Rice Cereal

Annie - posted on 05/21/2009

My daughter did the same thing. I think for 2 reasons: 1. she would get frustrated because she's starving and instant gratification wasn't happening for her. and 2. Rice cereal tastes like crap. I stirred in some baby food like peaches and introduced it to her as a "snack" instead of a meal. In other words, I gave it to her when she could eat but wasn't ravenous. After about 2 or three times, she started eating it like a champ. To this day though, she wont eat it plain.

Alison - posted on 05/21/2009

Quoting Chelsea:

Alison i just wantd let you know why i personally put the rice cereal in my sons bottle. :)
He is about 7 1/2 months and still isnt a fan of the spoon, he'll eat a few bites but he wil usually spit itout after a second. The taste and texture are unfamiliar to him so to get him used to this new taste and texture i added it with something familiar, his formula. Since introducing it this way he is more willing to eat it off the spoon. Thats my reasoning at least.

That sounds like good advice to other people in that situation.

Alison - posted on 05/21/2009

Quoting Chelsea:

Alison i just wantd let you know why i personally put the rice cereal in my sons bottle. :)
He is about 7 1/2 months and still isnt a fan of the spoon, he'll eat a few bites but he wil usually spit itout after a second. The taste and texture are unfamiliar to him so to get him used to this new taste and texture i added it with something familiar, his formula. Since introducing it this way he is more willing to eat it off the spoon. Thats my reasoning at least.

That sounds like good advice to other people in that situation.

Alice - posted on 05/20/2009

hi there the way i find that worked for me was to add 2tsp in to evrysecond feed of milk that way they get use to the diffrent textcher and after a month i started on the fringer and with in two my second child izzy was on the a flat spoon ad they and make sure the spoone you is flat..

Heather - posted on 05/20/2009

He may not be ready to be spoon fed yet. I would give it a break and try again in a week or so and hopefully it will go smoother. The last thing you want to do is force him to eat because it can just backfire later on and lead to more frustration for you both.

Mary - posted on 05/20/2009

Teresa, I don't know that i would attribute his behavior to not wanting to eat from a spoon. My son has acid reflux really bad and was behaving like that with the bottle (he would cry and scream when I tried to feed him). My pedi wanted him introduced to solids at 4 mo, so cereal was first. It took a while and a lot of trial and error (with the food and the bottle) to get him eating again. He would not eat any of his cereal when it was mixed with his formula, i mixed it with white grape or apple juice and he was happy. I would try that before giving up on him, have some patience it takes a while. I would go to work crying because my son would drink 2 oz (kicking and screaming the whole time) at 5 mo so I can feel your pain. Keep trying new things, he'll pick it up just give him some time. Also, not sure if he's in day care but they were a huge help they kept at it as i did and eventually we got him going with solid foods. Hang in there.

Vanessa - posted on 05/20/2009

I'v been giving my almost 5 month old rice cereal sence she was 2 & a half months. She started doing the same as you'r little one & i stoped giving it to her for a day or so & i tryed her later & she started to eat it again. I put Jasmine in my arms to, to feed her as if i was going to give her a bottle, it works well. good luck.

Chelsea - posted on 05/20/2009

Alison i just wantd let you know why i personally put the rice cereal in my sons bottle. :)

He is about 7 1/2 months and still isnt a fan of the spoon, he'll eat a few bites but he wil usually spit itout after a second. The taste and texture are unfamiliar to him so to get him used to this new taste and texture i added it with something familiar, his formula. Since introducing it this way he is more willing to eat it off the spoon. Thats my reasoning at least.

Alison - posted on 05/17/2009

Can I also add that I wouldn't reccomend giving rice cereal in a bottle because the whole point of giving it to them at all is to teach them to eat rather than suck. I'm not judging those who do it, I'm just saying that I don't see the point to it. To those who put it in the bottle, please don't be offended if you did it and thought is was a great thing to do. Like I said, I am not judging, just offering advice to one who asked for it.

