When to Start Rice Cereal? - Bullhead City,AZ

I started my son on rice cereal at 3 mo. He loved the stuff and seemed to do fine with it. (except he cried when I couldn't keep it coming fast enough). Just start of with a little bit at a time. I also heard not to never put the rice cereal in the bottle. I dont recall why.

Hello there. I started my daughter on rice cereal at 4 months and she loved it. If you dont feel ready to spoon it to her I was told you can put it in a bottle and make it thin enough with milk that its drinkable. Then she's getting more subtance to fill her up than just the milk. I hope this helps!

YOu can start giving the baby cereal as soon as two months... The baby is probaly wanting to be apart of the rest of the family and eat with you it is a good time to start this.. Start off with small amount of cereal and go from their....

J.

Hello O.~
I must certainly say after reading all of the inputs I have to agree with Jen. I started my boys each of them on cereal at a month old. Why? They were hungry. Formula wasnt enough. I to couldnt breastfeed due to my thyroid medication. My boys are now 13,8, and 7 they are just fine. They have good eating habits and good appetites. I spoke with my ped about it and he to said oh no dont do that. But if you take a moment and think about our grandparents' parents when formula, and baby food wasnt around. How did they feed their young. Cows milk, goats milk, and baby food that they made themselves right?

Good Luck! Hope this helps

If your baby is acting hungry when you are eating take the cue from her.
My mom was an absolute lifesaver when my son was 3 months. I was nursing, literally every hour for 30 minutes and I was going crazy. After about a week my mom took her grandson and sent me to bed (I hadn't slept in 3 days). She went to the grocery store and bought rice cereal and feed it to him while I was asleep. After I got done being mad at her for feeding him "food" against my wishes (DR said not until 6 months b/c he was a preemie)and I stopped spasing out, I noticed that the little guy was asleep and not screaming.
Forever she will be a hero to me for that and it really helped with the second one.
I knew that he needed food, but I was unwilling to listen to "MY" instincts b/c the Doctor knew so much more.
SO go with YOUR instincts. You may be right.

At 4 months my kids were already eating jar food. at 1.5 months they were having cereal in there bottles. If your baby seems hungry feed her. doctors are not experts on YOUR baby. belive me Food wont hurt her. starving her will.

I think most doctors would tell you to mainly stick to breast milk or regular milk until at least 9 months or even until after she's a year. But that's just their guidelines. My son is one and a half was ready for more than milk early. He was eating rice cereal when he was about 4 and a half months old. And he have a great appetite for different things, even now.
I think it's whenever your daughter is ready. Make her some rice cereal and if she doesn't like it or is not ready for it, then try again later. I think she will like it though, cause it's more substance for their little bellies. And I think having her eat with the family at the table will bring you all closer together :)
Just go with your instict, every baby is different. And it's OK to try new things you are unsure of to see how the babies like new things. Good luck and take good care of yourself and your family!!

I just thought I 'd let you know my son started cereal at four months as well. Nothing bad will come of it, I promise! He liked the Gerber Rice and Banana cereal, your daughter might love it too.

HI,

I have a 4 1/2 mon old daughter and we took her for her 4mon checkup at 4 mon. Our pediatrician told us to start rice cereal and stage 1 babyfoods. She was doing the same thing as yours.....watching everyone eat and getting upset! Our doctor suggested starting cereal once a day ( we did dinner time) then after a week, we started baby food.....we alternate a fruit and vegetable every 3-4 days to watch for allergies. She has been doing so much better since we started her on food!!!! She loves it!! Right now she does cereal and a fruit for breakfast and a fruit and vegetable for dinner.
Good luck, hope this helps!

Hi O.,
My mom helped me a lot when I had my first one. I don't know what I would have done without her. I am sorry yours is not near. My son started being a poop at about 3 weeks. He was formula fed, as I could not breast feed. My mom said "that boy is hungry! Give him some rice cereal in his bottle!!!" "No way I said, he'll choke to death. The book says not until they are 5 months old." "BS, that boy is hungry. Suffer then." One week later I couldn't stand it. I put a couple of scoops in there, and the boy changed immediatly. She was right, he was starved. Formula wasn't enough. As soon as he could sit in the highchair I started feeding him with a spoon, and when he got that down, I started introducing him to foods. He was on a full menu by the time he was 5 months. He is 15 months now, and hasn't stopped! Go with your gut girl. No book or Dr can tell you what is right for your baby. They only tell you what will keep them from getting sued.
Good luck,
J.

