baby cereals, pablum

Melissa - posted on 04/14/2009

Quoting Judith:

Not to sound like a moron, but I'm not sure what pablum cereals are...but, what I can tell you is that I started my son, now 12 yrs old, on cereal when he was that young, and it made him quite colicky. I didn't realize it at the time, (I was 20) and I blamed the formula, but a baby that young is not able to properly digest cereal, no matter what people tell you.  I recommend talking to your doctor and seeing what they suggest, it's more trustworthy than what you may get here (I'm not knocking anyone here, just saying that each child is different and introducing solids that early is a decision best left up to a docor)  Good luck!

I think whatyou said was perfect I think we all give advice that we are going by experience not training. Doctors would be best. When I started my little man on cereal I had 3  appointments with 3 doctors we checked to see if he was more full from formula he actually wanted more. So then I made the swap because with my first child I did everything on schedule because all the information we are given I wanted to be sure the doctor wasnt a quack.

Melissa - posted on 04/14/2009

Please don't put the cereal in the bottle. It has alot of negative information choking hazard for one I think going at it with spoon would be best.

Melissa - posted on 04/14/2009

Please don't put the cereal in the bottle. It has alot of negative information choking hazard for one I think going at it with spoon would be best.

Darcy - posted on 04/12/2009

when my little girl was 5weeks i had a problem withher not getting enough so i was told to put a tablespoon of cereal in her bottle of formula, and she has done fine with it...i only did it once a day though

Melissa - posted on 04/11/2009

Quoting Jessika:

Thank you all for your advice, after reading many posts, and listening to my mom's good old days tips, I decided to try the baby cereal. However I went for Oat cereal and not rice cereal so it wouldn't constipate him. I have to say for me the cereals are a success.. He loves it, and eats very well with a spoon. I did chose not to put it in his bottle for safety issues. I make the cereals with his formula and watered down enough for him to swallow. He loves it and still drinks as much formula as before. No colics, no extra gas, no vomiting or choking and no constipation.

Very good news. I had my son at the HEALTH NURSE when I went to go vaccinate my son she asked my how the feedings were going and I told her he always seems hungry he was 3 months at the time I and everyone else thought it was spurt so I just kept feeding me but it was draining me so much, so I pumped thinking maybe my milk wasnt  there as much as it was I almost wrecked my pump when the milk started pouring I had to get another bottle I ended up filling just below 16 ounces and I spilled alot on accident not being prepared. My son ate it about 5 minutes later and was still looking for more! I still kinda thought it was a spurt and started questioning the quality so I went in they told me everything was fine a month later i finally took the doctors advice and put him onto a rice pablum and its been great ever since.

Lauren - posted on 04/09/2009

I am putting my baby on cereals to my daughter wants more and more formula all the time and cries for more! So I am trying it and I'm not sure if its working yet! But my g-mal said she had tried it that early with her kids and my friend did and they are all fine!!!

Samia - posted on 04/08/2009

hi jessika i have a two month old and when my daughter was that age she did the same thing. ur son is going a little growth spurt. trust me in another couple of weeks he wont be finishing those six ounces. i was thinking the same thing with my daughter. u should hold out on the cereal because he doesnt need it as of yet because his eating habit will change. i totally understand what you are going through, you feel like you dont want to overfeed him but its just fine because it wont last long.

April-Lynn - posted on 04/08/2009

I gave my son pablum when he was 2 months old, i had to ask my doctor about it becuase i had the same problem, nothing would make my son happy, and my doctor said there really isnt "an age" that you can introduce food, there are begginer pablum and thats what i started my son on, i just made it really watery and would let him suck it off the spoon.

Stasia - posted on 04/08/2009

There IS such a thing as overfeeding babies. Just because your baby will take it, doesn't mean they should always eat that amount. It is normal for babies to eat like that at such a young age. All they really do is eat. pee, poop, sleep and cry sometimes.
There are childhood obesity issues and it starts from overfeeding them as babies. You can't overfeed on breastmilk and it would be difficult on formula, but definitely no pablum

Kimberly - posted on 04/07/2009

The moms telling you it might be a growth spurt might be right, or you could be like me and have an early eater. My son, who is nearly 2, ate us out of house and home until he was 8 months and took himself off of baby foods. He got cereal at 2 weeks because of the same issue you were having. Which worked until he was 2 months, and then we had to move up to baby foods, not just rice cereal. My little guy was eating about 9oz of formula and 5oz of foods in one sitting by about 4 months, possibly before then, but I can't remember if he ate that much when he was 2 months or not. I can tell you that six to ten 9oz bottles a day plus three 4oz servings of rice weren't enough by the time he was 2 months. I hope that it's just a growth spurt for you. If baby is doing fine on the cereals you should be just fine for a while though. He has thankfully slowed down his growth patterns now, and so far so good. No allergies or upsets. I wish you the best of luck.

Jessika - posted on 04/06/2009

Thank you all for your advice, after reading many posts, and listening to my mom's good old days tips, I decided to try the baby cereal. However I went for Oat cereal and not rice cereal so it wouldn't constipate him. I have to say for me the cereals are a success.. He loves it, and eats very well with a spoon. I did chose not to put it in his bottle for safety issues. I make the cereals with his formula and watered down enough for him to swallow. He loves it and still drinks as much formula as before. No colics, no extra gas, no vomiting or choking and no constipation.