Alison - posted on 05/17/2009

Back to the original post: If they baby shows an interest in food then they might be ready if this is accompanied by some of the other ques mentioned above. If they have no interest in the food, then it does not hurt to let them hold off eating and stay on milk for a bit longer. At 5 or 6 months it will not hurt them to have a milk only diet, but if they want to eat it will not hurt them to have food either. I think each baby developes at their own rate so some are ready at this age and some are not. Either way, you will not do any harm to your baby so please don't worry.



I agree with elements of all the opinions expressed in most of these posts. I also dissagree with some. I started my son on solids at 24 weeks because that was the medical advice available at the time. I think he might have been a little hungry before then and showed a lot of signs he was ready. I don't regret waiting a few weeks longer because he might have rejected the food if I had started earlier. I also don't regret starting him as early as I did even though the medical advice suggests waiting longer because he would have been starving hungry if I did. Either way, it was the right time for my baby. All are ready at differn't times because they develop at differnt rates.

Louise - posted on 05/17/2009

Maybe try a fruity cereal or banana porridge something with more flavour

Lynsey - posted on 05/17/2009

give him a baby plastic spoon to hold himself sounds he his frustrated just let him hold it why dont you play a game with him how about this get some rice cereal- get a little egg custard- then give him a small taster on a spoon let him savour it then the next taster go for the other alternate it so he is getting fed but the spoon is not the focus but the different tastes oh do try and put him in a baby chair like a bouncer so much easier hun at this stage xx good luck xxx

Jennifer - posted on 05/16/2009

Try putting it on your finger to start him off because the temp will always be just right and he may also just need to wait another week or 2 because his thrust reflex just may not be ready for the cereal. I'm sure you are a great mom and your baby will let you know when he is ready:)

Lisa - posted on 05/16/2009

My daughter has been on rice cereal since she was about 2 weeks old. I would give it to her in her formula before bed and she loved it...but still to this day she would rather have the cereal in the bottle with either her formula or apple juice...she won't eat it from a spoon and she is 8 months old...but she eats other stuff just fine from a spoon and she also feeds herself finger foods..i really wouldn't worry if he likes it in the bottle give it to him in the bottle. But thats just my opinion.

Karen - posted on 05/16/2009

I gave all three of my kid's ceral at three month's old very small amount's at a time 2 baby spoons.

Christin - posted on 05/16/2009

honestly my kids both did the same thing, it was an allergy to the rice cereal with both. my daughters face would break out in a rash around her mouth after eating it. I was told by her dr to move her to oatmeal or barley. they helped. honestly the arching the back in a baby is usually a sign of pain. if after a bite or two he does it he may have an allergy to it. It may be swelling up his throat and hurt causing him to reject more. most babies will reject a food that causes them pain, babies are not stupid

Julia - posted on 05/16/2009

I have found that puttin your baby in the bouncy seat is easier to feed. I know he is a little young but try letting him hold the spoon himself atleast then he will know it will not hurt him and can trust it. Good luck to you

Heather - posted on 05/16/2009

I would wait until he is 6 months and mix it with some jarfood to give it some more flavor. He's too young for juice, so you can't use that either.



If you have a bouncer, try feeding him in that. He's elevated, but able to lay back and relax. I did that with my son until he was able to sit up good on his own, then we went to the high chair.

Amanda - posted on 05/15/2009

Quoting Tara:

Also, I would suggest that rice cereal is not the best first food for babies....

I would not give any solids before 7-8 months old, because the earlier you give solids, the more likely your child is to have food allergies. I would wait and give foods like avocados and egg yolks for a starter food. Fresh organic homemade fruits and veggies are far better than any non nutritional rice cereal from a box. Try to make your own rice cereal from brown rice instead if you really feel rice cereal should be fed to your baby.

you can buy organic brown rice cereal in a box.

I found it is dificult to match the consistency witht the home made.

