When to give/add baby cereal

Tabatha - posted on 07/31/2010

My Son Is 3 Mnths Old And I Have Been Giving Him Cereal Since He Was 2 - 2 1/2 Mnths Old And He Is Just Fine He Is Health And He Sleeps very Well

Ashley - posted on 07/31/2010

Wow, I guess my daughter is a pig. She has been eating 8 oz. evry 2-3 hours since she was 1 1/2 months old. I started giving her a dipper of cereal in her bottle after the doc told me that she wasn't satisfied with just milk anymore. They say if your baby can sit up by themselves with support that they are ready.

Samantha - posted on 07/30/2010

my son is 14 weeks, his doc said we can do the baby rice, and my son likes it

Amanda - posted on 07/25/2010

I have heard that you should never add cereal to the bottle because babies are supposed to learn to eat from a spoon. They could gain too much weight from the bottle (unless it's for reflux or another medical condition). Also, it's a myth that cereal, or any food makes them sleep better. When the baby is developmentally ready to sleep for longer stretches, s/he will. My baby is exclusively breastfed and is 4 months and sleeps through the night, about 10-12 hours with one feeding wake-up. I haven't given her any solids yet, but plan to start in the next few weeks (she has been eying my food lately!).

Sylvia - posted on 07/24/2010

I was having the same problem with my daughter, at her 2 week check up my dr said to try a little in her bottle and when she turns 3 months to start giving it to her out of a bowl and I have been ever since. She has slept through the night since the first time I did it and continues to sleep through the night.

Angharad - posted on 07/24/2010

My daughter is 14 weeks old and has just started taking baby porridge off a spoon for breakfast and a rusk mashed with her formula for supper and she takes both really well and keeps it down. I wouldn't give it to her in the bottle as it may be too thick for her to suck it through the teat which in turn may cause colic or make her choke.
Although the health visitor advised me not to wean my daughter until after her 16 week jabs, I started weaning her at 12 weeks as she was ready and the formula alone wasn't satisfying her.

Lorraine - posted on 07/23/2010

my son is 15 weeks old an has been taking 7oz every 3-4 hours bottles since he was 4 weeks old. i jhave started to wean him now though as he was taking 9 oz bottl;es of hungrey baby formula and still wanting more. I wouldn't start her with cereal yet though as she is still only taking a small amount of milk, and especially if she is unable to keep her milk down at the moment. i would go to the doctor about her not keeping her milk down and maybe try her with a different formula.

Samantha - posted on 07/22/2010

We put rice in our son's bottle once to twice a day only 1 tablespoon to every 4 ounces and he loves it! it helps a lot during the night time also.. he doesn't have any reflux disease or doesn't spit up and i just use the enfamil premium and he's a chunko!

Casey - posted on 07/22/2010

My son is almost 3 months. But since he was 1 month old he's been drinking 6 ounces of formula every 4 hours. At night I put cereal in his bottle so he can sleep longer for me...but it seems he sleeps more soundly and wakes up less fussy. After we switched his formula from similac to Enfamil Gentlease, he was constantly spitting up because the formula was too thin for him. It sounds completely dumb to say that. but adding about a teaspoon of cereal in each bottle thickened his formula up just enough for him to stop spitting up. It took him about a week to get used to the thinness of his formula but now he only takes cereal at night and he loves it.

Ashley - posted on 07/22/2010

they say dont start till bout 4 months but my daughter is bout to be 3 months and i give it to her at night it helps them sleep all night anyways only put a very little in the bottle dont make it real thick start it out a little runy so he/she can get used to it with out giving he/she a tummy ache and i have done this with my other two children as well

Leslie - posted on 07/22/2010

Best advice I have seen is to a) talk to your doctor and b) look for the signs that your baby is ready for more solid type food. They need to meet certain developmental milestone to reduce the risks of choking... things like able to hold their heads up, sit up while supported, no longer have the reflux that pushes items out of the their mouth. remember every baby is different and you just have to do what is best and safe for yours!

