Rice Cereal..

Sarah - posted on 09/30/2010

If you don't have a family history of food allergies, starting rice cereal at 4 months is okay. I've read that starting solid food earlier than 6 months doesn't increase the risk of food allergies.

My oldest started rice cereal at 4 months & we're going to start our son on it when he turns 4 months old in October. My son can pretty much hold his head up full time & always seems to be hungry. He has anywhere between 35-40 oz. of formula a day. I'm not really for sure if that's too much, but we do on-demand feeding (feeding him when he's hungry) He sleeps anywhere between 5-9 hours without rice cereal.

Never put it in the bottle because it causes them to choke. Always use a bowl & spoon. Also, ask your doctor before you start rice cereal & make sure that your baby is completely ready. Don't do it because you want him to sleep through the night - do it because he isn't satisfied with just breast milk &/or formula.

Steph - posted on 09/30/2010

I started my baby this week and he's done reallly well!! He's eating a tablespoon of rice cereal before bed (with a spoon)

Melissa - posted on 09/28/2010

My son has acid reflux so his doctor had me put 1 tsp of rice cereal for every ounce of milk. We do this for every bottle he takes. He usually drinks 4 oz at each feeding. He does not take near as much formula as he used to and seems to be much more satisfied.

Jennifer - posted on 09/27/2010

I would never give my son something just to get a good nights sleep!!! He gets the cereal and food because the formula does not always satisfy him. I have three other boys and they were all on cereal and food early too.

Crystal - posted on 09/27/2010

I started mine on rice cereal a little over a month ago because of his acid reflux. It has been wonderful and the projectile vomiting has stopped. I do 2 1/2 ounces per 4 oz. in his bottle as the doc suggested. I haven't been lucky enough to have him sleep longer though

Talitha - posted on 09/27/2010

nooo way! I plan to exclusive breast feed my girl till she is at least 6 months, the breast feeding foundation says that babies will not benifit at all from introdicing solids that early. Young babies have a toung-thrust reflex which will push out any food put into their mouth and they loose that when they get to 6 months.
You are not giving your baby a better start by giving solids earlier than 6 months. A young baby's digestive system cannot cope well with the fats and proteins that are in other milks, eggs, meat, fruit, vegetables and cereals. Your baby's kidneys cannot easily handle the large amount of salt found in some processed foods designed for children and adults. Young babies do not need the extra kilojoules that solid foods may give them.
And it doesnt mean they will sleep through the night either, they could be waking just for cuddles.
There is no way I would risk my babies health JUST so I could get a better nights sleep!!

Danielle - posted on 09/23/2010

I would do some extra research on feeding babies under 4 months anything but formula or breastmilk. all of the information I have recieved from my healthcare system is that babies cannot propoerly digest anything but liquids before at least 4 months so you may end up not providing him with enough nutrition and could end up causing digestive problems. I would seriously reccomend doing lots of research before you make this decision. Also I am not saying any other moms out there who have done this are wrong or anything this is just the info I have been given. Good Luck!

Jennifer - posted on 09/23/2010

My youngest son is 3 1/2 months old and has been eating cereal since he was 2 weeks old. He has had rice and oatmeal cereal and likes them both. He sleeps throught the night. I am now feeding him cereal in the mornings with a spoon and he gets a little bit at night with his bedtime bottle. He is also eating some of the stage 1 baby foods. He seems to really like them so as long as he likes them and can tolerate them I will continue to feed it to him.

Laurie Ann - posted on 09/23/2010

You shouldn't feed the baby rice cereal or anything other than formula or breastmilk that early.

1 - their digestive system is not mature enough to handle it and you could cause potential problems later

2 - it can set them up for diabetes and childhood obesity

Sheryl - posted on 09/23/2010

Hi Jen. I have a 2yo that I started on Farex Baby Rice when she was about 2 months old, as I had a lot of trouble getting her to drink her milk. It didn't seem to do any harm. I watered the cereal down quite a bit. I have just started my 3 1/2 mth old on it as well, and seems to be going ok. It just seemed that milk wasn't enough to fill her, so I started just a little cereal each day for now. Good luck!!

