Starting Cereal- 4 months old

Vanessa - posted on 08/26/2009

I just went through this with my son. I made a tea spoon at first and made it a little thicker than the milk. As time went on (every 3 or 4 days) I made it thicker but never thicker than apple sauce. I also upped it to 2 tea spoons. Can your son indicate when he is full (by turning away from or pushing the spoon away) If not I would stick with the 1 tea spoon so you dont over feed him.

Julie - posted on 08/26/2009

Hello there, because of allergies and intolerances in the family, I steer clear of pre made bottled to be brought stuff.

I tend to go with mashed bannana, avacado, apple that I've prepared myself. I will warm the apple, but only so it feels a bit above luke warm. Your baby will tell you if he's ready by being able to eat. If he's not ready, no worries, just keep trying him every couple of weeks ago. I have had 5 babies, my fattest baby wasn't ready until he was 10 months old! I've also had a daughter who was ready at 3 months... its all very individual and just take it easy and enjoy your little bub while you can.

Nicole - posted on 08/26/2009

thanks everyone so much for your responses! they've really helped me out! He seemed to do better tonight than last night (which was his first time trying it) he ate a little bit more this time and seemed to like it a little more. i tried it room temp at first, but he liked it a lot more once i warmed it up a little. i guess he'll get more use to it with each night. again, thank you! :)

Heather - posted on 08/26/2009

another thing...when i started fruits and veggies, i first mixed them in with the cereal thinking he would accept them easier..ummm no. He hated it that way. Now that I have switched to giving him the fruits and veggies separate....he loves them all.

Heather - posted on 08/26/2009

It says on the back of th eboxes..most anyways..to mix one tbsp cereal with 4 tbsp breastmilk, formula, water, or juice. I didnt do this EXACTLY but somewhat close. Basically you need the cereal to be soupy. I should very easily slide off the spoon. As time goes on you can make it thicker esp when he starts other foods. I had to use oatmeal cuz my son got constipated off of rice cereal. Basically, the first few..or twenty feedings are for getting your son accustomes to eating off a spoon. He may or may not actually swallow any of it. And that yucky face he will make....doesnt mean he doesnt like it....its just new. My son makes that face for every new food but he hasnt actuallynot liked anything yet. Oh yeah and keep the wipes or washrag around and now is the time for the bibs lol. My son is covered head to toe in food before he is full lol. As long as you know your babies cues for "im full" dont worry about feeding him too much. He will know when to stop. Just listen to him. I warmed mine up but its up to you. If he takes his bottles room temp...i dont see why u couldnt make his cereal room temp as well. Try both...see what he prefers. Good Luck!

Michelle - posted on 08/26/2009

I just started giveing my daugther rice ceral last week- she is almost four months. I mike 1 tbls. of the rice ceral with a couple tbls. milk and spoon feed it to her. After a couple days she had the hang of it. I give it to her after her last feeding of the day. Sometimes she only takes a couple bites of ceral other days almost the whole bowl. Just take your time with him and he'll let you know if he wants more. Don't mnake too much because you'll end up wasting it, the first time she only did a few spoonfuls. We tried oatmeal once but that made her gassy.

Erin - posted on 08/26/2009

I'm in the same boat, we just got the ok and my pediatrician said anywhere between 1-3 tablespoons a day. 3 seems like a lot to start out at so we're going with 1 right now and work our way up eventually :) I bought a level "1" baby food to see what the consistency is and just try to imitate that, although the cereal is a bit chunkier.

Ashley - posted on 08/26/2009

Well mine told me not to let my baby girl get to use to the sweet fruits because some babies will not want the vegetables. So she told me to add them to her diet. I was just giving her apples because it helped with the other little problem, but she just had some sweet peas so I can gradually take some of the sweet things out.

Nicole - posted on 08/26/2009

Ashley, my pediatrician said not to add vegetables until 5 months... i know every pediatrician says different things and every child is different!

Ashley - posted on 08/26/2009

Quoting Nicole:

Starting Cereal- 4 months old

hi! my son just turned 4 months old and his pediatrician said i can start giving him cereal once a day... that i should add the cereal to a little bit of formula in a bowl and spoon feed him, but i don't know how much i should give him and how much formula i should mix in with it... i'm worried that i'm giving him too much or not enough... how much did you give your 4 month old and should i warm it up or just leave it at room temperature? he drinks his bottles at room temp, i've never warmed them up. thanks!!

 

Hey it' really depends on the child. The doctor like for the cereal to not be too thick...and not too loose. I leave my babies at room temperature and If I just fixed a bottle I will use some of the milk out of the bottle. It is good that if you are starting cereal to give him something to help him not to be constipated. Using apple juice or apple sauce in the cereal will help. After starting cereal be sure to start their vegetables in about two weeks. My daughter is 4 months right now and I have giving her rice cereal, some vegetables, some fruits. Just remeber to do one food by itself with the cereal for at least three days to make sure he is not allergic. As you see that he is not allergic than you can add more to the menu... Have fun!!!!!

Jess - posted on 08/26/2009

Hi I have always just given my babies pre made custard, that way it is already prepared, is safe to give. You will know when he has had enough. If you have never warmed his bottles I wouldn't worry about warming his food. If you prefer the cereal option I mix about 1 teaspoon and just add formula until it is about the same consistency as baby custard. Hope this helps :)