My son will be 4 months, what age did you start feeding your baby cereal?

Margo - posted on 12/27/2009

No the doctor told me to put it in her bottle to help her sleep better at night. My doctor is old. I did not put cereal in her bottle and she sleeps 9 hours in the night just fine. All babies are different and all parents are different. If we grew up with cereal in our bottles than it shouldn't hurt our children especially if the doctors are telling their patients to do it! But I am just a firm believer in new research and my nutritionist tells me that the new research says not to feed your baby solids until they are six months old. There are alot of posts for this question that have the same opinion as you and I both so what do we do! :)

Kala Ann - posted on 12/27/2009

Quoting Margo:

Wow there are alot of different answers to this question! I also have a four month old and I do not plan on feeding her cereal until she is 6 months old. At six months is when her body is better able to digest cereal. Feeding an infant sooner may also cause allergies. I was also told by my doctor to put a teaspoon of cereal in her bottle when she was only 2 months old! I DO NOT think that is right at all. I am trying to find another doctor because of it. Babycenter.com is a great website to use as a resource and can answer a lot of your questions. It has helped me a lot!

The reason why your doctor said to put in in the bottle is because your child was probably drinking a lot of milk. Putting the cereal in his/her bottle is just filling them more. And as of allergies no matter what age you feed your child if they get a allergie they will get it 6 months down. I found it easier to feed my child at 2 months because now i know she is not allergic to anything aka food wise and my daughter is 10 months old and is eating better the a 2 year old. I actually found trying them with new foods helps me out better because i know what she could be allergic to. I'm not knocking you i'm just trying to tell you that people like me who feed their child at a young age are not bad. I just believe if bottles are filling my child then i rather take the next step then letting her go hungrey.

Kala Ann - posted on 12/27/2009

My daughter was almost 2 months when i started feeding her. and now she eats better then some kids out there today.

Margo - posted on 12/27/2009

Wow there are alot of different answers to this question! I also have a four month old and I do not plan on feeding her cereal until she is 6 months old. At six months is when her body is better able to digest cereal. Feeding an infant sooner may also cause allergies. I was also told by my doctor to put a teaspoon of cereal in her bottle when she was only 2 months old! I DO NOT think that is right at all. I am trying to find another doctor because of it. Babycenter.com is a great website to use as a resource and can answer a lot of your questions. It has helped me a lot!

Rebekah - posted on 12/27/2009

I started feeding my son rice cereal (from Gerber)at 41/2 months. I still breastfeed but he has solids at the same time. He was almost 19lbs at 41/2 months. I am only 4' 9" and 120 lbs, so I needed to start him on solids. You are allowed to start at 4 months though.

Cheryl - posted on 12/27/2009

I started mixing rice cereal with his formula at about 3 weeks old. I only do it for night time feedings, because at night he gets the hungriest. He's was only 3 weeks old and already needed 4 oz each feeding. He still is at 4 oz now and is doing great with the rice cereal at night time feedings, it definitely keeps him full longer. If you do start giving them cereal, make sure you by gas drops (doesn't matter what brand) we by the walgreens brand and put some in the formula, because they can get constipated while getting the cereal.

Tova - posted on 12/27/2009

hi i started my daughter at 6 months.. it depends if u nurse or u give formula, they say if u give ur baby formula u can start 2 feed baby cereal at around 4 months.. but if u nurse i would say feed your baby at 6 months... u can start with rice cereal, but it usually makes the babies constipated so i would start with oatmeal and go from there. then i would start with applesauce , its sweet & easy for the baby to digest... if the baby doesnt want to eat it dont force them, their human too and can tel u what they want or dont want u know. good luck & njoy feeding them!!

Donna - posted on 12/27/2009

i started all my kids at the age of 3 weeks off a spoon and as soon as i started them on it they were sleeping through the night now they r 9,8,1,and 4 month and they have come on a treat it just depends on if ur baby is ready not all babies r the same.

Kimberley - posted on 12/27/2009

i started to give my daughter cereal at 4 months bc the formula wasnt enough for her

JENNIFER - posted on 12/27/2009

I started right at 2 months. I added a little to her bottle and gradually increased. This kept her full thrugh the night and we both were able to sleep =) I had no problems and she was always a strong and healthy baby.

