A Little Cereal???

Katie - posted on 11/07/2009

WOW your son sounds just like my daughter She is 5months now and I started her on cereal at 4months and now she is eating jar baby food.... we have had NO problems!!!!

Sara - posted on 11/07/2009

God, I wouldn't. The latest recommendations is that they have only breastmilk/formula unitl six months so that their digestive system can develop properly. What's the rush? They have all their lives to eat food, and you don't want them to deveop digestive disorders later on.

Anna - posted on 11/06/2009

have you tryed wheet-bix with plenty of milk

Ilona - posted on 11/06/2009

Totally agree! with Pabby :)

Ilona - posted on 11/06/2009

I would definetly say it is not fine to give anything to a 2 mo old but either breast milk of formula, i suggest you have a look at the WHO guidelines on weaning and introducing solids, of course you can argue and say that cereal is not solid, however a stomack of a 2 mo old is simply not prepared to take anything else, no cereal, lolipos, pizza (sorry no offense) or anything of the sort. You will hear a lot "ah yes he will be fine" however it is not that he will not be fine now, although God forbid even now, but later on in life, when he will have a higher chance of having all sorts of problems with the intestine. The weaning should really not start before 5 months for bottle fed and 5.5 months for breast fed babies. If your son is figety is not cause he wants ur lunch, not at that age. There is also a number of things to look for as to when to actually introduce your baby to food, you can find them in the net.

Wricha - posted on 11/06/2009

Hi,Before babies are 4-6 months old they have a tongue-thrust reflex, so if you put something in their mouth, they will spit it out and if they can't hold their heads up steady by themselves, they can choke. Babies under this age do not need anything besides breastmilk or formula. Their bodies are not ready for anything else.

Hayley - posted on 11/06/2009

Umm no i wouldnt not until he realy needs it, he might just be having a growth but if you do he will be fine.

Leslie - posted on 11/06/2009

I'd like to politely disagree with the popular opinion. My daughter ate constantly at that age and she was very fat. I believed she needed more food, however, she didn't. What she ended up having was mal-absorption issues. While she was eating all the time, her body wasn't assimilating her nutrients. This is especially common these days because things like c-sections and antibiotics can cause it. If you were on a lot of antibiotics you could have passed on a situation for your son that would make him not be able to utilize his nutrients from foods as well as he should. If he was a c-section baby or if he's been on antibiotics these would also indicate an increased risk of mal-absorption. I don't think kids should have grains at all until they are a year old, but definitely no sooner than 6 months. I'd suggest a really good probiotic with bifidus in it for 6 months. Many recent studies are linking early introduction of grains with diabetes.

Amanda - posted on 11/04/2009

I agree that it would be fine to start with plain baby rice cereal. I have 3 kiddos and started all of them on rice cereal around 3 1/2 to 4 mo old....and you really are smart to look for signs of 'readiness'. When food allergies are not a concern the most important indicator on whether you should start solids isn't as much age (every baby is different) but more the signs like grabbing for your food, showing an interest in eating like mom! However, I would not suggest ever putting baby cereal in his bottles...that is a big no-no, dangerous and very bad for baby teeth when he gets them. Plus if he is ready to start solids...he's ready to learn how to eat from a spoon. Most importantly just use those motherly instincts....trust them. You'll do great :>).

Trisha - posted on 11/04/2009

Yes, I started giving my LO cereal at 2 months. If he is still hunger feed him cereal. Just cereal and formula.

Amber - posted on 11/04/2009

well it depends on your doc. i however gave my kids cereal mixed with formula very early. but things are diff. these days doctors say no. my kids have no allergies and they are 26 and 22. its up to you to do what you think is best. the pizza may have not been the best idea. and who would say no to pizza. everyone is diff. with there thoughts on this. no one can tell you yes or no. its up to you.

Ali - posted on 11/04/2009

I started my daughter on cereal at 4 months and she is thriving. Like your baby the milk just was not enough anymore. Ellie is 1 y o now, and I have had no problems. In fact we have yet to find a food she does not like !

Sami - posted on 11/04/2009

we did. at 4 months old. its really up to you. you're the one who know's him the best. just make sure its runny and mix it with his formula or breast milk so it has a finiliar taste to it. start with like 1/2 an ounce or even less and then work him up to more. my little man loves his cereal and we're already at 2 ounces. the best stuff we found was nestle's baby rice cereal.

