My 4 month old daughter hates rice cerel, what should I do?

Denise - posted on 01/11/2010

My doctor said baby 1st foods are okay to give to a 4 mo if

Do not like cereal. Start with vegs then fruit.

Tiffany - posted on 01/11/2010

I do....I have mixed Thaden's with breastmilk, formula, fruits, & veggies....he eats it much better

Marianne - posted on 01/11/2010

my sone was the same was so I mixed it with a little bit of apple juice, and he liked it. Then I found one that had mixed fruits in it and he loves it without adding anything to it, so you could try that

Hannah - posted on 01/11/2010

Chantelle and Aleesha, it's best to avoid adding sugar to your bub's food. Ideally low sugar and low salt is the way to go with baby food.

Chantelle - posted on 01/10/2010

my baby eats crushed weetbix with her formula or breastmilk and a little bit of sugar? she hated rice cereal as well so i just gave her the tubs of heinz food custard and stuff she loves that

Mary - posted on 01/10/2010

I agree about the juice thing. I am working on my early childhood education degree and have taken many classes in nutrition and I have also worked in the field for 1 years. Juice is pure sugar. It doesn't have the fiber that whole fruit does so it really spikes your blood sugar which is why they give it to diabetics when there insulin levels are too high and they need an immediate spike in blood sugar. However, that kind of spike is not good for the rest of us. Too much sweet deadens the taste buds so that other foods seem less flavorful. I am currently doing a sugar detox and after a week of no sugar it's amazing how sweet many vegetables taste. Avocado is a wonderful early food. It is mild and the perfect fat to support brain development. As to what should stop you if your doctor gives you the go ahead, Your babies signals. Some babies are ready for food at four months but most aren't so don't feel like you HAVE to feed her. If you start sweetening things to get her to eat you are starting down a dangerous path. Robin this is not said to make you feel wrong or like a bad mother just to insure that the person who asked the questions get enough information to make an educate decision.

Kerri - posted on 01/10/2010

I would not recommend mixing in friut jsut yet because fruit is so sweet that many babies wont eat the stuff that is good for them later on. Bad habit to start this early. My son hated the rice ceral too, so I called my mom and she said that we all hated the rice, so she told me to try oatmeal or barley instead and he loved it. Hope this helps

Hannah - posted on 12/29/2009

It is not recommended to give young children juice as it's high in sugar. It's unfortunate that the packaging suggests using juice.

Robin - posted on 12/29/2009

if your doctor gives you the go ahead to introduce food, then what should stop you? and just because you don't agree with people mixing fruits and juice with it doesn't make it wrong...why patronize people when they are offering advice? It actually says on the box to mix with formula, breast milk, or juice...if you aren't a dietitian or a doctor then you can't make that judgement call for someone else. I do however agree, that you should wait a couple weeks and try again, she just may not be ready. But don't make other people feel wrong for what works for them and their baby.

Courtney - posted on 12/29/2009

You can certainly try a different food. I started both of my children on avocado. Also keep in mind however that any new taste may just take some getting used to.
You could also try sweet potato or banana.

Sherita - posted on 12/28/2009

I have been giving my son oatmeal cereal mixed with baby food and formula. I tried giving him the cereal mixed with sum juice and he will not eat it unless he has a bottle first.

Hannah - posted on 12/28/2009

Listen to your baby - she's saying "no thanks".
I agree that there's no need to introduce solids until 6 months of age. Give her more time to develop and try solids later on.

Amanda - posted on 12/28/2009

Just because you CAN introduce foods at 4 months doesn't mean to should or need to. If your baby doesn't seem to respond to rice cereal, give it another week or two and try again later. I don't agree with the moms that sweeten it just to get their babies to eat it. Of course they'll like like it mixed with juice and fruits. If you start with sweetened foods you'll have a really hard time introducing veggies (which are maybe even more important at this stage). I haven't given my 4 mo old any food yet but my older daughter did really well to start with just rice cereal (mixed with breast milk) for about a month and then introducing veggies... and eventually fruits, one at a time. hope this helps!

Robin - posted on 12/28/2009

i just started my daughter on cereal too...i mix it with juice and make it a little runny so its not a thick consistency, she likes it better than a thick paste. you can also try to use oatmeal cereal instead of rice cereal...

Dawn - posted on 12/28/2009

I would say do what you feel is right for your baby, I have a three year old and at 17 weeks i was eating a strawberry and he was watching me intently so I let him have a lick and he nearly ate the whole strawberry by sucking and gumming it (yes it was very messy) so I introduced baby rice, he pulled a face at first but that is just because it is a new sensation in their little mouth and they have to move their tongue different to eat, after about two weeks of only one tablespoon a day he got used to it so I then increased the amount. I now have my second child who has just turned 20 weeks and he is only just showing signs of being ready for solids, you know the constant watching you eat, trying to grab your food out of your hand etc and I will do exactly the same with him.

