Seeking Advice of Other Moms of 2-3 Month Olds

C.:
My childrens' doctor said the said thing: he recommended apple juice when they were 4 months old and rice,oatmeal and barley cereal when they were 6 months old. Their stomachs are ready for cereal until they are 6 months old.
P. S

When my son was about 3 months old, he was always greedy with his feeding. I started adding cereal to his formula and using a bigger nipple. This really seemed to help with the "greediness". I then started actually feeding him baby food and cereal at the age of 6 months.
As far as the vomiting goes, use a formula that is specifically for gassiness. We would use the wal-mart brand because it was cheaper and my son did great with it.

Everything I've read (and I read a lot since I just had my first baby last year) indicates that you shouldn't start a baby on cereal/solid food until at least 6 months. Their little systems just aren't developed enough to handle it yet. That may be why he has started throwing up. Are you breastfeeding or bottle feeding? It may be that he isn't getting enough when feeding, so he wants to eat again quickly. If you are breastfeeding you can contact a lactation consultant for assistance. Good luck!

If you know better than your doctor, then why are you asking a bunch of random strangers? No, your doctor isn't insane. One real issue with introducing cereals and other foods before 6 months is that we now know that increases the liklihood that the child will develop food allergies. The second major issue is that there is *no* better food for a newborn than breastmilk - rice cereal is basically empty calories, and it's displacing those calories. (Just like a child eating cookies and then not eating as many vegetables at dinner.) And what's the point of feeding solid foods early anyway? It seems like it's just more work for you.

At 5 and a half months, my baby was getting more and more insane at the dinner table, grabbing my plate, taking things off my plate, out of my hand, screaming when I wouldn't let him eat things. He obviously WANTED THAT FOOD, so I started a *little* early. But plenty of babies refuse to touch solid food before their first birthday and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Yes, it is true that 30-40 years ago mothers fed thier babies rice cereal and most of 'em "turned out alright" in spite of it. It was also considered acceptable to put a little brandy in their formula to make them sleep, use "sleeping syrups" that had small amounts of morphine in them, smoke and drink alcohol during pregnancy, and NO ONE worried about exposing children to second hand smoke. And formula was considered far superior to milk! I lived through all that and I "turned out alright". But was I the healthiest and smartest that I could possibly be? Probably not. Am I doing better for my children? You bet your a** I am!

If by post partum, you mean post partum depression, you have my utmost sympathy. I had horrible post partum depression with my daughter. It was so bad we to had to move in with my in-laws until we got it under control.

Here is my advice on that: 1) Get on medication. I took Lexapro and it was a life saver. I probably would have ended up in a psych ward without it. I literally thought I was losing my mind. 2) Get some exercise. My daughter also had colic that was alleviated by taking her for long walks, so every evening after dinner, she and I would go for long walks. This also helped the depression tremendously. 3) Get help wherever you can. Everything is harder when you are depressed so if anyone offers you help, take it. It is important that you take care of yourself and not let yourself get overwhelmed. 4) Get enough sleep. This is one that my doctor kept telling me, and I laughed. How am I supposed to sleep with a newborn who isn't sleeping through the night? Finally, I told my husband and in-laws that they had to get up with the baby. I told them it was the doctors orders. So they would get up with her at night and give her a bottle. Once I started getting enough sleep, that made a huge difference. 5) Finally, talk to other moms who have been through it, whenever possible. My husband's cousin and my cousin's wife had both suffered from post partum depression. I only talked to them about it a few times, but it helped a lot to know that I wasn't alone and that it would get better.

I am so sorry to hear that you lost a child to SIDS. I can't even imagine how hard that must be. You could also be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, associated with the loss of your son. You may want to talk to your doctor about that.

I wish you all the best. You are in my prayers.

If you are nursing I would recommend cutting back or out your own milk and milk products. I had to do that with my little one. Her tummy couldn't handle it.

If you are using formula you might want to try a different one. I have heard of some formulas not sitting well on the tummy. You can ask his doctor about it.

As for the PPD and worry about SIDS I don't have any idea what you are going through but I will pray for you. If you need someone to talk to or whatever let me know.

