of the poor advice is still floating around like putting cereal in a baby bottle. I would wait.

J.

Hi J. -

I started at about 14 weeks. My little baby didn't seem to like the rice cereal so I switched to the mixed grain and she loved that one.

Good luck.
R.

Between 6-8 weeks with all my boys to help with their reflux (per the pediatrician) they were all early and all handled it fine. Each child is different though so if you do start watch him to make sure it is not bothering his belly.

I started all 3 of my kids on cereal when the were 8 weeks old. None of them had any adverse affects from starting it that early. Hope this helps.

hey J., i started all of my children on foods early but i think you should wait until at least 4 months old as their bellys are not ready to digest food quite yet. if you see all they do is drink all the time around 4 months and they are actually eating it and not just sucking reflex, then consider the cereals but i think before them is to early. hope this helps. K.

I started my girls on cereal the second day they came home from the hospital. That was 34 and 41 years ago and there was and is nothing wrong with them. They have no allergies like they claim if you feed them cereal too soon. They gave there children cereal every night before bedtime and they slept all night long. We would add some of the milk but only a little at a time till we had the right consistancy. If they couldn't eat it because of being too thick I would add a little more milk until it was what they could deal with. Only one of my five grandchildren (ages 3 to 17) has a problem and that is acid reflex from tomatoes. So I guess it would be your decretion on when you want to start. Bye the way we would only give them a little custard cup full and then the bottle of milk afterwards. I slept good at night and so did they.
Good Luck

There is no point in giving your child cereal until he is 6 months old. Sure, it will fill him up, but his digestive system is not capable of processing it until then. I would go with the volume of pediatric medical intelligence, and feed my child breastmilk or formula until he is 6 months old. THEN start with rice cereal. And fruit, because when you start solid foods, you will find that your child may have harder bowel movements. So fruit helps the stuff to pass on through. I liked bananas, or apple sauce -- esp because I didn't need to buy processed babyfood to use them.

So, my question to you is this: Why do you want to start cereal so soon ? Is it for your benefit or his? Try not to rush him to grow up. He will be young for such a short segment of your life, that while it may seem like "too much" right now, when you look back, you will be amazed at where the time went. So try your best to hang in and be patient -- and allow him to mature on his own schedule. It's tough now while he's so little and so dependent, but you'll be really glad you did later. And if the constancy of having to be there to feed him so often is hard on you, (as it gets on all of us), see if a trusted friend will babysit so you can get away periodically. With Spring, I would also encourage you to take your son on walks -- going outside for a walk is good for your body and your psyche, and getting out of the house can be really helpful !! :-)

BTW, I had 4 children, the largest of which was 9 pounds at birth, and none of them ate cereal until 6 months. I breastfed and used formula, depending on the child and the circumstances because I was a working mom. When we got to the "age of cereal and solid food", it became really exciting ! And because we waited until 6 months, we were able to move rapidly from food to food, introducing one at a time to be sure we would know if one particular food caused an allergic reaction. It was a whole lot of fun, because it was also fun for our children to learn to deal with a spoon, reverse their tongue action from sucking to dealing with solid food, and the intereaction around the high chair was enjoyed by all. Even clean up time afterward was a game.

don't worry, those days are coming, but I wouldn't rush them. The first 6 months can be very very tough, but in the end, they are only 6 months of your life, but it's the foundation of your baby's entire life. :-)

I started my son at 3 months old. Doc didn't suggest this, i just did as he is a hungry boy and formula just wasn't keeping him full. He is now 5 months and is on fruits and veggies too. Loves them. Doc wasn't mad about me starting the cereal and even told me to get him going ont he fruits and veggies.
My mom suggested i start sooner but i thought it best to wait.
We have not experienced any negatives from him starting at 3 motnhs.

omg... i am stunned to hear so many people introducing food so young! i waited close to a year with each of my children. watching so many people i know deal with serious food allergies with their kids, i would have done anything that even MIGHT offer a way to lower the risk. our pediatricians agreed whole heartedly, as i was breastfeeding exclusively. they (its a family of doctors) agreed that they believed early food introduction was linked to food allergies. looking at nature, the argument can be made from the mammalian development standpoint. baby humans were designed to run on human milk... they are just not developmentally ready for solids. i mean, the gut itself needs to mature.

when we did introduce solids, they were all home made. i once tasted that rice cereal and thought it akin to wall paper paste! yuk. you can easily make your own cereal- even simple brown rice if you want to. later i made a high protein cereal with grains and lentils. don't be intimidated- it wasn't rocket science, and the only thing i needed was a coffee grinder (we don't own a food processor.) making your own food will save a FORTUNE and be so very healthful!!

there are great books out there for helping you learn to make your own. i didn't' find this website until mine were older, but here is a great link:

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/early-solid-food-feeding...

email me if you would like any more info. and enjoy the infant stage! it goes SOOOO fast.

I would wait. They say the earlier you give a child food the more prone they are to food allergies. My fathers side is filled with all sorts of food allergies and I am allergic to peanuts. We waited till my son was almost 5 months old before giving him anything other than formula. I am happy to report he has no food allergies!!! Thank god I did not want to deal with him having any peanut allergies..too scarey!!!