May - posted on 09/22/2010

My daughter is 3 months (on the 25th) she wakes a couple times a night to eat (breastfed) I have been to scared to add anything else because I was told not to... Also I feel a little guilty cause it might hurt her tummy... But I do consider it because it could help her sleep longer

Ashley - posted on 09/22/2010

i'm a nurse, and yes...cereal in the bottle can be aspirated and cause serious lung problems. i know we're all eager to have our kids sleep through the night, but give it time. their tummies are small and will digest cereal the same as milk.

Jade - posted on 09/22/2010

I started giving my son rice cereal at 12 weeks. I spoon-fed him at night to help keep his tummy full and help him sleep. I don't think that cereal in the bottle is a good idea. To me, that's just being lazy, and doctors don't recommend it. We are now feeding him oatmeal, and are going to go to mixed next week. I know that they don't recommend starting cereal until 4 months, due to the fact that research has shown that introducing food early can cause food allergies, but if your baby is waking up hungry during the night, I don't think it's bad idea. It make take a little while, but it will help with the sleeping, and that will be good for both of you!

Kim - posted on 09/22/2010

My pediatrician said it was recommended due to iron... I guess I'm going to have to read into this a little bit more....

Harmony - posted on 09/22/2010

I have always been read and been told that you want to wait until 6 months before starting solids because the babies are less likely to develop food allergies and the can digest it better. I have also been told that some doctors recommend giving cereal at 4 or 5 months to help keep your baby full. I I wouldn't do if your baby is satisfied. I am not going to start until 6 months simply because there are a lot of food allergies in my family. Good luck with what you decide.

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/allergy...
http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.co...

Kim - posted on 09/22/2010

My pediatrician even said it was recommended for all kids at 4 months, butt old me that if she was showing a high degree of interest with the adult's food and opened her mouth for a spoon, that we should go ahead and try it. I guess we'll see what happens...

Ashley - posted on 09/22/2010

No...waiting until 6 months...it's really better for the child. My older daughter (now 5) I started at 4 months and she wasn't ready. To really keep your child from developing any food allergies, it's better to wait until the 6 month mark. I know I was an eager beaver the first time around, but I have more patience now! ;)

Kim - posted on 09/22/2010

My daughter has been receiving about 1tsp of rice cereal in her bottle since 4 weeks... it was the only thing that would get her tummy to feel full enough to stop crying! Granted, not all of the cereal comes out with the formula-- some sticks to the bottle so she probably wasn't getting all of the 1tsp. About a week ago (11 weeks) she was watching us eat dinner and I decided to try spoon-feeding rice cereal. She opened her mouth for the spoon and swallowed all of it, so I'm assuming that she was ready!

Amanda - posted on 09/21/2010

I've been giving my son rice and oatmeal cereal from a bottle for about a month now. He is 3 months old and hasn't had any problems with it. What I did was mix it in with his formula for about two weeks and then made a seperate bottle of cereal. I give him cereal only at night and he has been sleeping through the night since about the third day after I started this.

Brittany - posted on 09/21/2010

I started my daughter with rice in her bottles at about two months old. She did great.

Selene - posted on 09/21/2010

hey,
we started baby oat meal in bottle every feeding with formula, and with spoon always mixed with formula. we started almost a month ago. my lil girl is 3 months and 2 weeks. she loves it. we also gave her smashed banana. everything fine :-) she is allergic to baby rice cereal.

Christina - posted on 09/20/2010

I started giving my son rice cereal in his bottle about 2 weeks ago. He was drinking about 5-6 oz of formula at a time and still hungry. So my mom recommended me to feed him rice cereal. So twice a day I give him 4oz of formula with a tablespoon of rice cereal, and he seems to enjoy it.

Charyl - posted on 09/20/2010

I started my daughter with 1 baby spoonful mixed in her bottle at night when she was 7 wks old as she wasnt gaining the proper weight so it was more for a supplement to help add (her doctor approved). At 11wks I started feeding her rice cereal regularly from a spoon and she loves it.

Samantha - posted on 09/19/2010

Our pediatrcian wanted us to wait until she is about 4 months. He said putting ceral in her bottle would do nothing but make her gain weight. She is 12 weeks and sleeping through the night from drinking more formula. I would ask your own pediatrician what they think is best for your baby.