Your doctor is giving you the correct advice. Current recommendations are 4-6 months before adding solids, with strong encouragement to wait until six months. Babies' digestive systems are immature and are not ready for solid foods at 2 months old. Now, I am a pediatric nurse, and I know all the recommendations and the reasoning behind them, I will admit that I went to the early side of the range. My youngest three all starting a little cereal at four months, but nothing much more than that for a while afterwards.

If you are feeding him cereal at this time, it could explain why he is vomiting, his digestive system is not ready to handle solid foods yet. If you are breastfeeding, you could supplement an occasional bottle of formula because formula is a little more filling. If you are already bottle feeding, maybe try and feed him less in amount, but more often.

I would suggest waiting until four months to feed him solids though. Good luck to you.

I am so sorry for the loss of your son. I think it has been proven that little tummies are not ready for food at 3 months. Most agree that 6 months is the right age to start, but some doctors still say 4 months is okay. Each baby is different--my daughter couldn't handle food until 7 months old, but I have some friends who started their kids at 3 months and they were fine. He might be throwing up so much because of the cereal. Have you ruled our reflux? My daughter had it as an infant (we didn't know at the time) and I felt like she was nursing ALL of the time and needed food, but really it hurt her too bad to drink a lot at one time, so she was nursing every hour and a half but only drinking a little at a time. Just a thought--good luck!

I'm sorry to hear that you're having difficulties with so many things. I know that's never easy. It sounds as if you don't have a good support system if you "stay at home and worry." Perhaps you belong to a church or other community where you can receive some support so that you can take care of your own needs (PPD)? As for the cereal and other foods, I know for sure that your pediatrician is giving you good, solid advice. Babies that young can't tolerate the food (my baby book says I was given solids at four weeks back in 1968). Greedy or not, your baby is throwing up because he can't handle the food he's being given. Please talk again to the pediatrician about it. I'd also make another appointment to see your OB/GYN about the PPD. They can suggest what works in your specific situation.

C.,

My daughter was large at birth and ate often (breastfed about every 1 to 1 1/2 hrs). I started her on rice cereal when she was a week shy of turning 4 months old. She is a healthy, happy and smart little girl! I think it's best if you stop the cereal to see if the child stops throwing up. If this does not stop after about 7 days of continued feeding, check with your pediatrician. It could be reflux. I had the "baby blues" after giving birth, but nothing that required medication. Talk to your OB and she/he will be able to help you with PPD. Good luck...you'll do fine! D. H.

Hi C.,

Talk to your son's pediatrician about a possible milk sensitivity. My sons both had a hard time burping and spit up tremendous amounts of breastmilk until I stopped eating any kind of dairy products. When I stopped eating dairy, the spitting up cleared up. There is a family history on my husband's side of lactose intolerance. I know some doctors just say that spitting up is a usually due to an immature gut unless accompianied by crying and seeming discomfort. I think it was Dr. Spock who said that, "spitting up isn't a medical problem, it's a laundry problem" so we shouldn't worry about it too much. It really freaked me out though and I think that as moms we should try to make sure that our babies are OK. So don't think that you are over worrying. You are being a good mom. I will say though, that a study came out showing that babies who started solids before 4 months and after 7 months were at higher risk for type 2 diabetes.
I really struggled with postpartum depression/anxiety and have had anxiety problems most of my life. Talking to my OB and getting on meds plus seeing a counselor really helped me get through that dark period in my life. Also, getting more sleep really helped me. If someone can take a night shift for you or watch your other kids so you can nap during the day, you will probably feel better.
I hope that you can find a good solution to the spitting up problem!
I'll be praying for you!

Hi C.. Congrats on your little boy. I don't know how different my advice will be, but here goes:

First, see your OB, or, if you have good insurance, a psychiatrist, regarding your PPD. You have to be healthy in order to give your children the best care possible, so make some time for yourself.

With regards to the cereal: My son was, and still is, a big eater. Cereal is meant as a step towards eating solid foods, but it does not have the nutritional value or easy digestibility of breastmilk/formula. The way my pediatrician suggested we handle my little guy's big appetite was by getting him on a solid routine. (Not a schedule; schedules are rigid and require specific timing. A routine is a time flexible order in which you do the things you need to do.) It worked wonderfully! My son had reflux, so he would overeat, because the eating kept the reflux away. Since my son has been on a solid routine, he ate larger meals with much less spitting up. Spitting up is sometimes a sign of overfeeding. Not all babies are good at knowing when they have had enough to eat, so the routine helps you get an idea of their need without just assuming they are crying because they are hungry.