Kim - posted on 11/04/2009

i started giving my son cereal at 2 months in a bottle, when he got a little older to were he could sit up with help i gave it to him with a spoon mixed with his formila, i dont see why it would hurt but i would just call the doctors office and ask a nurse

Charlotte - posted on 11/04/2009

just a fyi no one in my family is allergic to anything but we have been haveing problems with my yongest son throwing up so we did a food allergy test and found out he is allergic to peanuts so still be carful what you give you baby and watch for signs of allegies

Jennifer - posted on 11/04/2009

Oh yeah. Give him some rice cereal. He sounds hungry for it.

Kathy - posted on 11/04/2009

I also stared my 3.5 mo old on rice cereal. I give it to him in the evening before bed. Only about 2 tsp- 1 tbsp. He loves it! He also was eating 6-8 oz every 2 hrs. It seemed he was fine with that all day until early evening, then he got SO hungry. He would cry and cry. We tried cereal and he has been fine. Its so cute to watch him eat off a spoon too! Good luck:)

Karrington - posted on 11/04/2009

Cereal is fine in a bottle at this age but don't be afraid to try it from a spoon either, just make sure it is not too thick. If you have specific questions call your ped. but make it clear that this is just a question and you are going to do what you feel is right (if they ask questions). Your son will also let you know how he feels about something. Trenton, at 9 months quits eating his meal and stares at his sippy cup and talks at it until I give it to him (its actually quite adorable). They know what they need.

Alisa - posted on 11/04/2009

I gave both of mine cereal at 4 mos. but I used a spoon, if you put it in a bottle, they tend not to do well when it comes to spoon time. Just make sure you start out with about of 1 tbs. of cereal, and add formula to about the consistancy of thick soup. It will be a litlle messy at first, but you will be so surprised how quickly they catch on. As they catch on you can thicken the cereal some, and then start to increase the amounts according to their appetite. Good luck!

Elin - posted on 11/04/2009

We started my son on cereal AND fruits and veggies at 3 mths! Is he sitting when supported? Does he still have his tongue thrust motion (pushing foreign objects out)? From what I've read as long as he's sitting with support and is showing interest, you can start. If you start before he can sit with support he could asperate the food. I do know that you should not feed the cereal through a bottle but by spoon, I like Gerbers soft tip spoons alot!

Julie - posted on 11/04/2009

I started giving my son (who,btw, was 10 lbs. at birth) about 1/4 rice cereal and the rest formula in a bottle at bedtime when he was around 3 months of age as my own mother told me that she had done it with us(four daughters) and my son started sleeping right thru the night! I would give him the rice cereal and formula mixture after his nightly bath, and he would sleep from 9pm-7am, and it was like heaven! I have been a nurse for nearly 20 years now and I know any pediatrician would argue this with me, but it helped my son by getting and keeping him full at night and gave me a break from overnight feedings! My son is a SU football player today and is on the deans list, so I know there were no repercussions of my giving him this at three months of age!

Wilberte - posted on 11/04/2009

what i have learned about cereal in milk at 3 months is that it is okay but in moderation. in my humble opinion i say start with rice cereal. put a pinch (about the size of a nickel ) in the milk. stay with the pinch til 6 months. the thing is that even though cereal keeps the baby full, it opens up the stomach. making as the weeks go by the baby feels hungry more often which means u r feeding more then necessary. and do not put cereal in the bottle for the last feeding. since babies sleep on their back for the first 6 to 8 months until they turn on their backs by themselves, then can regurgitate the whole thing up. u do everything for them. and also the cereal bulks them up. it adds weight. so just start slow. very slow. any questions, i will be happy to oblige.

Emma - posted on 11/04/2009

Give cereal a try. My son lately has been feeding alot more, he's BF and so cereal was the only way to go. Even at 4mo he wanted to use the spoon more. I guess he found it more enjoyable. I did try the bottle method but he hated that, for my boy he wanted to sit in his high chair and eat like the rest of us.

Stephanie - posted on 11/04/2009

3 months old eating 6 to 8 oz Every 2 hours? Are you sure your'e not over feeding him? Baby stomachs are so very small. The size of their little fist. The doctors that I have asked say a little rice in the bottle at bed time is fine. Not to start spoon feeding until 5 or 6 mths. If your baby has reflux, try Zantac. I have 3 kids also and my baby is now on it, and so far she has not spit up. She was spitting up an ounce at least at every feeding, even with me feeding her every 2 hrs at 3 ounce each. She's 5 mths now.