Michelle - posted on 12/27/2009

We started at 3 months and now my son just hit his 5 month mark. We are now on veggies and even meats, he loves the oatmeal with veggies, the chicken dinners and is a very big eater. I also put cerial in his bottles to keep him satisfied.

Cori - posted on 12/27/2009

Quoting Katie:

Quoting Autumn:

i would say now is a good time...i havent had my baby yet. but i just asked my mother the same question and she told me 4-5 months.

Our moms don't always know best. Times have changed and we now know things that our parents didn't when we were babies. I know people who's parents and/or grandparents insisted that they give their baby cereal at 2 or 3 months because that's what they did when their kids were babies.

It is recommened that you wait till 6 months to introduce solids (as others have already mentioned)

moms definately dont always know best.. if our moms had listend to their moms we would have never been restrained by a car seat and we would have been eating yellow vegetables at 1 month old!

Megan - posted on 12/27/2009

i started my son on cereal in his formula at 4 months then at 5 months we added some solids.

Arkiva - posted on 12/27/2009

I started giving my son cereal at 3 months and it kept him satisfied. he would cry so much after drinking a nine ounce bottle of milk. so the doctor told me to give him a little cereal

Robbyn - posted on 12/27/2009

These threads always make me sad. So much horrible misinformation being spread around.
Plain and simple - infants are not ready for any solid foods until at least 6 months, and they're not capable of properly digesting grains until at least 18 months. Rice cereal is worthless and notoriously constipating.
If your baby is still hungry after a formula/breast feeding, he/she needs more formula or breast milk, NOT cereal or baby food. Solids should only be for fun and experimentation for the first year, they should NOT replace formula/milk, ever.

And mixing cereal in a bottle is a known choking hazard.

Jenny - posted on 12/27/2009

I started feeding my daughter cereal with her bottle at 3 weeks old. The bottle did not satisfy her enough. She probably had one full cereal bottle around 2 months old, every night before bedtime.

Jamie - posted on 12/27/2009

i started putting cereal in my baby's bottle at 2 months and hes doing really good i started because he has reflux though,but my mom told me back when we were babies she started us on cereal and juice real early.

Yolande - posted on 12/27/2009

I started both mine on sweet potato or butternut. Its fresh from the earthwhich in my opinion and the clinic sister is much easier for their tumies to digest as a first meal. Daughter started at 5 and a half months. Always hated baby porridge. Started son at 4 and a half month. Loves any food, yogurt and porridge.

Cheriese - posted on 12/27/2009

I started my son 4mo to the day. I could tell he was ready, he was constantly hungry! He is a great eater and will eat a variety of food. Just remember they will love the sweet things like fruit, my suggestion is to start off with veggies and continue that for a while until he/she develops a good palate.

User - posted on 12/27/2009

its really up to you some people will go on and on about doing it by the book but honestly its up to u if u feel bubs is ready. any time from 4months is fine just soft not to sweet well mashed. i found with my bubs helps him sleep longer.

Jana - posted on 12/27/2009

I started giving my twins cereal into there bottle since 2 weeks old and did the same with my newborn and all three started to sleep through the night since.My twins were 6 weeks early and 4 pound and my newest was 5 weeks early and 5 pounds he's currently 5 months and 24 pounds 32 inches in length and started to feed him solids at 3 months.

Stephany - posted on 12/26/2009

My son just had it for the first time tonight, and he's just shy of 6 months. My daughter had it at about 5 months old...

Caty - posted on 12/26/2009

Quoting Katie:

Quoting Autumn:

i would say now is a good time...i havent had my baby yet. but i just asked my mother the same question and she told me 4-5 months.

Our moms don't always know best. Times have changed and we now know things that our parents didn't when we were babies. I know people who's parents and/or grandparents insisted that they give their baby cereal at 2 or 3 months because that's what they did when their kids were babies.