So, I hope this helps. Please take care of yourself. Congrats again on all of your little ones.

Hi C.,
Congrats on your new baby boy!
I have a 4 month old, 2nd child.. My 4 month old daughter started having cereal in her bottle at 3 weeks old. Her Dr advised me to do this because she was spitting up a good bit. The cereal would thicken the formula and make it easier to stay down. It worked. She still spits up on occasion but all babies do some.... My daughter isn't a big burper either. I always try to burp her. If she wont, I lay her down for 5-10 seconds and let the milk shift a little, this usually makes her burp. I had a case of PPD also with my 2nd child. I finally went to the Dr and got a mild dose of Zoloft to take for a while. Everyone feels differently about these drugs but it totally worked for me and I would highly suggest it. Good luck with everything. Try to relax and enjoy your new baby. I know it is easier said than done at times.
Take care,
C.

C.--I too have four children. From 12 down to 15 months. First, let me say that I cannot imagine the pain of your loss. I am so sorry!

It sounds to me like a growth spurt. All they want to do is eat when they grow so very fast. For all of mine, it happened at the same time at three weeks, six weeks and nine weeks. I breast fed and thought that all I did was walk around with my shirt open. I think that the American Academy of Pediatrics changes its recommendations all of the time. I know that the rules for the introduction of solids has been different for each of my kids. I have a dear friend with a three year old, who started on cereal in his bottle at three weeks....he is fine. I would listen to the doctor, but have confidence in your ability to decide what works best for your family.

I have to say that for me my fourth child was the hardest. I had been in labor all day, when a c-section was decided on. I got mastitis, and then a MRSA infection, and I thought I would never leave my house again. My poor little Michael had "silent" reflux, and all he did was scream, until one of his Pediatricians put him on Zantac syrup.

You do not say if you are breast feeding, but if you are you might examine your diet. Do some research, (it will empower you) and find out what foods you might be eating that might bother the baby. Also, there are foods that help.

Eat well, get sleep and take good care of you. If you are breast feeding, look at perhaps having Dad give a bottle (either pumped or formula) now and then to give you a break. I finally did that with my last baby.

I think that time and experience help, but that you have had a real blow to yours. Losing a baby would make me worse than someone with NO experience. I would lose all confidence.

Good Luck to you,
Please take care of You,
C.

If you are dealing with post partum...may I suggest so mommy time. I learned it from church... It's time where you give the kids to their father and you are by yourself. Take a walk, wash your hair, read a chapter in a book, etc... Before you can take care of your family you have to take care of yourself. Remember we are Queens of our homes and nothing function correctly w/o us.
Now, my baby is 4 months... but this is my 3rd child. I started my first and second child on food at 4 months. I do agree with the doctor about your little one being too young for cereal. Try to give him water. And if he continues to cry... sometimes you have to let him. I mean he is at an age where he should still be drinking 4 oz. bottles. If that is not enogh give him and extra oz or two. Once he is finished w/ that, if it has not been 3 hours, give him water. He seems to be eating too much if he is throwing the milk up.

First and foremost, you have to take care of you. If you are healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally, your children will be better taken care of. On the feedings, a 2-3 month old is not "greedy", they do not know these emotions or minipulations yet. They only know survival! I would recommend writing down the amounts and times of the feedings. This may help you see what's going on more (I know sometimes it seems like all youi do is feed and change diapers, but seeing it written may be a different perspective).I would agree that your child is TOO young for cereal though. His little system isn't equipped for that yet...especially if he is throwing up! Also, I know experience is an awesome teacher, but it can be a false sense of security. Each child is very different, so the things you have done with your other children may not work for this one. Listen to your doctors (pediatrician and obgyn) and get good support! There a lot of great groups to meet and talk with where people are experiencing the same things! I will be sure to say a prayer for you and your family!

C.,

I'm so sorry for your loss.