Tiffany - posted on 07/22/2010

Our son has pretty bad reflux, and our Dr started him on rice cereal in his formula at 2 months. Started with 1 teaspoon per ounce, then upped it to 2 teaspoons per ounce of formula. But, all depends what your doctor thinks too... Our son is doing great - he is almost 4 months old now. Hasn't gained weight too rapidly, which I was worried about with the cereal in the formula. Takes about 4 - 5 7oz. bottles per day, and sleep through the night (7:30pm - 5:30am!). Good luck!

Hayley - posted on 07/21/2010

just wondering with adding rice cereal to the bottle,how much would be a good amount to add,my 3 1/2 month old usually drinks 180-200mls and has got acid reflux at the moment,at the moment we are adding infant gaviscon to his milk and feeding him sitting upright which is working fine.

Meghan - posted on 07/16/2010

I have started giving my son some cereal and he'll be 3 months on the 27th, I only give him once a day and only a tbsp. He really likes it

Stacy - posted on 07/16/2010

M son has Acid Reflux and spits up formula constantley. My doctor suggested addong a little cereal at 2 weeks old. He said a baby's tummy can handle it. Also he is on Enfamil Nutramigen. There is formula put out by Enfamil with rice starch added called A.R. and a similac brand. That is why doctors suggest rice in the bottle for spit up.

Kristy - posted on 07/16/2010

Good Morning,
I thought I would chime in on this one. My daighter will be 3 months on the 21st and she has acid reflux and colic, dont see much colic since the change, we were using enfimal gental ease, her doctor told me to trash it and try Similac Sensitive RS which is rice starch in the formula, it doesn't have the rice just the starch off the rice, HUGE HUGE difference, we hardly deal with any spit up, maybe once a week and a very small amount, and that is with her having acid reflux on top of it, she is doing great on it and now sleeping from 9pm to 6:30-7:30 am, its amazing, please ask your doctor about it.. Kristy (Idaho)

Laura - posted on 07/16/2010

I use Enfamil Gentlease because she was spitting up and that is what the pediatrician recommended. Also, it may have to do with how fast your baby eats. To reduce spit up and overfeeding, I feed her 2 oz of the bottle, burp her and then rub her back for a few min. Then I give her the last 2 oz. and repeat the same process. Then I just sit with her and rub her back and wait for the food to digest. This usually helps.

Tramonica - posted on 07/15/2010

My son will also be 3 months on the 16th and I asked my pediatrician when we can introduce cereal to him and she said 4 months. I am tempted to try it now but he is pretty good with his feedings. He takes 4-6 oz every 2-3 hours. Maybe you should try changing formulas for a week and see how that works. My little guy would spit up real bad if I tried to change his diaper right after his feeding because he needed to be upright for a bit to digest his formula, or if I would have him finish his bottle every time and he may have been full. Could be many different reasons. It's just a process of elimination.

Katie - posted on 07/14/2010

I've been told NOT to put cereal in your baby's bottle. It causes a choking hazard. You should talk to your baby's pediatrician about it.

Marissa - posted on 07/10/2010

well my daughter is almost 3months she used to do the same spit up all her food and it would do the same get all in her hair.. i started puting and teaspoon of cereal in her 5 oz bottle now she dosent spit up as much... it hasent bothered her at all and she sleeps really good at night.. its really up to you tho u no ur baby best and if she dosent care for it youll no right away. everyone does things differently.. i know 4 months is when you start to introduce it but she likes it now and ill keep giving it to her

Susan - posted on 07/09/2010

Well our doctor said no food until 6 months. That's what I did for my first, and will do again for this baby. Although I have heard anywhere between 4 -6 months you can start. But there are moms on here even that have already started putting it in the bottle.

My feeling is this, if she is not keeping formula down, what makes you think she will be able to stomach cereal? Sounds like she may need to change formula, or have some reflux issues. Talk to your doctor about it. There are some many opinions out there on this...so do a Google search and read up.