In canada rice cereal is recomended as the first solid food because it is easy to digest and has a low allergy risk

Amanda - posted on 05/15/2009

some kids take longer to be ready for solids. it sounds like your son is not ready. try again in couple weeks

Sarah - posted on 05/15/2009

try using a different type of spoon

Melanie - posted on 05/15/2009

Quoting Victoria:

At 12 weeks i was giving my son formular but it wasnt filling him up enough. he was gutsing down 2x250ml in one go and hew as stil crying that he was hungry so it obviously wasnt enough for him. i then tried the farex (rice meal) and mixed one recommended scoop of it with some premade formular and he loved it. it filled him and when i offered the bottle to him afterwards he only had a few sucks and he was done...he was full. also i used a tommy tippee spoon with with silicon mouth piece which is also what he has with his dummies and bottles so he was used to it. go with your own natural instinct as a mummy as to what is best for your baby (not books and websites, they only offer advice not instinct) as your instinct is what is best. all babies develop differently.
my son has been trying to sit up and stand for quite a while and rather than make him lie down (as hes not so called ready by books and websites) i got him a lil jumperoo and he loves it. he can bounce around without putting too much weight on his legs and his back and neck are supported with the backrest. if my son is ready to so something thats beyond what some other babies are doing at his age then thats great. it means hes a lil more advanced than his peers.

again just go with your instinct...thats something you can trust. you can listen to the advice other people give you but whether you use it is up to you.

also let your baby play with his food so they can get the real feel for it...if they get it on their face and clothes thats great...another great photo to show the family and you can use it to embarass them when theyre older lol

totaly agree with you!

i have 2 children both verry different my daughter didnt eat solids until over 6mths. my son is 3 mths since birth he breast feeds  all the time and as he got older i got worst more ofyen in the nite and pretty well all day when he wasnt sleeping now if thats not being realy hungry i dont know what isi strated giving him rice cereal for souper and he is slowly getting better. like you said trust yr instincts u know yr child best.i think u got ots of good tips that could help u.   

Melanie - posted on 05/15/2009

Quoting Victoria:

At 12 weeks i was giving my son formular but it wasnt filling him up enough. he was gutsing down 2x250ml in one go and hew as stil crying that he was hungry so it obviously wasnt enough for him. i then tried the farex (rice meal) and mixed one recommended scoop of it with some premade formular and he loved it. it filled him and when i offered the bottle to him afterwards he only had a few sucks and he was done...he was full. also i used a tommy tippee spoon with with silicon mouth piece which is also what he has with his dummies and bottles so he was used to it. go with your own natural instinct as a mummy as to what is best for your baby (not books and websites, they only offer advice not instinct) as your instinct is what is best. all babies develop differently.
my son has been trying to sit up and stand for quite a while and rather than make him lie down (as hes not so called ready by books and websites) i got him a lil jumperoo and he loves it. he can bounce around without putting too much weight on his legs and his back and neck are supported with the backrest. if my son is ready to so something thats beyond what some other babies are doing at his age then thats great. it means hes a lil more advanced than his peers.

again just go with your instinct...thats something you can trust. you can listen to the advice other people give you but whether you use it is up to you.

also let your baby play with his food so they can get the real feel for it...if they get it on their face and clothes thats great...another great photo to show the family and you can use it to embarass them when theyre older lol

totaly agree with you!

i have 2 children both verry different my daughter didnt eat solids until over 6mths. my son is 3 mths since birth he breast feeds  all the time and as he got older i got worst more ofyen in the nite and pretty well all day when he wasnt sleeping now if thats not being realy hungry i dont know what isi strated giving him rice cereal for souper and he is slowly getting better. like you said trust yr instincts u know yr child best.i think u got ots of good tips that could help u.   

Lindsey - posted on 05/15/2009

Spoon feeding is a pain with my daughter too and she's 7 months old! I use infant feeders. You can put rice cereal and baby food in them. They're great! The best brand that I found are Nuk (I think that's right). They're sold a Walgreens, Burlington baby, and you can find them online!

Lindsey - posted on 05/15/2009

Spoon feeding is a pain with my daughter too and she's 7 months old! I use infant feeders. You can put rice cereal and baby food in them. They're great! The best brand that I found are Nuk (I think that's right). They're sold a Walgreens, Burlington baby, and you can find them online!