It is recommened that you wait till 6 months to introduce solids (as others have already mentioned)

wow.. that is a really bad statement to make. our moms dont always know best.. yes its true that when they had kids the technology wasnt as good as it is now and yes there is a little more info out there that they didnt have.. but i would never say that they dont always know best.. they were not ignorant back then.. they raised their babies just like we did / do and their babies turned out just fine... there is nothing wrong with how our moms raised their kids.. just cuz the technology back then wasnt as it is today doesnt make their advice wrong..

i say its all up to the baby, and like katie wrote  it is RECOMMENDED that you wait .. but that doesnt mean you actually HAVE TO wait.. i started my son at one month just giving him a little bit not alot and he loves it and is thriving.. that is what my mother did with us kids and my sister did with her children to..

just know that everything your doctor says and yes your mother or anyone here, are just suggestions .. no one is the expert over your own baby but you.. you know your own baby better than anyone else ,even doctors, so listen to them,  but make up your own mind on what you want to do... and i never heard about this whole choking with cereal in a bottle b4... that just sounds too far fetched but whatever.. i occationally put cereal in a bottle and feed it to my son and nothing has gone wrong whatsoever. common sense is to dont make it out too thick so it doesnt clog up the nipple and it certainly wont choke a baby if its made thin..

Mindy - posted on 12/26/2009

I started at 2 months the very last feeding before bed. I put him in his bouncer and fed him with a spoon. He loved it! He slept better and longer at night after we statred cereal.

Tiffizkeepinasmileonmiface - posted on 12/26/2009

i started giving my son cereal when he was a month old cuz he was greedy but 4 u, u can go ahead and give him a tsp of cereal n his milk and add a drop of karo syrup to keep his biles open it would make his tummy full and u will get plenty of rest a nite

Jen - posted on 12/26/2009

I started feeding my daughter at like 2 1/2-3 months. She was drinking bottle after bottle and wasn't getting full so I tried her with cereal and she took it very well. They usually say that it depends on how well their reflexes are and if they can keep it down. My daughter spit a little bit out the first time but after that she was great with it and she stayed full longer. She wasn't taking the formula in like it was going out of style anymore either. I plan on doing the same thing with this baby. Even though the drs usually say to wait I think it really depends on when your baby is ready.

Krista - posted on 12/26/2009

Four months was when my son started. We mixed rice cereal with my breast milk so it was very watery. After a few weeks we added root veggies and apple sauce. One new thing one week at a time. My pediatrician reminded me its not about getting them to eat so much (they get the majority of the nutrients that they need from breast milk or formula) as it is to get them to try new flavors and textures. Hope this helps

Pam - posted on 12/26/2009

Quoting Nikki:

I put cereal in my son's bottle when he was about 3 weeks old, the formula just wouldn't fill him up, he was wanting to eat like every hour! The doctor wasn't happy but oh well, my baby was

my son was 3 weeks old and his docyor told me 2 put the baby rice cereal in his bottle and then when he was 3 months the bottle with cereal was not feeling him up, so I started him on baby food with cereal plus bottles with it still mixed in. good luck

Stephani - posted on 12/26/2009

I stared my first one at 2 onths and my second at 2 weeks!

Heather - posted on 12/26/2009

I was told 5 months by the nutritionist, but my daughter is 3 months and I put cereal in her bottle occasionally since she seems to be hungry all the time.

Tracy - posted on 12/26/2009

I started feeding my son at 5months. I didn't realize this, but his grandma noticed he wanted everything we were putting in our mouths so thats when we knew it was time for baby cereal. He loves everything, but now cereal not so much because its bland

Faith - posted on 12/26/2009

well my dr said it was fine because he was always hungry...and my husband was the same way..My mother inlaw mentioned it to me and I asked my dr and they all said that if he was not gettin full to give him cereal and he didnt get it in the bottle he took it off the spoon..my son has been ahead of most children his age..since he was born..the day he was born he held his head up..

Amanda - posted on 12/26/2009

I would not reccomend EVER putting cereal in your child's bottle...but if you want to try VERY watered down cereal at this age that would probably be fine...however I was happy I waited until 6 months to try b/c even then they werent all that ready...their tummies take a bit to develop...so just be patient.