I didn't start any foods until six months when the ped gave the go ahead.

Just be careful...food allergies are on the rise. I started my first daughter at 4 months and now she has life-threatening food allergies. We have to carry an epi-pen everywhere we go and all activities that involve food (after school activities, girl scouts, birthday parties....) I have to check with the people involved and most of the time, I have to cook or bake "safe" food for my daughter to take with her. I usually attend all events with her to ensure her safety. The American Pediatric Association (I think that's what it is called) recommends to wait until 6 months. I know that can seem like a long time, but looking back, I wish I had known what I know now.

L.

The reason the doctors recommend waiting until 4-6 months is because babies don't have the motor skills to swallow until then. I was really anxious to start cereal too, but even at 5 months when I first started giving it to my daughter she wasn't 100% ready. She would just push it right back out of her mouth. After 2 weeks or so, there was a big difference and now she eats like a champ!
So hang in there a bit longer is my recommendation.

When my son was 2 1/2 months, my mother-in-law said I could put some cereal in his bottle with his formula. I was reluctant at first due to the Dr. wanting to wait until 4 months, but he was so hungry. Your body can only hold so much liquid and he was drinking full feedings and still getting hungry in 2 hours. He had been going 3 1/2 before his growth spurt. After my sister and a coworker agreed that they had also done cereal in a bottle, I tried it. He really liked it. It kept him full and satisfied longer and he continued to grow well. He did not have any allergic reation, but I watched him carefully the first week to make sure. Unless your son has good head control and can sit assisted, the cereal in bottle is the way to go. Just make sure you have stage 2 nipples or the baby will have to suck too hard and get frustrated. I started with a 1/4 teaspoon in just the morning bottle. (longet time awake after bottle to watch for allergies) Once he tolerated that well I put 1/4 in morning and night. After about a week I was doing it in every other bottle. Once his feedings got closer together again, I increased cereal to 1/2 teaspoon in the bottles until he could hold his head up, then I was able to start feeding him cereal off a spoon, around 3 months. Shortly after that we started giving him applesauce stage one babyfood. He is now six months and loves baby food. He eats rice cereal, applesauce, sweet potatoes, squash, bananas, peaches, pears, carrot,and peas. Just make sure when you introduce a food to wait a few days (I waited a week) before starting another one. That way you know what may have caused a reaction. So if you start rice cereal, and want to try baby oatmeal soon too, wait a week between each cereal. Good luck and happy feeding. The first time I fed my little one off a spoon, he sneezed a whole mouthful of rice cereal on me. It actually was pretty funny though.

I have 3 children and I started all of them on rice ceral before they were 2 months old. I always go by the idea that if they are don't seem satisfied with just formula or breastmilk go ahead and start giving them ceral. Especially if they seem to be hungry right after they just got done eating. It will not hurt him. My kids didn't suffer from any negative side effects. My doctor always told me that you're the mom you know your child best and if they're hungry they will eat. I would start out with a little at bedtime. Make it to the constiency of applesauce and you and your son will be happy. If you make it according to the directions on the box it will be too runny. I would measure it out: 1 tablespoon of ceral to 3-4 tablespoons of water.

Good luck

It sounds to me like 10 weeks is a bit early. At that age they don't have enough control over their mouth to properly get solids from their tounge to their throat since its not a sucking reflex.
Also, rice cereal can be hard on an infants digestive system. Can you try something else like avocado or bananas for a first food? There is a great book called Super Baby Food that tells you what you should start at what time and even how to make your own baby food.

Don't be in such a rush to have your child on solids. It is better for them to wait than start eary. I waited until my daughter was 6 months before trying cereal.

The earliest I started any solid food was 5+ months--that was with my first son, who was my biggest baby. 3 of my kids started at 6 months or later. They really can't digest solids before then.

You are supposed to wait until your baby can sit upright (with a bit of support) before starting solids...I'd highly doubt that a 10 week old is doing that yet. Beyond that, there is the tongue thrust thing--young babies will just spit back out whatever solid you put in their mouth.

My first daughter absolutely hated baby cereal. I ended up grinding up Cheerios for her, and she liked that, so I did that with all of my kids--skipping the "baby paste" as we affectionately called baby cereal.

I started all 3 of my kids after their 4 month checkup, after the pediatrician said that it was ok. Then I started very slowly. It is a lot of fun watching their reactions and taking pictures of them with cereal all over their face, hair, body, and anything they touch. Just don't rush it, you and your baby may just end up getting frustrated. Good luck.

I actually starting giving my baby rice cereal at 1 month in his bottle. He had acid reflux. There were no side affects. He started to sleep longer at night though. That was a plus.

I started mt first 2 at 3 weeks. They are now 17 and 12, no food allergies. My other 2 I started a tad later, reason being...they didn't like it the first few times so I just waited another month or two. No food allergies there either.

Good luck.

For my first born, I tried to start feeding at 4 months. I thought it would be a fun new experience for the both of us. I quickly discovered that it was not fun at all. His gag reflex was so strong that he just spit out most of it. I gave up and only really started feeding him at 6 months. For my second born, I didn't even bother to try until she was 6 months old. She took to it right away.