Did anyone skip cereal?

Rosanne - posted on 01/18/2009

I choose to skip cereal with my daughter for the same reason. We started with bananas and apples instead. It's been almost two months and I only recently gave her homemade barley cereal. There are lots of other options besides cereal that are probably easier on babies tummies. Ripe bananas are good for constipation and most babies like the sweet taste.

Marsha - posted on 01/13/2009

Our dr. told us to wait on the cereal and go with fruit and veggies first.  We started solids at 4 months and just started cereal this month and very little at that.  He said some studies have linked cereal with the development of allergies.  We only give him 1 tbsp with his breakfast and then that's it.  We are now doing cherrios and kamut as finger foods though.  Finley is a Juice plus baby also.

User - posted on 01/05/2009

I plan on giving cereal for a while, not just in the beginning, since it's more affordable than jars of fruits/vegetables. I mix it with my son's foods and it stretches them another meal longer rather than feeding him straight fruit/veggies. The other posts are right on- rice is more binding than oatmeal so cut back on the rice for constipation. Prunes have the most fiber and "good" sugars for combating constipation too, according to the AAP. If you start to feed your baby prune juice or a prune blend with apple or other juice, try it from a small cup so your son won't get hooked on bottles of juice so young. Pears are a good alt- they also have fiber. I would beware bananas or small pieces of toast when he's old enough for finger foods- they are known to be binding too. Good luck. Ask your doc what he/she thinks.

Heather - posted on 01/04/2009

i completely skipped cereal, it's really not necessary.

here's some info on when to start solids:

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

and some info on great first foods:

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

Kelly - posted on 01/01/2009

rice cereal cause constipation with my 6 month old. he liked oatmeal much better anyways...give him a small amount once a day to see how he tolerates it.

Erica - posted on 01/01/2009

We started with oatmeal, and it had the opposite effect. The, we went on the vegetables and fruit. Now, we're giving her cherrios as well.

Amanda - posted on 12/31/2008

We didnt skip the cereal, but she didnt get a whole lot of it either. Maybe 1tbsp a day. Our doctor recommends giving our child a few oz's of apple or prune juice that diluted with water when shes constipated. We've been doing it since she was 4 weeks old, and its always worked for us. You can also mix baby food prunes in with the cereal.

Michelle - posted on 12/30/2008

OUR HAPPY ENDING...My daughter has been formula fed from day one and totally constipated! Our pediatrician had us using prune or pear juice 2-4 oz per day which helped a bit but she sometimes still screamed bloody murder with bm's. Good news! We started with rice cereal at 6 months, two feedings a day, additionally adding a fruit in the morning and a veggie during the evening feeding. LIFE has been great, she is now a consistent 1-2 times a day and a much happier baby :) I noticed when we tried "mixed grains" instead of rice she got constipated again...so there is some magic to the rice for her. Good luck, I hope this helped.

Holly - posted on 12/30/2008

my daughter didn't like rice cereal. I tried at 4 months, 5, and then 6. after getting fed up i switched to oatmeal and then put a few teaspoons of apple sauce or bannana's in it. She loves banana's. But then I noticed the constipation with to much banana so i started to reduce the amount of banana's. Also, if she seems really constipated, (i give her formula and not breastfeed) so i water down the formula so she is getting extra water and that seems to help. But if she is really constipated then I give her gripe water and that clears it right up.

Julia - posted on 12/30/2008

I've found that peaches work well...almost better than the prunes. I'd never heard about peaches turning skin orange...but have noticed this. Will have to cut back!! They just make her go, go, go!!

Criss - posted on 12/30/2008

I shoudl have read here first. . .just got back from the Dr. My lil man was also constipated and I hated seeing him grunt and push. Sometimes his face would get so red. Dr's Advice:

* Rice Cereal is not essential, and can constipate some babies ( skipping it is fine- avoid putting in a bottle, as it is meant for food not to drink).

* Too much iron can cause constipation.

* Banannas and apple sauce are "binding agents" and should not be given when constipated (opps!).

* Prunes, peaches (too many can turn his skin an orangy-tint, so be careful), pears, and green vegs are good to feed.

* 2 tbsp of dark Karo syrup in the bottle 2x/day can also be given.



Hope this is "too late" and is helpful :+)

Kristin - posted on 12/30/2008

We didn't skip Cereal... my son is just over 6 months & our doctor had told us we could start him on cereal @ 4 months,,, but he hated it, so we just post poned it and he now loves it as long as it is accompanied by some kind of fruit, which may help w/ the constipation. It certainly has helped our little guy with his b.m.'s !!!!

Kaley - posted on 12/30/2008

Sometimes the iron in the cereal and formula can cause constipation. If cereal is not working with your little one, just try fruits and veggies for a while. Your baby should still be drinking enough breastmilk or formula to sustain him. The new foods that we are introducing are just supplements at this point. We stopped giving our son cereal for a week or so after he had constipation/gas issues. The first veggie we gave our son was avocado mushed up with breast milk....yum :-) He slurps it up! Good luck!

Angela - posted on 12/27/2008

Our Dr suggested we got right to oatmeal cereal as well. Also pear juice and prune juice and pear baby were suggested and worked for us.

Megan - posted on 12/23/2008

My son is also 6 mos and constipated- well he has a hard time going- gets all red and cries like the world is ending. I put dark Karo syrup in 2 bottles a day- just a little dab- and that helps him. Also I give him oatmeal instead of rice cereal. I read the other responses and will be trying the water trick! I tried giving him apple juice/prune juice or a combo of both and none of those worked. I have yet to try the prune baby food- but will soon.

Erin - posted on 12/20/2008

We are just starting to run into that problem with our 6 month old. I started Oatmeal instead for most of his feedings and also give him lots of fruit like prumes and pears and a little water and it seems to be working great. You could also try other grains like barley. Good luck!

Michelle - posted on 12/20/2008

My six month old also had issues, so I switched to oatmeal instead of rice. I also feed him prunes every few days and no more constipation issues.

Cheryl - posted on 12/20/2008

I agree with the other mums, i should have explained myself more, My little guy doesnt eat cereal but he still drinks the same amount of formula as he did b4 starting solids. He does have cereal for breakfast because Heinz makes a very yummy range of fruit and cereals. Like Apple and oatmeal, blackberry and porrige ect.

Rachel - posted on 12/20/2008

Jake didn't like the cereal by itself either, so what I did was put a tablespoon or sometimes a little more of cereal in his fruit and veggies. Now he never has a problem eating the cereal.

Julia - posted on 12/20/2008

I would ask your pediatrician. There are ways to combat the constipation (we've had the same problem). See what they say. I thought that the cereal was the main nutrition. Baby food is really just for taste and practice. Not to replace a meal!

Cheryl - posted on 12/20/2008

my baby boy , 6 mnths, didnt like cereal at all so started him straight on vegies, just make sure u give him 1 type of vegie for a couple of days b4 u start to add variety, u should be fine !

Heather - posted on 12/19/2008

I wouldn't skip cereal. My pediatrician said that babies could get all of the nutrition they need from milk/formula and cereal. The baby food is just for sensory issues for the first year. My baby hates the cereal, so I cheat and put a little in his bottle at night because my doctor acted like it was a big deal that he have a little each day.

Silvana - posted on 12/19/2008

I didn;t skip cereal, I just gave my daughter a little water after she ate if she was constipated...like 15ml...no more than that...and it helps