My advice is to listen to the doctor. Your baby's tummy just isn't equipped to handle cereal. It's better to be safe than sorry...you just don't know what feeding cereal early might do to hurt him later (allergies, reflux, etc.). Further, if your baby is throwing up a lot, it could be an indication of overeating. His tummy is tiny!

I suggest you go to the doctor and ask what is the maximum amount of formula (you're bottle feeding it sounds like) your baby should be eating and don't go over that amount. Also, before going to the doc, just make a quick note of the time and amount of each feeding.

You may find that you will have to feed less at each feeding and increase the amount of feedings.

A final note: Having a baby is overwhelming. Get support to help you through your grief. You may be experiencing grief AND post partum...tough stuff. Talk to someone to help sort out your feelings and get support from other moms and your husband. Taking care of you is the best way to take care of your new baby.

Good luck,

S.

Hi C.!

I have twins and at that age my girls were not getting full off of formula either and I started giving them cereal in their bottle. It's ok to do it but don't I wouldn't do it in every bottle. With the burping you might want to try burping him in between the meal it helps alot. I'm very sorry about your lost of your child. I can't imagine how that would feel. I hope and pray things will get better for you. With the post partum when i started going through it I actually had to spend some time to myself. If you can get someone to watch the baby for a hour. In that hour do something that will calm you like a warm bath with the lavender bath salts (that works great) or just to sit in a quiet room and relax or read a book that did wonders for me also. Sometimes things can get very overwelming when you have a baby and your tired. Try to get some rest and exercise works great too. I hope I was some help for you. Good luck!

Hi, C.. I would have to disagree with some of the other people that have responded to this. I believe that if your baby is always hungry, then you should start giving him cereal. It has been many years since mine were that little, but I believe that we started my son on cereal right around 2-3 months of age. But, we only started with rice cereal mixed with formula. If he is spitting up, then you might want to evaluate how you're holding him to feed him. I had to hold my son sitting straight up when I fed him. I sat his little butt on my knees, held the base of his head with my left hand, and hold the bottle and his chin with my right hand. This helped the air stay up and not go down into his stomach, and cause all the food to come back up when he burped. I also had to bounce my knees a little bit while I was feeding him. It kinda seemed like a lot, but I got used to it and so did he; plus he was staying fuller and not spitting up as much (which is also cheaper for you in the longrun).
So, maybe try this and see if it works for you, too. Good luck!

Hi, I am a stay home mom of 3 months and 2 years old girls. I remember I started to give rice cereal when the older girl was 4 months old. I nurse her first, then gave her some cereal. How often do you feed your baby? He may getting "snack" all the time rather than getting the full feeding.
I remember those days she spit up everything she drunk (may be not everything, but it seemed a lot). But her Dr. said, spitting up is not a medical problem, but a laundry problem :)
I know it is hard. Write me if you want to. Sometime writing to someone helps to see things perspective and can be an outlet, too.

Sounds like you are going through a lot, I hope you have a good support system.
I do want to just say I agree with most. You should wait 6 months at least. When your babe is hungry, just nurse him-he's probably gowing through a spurt (babies are yet to know what "greed" is).
You might want to eliminate dairy as well if you are getting spit up on. Maybe soy too.
sorry for the loss of your son-I couldn't even imagine.
good luck to you

My son had TERRIBLE reflux the first TWO YEARS. We didn't feed him solids for a long time, however, we did give him Enfamil AR LIPIL, which is for reflux and has rice cereal in it to help keep it down.

Good luck.

When my son was 2 months old I was nursing him every hour some days! He gained 4lbs his first month and his second. You might just get getting a big boy and he is hungry. I would NOT feed him cereal. All the Dr.s say not too. They are too young. My son turned 6 months ysterday and I am just going to start cereal this week. If he is hungry feed him formula or nurse him. Your milk supply should keep up.
Good Luck.

First, call YOUR doctor to get in and get some help with the post partum. I've never had post partum, but I have been depressed and anti-depressants turned my life around.

