When will it be okay to start feeding my daughter baby food/ cereal?

Lise - posted on 05/28/2011

Don't start solids... Just keep going with the milk! Sounds like a growth spurt.

Nikki - posted on 05/28/2011

Just to add, the introduction of solids is not designed to fill them up. They are not capable of eating enough to be substantial, introduction of solids is about learning to eat. Generally a baby just beginning on solids will only eat a teaspoon or two in total.

Nikki - posted on 05/28/2011

Don't put cereal in your babies bottle it is a choking hazard and their little bodies are not yet ready to digest any solids. 8 weeks is a time when they have growth spurts, I breast fed but my daughter went from feeding 3 hourly to feeding hourly around the 8 week mark, just increase the milk by adding a couple of extra feeds. Babies will not over eat, they will eat exactly what they need to eat. As another mother said early introductions of solids can lead to a lot of problems such as allergies and digestive problems. Although I started my daughter on solids at about 51/2 months she didn't really begin to eat them until 8 months. It has nothing to do with how hungry they are it's about developmental readiness. If they can sit independently, hold their head up, have shown an interest in food then they are generally ready, usually between 5-7 months. Before this stage they need only milk, some babies just need more than others.

Erin - posted on 05/26/2011

i started my son on rice cereal to thicken his formula at 4 wks and he was premature. it never seemed to hurt him at all even helped him sleep better. as to baby food i didn't start him on it till he was 4 months old. most tell you to not put them on any solids till 4 months or so but i felt comfortable and started my lil guy slow with the cereal. what ever you feel is best though if you ask the dr they will tell u to wait till around 4 months

Sarh - posted on 05/26/2011

First can I ask how often she is having bottles and how much she drinks at a time? Babies need bottles or breast milk every 1-4hrs. Most babies will take a bottle every 2 hrs which is 100% normal and great for them!

I'm not recommending this so I don't want to be lectured or attacked by others moms, but I started my daughter born 9lbs 13.5oz on baby food at 3wks old, she did fantastic. She is now 5yr old, tall and skinny, not obese, no diabetes, not a single food allergy like everyone says will happen.
I started my son who was born 8lbs 12.5oz on baby food at about 4wks old, he had horrible reflux which his former pediatrician refused to treat so I took maters into my own hands by starting early solids. He has an allergy to cashews, found out today because he is still having tummy issues and we thought it was a dairy allergy. Allergist said he just has food intolerance, and is not caused from the early solids, there is a history of food allergies on daddy's side (different father then my daughter).
Both kids have done fine on early solids. I'm currently pregnant and will more then likely start this baby on early solids, unless he or she is satisfied with just breastmilk and has no reflux.

I see no problem in starting early solids, however every child is different. If you do start her on solids, please skip the cereal, there is little to no nutritional value. SPOON feed her fruits and veggies, wait a week between each new flavor you introduce. I suggest doing "P" fruits (fruits starting with the letter P) and green veggies, as those are less constipating then the "starter foods" such as cereal, bananas, applesauce, etc.

If you do start early solids do not put anything in her bottles other then plain formula! She will learn quickly how to eat off a spoon and if she makes a mess that is what bibs are for right? haha. I fed my sun just in his diaper to avoid messes on his clothes when we were at home. Start with one solids meal a day for about a month, you don't want to stretch her stomach tooo much at once. Do not give her less formula then what she is getting now, that is her main source of all the nutrition and all that good stuff that she NEEDS at this age.

Good luck and do as you feel is right for your daughter! :)

Shelby - posted on 05/25/2011

Between 4 and 6 months u can usually start solids. We started my daughter at 4 months just on rice cereal and then jarred food at 6 months.

Bridgette - posted on 05/24/2011

Still too young to take in enough food to satisfy her. You could have same issue I had, my little guy had a very small stomach compared to what he needed to eat so we fed every 1-2 hours during the day until he was over 2 months old. Just keep at it, and talk to your doctor at your next visit and they can tell you based specifically on your baby if you are safe to start foods earlier than 4 months.

Daniele - posted on 05/23/2011

We gradually thickened my daughter's bottles with rice at about 10 weeks, and when we used a spoon she loved it. As long as her appetite is good, and you give her water also to help her digest the food, she should be fine.

Stifler's - posted on 05/23/2011

Just feed her again (milk/formula) when she's hungry. It won't hurt her, she's growing and needs her milk.

√v^√v^√♥ - posted on 05/23/2011

Don't listen to your doctor is my advice, because babies will truly not over eat. They may do what our son did and take in too much too quickly, so we had to make him wait and take a break for a little bit, but he needed it.

√v^√v^√♥ - posted on 05/23/2011

I wouldn't start food until 4 months, that's the earliest even women who feed kids early do.. usually. They say 4-6 months. Umm, how much are you feeding her, how often? My son eats A LOT and the doctor told us 'he can't hold that much in his stomach' and once he did throw up and have problems but the only thing we could do was give him what he could handle, wait while he was fussy and cried for as long as we could (about 30 minutes) then feed him the rest of what he needed. He ate double what they 'said he should' and we finally had to just resign that he was hungry and screw the doctors because he's just hungry! So just feed her more often if you need to and don't worry if she's chubby - our son is BIG. Not fat, he's just huge. At 6 months he's the size height and weight of an average 1 year old. So just go with what your baby tells you....... feed when hungry! That's what all the breastfeeding sites say to do anyway.. that baby will let you know when they are done. So trust your instincts, if they need more, they need it

Nichole - posted on 05/22/2011

She is probably just going through a growth spurt. You absolutely shouldn't give her any kind of food yet. Not even in her bottle, as some people do. By giving them food too early, you raise the risk of food allergies and digestive problems. You may not notice them right away, but that was popular when we were babies, and just think of all the digestive aids that are out there right now. You should wait until a minimum of 4mos to feed them any kind of food. I personally wait until they are 6mos, as do the majority of my friends. Hunger will become more and less frequent depending on how much they're growing. If you're breastfeeding, you'll notice that they're eating more, and so are you. That they're sleeping more, and so are you, lol.

Kathy - posted on 05/21/2011

Talk to your dr, most don't reccomend it till they are 6 months old, some 4 months... I do know that standard is after they can hold their own heads up, I'd say try upping the amount of formula/breast milk in that bottle before trying cereal, at 8 weeks she could be going through a growth spurt needing more too.

Carlina - posted on 05/20/2011

I started my daughter on food and ceral at 5 months. I have heard of other moms starting earlier with ceral only with breastmilk/formula. Talk with your pediatrician if your unsure. Good luck!!!