Petrowene - posted on 04/06/2009

I also had that problem with my son. The pediatrician worked out the amount of formula he needs according to his weight, and it was almost double the amount that I gave him! Don't introduce him to any foods yet, his intestines are too immature and might make him queezy!

Cynthia - posted on 04/05/2009

6 months is as early as you would want to introduce cereals (AKA pablum). Sounds like he's just pulling a normal growth spurt. Just be sure to burp lots between and during feedings and if he wriggles. Yep your baby will eat like crazy so feed when he wants it and all will be happy. He's so sweet, keep up the good work.

Sarah - posted on 04/05/2009

definately just a growth spurt! he'll probably slow down soon. My son went through the same thing and then again when he was about 10 weeks old. Your doctor will tell you when to put him on formula. good luck! sounds like you have a good eater so far!

Emily - posted on 04/05/2009

It is normal, he's on the verge of a growth spurt. He is WAY too young for baby cereal. His kidneys are nowhere near mature enough to process it, and if you introduce solids too early, he will have an increased allergy risk. Wait until he is at least 6 months old.

Tara - posted on 04/05/2009

At that age they eat very very often and you pretty much feed on demand. My little guy is 6 months now and on solids and he also still eats every 3 hours and at 2 months old he had a bottle every 1 1/2 - 2hrs, very normal!! I wouldn't introduce any cereal at this time unless it is recommended by the ped/doctor for a good reason. Good luck!

Danielle - posted on 04/05/2009

From what i experienced with my son..He is now 6 months old. They go through growth spurts..first at 3 weeks, then 6 weeks, then 3 months, then again at 6 months. During these times they will eat and eat and eat..once the spurt finishes which may range from a few days or a week or so, he will go back to eating what for him is normal. My son is in a growth spurt right now and is drinking around 10 ounces at a time, mind you i am starting him on solids now but at 5 weeks your son is not ready for solids right now. You only start introducing solids between 5-6 months. And at that only when they can start sitting up on their own, holding their head up steady. Check out this website: babycenter.ca...you will get alot of info..plus get the book what to expect in the first year, alot of your questions and worries will be answered. I know it helped me out alot, and rest assured that it is normal at this stage for a baby to be constantly hungry during growth spurts, which your son sounds like he is in.

April - posted on 04/04/2009

well out of six children the first ate every hour on the hour. gave him cereal at 8 wks cause i didnt know any better . but he was 16 lbs by then from 8.2 at birth. 3rd baby was very small and wasnt very strong in the sucking of the breast so tried cereal which made her very colicky. stopped and just went to formula. by the time i had my # 6 11 weeks ago he would spue waterfall vomit from overeating the breast or a little booger in the nose or anything. i started pumping at night so he wouldnt get too much in his tummy.told the doc i get 2 oz pumped from each breast in 5 min. she suggested at 8 weeks to try cereal to hold the liquid down. first time was just a few bites and he was colicky. so i waited a few days and tried again. well for him it works very well. 11 weeks and up to the twice a day cereal from a spoon. he only spues if i dont clear his nose every morning. so no,cereal can be too early and they do eat alot when little. tummys are small so they require many feedings. but then in my case cereal worked for my little guy. ask your doc on their opinion too.

Shanna - posted on 03/31/2009

Totally normal!! My opinion - he is WAYY too young for solids!! I started my daughter at 5 months - only 1 teaspoon a day.

Most babies as often as yours - or more often. Their tummies are SO small so they need it to be filled frequently. My daughter would breasfeed every 30 minutes somedays! Even now, at almost 9 months old - she only goes 3-4 hours between feeds and that is with a solid meal! She was still eating every 2 hours at 7 months so - get used to it!

Emily - posted on 03/31/2009

  He is so cute! It sounds like he is eating quite normally for his age. They do hit another growth spurt around 6 weeks, so don't be prepared for it to slow down just yet! It sounds like you are doing a fantastic job being a mom. Formula is all he should get til about 6 mos, though, for the reasons Emily mentioned. Congrats on your little bundle!

Joy - posted on 03/30/2009

very normal for a 5 week old to feed that often, try a thicker formula if ur worried but it is very very normal.

Emily - posted on 03/30/2009

Infants shouldnt be introduced to solids until they are 6 months old. Their kidneys are not fully developed and cant handle cereals yet. Yes, babies eat a lot. Get used to it

Judith - posted on 03/30/2009

What a cutie he is, though!!!

Judith - posted on 03/30/2009

Not to sound like a moron, but I'm not sure what pablum cereals are...but, what I can tell you is that I started my son, now 12 yrs old, on cereal when he was that young, and it made him quite colicky. I didn't realize it at the time, (I was 20) and I blamed the formula, but a baby that young is not able to properly digest cereal, no matter what people tell you.  I recommend talking to your doctor and seeing what they suggest, it's more trustworthy than what you may get here (I'm not knocking anyone here, just saying that each child is different and introducing solids that early is a decision best left up to a docor)  Good luck!