Diana - posted on 05/15/2009

If your baby cries after 2 bites, I wouldn't push it. The point is to get him used to eating solids. Learning this can take some time. There is no hurry. Try feeding when he is not desperately hungry. Since he doesn't know how to eat enough solid food to satisfy his hunger quickly, it's natural that he would become very upset and prefer the bottle. Perhaps a bottle (or half of a bottle), then some food, if he feels like it.

Alanna - posted on 05/15/2009

Some ppl CANT breastfeed!

Grace - posted on 05/15/2009

Quoting Tamara:

Since he's doing his best to avoid the spoon, he's not ready to to have solids. It's actually best to wait until at least 6 months and meet the following developmental milestones before introducing solid foods.

Signs that indicate baby is developmentally ready for solids include:

* Baby can sit up well without support.
* Baby has lost the tongue-thrust reflex and does not automatically push solids out of his mouth with his tongue.
* Baby is ready and willing to chew.
* Baby is developing a “pincer” grasp, where he picks up food or other objects between thumb and forefinger. Using the fingers and scraping the food into the palm of the hand (palmar grasp) does not substitute for pincer grasp development.
* Baby is eager to participate in mealtime and may try to grab food and put it in his mouth.

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

this is the best advise by far... my son started cereals in the bottle first at 6 months, we didn't even try spoon feeding until he was sitting well (or with little help) 7 to 8 months old and always in a high chair (the kind that tilts)

Tiffany - posted on 05/15/2009

My daughter started on rice cereal from the spoon and never had a problem with it at 2 MONTHS! then started fruits and veges at 4 months! She is growing and thriving just like any baby her age!

Karma - posted on 05/15/2009

He just might not be "ready" for the spoon yet. The back arch is a sign of frustration. He's not yet totally learned to eat from the spoon. Keep trying to feed him with the spoon but keep in mind that it will take a while.

LIDEL - posted on 05/15/2009

Well, technically you are not suppose to feed a baby any food food until 6 months. It is not good for their digestive system yet and they don't have the ability to push the food to the back of their mouths. Give him a month to grow up a bit before trying again. What's the hurry?

Robyn - posted on 05/14/2009

Just have to say...I am LMAO at the "Nursing Nazis" etc on here. Very entertaining for a late night read! Anyhoo...



Bottom line hun, you're wee one just isn't ready. Try again in a few weeks. My first baby was very hungry and was on cereal by 4.5 months. So with my second, we started trying around the 4 month mark also, but he wasn't ready until 5.5 months. He's now 8 months, still breastfed, and eats everything! He gets multi-grain cereal (the just add water kind) in the morning with pureed fruit and his Vit D drops mixed in, and he LOVES it!

If you choose not to feed your baby rice (or another grain) cereal, just remember that by 6 months, breastfed babies need an iron supplement. Baby formula and baby cereals are fortified with iron, and of course once baby starts eating meats or legumes (7ish months), that will be an additional source of iron.



Good luck with your precious baby, and remember to take every bit of advice you get with a REALLY big grain of salt!

Mel - posted on 05/14/2009

Quoting Jenifer:

Melissa, how do you know your baby is ready for solids if you are not considering milestones or age? What other metric is there?

if they are nt gaining enough weight. mine was little so she got put on solids to try and help with weight gain. shes still little at 13 months and developementally behind, but id be guessing in most cases solids help with weight gain

Mel - posted on 05/14/2009

Quoting Jenifer:

Melissa, how do you know your baby is ready for solids if you are not considering milestones or age? What other metric is there?

if they are nt gaining enough weight. mine was little so she got put on solids to try and help with weight gain. shes still little at 13 months and developementally behind, but id be guessing in most cases solids help with weight gain

Megan - posted on 05/14/2009

They do have bottle nipples that you can feed them rice cereal through.. I would try adding apple juice to the cereal, or try oatmeal cereal, my son loves the oatmeal with bananas. He may be upset because you are not feeding it fast enough, my son preferred the bottle at first because it came out faster. Try having a bottle reading while you are feeding him, and give him a spoonful and then some of the bottle. My son does not care for the taste of plain rice cereal, that may be your problem, unless he is getting enough to upset his stomach...