Alexandra - posted on 12/23/2009

Hi there - it is recommended now that most babies arent supposed to receive anything but breastmilk or infant formula before they are 6 months old - There is no reason for a baby to receive anything else before this time. It is also recommened to start at 6 months for the simple reason that their digestive system are still immature. If you are giving your baby supplementary foods, such as rice cereal fruit of vegies, to try one food at a time. If your bub doesnt really like rice cereal try mixing it with some infant formula or breast milk. also avoid giving them fruit for the first few months, this way you will establish healthy habits and get your kids to like vegies just as much as fruit. They say it takes little ones at least 10 times of offering food before they will start to like.
I hope this helps, patience is the key, if not, maybe your little one isnt ready to start eating solids yet, and it doesnt hurt for them to wait a little longer anyways. My son didnt start till he was about 7 months old, and hes a happy healthy bub now 19 months.

Emily - posted on 12/22/2009

You may just want to hold off for awhile. There's an increase in the chance of allergies if you start too early.. most babies are not going to be ready for solids until closer to 6 months anyway, and it sounds like your baby is indicating that. Really there's no rush. I wouldn't push solids yet.

Sherry - posted on 12/22/2009

my daughter just turned 4 months today and has been eating rice cereal and bananas for 2 weeks almost, i spoke with my doctor about it because she was eating 13/14 ounces of formula at one sitting and would wake up 2/3 hours later for another 5/6 ounces. She has been doing really good and now sleeps through the night with no problems. The doctor told me not to do veggies yet because they would be to harsh for her little tummy just fruits so thats what we are doing. She now eats about 2 table spoons of rice cereal/banana's and drinks usually 6 ounces of formula.

Kayla - posted on 12/21/2009

I am under the impression your not sapposed to start anykind of foods untill your baby is 6 months old at 4 months they're not rdy maybe thats why unless your doctor told you to start early but it seems there are alot of you out there that started at 4 months too.

Lindsay - posted on 12/21/2009

I have 4 kids and we now have a new doctor and she says start with Veggies like peas and beans then fruits. Try to introduce flavors with the rice. Start with Green veggies first, this will help your daughter like Veggies and help her eat.

Lucy - posted on 12/21/2009

my baby loves baby rice but doesn't like it if it's too thick so i have to make it very runny and the first taste each time he pulls a face but then eats it. he spits most of it out but that's normal, because they use the tounge to swallow like they would with milk. so most of it will come out - don't think they don't like it. but saying that i tried a baby rusk with his own milk, let it go soggy and let him try that, it has a stronger smell and is very runny (i put one rusk to 1 oz of milk - you could do 1/2 an oz) but he didn't like that so just kept him on the rice. if you are feeding now like i am make sure it says sutable for 4 months and not 6 months. there are so many ranges out there. i used hipp organic rice, not tried any other brands, but i guess they will all taste very simular. maybe your baby doesn't like savoury foods, try mushed apple. my health visitor says it's harder to give babies savory foods and love sweet foods. but don't give your baby too much sweet stuff. just keep trying, your baby with get it in the end, it's a big step for them. good luck :) xxx

Natasha - posted on 12/20/2009

you can try adding dark karo syrup. will add flavor and help w/ constipation at the same time.

Heather - posted on 12/20/2009

My daughter was the same way. Try oatmeal w/a lil bit of applesauce. My daughter ate that better. Hope this helps.

Sunny - posted on 12/19/2009

I know my daughter isn't a fan of plain old rice cereal, but she likes the flavoured stuff and LOVES the fruits and veggies. So far she's had banana and apple without problems, trying her on green beans next. I wouldn't mix cereal with baby food though, it'd be too thick for her little tummy to handle easily.

Staum - posted on 12/19/2009

it takes a while for some babies to like the taste of food...if after a week she still doesn't like it why not try her on some mashed fruit in it or even buy the flavoured rice cereal or even try a different brand!

Terri - posted on 12/19/2009

i always mixed it with gerber fruit my baby will be 4 months on the 22nd of dec and i give it to her daily she loves it just a 1/4 of a tsp just for flavor if you do it let me know how she likes it

Janice - posted on 12/19/2009

I understand about the baby food like the fruits and veggies but are you saying that if she doesnt like the baby rice cerel just give her time on that? and I notice that have fruit flavor cerel have your baby ever tried that?

Amber - posted on 12/19/2009

no on the mixing, try one food at a time for at least 3 days so if there is a reaction you will know why. be patient this is something new to her and she is learning how to eat. she will eventually realize its good and fills her belly:)