waiting till six months for rice cereal?

Martha - posted on 12/27/2009

My daughter stopped sleeping through the night just before she was 5 months old and I believe it was becuase she was hungry. I called the doctors office to ask about it becuase she didn't have an appointment for another month, and the nurse told me to supplement her with FORMULA!!! ARGH... I was so mad that I almost changed doctors! The doctor is great and very supportive of EBF babies, but the nurse was on crack or something.
Anyway, I fed her rice cereal with breastmilk and she loved it!!! I would pump the milk while she was nursing and mix it warm with the cereal and feed it to her warm. She gobbled it up! After 2 weeks I started adding some easy to digest veggies - squash, peas, carrots, etc.
She is 8 months now and growing great! The food was really necessary for her. I had enough milk, but she wanted more than that! She is now eating like a monster and still nurses 8 to 10 times a day.

Catherine - posted on 12/27/2009

I held off until right about 6 months. But I don't think it matters much what other people say about timing. I think it matters more about the weight of the baby and the baby himself. I know that health wise they don't need anything other than breastmilk for the first 6 months and you can go quite a few months after with only breastmilk and cereal. I introduced foods very slowly. He didn't have meat until he was probably 16 months.

I would suggest that you just really pay attention to how long he's latched on and how often and if it seems to be increasing so much that it's driving you a little batty then try the cereal once a day or every other day and see if that helps. But I, personally, wouldn't do fruits or veggies until after 6 months for the whole allergy thing, plus it would make them wean and I think you should breastfeed until their at least 1 year, but that's your choice. Good Luck! Hope all this advice helps you make your decision.

Teresa - posted on 12/26/2009

My twin girls started w/ rice cereal at 3.5 months (now 8 years). They REALLY wanted to eat food and had no problems w/ it whatsoever. My son wanted to start around 5ish months, but it took about a month of random practice before he actually knew what to do w/ the food. :)

Tina - posted on 12/24/2009

I have two daughters 8 and 10, and my 5month old son. All my children were started on rice cereal at 3 months and veggies at about 5 months. My little man just started with green beans and sweet potatoes. He loves them. My 8 year old has allergies to peanuts, but she wasn't given anything peanut until after a year old. Plus when her dad had a couple kids with his new wife we found it must come from his genes.

Try a tablespoon of cereal. You will know if your little one is ready to try it if your little guy can take the cereal to the back of his mouth with his tounge and swallow it. If most of it comes out, wait a week or two, or a month, and try again. They really do have to practice. If he does eat like a champ like my guy did, he is ready. I did rice cereal until 4 1/2 months and then introduced oatmeal. My doctor said that since this is my 3rd baby he supports my decisions about these things. Its good to have a doctor like mine.

Katie - posted on 12/23/2009

I waited till a week before my son turned 6 months. Babies can wait. It's not like they know they've got solid food in their future and they're itching to get started on it. Besides, solids shouldn't really be used to fill a baby up in that first year. The primary source of nutrition till a baby is 1 should be breast milk and/or formula. If your little one wants to nurse more, then let him. You're coming up to a growth spurt if I remember correctly. Don't mistake the increased hunger as a sign that he's not satisfied. Breast milk will be plenty (unless your supply decreases for some reason). Here's a link that lists and explains some reasons why it's a good idea to delay solids...



http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids...

Sarah - posted on 12/23/2009

thanks girls, he''s not showing any signs yet. but he was a big baby at birth, 10lbs, 10.5oz, so i was assuming he wouldnt last that long. he's getting close to 4 months now and still doing fine with just breastfeeding, thankfully. thanks alot for your thoughts!

Samantha - posted on 12/17/2009

I have the same question and am not sure if my daughter will wait 6mon for food. She is a little past 5mon and has been exluisvely breastfed up until now. She sleeps pretty well at night so that isnt a concern of mine, I think I just like the idea of breastfeeding and dont want to let it go, even though i know it still remains the primary source of nutrition. I know at my 4mon dr visit tho I was told I could start cereals if I wanted, so I cant see 3.5mon being a prob.

Ange - posted on 12/17/2009

The main reason that they tell you to wait is because the jury is still out on whether or not introducing food before 6 months leads to food allergies later on. Some studies say it does increase allergies later on, others say it doesn't. Just go with your gut instinct on this one!

Michelle - posted on 12/17/2009

At around 4 months old with each of my kids I started giving them rice cereal mixed with breast milk. They enjoyed it. I don't think you need to wait until 6 months. Some mothers do I guess. If you think he's ready, he probably is. Their main source of nutrition is still breast milk/ formula at that age so it's obviously not a replacement for that.

Elizabeth - posted on 12/16/2009

my doctor had me start my son on rice cereal at three months. It was mainly to get him used to the solids down the road. And to see if it would fill him up and satisfy him longer. But the main source of nourishment is still BF or formula. I started the rice feeding in the evening....and on the first night........I got sleep.

Kimberly - posted on 12/16/2009

My son was 10 lb. 4 oz. at birth (taking after my husband, who is 6' 6" lol!) and was exclusively breastfed for the first 5 months. At almost exactly 5 months, he became really insatiable. He had previously been the world's easiest baby and had become a bit fussy. So we added rice cereal. At first just an evening meal. Then after a few days we added a morning meal, too. After only a week or two of rice cereal, I started giving him homemade vegetable purees mixed in with the rice cereal. Yams, zucchini, spinach, eggplant, lots of things. I steamed and mashed them myself and then froze in ice cube trays. I'd defrost a single cube and add it to the rice cereal. He's been a healthy, active boy and continued (and actually still continues!) to be an excellent breastfeeder. He's also a great eater, I think because of all the variety he got so early, and now he eats everything we eat, from cheeseburgers and other kid-friendly food to brie, salmon, salads and other unique things. Good luck to you!

Bonnie - posted on 12/16/2009

My doctor had me start my baby (a boy) on rice cereal at 4 months, then food at 6 months (I started him on food at 5 months cuz he loves to eat and my doc was fine with that)