Melissa - posted on 05/14/2009

Oh and forgot to mention that there are many high chairs out there that have 5 point harness systems so if your little guy can't support himself completely that may be just enough to help him out. You could aslo try feeding him in a bouncer/rocker or maybe even his car seat. Hope this helps a little!

Melissa - posted on 05/14/2009

Ok so I'm almost afraid to post a reply but here goes lol. In my expereince with my son we started introducing solids @ just over four months. He is breast fed all most exclusively otherwise. He was a very oral baby and took to it no problems, like an old pro. He loves to eat with a spoon but still enjoys his milk the most. He gets the vast majority of his nutritional needs through breast milk and the occasional formula supplementation (small milk supply) but gets the feel of family dinner time by joinng us @ the table and having a little ceral or veggies or whatever. I look at it kinda like practice for him as where it wasn't a huge part of his diet, just enough to get him accustomed to it. It's also a great way for us to bond as a whole family. My suggestion would be wait a little longer before you reintroduce the cereal. And since I assume you want to start him on solids here are a few little tricks that I've heard. 1) Make the cereal or oatmeal with breast milk or formula so it has a flavor quality that he'll recognize. 2)Also play with the consistancy, he make like it very thin or possibly on the thicker side. 3) And if a spoon seems to be the problem try using your finger to feed him. I loved the ideas that some other moms had about allowing him to play with the spoon and bowls to become familiar with them! But above all remember that these posts are from Moms, not Dr.'s or experts no matter how much research they've done. So any advice that is given is based on personal experience or researched information and is just advice for you to either heed or ignore. Just try to be informed and make the decisions that are best for you and yours! Best of luck!!

Tara - posted on 05/14/2009

Quoting Julie:


I've started my little one with breast milk on a spoon so he can get used to the feel. Dad plays with the spoon and bowl during bath time. My baby is REALLY hungry and even though he latches well, he breastfeeds all day and all night. And I have had an oversupply of milk since day one. Go figure. I bought some brown rice cereal from the health food store and checked the ingredients... it's all rice. No additives, milk or anything else in it.

Breastmilk on a spoon is a great idea!

When my daughter was about 5 or 6 months old, it was hot out so I decided to freeze my breastmilk into a popcicle and my daughter LOVED IT!  It was sure fun to watch her get all messy too! :)

Tara - posted on 05/14/2009

I just found some more information you might be interested in Teresa!

"Paragraph 2.(4) of the resolution reads "The Fifty-fourth World Health Assembly ... urges member states to strengthen activities and develop new approaches to protect, promote and support exclusive breastfeeding for six months as a global public health recommendation, taking into account the findings of the WHO expert consultation on optimal duration of exclusive breastfeeding, and to provide safe and appropriate complementary foods, with continued breastfeeding for up to two years of age or beyond, emphasizing channeIs of social dissemination of these concepts in order to lead communities to adhere to these practices."

From here: http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVAug...

"In 2002, the World Health Organization and UNICEF endorsed the Global Strategy on Infant and Young Child Feeding, recommending that babies be exclusively breastfed for six months and that breastfeeding continue for up to two years and beyond."

From here: http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVIss...

"Pediatricians and parents should be aware that exclusive breastfeeding is sufficient to support optimal growth and development for approximately the first 6 months of life and provides continuing protection against diarrhea and respiratory tract infection.185

From the American Acadamy of Pediatrics:  http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi...

Elisabeth - posted on 05/14/2009

The bumbo seat worked well for my son before he was able to sit in the highchair. Its also very easy to clean. I would recommend thinning the cereal to a soupy consistency so that it is easier for him to get accustomed to. Also, I make it with formula or breast milk. He hated his cereal the one time I used water only. The rubber coated baby spoons seem more gentle as well. If that doesn't work I would take a break and try again in another week. He may not be ready. Good luck.

Britney - posted on 05/14/2009

I'm not trying to be disrespectful towards anyone, my niece was 8 months old & she was still doing the tounge thrusting and pushing the food out of her mouth so just because she does that does not mean we shouldn't have fed her food. Many doctors have informed me that my son can start on cereal & SOME fruits & SOME vegetables at 4 months of age. If you happen to read the back of a Gerber cereal box you will read the following:

"Supported Sitter Cereals, 1st Foods. Independent Sitter Juices, 2nd Foods. Crawler 3rd Foods. Beginning to Walk Graduates."