O.,

I am also a first time mom and went through the same thing with my son at about 16 weeks. The doctor at our then home told us to go ahead and try the cereal. We started it, but then moved 3000 miles to another post. We took him in for a checkup as he seemed to be having some stomach issues. The doctor here told us to immediately stop the cereal as in babies younger than 6 months it can cause intestinal bleeding becuase babies sometimes are not developmentally ready for solids. I don't mean to scare you, but just keep an eye on the diaper situation and if things don't seem quite right, take him in for a checkup. After stopping the cereal, we just increased the amount of formula/breastmilk we offered and offered it a little more often to try and keep him full. We restarted the solids at 6 months and things are working out much better.

Good luck,
R.

You know I have a 5 month old and I just started her, when I asked my doctor he told me whenever the bottle didn't seem like it was filling her up or she was fussing all the time even after being fed. All of my children have been different. My oldest ate cereal at 3 months and my son started at 4 months. So they will tell you the ideal age is 6 months. i say it depends on the baby :) Hope that helps.

Hi O.-
I am a breastfeeder, and have heard sooo much conflicting info (as you have) about when it is okay to start cereals. I agree that it is best to listen to your baby. I talked a lot to lactation specialists about starting solids with my 2nd daughter. The lactationist suggested waiting until she was 6 months (which I didn't), but she also suggested giving the baby very mushy bananas instead of cereal. I started this around 5-6 months. My baby loved the fresh bananas, and avacados too. I was extremely careful in making sure the food was mushed up good, adding breast milk if I needed to, and it made me happy to be giving her something fresh and yummy.
Good luck!!!

We started my daughter on rice cereal right at four months. Like the person before, if your daughter is showing cues that she is ready, try it. Mix it really thin and take it slowly. Babies know better than anyone else what they need, so do their mommies! Good Luck!

usually the dr. will tell u around 4 months is a good time 2 start rice cereal. ecspecially if she is interested when u r eating. if it doesn't work u can always try later.

Glad it worked out, mine is 5 months and at 4 months she was CLEARLY interested in what we were eating. I started her on rice cereal and the oatmeal with bananas and she seemed much happier. She will be 6 months old at the end of this month but I might start her on veggies and stuff (the 'Ones' is what they're called I think) sooner than the 6 month mark because last week I put a pickle wedge to her lips to see the funny face I thought she'd make and 5 minutes later she was trying to shove the whole thing in her mouth... sucking on it like it was the best thing she'd ever tasted (I never did get to see the sour face, it just didn't happen lol). Sometimes you have to let THEM tell you when they're ready...

OK-
1- Your 4 month old baby is most definitely NOT upset that you are not giving her food. She doesn't even know what food IS yet. Bottle or boobie is food to her.
2- Can your baby sit up on her own yet? It is not recommended to start feedings until they can sit up on their own. THis is generally when the digestive system can start handling food. No one should be feeding 3-4 month old babies rice, especially in their bottles.
3- If you feel that they are eating a lot more lately or seem to be hungry more often, try giving them more milk at a time (breastmilk or formula). They may be going through a growth spurt.

I know that my mother (a mother of 5) did start putting rice in our bottles at very early ages, adn recommended it to me, but after careful research, my (chiropractor) husband and I found that it not not healthy to their digestive systems. I learned a lot of things I didn't know with my oldest child (nor did my mom), such as not to give babies breastmilk and formula b/c they are digested differently, and how to feed to help prevent food allergies- just talk to someone who isn't giving you the same old advice they've been giving out for 20 years, and see what else is out there for sure. (some of this post is generalized to everyone who wants to read it, but not bashing anyone, especially the original poster).

I would NOT begin solids until 6-8 months because it may also increase the possibilities of food allergies. We started our first son at 5 months old with rice cereal and he has so many food allergies now. Our younger son, we waited until 8 months and he has none! Go figure. Just be cautious. I would stick with the 6 month minimum rule.

hi O.,
I started my son on the cereal at about 3.5 months because he was grabbing at our plates... then at 4 months we started solids... his dr okayed it because he was grabbing at out food so much. so it is really up to you and your baby..take her cues from her. your child is her own person, an individual her doctor isn't always gonna know what you need to do for her...anyhow good luck!

We started our son between 4 & 5 months, he did fine. If you think your baby is ready, then I don't think it would hurt anything to try. Just make sure you mix the cereal with formula or breas milk, what ever they're used to.

I started my son on rice cereal at about 3.5 months. I only would give him about a teaspoon and feed it to him by spoon. It was messy at first, but he got the hang of it. I breastfed him, so he didn't take a bottle to put it in. I've heard not to put it in a bottle anyway. As far as when to start the cereal, well that is up to you and your Pediatrician. My son was nursing every hour and a half to two hours and always hungry and that is why I started him so young. I would warn you that if you give him too much rice it can be constipating, so be careful. Good Luck!

