starting baby on rice or oatmeal?

Jana - posted on 01/03/2009

Hi Angela! I have read that a baby's digestive tract is not ready for solids until at least 6 months of age. This my be contributing tho the grunting while pooping . Do not feel like you have to continue with feeding cereal .You can come back and try again at 6m onths. Or even forego cereal all together. I did not do the cereal piece with mine at all until later on. I did not try solids until 6 to 7 month of age and even then it was with the idea that he was playing with the food not really eattin iot for nutrition. That does nto really happen until after a year of age. So for now it is fine to go back to just BM. FYI ...I have read that the milestones for a baby to reach prior to feeding solids is to sit up unassisted, to have mastered teh finger pincher grasp, and to have grown out of the tongue thrust mechanism that they are born with. some pediatricians feel that feeding solids sooner can increase the risk of allergies etc. I do know that in older babies rice is used to held bulk up a baby/ adult if they have loose stools so it probably could cause constipation. good Luck and I HTH! I am getting ready to start thinking about the whole solids adventure again with my soon to be 6 month old!!! I am by no means a professional in this department but these are things that others have shared with me when I was nearing the solids stage with my now 23 month old!

Lindsey - posted on 12/30/2008

the rice cereal constipated my son a little, but we were told to mix it with a bit of juice and water - which also helps the taste. We haven't had problems since...except him not wanting his veggies, so we've had to resort to mixing with breastmilk or formula.

Shannon - posted on 12/30/2008

We had this issue... went straight to oatmeal and my son is soooo much happier!! I mix it with a cross of my milk and applejuice to give it a bit more taste and he has been ifine... usually has a BM every other day and doesn't struggle at all. Just tends to have them as soona s he falls asleep.. which also stinks big time cuz it means I have t wake him up.. but atleast he is happy!!

Crystal - posted on 12/29/2008

I asked my Doc. when was a good time 2 start pablum 4 our daughter as she will be 5 months on Jan 4. He stated not 2 start solids until 6 months as some babies digestive systems r not fully developed, this may b the problem. My hubby and I have decided 2 try pablum just bcuz she seems to b hungry more often and breast-feeding is just not filling her up. As well a trying formula @ night 2 see if she will sleep as she seems 2 have a hard time sleeping.

Shae - posted on 12/29/2008

I guess that I'm not in the majority of what has been said already, but with my first 2 kids, I found that rice did make them constipated, and so I then switched them to oatmeal, and that helped so that they weren't constipated. The Dr's still reccommend that you start with rice cereal vs. oatmeal, but I think after a week or so, to know that she's not having any allergic reactions to the rice, you are probably fine to use oatmeal. My 3rd baby is now 4 months, and I'm just debating whether to start cereal right now or not...mainly because the only time that I get a "break" from everything else, is when I breastfeed...so I'm not too anxious to start feeding her something else that someone else can feed her! :)

Yrsa - posted on 12/29/2008

in denmark oatmeal is recommended for babies only after 6 month, because it is too hard to digest. porridge made from flour of rice, corn, buckwheat and hog millet and mashed potatoes, carrots and other vegetables is recommended from 4 months. but only for a reason, like the baby doesn't get full enough from breastfeeding, or is really interested in the food other people are eating.

Jaime - posted on 12/29/2008

Typically a baby's digestive system is not ready for solids until around 6 months, so she's probably having trouble with it.

We just skipped the cereals and did fruits/veggies first. The cereals have very little nutritive value, taste bad, and can be constipating.

Traci - posted on 12/29/2008

Hi Angela,

I think rice cereal can be constipating for babies. You could try switching to oatmeal or barley and see if that's easier for her (the only difference between rice and oatmeal or barley cereal is the type of grain - rice vs. oats vs. barley, but I think oatmeal and barley are whole grain which might be less constipating). Or you could try holding off on cereal for a while and trying again at 6 months. Breastfed babies don't really need solids until 6 months anyway, and I think their digestive systems are sometimes not ready for solids before then. FYI, I am not a dietician or pediatrician or anything, just a mom whose done a lot of reading about this stuff :)



Hope this helps,

Traci