cereal & baby food

Amber - posted on 07/28/2010

My son was 6 weeks early and I started cereal at 3 1/2 months and baby food at 4 months. He is not behind with anything and my doc said it's ok for him to be on food at 4 months.

Amanda - posted on 07/07/2010

I put both mine on at 3 months, my son was born at 36 weeks and he was fine then and has had no problems since. If they are ready they are ready regardless of age

Laura - posted on 07/07/2010

As she was pem I would advise that unless you have a very good reason to wait until 6 months (actual age) there bodies and organs are immature and could bring up issues in later life. THere is no need for any child to really have anything other than milk for the 6 months. My LO was born at 32 weeks.

Michele - posted on 07/06/2010

I just started feeding my twins solids. They are 9mo old 6mo adjusted since they were born 3mo early. I am giving them veggies and rice cereal. I was told to wait on fruit b/c if I give them the sweet stuff now they will reject veggies. I don't know how true that is but it sounds about right to me. One of my sons formula is thickened with the cereal so I am more inclined to give him fruit sooner b/c too much cereal causes constipation.

Lindsay - posted on 07/05/2010

my izzy was 34 +5 we started her on cereal at 2months and she has recently seemed interested in foods when we eat even though she is only 4 months...she tolerates an ounce of first foods vegetables with a tablespoon of rice cereal to thicken it and 1/2 ounce of milk mixed together twice a day...she does very well with the spoon feedings and is no longer fussing after nursing so long as i give her the feedings twice a day...u are the mom and u know u're baby, my oediatrician thought i was nuts but it is working and she has not had any ill effects from it as a matter of fact since i started the solids about a week ago she is having regular bowel movements on her own and everything so just take it one step at a time and see what your baby can tolerate...as a nurse i will say this dont make it to thin b/c the baby may aspirate it if its not thick enough for them to move arounf with their tongue

Mary Lynn - posted on 06/17/2010

I would definitely talk to your ped. first. Since your LO is a preemie (my son is also 34wks and 6days), you might want to wait a little bit to start the foods.

If you have a coliky baby, you might try the beechnut brand cereals as they are soy-free and easier on the tummy.

We did oatmeal cereal with my son because it is less constipating, but turns out he has an allergy to oat... it is all trial and error!

good luck!

Dawn - posted on 06/17/2010

Well he shows interest already in food, and wanting what we have! I feed him 5ounces of formula(dried up cant breastfeed anymore) usually every 4 hrs, but at night he sleeps through, so I am curious if this is enough, once he eats the bottle he tends to cry out, I see the doctor next week. Just trying to get a feel of what I should and should do, and how I should approach it with the doctor.

Lilah - posted on 06/16/2010

My son (baby #4) was born at 35 weeks. He is now almost 11 months old. We started adding some cereal to his diet at 6 months to help supplement because my pumping was some what low. We began other solids at 9 months because he was interested in eating when he saw us. He is now eating 3 jars of stage 2 foods and some table foods each day plus breastfeeding. Our pediatrician did not introduce solids to her children who were breastfed until a year. My 3 other children were started on solids at 6 months and we skipped cereal all together and went straight to veggies and fruits. Hope that helps you some.

Tiffany - posted on 06/16/2010

I introduced pablem to my son when he was 4 months I only introduced a little bit though. I mad it runny enough and only gave him 2 baby spoons full before bed and he slept great after that :)

Emily - posted on 06/15/2010

I would wait on the rice and solids. The most recent research suggests that waiting until at least 6 months is generally better for babies' digestive systems as well as to reduce risk of allergies and other problems. For preemies it is usually recommended to wait until the corrected age.. my daughter was born about 2 months early, and I didn't start her on solids until she was close to 8 months old. I waited until she was showing interest. There's really no harm in waiting, but potential harm with starting too early.

Daniele - posted on 06/15/2010

My daughter is 4 months old now and she was born at 34 weeks. It seemed like she was wanting to eat every hour so I started to give her rice cereal already. She does ok with a spoon. I just make it thin. It helped her to spread out her feedings. I told her doctor I tried her on the rice cereal and she said it was ok but only give it to her once a day for now and she wants to see her in a month to make sure she isnt gaining to much weight. Good luck.

Kelly - posted on 06/14/2010

i think the general time frame is about 6 months. I introduced my daughter at 4 months adjusted (8 actual) - but only a teaspoon amount because at that age they will basically not know what to do with it other than keep sticking their tongue out.

It won't hurt him to try a teaspoon amount, you could always try it just to see how he reacts to it.

FYI about cereal in the bottle- my pediatrician who is a preemie specialist advised against putting cereal in the bottle because it could cause them to asperate. So i've steered clear of doing that..