baby cereal

Bethanie - posted on 01/13/2010

When I gave my son rice cereal, I made it very soupy but I actually started him out at 4 1/2 months on 1st foods. My pediatrician said it was fine to go ahead. He loved it! Most of it ends up on them then in their mouth, but they eventually get the hang of it! I agree with another comment about putting it in a bottle...that does defeat the purpose of them learning to eat from a spoon. I only gave my son 1/2 of a small jar once a day and then gradually introduced new things from there to check for reactions (the 4 day wait rule).Their first time trying solids makes for a funny video!

Leanne - posted on 01/13/2010

Hi my baby is 4 1/2 months and i just started him on baby rice i made a 7oz bottle and used one oz to make some baby rice he loved it and i have also made him half a banana flavored rusk using a oz of milk once a day which he liked even more coz of the flavour and he took to the spoon fine i checked it was ok with health vistor and she said it's fine just dont over load em at this age with too much an ounce once a day is enough good luck x

Meghan - posted on 01/13/2010

When I started my daughter on cereal, I mixed a little with a jar of baby food. I made the mistake of starting her on rice. She stayed constipated. I would recommend starting her on oatmeal. maybe like a couple of tablespoons mixed in a jar food.

Erin - posted on 01/13/2010

I waited until my daughter would grab at my food. She would just stare at me while I ate. One day we just tried some with a spoon. She loved it and the spoon. They say not to out it in a bottle due to studies linking it with childhood obesity. We started once a day during dinner time for a few weeks then went to breakfast time for a few weeks. I am personally waiting for her to turn 5 months or so to start other first foods. Start with single grain cereal. If she seems satisfied with her formula or breast milk then you can wait until 6months if you prefer.

Courtney - posted on 01/13/2010

it's better to start out with rice cereal. after the rice cereal then do the flavored ones, but do each 1 week @ a time to make sure she doesn't have an allergic reaction. what i mean by that is do rice cereal for 7 days, then start a new flavor, u also do that when u start them on baby food. and the best way w/ baby food is 2 mix the cereal in with the food, and start out with veggies, but do carrots last, start w/ a different kind of veggies. try feeding her with a spoon 1st! mix the cereal w/ formula. if she doesn't do good w/ the spoon then put it in the bottle w/ fromula, but u might have 2 get a nipple w/ a bigger hole or make the hole bigger w/ a fork in the nipples u already have if u don't have the money 2 buy new ones, i had to do that!

LaDonna - posted on 01/13/2010

the rice cereal constipates them for sure! i use the whole grain cereal.

Janell - posted on 01/13/2010

I just got mail about this today!
Some developmental clues to start solids are:
sitting up alone or with support, holds head up on own, shows interest is seeing food and gets excited when it's being prepared and when baby is still showing signs of hunger after normal feeding.
It does say though that most babies start around 6 months and to start with rice cereal because it's the least likely to cause an allergic reaction. Also, the cereal should have a runny consistency and gradually increase to a thicker one.
I haven't tried it yet, but I have thought about it and my daughter is almost 4 months as well! Hope this helps!

Lanette - posted on 01/13/2010

I strongly believe in using a spoon and NEVER putting cereal in a bottle. They are supposed to learn how to eat from a spoon and it takes time. Your baby will probably spit it out at first, but just start off with feeding them about a tablespoon of cereal at first. They may not actually eat any of it because they don't understand how to eat something thicker than their formula. And you want to start off with things that are not flavored. If you give them sweet food first they will not eat the more bland things. Just be patient and it will all work out, it just takes time.

Carrie - posted on 01/13/2010

in the baby isle the the cereal i used its Gerber rice cereal, just mix a little in bowel w/ childs milk or even with alittle something like peach baby food(they love that)(also its sweet so most kids love it) . i enjoyed feeding my son with the spoon, some do put it in the bottle, but its purpose is it start the process to solids so your kinda defeating the purpose putting it in bottle. If baby isn't ready they wont take it , however it after taken it, if stool is harder then normal mix mixture w/ more milk and see if that fixes the problem. But your coming up on a big milestone 'big girl" food enjoy it, soon she'll be doing it herself.

BrookLinn - posted on 01/13/2010

I always used Gerber baby cereal. I had to use the Oatmeal instead of the recommended Rice cereal for my daughter cause she got sick with the rice. I mixed her formula in with the cereal and the added hot water until it was very runny. I fed it to her with an eye dropper. She could suck the cereal mix out at a pace good for her. This worked out great for both of my kids. My son did not get the hang of spoon feeding until he was like 6 or 7 months old. A lot of people claim that the cereal gives babies constipation, and if you find this to be a problem, add some apple juice to the mix. My little guys loved that! Hope this helps a little.