Secondly, a long time ago -like when I was a baby (almost 39 years), drs did say to go ahead and give cereal along with a number of other things to 2 and 3 month olds (I have the handout my mother saved from my pediatrician to prove it). HOWEVER, they've since learned that at that age breast milk and/or formula is the only way to go. Wait until 5 or 6 months to start cereals and any other solids. Listen to the pediatrician and look up some info on websites and in books. Babies that young aren't yet "greedy" or "manipulative" or anything like that -they only have a few speeds -"hungry", "happy", "change me", and "sleepy"!

Well I must be the only one in disagreement. I agree that you should listen to your Pediatrician on most areas. However, my ped fed the whole spill to me as well about not feeding my twins cereal until they were a certain age as well. Fine and dandy but she wasn't the one having to get up during the middle of the night and feed two babies all by herself all at the same time. My mom gave both my sister and I cereal when we were babies and back in the day the Peds even suggested it amoungst other things as well. However, now they have renigged on this and there is all this hype about Oh you shouldn't do that. You know what my mother did it to me and my sister and I know several others that did it as well and their babies are now well adjusted adults. It's your child and "sometimes" Mom knows best because she knows her child. I gave cereal to my twins when they were 6 weeks old if I remember correctly. I did not put a WHOLE bunch and it worked or helped. On the other hand though if your child is having problems keeping his regular feedings down then I would almost be inclined to say he might have reflux and might not suggest the whole cereal thing. Don't get me wrong I think you should listen to your ped, but like I said before sometimes Mom knows best and knows her child the best. There have been SEVERAL times that I thought one thing and went to the Doc and told me it was another and I would be back a day later or so only to confirm that my suspicions were correct the first time. I'm not saying I know more than the Doc cause I don't she went to school not me but I know my kids. I am not always right but I think we all have a natural instinct that kicks in when we become mothers. I know most mothers of today are all in agreement with the Docs and I hear what they are saying, but where is the proof? How come they used to suggest it and most moms that did it have healthy beautiful children now? They turned out okay! I don't know maybe I am way off base and just thought I would put in a different opinion.

C. hey.
I will tell you that with both my children I put just a little cereal in their bottle at night. Just enough to fill them up and so that it did not make it to thick to go through the nipple. I did not spoon feed them the cereal until they were almost 5 months old. We were putting the cereal in the bottle by 2 months old.
You said that he was spitting up when you burp him. If he is on formaula you may need to change it. and that may stop him from throwing up. You can talk to you doctor about it or you can just change it and when you go to the next visit you can tell them that he is now on the new formula. I changed my sons with out asking the dr. and he was fine with it.
He could also be spitting it up b/c he is dranking to fast. If that is the case and he is on a bottle then you may want to see if the nipple is flowing to fast for him are not fast enough and he is getting to much air when he is sucking. If you breast feeding you could pump and mix a little cereal in a bottle and give it to him and see if that will help fill him up.
Hope this helps.

Start with Egg yokes cereal is NOT good for little ones

Go here to read why.
http://westonaprice.org/children/nourish-baby.html

Also for the throwing up, he probly has a kink in his gut, one adjustment from an osteopath and he will stop throwing up, unless of course he is having issues with what you are feeding him.

Also since you lost a child to SID's you might want to re-evaluate your dicision to keep vaccinating. It's a well known fact that the country of Japan has stopped vaccinating all kids under two and their SIDs rate is non exsistant compared to having astronomical rates like we do in this country.

My kids are 4 and 2 now but I also suffered from Postpartum after my first child was born. I had to go on Zoloft. It worked best for me. I'm not saying medication is always the best option but for me, it's what worked best. After a few months, I gradually came off of it and I was better. Please email me back if you need to talk to someone who's been there.

Also, my son had bad reflux so he was constantly spitting up his milk and couldn't keep it down. He was losing weight and I was very worried about him (I am a big worrier too). The doctor actually suggested cereal in the bottle and I know that a lot of doctors don't advise that but it worked. His reflux got better and he started keeping his milk down and gaining weight. Just talk to your pediatrician about the pros and cons and do what's best for your baby.