Naiomi - posted on 09/19/2010

I have. My son hs been on it for a couple of weeks now at night. He was 2 and a half months then. Peditrician had absolutely no problem with it. As long as it is the starter rice cereal. He only gets it via spoon and really enjoys it! And I in return enjoy the full night sleep that I get.

Amber - posted on 09/19/2010

wow i'm really suprised. babies don't need anything except breast milk or formula until they are six months old. studies also show that babies who are introduced to food too early have more food allergies later. their digestive systems are not yet mature enough to digest all this food. Not to mention, the baby can't even hold his or her head upright all the way and could choke way too easily right now. to each her own, i guess, but i'm shocked!

Karianne - posted on 09/19/2010

My husband and I started our daughter on rice cereal mixed with formula in the bottle about two weeks ago she turned 3 months on 9.12... it took about a week to get the mix right so that she wouldn't have problems with dirty diapers.. we found if we mix 1 scoop rice cereal with 3 scoops formula in a 8oz bottle she's happy and full... good luck with starting cereals... if this is your first like this is mine... I hope you handle it better then I did.. lol i cried...

Lisa - posted on 09/19/2010

MY SON IS ALMOST 3 MONTHS AND I PLAN TO START CEREAL WITHIN THE NEXT 6-8 WEEKS. I STARTED CEREAL AT 4 1/2 MONTHS WITH MY FIRST. OFF A SPOON IS BETTER, THAT WAY IT REDUCES CHOCKING HAZARDS.

Loryn - posted on 09/18/2010

My son started rice cereal at 6 weeks and he did really well with it. Definitely try spoon feeding though, and since your baby is almost 14 weeks, he'll probably do well. It may take him a few tries but he'll get the hang of it pretty quick. Babies like new things, usually, and this will make food time more interesting. We fix up his bottle, what he normally eats, and then put 2 tablespoons of cereal in a small bowl and add as much of the prepared formula as you'd like to make it whatever consistency he'll take. To start out, keep it pretty runny ... it will be messy but thicken it gradually so he gets the hang of it. Good luck!

Christina - posted on 09/18/2010

I started both kids with oatmeal cereal. I had it in the bottle cause i would use it to thicken the milk cause both my kids were spitters so when my daughter and son were a month I was already using cereal in the bottle. I never had a problem with them when i started giving the cereal with a spoon. My son is only three months and a half and he is eating it with a spoon when a day or two ago he was eating it in a bottle.

Kristina - posted on 09/17/2010

First of all DO NOT put cereal in a bottle. Solid food needs to be in a bowl. If cereal is in the bottle it can be harder to ween your child off the bottle later and/or to get your child to eat with a spoon later. My youngest is 13 weeks I started cereal two week ago. mixed it with formula, made it very runny so that his body can process it and so that he can store it in his cheeks like he does his formula. I will try to give it to him more often each week, twice this week in a couple of weeks I will add another day then twice a day. Thickening it up and increasing the amount as we go. Watch to see if he refuses to eat it, being cracky after feeding, choking and/or gagging while eating these could be signs that he is not ready. I also feed him a bottle during his cereal, I give him the bottle after every three licks( he tends to do more of licking off the spoon vs eating off the spoon).Then he finishes the bottle after his cereal. Good luck :)

Summer - posted on 09/17/2010

My pediatrician told me that he didn't need anything besides formula until he was 6 months...

Tamara - posted on 09/17/2010

W.I.C and doctors suggest tsp/in bottle am and pm. Lactation consults prefer 6 months or older. (if you nurse) Its probably up to you mom, if baby is hungry or not satisfied. My preference is to wait as long as possible. I nurse/ and supplement which is satisfactory for my son and he is sleeping 4-6 hours a night without cereal@ 3 1/2 months!! There are different opinions out there, but food early can cause diabetes and allergies, Im sure veteran moms have plenty advice -and proved differently .