Hi O.,

Though many doctors say you can start feeding your baby solids (such as rice cereal) as early as 4 months, it is best for your baby if you exclusively breastfeed or give formula for the first 6 months. The American Acadamy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastmilk or formula for the first six months, and continued breastmilk or formula though at least the first year. The digestive tract of infants is constantly under development, so starting solids too early can lead to a lot of gastric upset, causing your baby to be uncomfortable, have constipation, or be really gassy. By waiting until she is six months, you are allowing her GI tract to develop more of the natural flora required to properly and fully digest food. Starting solids too early can also lead to a host of allergy problems, especially if there are any allergies already in your family. Some signs to look for that your baby may be ready to start solids, other than showing interest in your food and being at least 6 months old, are the ability to sit up unsupported, teeth, is at least 17 pounds, and has the ability to swallow food without thrusting it out of her mouth with her tongue. These aren't all requirements, just some signs that tell you she's becoming ready.

When my son was almost 5 months, he starting acting like he really wanted my food, grabbing for it and reaching for it. So I started giving him drinks of water while I was eating sometimes. That would help detract him from the food that I was eating, while still making him feel like he was getting something new. He only got about one or two sips a day a few times a week. He's two weeks away from 6 months now and we still do just the water thing, along with nursing of course.

You can find some good information about starting solids on the web, such as at http://kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/index.html .

Regards,
A.

HI O.,

As far as I know, depending on your daughter's development,
you can give her some rice cereal when she can hold her
head up and shows real interest in eating (she intentely
watches you, etc) You basically start out with about
two tablespoons of cereal and add either breast milk
or formula until it is real liquidy.

It is probably best to ask your pediatrician or
Try www.babycenter.com for more specifics.
The eating thing is very vague, I can relate. I am not
even 100% sure how much to feed my 7 mo old sometimes.

Good luck!
L.

It doesnt hurt to give regular food too like thin mashed potatoes or mushed carrots etc. better than jarred food and u can mix cereal in jar fruit etc. and i see they even have ceral w/fruit in it babys love mashed bananas... just watch for alergic reactions....

Many doctors have very outdated information on starting solids, and many people go by that information or what their parents and grandparents tell them, even though that is also very outdated. PLEASE wait until your child is exhibiting all readiness cues and is AT LEAST six months old. There are physiological reasons for waiting. Her body expects her diet to be comprised entirely of liquid, be it either breastmilk or formula, until that time.
When you eat, your daughter is not interested in your food, she is interested in what you're doing. You could be shoving pencils in your mouth and she'd be just as interested. That doesn't mean she's ready to start solids.
This site has a lot of good information on starting solids. It's geared toward breastfeeding mothers, but even if you aren't, the info is still valid: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/index.html

Our pediatrician advised us to wait until 6-months old before feeding them cereal or any other solids. He had us start 2 weeks before the 6 month checkup with rice cereal so we could discuss any issues at that appointment. This worked well for both my girls, current ages 2 & 5.

Keep in mind that many babies are fussy in the evenings anyway. So it may not have anything to do with wanting to eat your food.

If I were you I would discuss with the DR beforehand. While I understand wanting to feed solids for sleep reasons many babies develop food allergies if solids are introduced to early. Both my girls had eczema and that is many times a precusor to other allergies and/or asthma which one of mine does have. Consider also if you have any family history of allergies food or otherwise.

You need to do what you feel comfortable with. If you decide to start now keep track of when you start and if you introduce any other foods. That way if any problems occur you'll able to give your daughter's ped accurate info.

Hi O.,
At 4 months my Ped said it was okay to give baby cereal, however I waited. I did a lot of reading about allergies because my husband, older daughter, and myself are all so allergic to everything. I waited until almost 6 months and she did just fine. I read (source unknown) baby should double their birth weight by 6 months and tripple their birth weight by 1 year. She achieved them both. I nursed, so when she seemed more hungry, I supplemented with formula. However, perhaps a little attention is all she is asking for while you are eating :) You might try google'n infant/feed/cereal, what I was more interested in was allergies so I searched infant/feed/allergy and read that when you feed a baby too soon, they are not ready for it and can develop an allergy. This was especially important to me about corn because my older daughter is allergic to corn and cannot eat it. There is corn in EVERYTHING! So I wanted to be careful. All babies are different and everyone has their own theory on what is best. I was okay waiting to feed mine as long as I knew she was okay.

I agree that you should wait until 6 months, but everyone is entitled to their opinion, for sure!

My dear, I would place bets that your little girl is crying during dinner time because that's the big joke on parents everywhere! You just are not allowed to actually sit down and enjoy a warm meal!!! : ) Both of my daughters along with every other baby I've been around usually has a breakdown in the evening time, usually right around dinner time. Babies get so stimulated throughout the day that they just have to let it out.

Anyway, I would just get used to taking turns during meal times. Do you have a warming drawer? :)

Good luck!