Teresa, I suggest that you try a few more times & if your baby does not take what I do is feed my son about 4 - 6oz of his bottle & then feed him his cereal. Or I sometimes wait until he is in a very good mood & happy so he just happens to open his mouth I put the spoon towards his mouth & he tastes it then he will take to it. Don't force it on him. I believe if your baby is hungry feed them. And if they don't want the cereal you can try maybe mixing another food, like a stage 1 apple sauce & see if he'll take to that.

I'm sure if not just wait a couple of days & try again.



Hope I helped.

Nicole - posted on 05/14/2009

i had some problems with it also i put juice in it and she did good after that and i had to make it a little thicker also

Julie - posted on 05/14/2009

To all the quoters:

Let's drop the preachy tone here. The objective is to share experiences and information. It's very easy to mis-read the tone of a post when it's quoting another post, using all CAPS, etc. We all need to make our own decisions... so if you have information to share, just give us the link. We'll draw our own conclusions.

That being said, of all the links/books I've read, Kellymom.com has been incredibly helpful. However, different countries and even regions within countries have different guidelines. Where I live, they really hound you to breastfeed for the full 6 mos, start solids with cereal and THEN meat and meat alternatives. My family in Australia, other parts of Canada and the U.S. have been recommended other options.

I've started my little one with breast milk on a spoon so he can get used to the feel. Dad plays with the spoon and bowl during bath time. My baby is REALLY hungry and even though he latches well, he breastfeeds all day and all night. And I have had an oversupply of milk since day one. Go figure. I bought some brown rice cereal from the health food store and checked the ingredients... it's all rice. No additives, milk or anything else in it.

So to Teresa... be patient. Your baby will be ready soon enough.

Time to go... the naptime is over!

Jenifer - posted on 05/14/2009

Melissa, how do you know your baby is ready for solids if you are not considering milestones or age? What other metric is there?

Mel - posted on 05/14/2009

just wanted to let you know they dont have to reach any specific milestones before having solids, they like them to have good head control of course but if they dont then they dont. Mine was still shaky while holding her head up til around 6 months so some babies are quite behind with milestones but are ready for solids x

Tara - posted on 05/14/2009

He's giving cues that he's not ready, it's as simple as that, there are other postings indicating the age they should start solids, as well as the milestones they need to accomplish before being fed solids, he's getting upset because you're not listening to him, this is how he's telling you he's not ready. Good Luck in the future with feeding him though, it will be exciting when he is ready, one way to get him used to a spoon, is to let him play with one, let him explore it on his own terms.

Rachel - posted on 05/14/2009

There have been a few comments here from people who said they introduced solids at an early age with no negative effects. I just wanted to mention that of course this happens, although statistics show that there is an increased risk of allergies. Statistics are simply numbers we can use to judge the likelihood of something happening. Other examples: studies have clearly shown that smokers have an increased risk of lung cancer, and that older mothers are more likely to have babies with Down's syndrome. But there are people who smoke heavily, but never develop lung cancer; there are mothers who give birth at age 45 to babies without genetic defects. And, of course, there are plenty of babies who start solids before 6 months and don't develop allergies.

Statistics do not dictate individual experience. But they do provide valuable information that we can use in making our decisions. We need to balance the risks and benefits, as well as our own gut feelings, to figure out what to do. For me, that meant waiting until 6 months to give my baby solids. When he seemed hungrier, I nursed him more. He probably would have taken food earlier and enjoyed it, but I felt that there was no benefit that would outweigh the extra risk of developing allergies.

Mel - posted on 05/13/2009

I think the only thing they are saying Tara is that you've hurt some people and made them upset because they are formula feeding their baby. i too went thru the guilt for not breast feeding until i had al the facts and the docs said dont try go back to it when i asked, they said formula is good as good , so next time i would just be a little careful about how you say things, because saying untrue things on here especially is unfair and especially saying formula is poison. Formula saves lives for under weight kids.