Danielle - posted on 09/16/2010

i wouldnt do anything off a paci it could make them have tooth decay or even hurt their gums in the long run...try doing in a bottle with formula...just make sure its a bigger nipple hole or even a y hole if you have the doc browns bottles..if not you should get one with that nipple..it worked for me!! good luck

Danielle - posted on 09/16/2010

i havent with this child...but my first son i had in april 2009 i put two spoonfuls in his bottle of formula..and did all the way up till he was a year and switched him to whole milk......my doctor told me to do it cuz he had acid reflux sooo bad and nothing would stay in his tummy..just keep him upright so he doesnt get an ear infection!!! good luck i would talk to the pediatrition before you give them anything tho!!

Ashley - posted on 09/16/2010

Hello everyone, My daughter is 3 mths old today and when she was about 2 and a half mths I tried feeding her rice cereal, she didnt take to the spoon very well so i did a little bit off her soother and she got cranky because I was scooping it fast enough, My mother keeps telling me its a bad idea to try her with the spoon now, what should I do?

Mandi - posted on 09/16/2010

Really rice cereal already? Everything I have read and heard from my doctor (s) has been to wait until at least 4 months but 6 months is even better. http://www.babycenter.com/0_age-by-age-g...

I would consult your doctor before giving solids before 4 months.

On a side note, I didn't start my first on rice cereal first we actually did avocados first ;) Yum and less problems with constipation.

Tasha - posted on 09/16/2010

i dont think im going to put it in her bottle but i amgoing to start giving her a little bit at night time to help settle her from screaming when she wakes up from sleeping for such longer hours because shes so hungry. my daughter will be 14 weeks on the 23rd

Jamie - posted on 09/14/2010

My son gets an upset tummy from rice cereal, so I give him barley cereal instead. I've been giving it to him for over a month now, I just started giving him babyfood yesterday. I know it's early, but he's ready for it. He's three months old btw.

Vicky - posted on 09/14/2010

I have been giving my daughter a bottle with rice cereal in it since she was 6 weeks old. I give her a 4 oz bottle with a tablespoon+ every morning. She has had no problems what so ever. Our Dr recommended it for weight gain.

Julie - posted on 09/14/2010

my baby is 14 weeks and is breastfed. i do supplement occationally with a bottle of 5 oz. of formula. i was tolld by florida wic to give nothing but breastmilk for 6 monthso i havent yet.s.

Sheena - posted on 09/14/2010

My baby is 14 weeks and has eaten rice, and oatmeal cereal plus all the veggies and fruits that is available in the stage 1. I think it all depends on the baby about how and when to feed them what. But as far as putting cereal in a bottle-DON'T DO IT! That causes serious ear infections and such as then it drains back that way(the doctor told me that one). Its a messy thing to do but spoon feeding is the best. Good luck and enjoy that time with your baby.

Lisa - posted on 09/13/2010

I have been hearing non stop from my mother in law to give my daughter rice cereal before bed. I haven't because I didn't with my son. I did not realize it was such a common thing. Is it mostly if they are unsatisfied at night? My daughter is only drinking 5-6oz at a time. Is it still necessary?

Krissy - posted on 09/13/2010

i started my baby on rice cereal when he was 2 months and i have been giving to him off the spoon and he has like it and it has helped him sleep through the night

Dani - posted on 09/11/2010

i give my son baby rice in his bottle every night before bed, and have gave him it a few times off a spoon and is 14 weeks now but started it at 11 weeks x

Jeanette - posted on 09/11/2010

My daughter is 3 months and i have already introduced her to cereal, she was drinking 8 oz bottles and still seemed hungry afterwards. She seems to like it and since have been giving her a scoop in bottle before bedtime.

Donna - posted on 09/10/2010

I'm also feeding my daughter by spoon. I'll give her both her bottle and the cereal in the same feeding and she doesn't have any confussion. It almost seems like second nature to them, just like when you introduce breast feeding(or bottle), they need a couple trys to get the hang of it and then just know what to do.

Donna - posted on 09/10/2010

I started giving my daughter the oatmeal cereal (Didn't know you should start with rice) and she likes it. She was unsure about it at first and didn't know what to do with it lol but i've been trying for 4 weeks and she now gets the idea a little bit.

Milaya - posted on 09/10/2010

I started my son on rice cereal when he was 2 1/2 months old. And I am so glad I did. He took to it so well and started sleeping through the night. I feed him off the spoon, because I was told by my pediatrician that mixing cereal in their bottle causes stomach issues and confusion when introducing solids.