I hope you start feeling better soon. Be sure to talk to your husband and express what's going on and ask him to watch the kids for a while so you can get out of the house and have a break. It's important to take care of yourself so you can take care of those precious children.

yes it's too early to start solids.his dr didnt just walk up to some guy on a street corner and say "hey give me a degree in medicine and I want to do pediatrics cause it dosn't pay well" their little tummies aren't ready for that stuff, and a 2 month old can't be greedy he's just hungry. feed him , let him nurse he's prob going through a growth sprut and the cereal dosn't have what he needs to get him through it. the throwing up is not normal it could be the cereal his tummy isnt digesting or it could be reflux. and how you tell if its throw up and not just spit up, spit up just comes out , throw up is forcefully projected from his mouth as in goes soem distance. with the PPD talk to your dr and get some medicaition for it, I was and still am on antidepressants after the birth of my first child. you may only need them for a few months.

I have a 5 month old daughter and a 3 year old son. My oldest started on cereral early at 3 months. My daughter at 4 months. I think 2 months is just too early - that is probably why your baby is throwing up on you. Some kids (like my son) just need a lot of formula often. Good luck!

Hi! I agree with most everyone else. Please see your doctor ASAP for the PPD. You are not alone and should not have to suffer...they can help! Also I'm not sure anyone mentioned this, but cereal has A LOT LESS calories than formula or breast milk. That's another reason Peds docs tell you not to start too early because the little ones drink less (although more often) and need the high calories for growth. Listen to the docs, they are there for a reason and DO have scientific data to back it up. Thanks and good luck to you!

Your doctor's correct; if you are exclusively breastfeeding, wait on anything else until 6 months. Baby's tummy isn't prepared yet for other foods.

I also think that you may want to wait before introducing cereals. My opinion, however, is that babies first solids should be fruits and veggies (pureed, of course) around 6 months. New research is linking rice cereals and the like to childhood gastric problems and obesity. My advice is always to do research on your own (reading, etc.) and consult your MD afterwards to see what they say. Doctors do not know everything and you have to keep yourself armed with the latest information. This goes w/ vaccines as well- we are very choosy as to which ones we allow!
As for the PPD, my suggestion would be to consult with a therapist (psychologist, not psychiatrist) to see if you can master you depression. A good therapist will be able to help you deal without necessarily prescribing medicine.

Hi C., I would listen to your PED and others on this and wait until at least 4-6 months of age. As others have said, your babies digestive system is simply not ready to handle cereal this young. Yes, you may have to get up in the middle of the night several times for awhile, but from having other babies, you know this is the normal routine! Your baby just sounds like a wonderful eater who loves his breast/bottle!!!

I'm so sorry for the loss of your other child and that you are experiencing post partum. Sometimes, the post partum passes as your hormones adjust, and sometimes women need a little extra help in getting through this time. Counseling can help, and it could also help with some of your worry/anxiety you mentioned. If your worries/depression are mild, then maybe a mother's support group, if you are experiencing this more than 50% of the time, then maybe some individual counseling with a therapist. Please don't forget to take care of yourself, your health and mental health is very important!!! Occasionally, some mother's who are not nursing go on an anti-depressant medication for a short period of time if the depression is severe. This can be very helpful in helping you get over the hump of so many life and hormonal changes! Best of luck to you and take care, F.

Hi C.- I am sorry you are dealing with post-partum. I don't have any experience with that but will say a prayer for you. As far as your baby, I think it all sounds normal. He is likely going through a growth spurt and required more meals more frequently, especially if you are breastfeeding (he is trying to increase your milk supply!). If you are breastfeeding, I personally would not go to any cereal since it would counteract you making more mile. My first child never threw up while my 2nd one did all the time. Also, my first one never burped and my 2nd one had no problems. Each baby is different and no one knows their own child better than a mother and her own instincts. I hope this helps.

hi C.,
first of all, i'm so sorry to hear about your loss..that must have been devastating...and i can understand why you'd worry more now...as far as the spitting up goes, it think it
sounds like he may have reflux..that or he's eating too much, and then what he doesn't need comes back to you...have any of your other kids had that? there are lots of formulas that are gentler that your pediatrician can recommend...that might help the reflux, but usually they just have to outgrow it...sorry! the post partum is a totally different story...and good for you for wanting to take care of it...it won't just go away if you ignore it...and the sooner you acknowlege it the better...talk to your obgyn..and they can recommend a therapist, or psychiatrist who deals with women's issues...and if you're open to trying medication...it does help. hang in there, and good luck