Need help with incorporating cereal and weining.

Rachel - posted on 08/25/2011

I think most cereals say to start out just one tablespoon once a day for 3-5 days till you try them all and then you can up it to two or 3 times usually at regular meal times and you can add in a new item every few days watching for any reactions before the next thing is introduced. ONce you start more cereal you will end up wasting some formula until you know how much he will eat. My son does not eat a lot just average but he actually has his own growth chart because he is way above normal for size he is already 22lbs and only 5.5 months he wears 12months clothes! But this is what we do now he has tried all the cereals - he gets cereal with prunes (to help poop) in the am(7-8am), about an hour later a bottle, and then its usually 2-3 hours later one serving of veggies, an hour later another bottle, 3-4 hours later a bottle, then cereal with a veggie and just started with a meat, and an hour later its usually bedtime so another bottle he does wake up once (about 8 hours later) has a bottle and back to sleep for 2-3 more hours. I am going to introduce bananas as another fruit (other than prune) and then thats it till he tries a large variety of veggies and meat - Good luck!

Kelly - posted on 08/22/2011

I woulld try giving him the cereal in the morning-maybe his second feeding. Try making a bottle with 5 oz of formula and from that use 1 oz for the cereal-about a 1/4 cup. When you're done feeding him the cereal, give him the remaining formula-a 4 oz bottle.

Michaelle - posted on 08/19/2011

my son is 5 months old he has G.E.R.D. and since he was about 1 and half months old i have had to add cereal to his bottles just so he would keep formula down..your baby will know how much to eat, and when to stop. I feed my son a 4oz bottle of formula and add one formula scoop of Gerber DHA & Probiotic single grain rice to his bottle this cereal is a lot finer than the cereal in the boxes and it comes in a can. I buy it at wal-mart. I put the cereal in every bottle i give him, and he is not a fat baby at all, he is only 15lbs. if he has started taking 6ozs (like my son) of formula i add 1 and a half scoops of the cereal to my son's bottle. I dont know if you use the emfamil A.R. or not but that is what i have to use as well. has this kept him from spitting up so much not completely but it has minimized his spitting up, he is also on prilosec 10mg once a day,

Katherine - posted on 08/15/2011

Cannan was sleeping through way before giving veggies, make sure you consult your doc first, my doc suggested the veggies and fruits to help spitting up

Kaz - posted on 08/14/2011

Phew, thank goodness....I mean, I am so sorry he is still waking up in the middle of the night & that he isn't sticking with the plan BUT I'm glad I'm not the only one haha. What are we gonna do with these babies....enjoy their spontaneity I suppose =)!

Janet - posted on 08/14/2011

Kaz-hahaha, I know it looks mapped out but it soooo isn't really. I have a 2 year old and this "ideal" day only happens about once every other week, if that. I'm just guessing that if it was a perfect world for my 5 month old this is what he would like to have happen and when :)



And he wakes up once or twice a night still, which is definitely NOT my ideal day haha

Kaz - posted on 08/13/2011

Janet, I love that you have his scheduled maped out. Grayson varies daily, so it's tough to figure out his napping schedule, etc. Dad watches him during the day and informs me he cannot get him to sleep haha. But maybe I'll try giving Gray cereal twice a day instead of once. Katherine- good to know I might be able to introduce some veggies....my boy loves to eat too! I wonder if the veggies and yummies you give your boy are the key to helping him sleep. Hmmm...maybe I'll give it a shot!

Katherine - posted on 08/13/2011

my little guy is also around the 4.5 month mark, but he's in the 98th percentile....always has been!!!

Our day starts when he wakes up,he has cuddles for a bit then it's 2tbsp of cereal with formula mixed in and a cube of fruit mixed in as well and then a 6oz bottle
when he is hungry next (4-5hours later) it's 2 cubes of veggies and a 6oz bottle
next feeding is 4-5 hours later another cube of veg, 1 of fruit, 6oz bottle

then at 730pm i give him 2tbsp of cereal with a cube of fruit mixed in and a bottle, between 4 and 10oz.....

and he sleeps all night

Janet - posted on 08/13/2011

I kinda have the same problem, and sometimes it's bedtime and I've realized that I've forgotten to even give him his cereal and his veggies. Our day looks like this, with a lot of variations but I'll give you an "ideal" day;

9-wake and hopefully nurse but he seems to like to play for a 1/2 hour then nurse
1030-cereal
1130 nap
1-nurse
3-nap
4-nurse
5-veggies
630-1/2 power nap we call it cause that's about as long as he wants to in the evening
7-nurse
815-bath/massage/stories/nurse bed by 9ish

If he didn't take much cereal in the morning and if he seems hungry I try giving him more about supper time, especially if he doesn't want a "power nap". I also am trying to fit in a bottle cause I would like him to wean slowly so a lot of time the late afternoon nurse will be a bottle, if he'll take it I'm having a heck of a time with the bottle!