Tara - posted on 05/13/2009

Quoting Victoria:

Tara.

how dare you! this column is made for parents to get HELPFUL advice. so far all i have seen is you belittling other parents for their choices they have made coz they are different to yours

your comments about stop breastfeeding made me feel absolutely awful. i too had to stop breastfeeding due to being emotionally distressed coz a death occured in my family and i just couldnt keep up with my sons feeding demands.

Did you know that recently on the news a woman actually commited suicide because of the pressure she got from breastfeeding nazis. she too was emotionally distressed as she couldnt breastfeed her baby

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story...,,25431106-23272,00.html

More mothers are developing PND due to the pressure to breastfeed and the inability to do so. do your websites tell you that?!

if a parent comes on here asking for adivce please dont make them feel like crap as you have done so with myself and i feel for some other parents.

as i have said before - i too have my 13 wk son on rice meal and formula and i dont feel bad about. the midwives i hav spoken to have said that i have done the right thing by my son and what is right for my son is all that matters and i know that every parent wants what is best for their child/ren

the next time you want to "offer" advice, dont. this world can do with less critics such as yourself.

I think some of you are misunderstanding me completely.

Some women stop breastfeeding...either by choice or by circumstance.  It is VERY hard for women to stop nursing their babies! They feel very badly about it (most do), and feel very guilty over it.  It's hard to let that go. I explained some of my "mother guilt" because I feel guilty for those feedings that my daughter got because I know she did not get the best feedings possible at that point in her life.  Mother guilt is so hard in ALL aspects of parenting..not just feedings. Every mom has guilt about something, and it can get really overwhelming sometimes.

Victoria, your tone and your nastiness is quite aparant in your message, and may I suggest it might be helpful for YOU to rethink your posts before being so nasty and misunderstanding my post?  Maybe try to get some clarification before you spew your nastiness?

Breastfeeding has a lot to do with support.  Women need support from the other women in their lives, from friends, form doctors, from nurses.  They need SUPPORT to continue to breastfeed, and information in how to do so in certain circumstances.  If more women had this support, breastfeeding would go a lot easier.  Some of the best advice I ever got was to get informed about breastfeeding before birth and to surround yourself with as many breastfeeding support people as you can. 

One of my best friends stopped breastfeeding her fist baby (now she didn't really "HAVE" to, but she thought she did at the time, later she realized she could have continued had she had the right information).  She FULLY ADMITS that her son did not get the "best" nutrition because she stopped nursing...and nursing is the best nutrition for a baby!!  That is all I am saying.  Whether intentional, not intentional, formula feeding is still second best.  It is not mean to state that fact.

If you are upset that I said that I feel that formula is dangerous to a child, then  I apologize for hurting anyone's feelings, however that was not my intent at all.  Those weren't the best words to use to explain my feelings.

This is a topic about rice cereal..so if someone wants to create another thread about breastfeeding, I would be happy to discuss it there. 

Victoria - posted on 05/13/2009

Tara.

how dare you! this column is made for parents to get HELPFUL advice. so far all i have seen is you belittling other parents for their choices they have made coz they are different to yours

your comments about stop breastfeeding made me feel absolutely awful. i too had to stop breastfeeding due to being emotionally distressed coz a death occured in my family and i just couldnt keep up with my sons feeding demands.

Did you know that recently on the news a woman actually commited suicide because of the pressure she got from breastfeeding nazis. she too was emotionally distressed as she couldnt breastfeed her baby

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story...,,25431106-23272,00.html

More mothers are developing PND due to the pressure to breastfeed and the inability to do so. do your websites tell you that?!

if a parent comes on here asking for adivce please dont make them feel like crap as you have done so with myself and i feel for some other parents.

as i have said before - i too have my 13 wk son on rice meal and formula and i dont feel bad about. the midwives i hav spoken to have said that i have done the right thing by my son and what is right for my son is all that matters and i know that every parent wants what is best for their child/ren

the next time you want to "offer" advice, dont. this world can do with less critics such as yourself.