Sarah - posted on 11/04/2009

try it but my mom always says use a spoon(she has worked with childern for a long time) he may also have some acid reflux going on. it makes you think you are hungery more. I have three children and all of them are on low doses of zantac and have been since early on in their lives. when they miss a dose they eat alot more and are fussy. good luck and God bless.

Amber - posted on 11/04/2009

My husband and I had to give our LO cereal also by the time he was a month old! He seemed filler and satisfied when we did! and hes a yr old , off formula and bottle. now on whole milk and is healthy

Tiffany - posted on 11/04/2009

I say go for it! My youngest daughter (who is 2 1/2 now) started on cereal in breast milk about that time and she loved it! She was on food early too. At 6months she was eating soft adult food (which isn't recommended but she was good with it). My older daughter (who is 7now) didn't start with cereal until much later, ate baby food but didn't like it, and didn't have adult food until almost a year. Both are fine and healthy I believe it depends on the child, but start your child out small with 1oz of cereal to every 4 and see how he does.

Hope this helps!

Barbara - posted on 11/04/2009

One doc told me with my oldest child, If he drank more than 32 ounces a day he is ready to add a little cereal in his milk. Another doc told me with my second child, if she drinks around 6 ounces at a time she was ready for cereal mix in the milk

Milena - posted on 11/04/2009

Has he doubled his birth weight yet? If so than he is a great candidate for rice cereal, or other starter foods even. Also his tongue reflex, does he push the food out or swallow? My daughter is now 5 months and just the same, looooves to watch us eat, she freezes and stares! Start runny, than gradually increase the consistency.

Emilie - posted on 11/04/2009

I am sure it will be fine, if he is watching you he is probably ready, the doctors say to not put it in a bottle though. Mix it in a bowel until it is a little thick then feed him with a baby spoon.

Dana - posted on 11/04/2009

I agree with Ashley, granted it's been 16 years since my son was that age I did it with him. I used the rice cereal in his bottle and made the slit in the bottle slightly larger because of the thicker nature of the liquid ( I used breast milk).

Amber - posted on 11/04/2009

I started the rice at 3 1/2 months and there were no problems, but every baby is different and it does help with the feedings to slow down a bit.

Dellie - posted on 11/04/2009

My son's doc. said that starting as early as 3 months is ok, and if he is not ready, he will let you know. I did the same because I didn't think that my son was getting enough through just breastfeeding, but it just took a little learning for us, because he wasn't ready. He just cried at it and couldn't figure out how to eat from the spoon. I waited a few weeks and tried again, and still the same result. It wasnt untill about 3 weeks ago (my son will be 6 months on Nov. 7) when he finally started taking the cereal from the spoon and he loves it now. So, it won't hurt him to at least try it out, and he will let you know if he isn't really ready. A lot of mom's give cereal through their baby's nighttime bottle, but my doc. said that since they are sleeping on it after that, it can cause some baby's to have weight problems, but that is a decision that you will personally have to make since you are his mom and no one else can tell you what to do! Good luck!

Tina - posted on 11/04/2009

hi ashly, logan started solids when he was 3 months old. the health nurses don't like it, they say try more milk, and they dont like you giving bubba solids til at least 6 months of age, but some bubba's are ready earlier, if he is watching you eat it sounds to me like he is ready to want to start to eat solids. with logan i felt he was ready and started to give him a little farax cereal mad with his formula... he is now a thriving little boy and doing very well. go with what u think is best, after all you are his mum and you know him best.

Sarah - posted on 11/04/2009

yes he will be fine just put a little bit in his bottle i did with mine and my friend is givein her 4 month old a little bit of baby food already my my sister was givein hers cereal at like 2 months so yes he will be fine

Anna - posted on 11/04/2009

I gave my son cereal in a bottle at that age..it helped him not be so hungry..just added it to the breast milk/formula in the bottle to make it a little thicker..just cut open the nipple to let it flow easier..of course that was 24 years ago..they probable make nipple with bigger holes by now..

Ashley - posted on 11/04/2009

yes it is ok. my son had acid reflux and the doctor perfered i give it to him at 2 weeks old for help it which made his stomach bigger so my son was eating 12 oz of just formula until i started putting cereal in his bottle with eight ounces. its ok to start it at 3 months. but only in the bottle. dont start giving it to him by spoon until 6 months. he will be fine and it will make him feel better cause he will be full.