Faith - posted on 12/26/2009

My son was on cereal at 6 weeks..they had him on food at 8 weeks..I think when ever you feel it is time and they will take it give it to them

Lara - posted on 12/26/2009

My doctor told me that I could start my little boy on cereal and baby food once he was ~6 months, and not to give him milk out of the gallon until he's 8months to a Year.

Felisha - posted on 12/26/2009

i started the cereal at 4 1/2 months. fruits and veggies at about 5

Chrissy - posted on 12/26/2009

Our baby just turned 4 months old, and we just had her 4 month check up, her doctor told us that she is doing just fine on breast milk and there is no need to add cereal or any other foods to her diet. She said we will re-evaluate at our next check up... bottom line, check with your doctor to see if your child needs it.

Emily - posted on 12/26/2009

my daughter got ceral in her bottel when her was 2 weeks old cuz she was eating alllllllll the time and she was eating baby food when she was 3 all most 4 months old because she was ready for it and would open her mouth and ex.

Michelle - posted on 12/26/2009

my son stared getting ceral in the bottle at 2 months cause he was always hungry. i stared feeding it to him off the spoon at 3 months. start when u feel its right.

Jacquelyn - posted on 12/26/2009

I waited until my son could hold his head up in full control before giving him cereal on a spoon... he had cereal in his bottel because of really bad acid reflux. Really up to you I know some parents that have given their babies cereal at 4 weeks... But my opinion is to wait until they can hold their head up.

Melannie - posted on 12/26/2009

I started at 2.5 months and he has been doing good.

Jessica - posted on 12/26/2009

I started my daughter on cereal when she was 3 1/2 months old she was ready for it when we started. we didn't start giving other foods till 51/2 months though

Tamryn - posted on 12/26/2009

i started my baby at 6 months cause their tummys are not ready for soilds before that, if you start them on solids before that they can get very constipated, it is not good for them, the bottle has all the nutrition needed for them and is very gental on their tummys. there is no rush take your time if your baby is content and happy.

Chantaya - posted on 12/26/2009

6 months He was sitting up unassisted at 5 months old. I think a lot of people aren't informed well on the signs of readiness.. It's like no one reads these days? Or perhaps they just aren't too concerned about their children's long term wellbeing.

Zondre - posted on 12/26/2009

welll i gave my daughter cereal at 2 months and she has had it eversince, it really depends on ur baby, if ur baby is fussy alot even during feeds or after feeds that means the baby is still hungry!! i give it to her at night so she is full when she goes to sleep i do not put it in every bottle!!... goodlck u r mom go with ur instincts!!

Laura - posted on 12/26/2009

My daughter is 3 motnhs and I started giving it to her with her night bottles then gradually start putting ti in bottles through out the day I also have a 3 year old and I started her at 3 months as well

CAROLYN - posted on 12/26/2009

I STARTED FEEDING MY BABY CEREAL WHEN SHE WAS A WEEK OLD, AND IT DIDNT DO ANYTHING TO HER

Tiffany - posted on 12/26/2009

I started feeding my baby cereal when she was 4 weeks old. I wouldn't put it in her bottle. She loved being fed with a spoon. As she got older around 3-4 months I started putting fruit with the cereal. I didn't have any problems. Now shes 2 in a half!

Melissa - posted on 12/26/2009

well I've said in another post before that the World Health organization recommends breastmilk/formula until the age of 6 months. It is not recommended to put cereal in their bottle.

Cindy - posted on 12/26/2009

We started putting rice in with his formula when our baby boy was 2 months old. And we started spoon feeding him the baby fruits and veggies (we use Gerber) when he turned 4 months. He has done great so far with it all. And I dont know your full situation but if your baby still hasnt been sleeping thought the night then now would be a good time to put rice cereal in with his formula because he will most likely sleep through the night after you start doing it because it will keep him fuller longer (it worked wonders with mine). Dont be afraid to try something new with your baby, he is growing fast and needs all the nutrition he can get. As for the Gerber baby fruits and veggies, we just feed him it once a day usually at around 12pm (kind of like his lunch), and then the rest of the day we just feed him regular formula in the bottle and then before we put him down for bed at 9pm we mix formula and rice cereal. What i do is i do 8 oz of water in the bottle and then i put in 3 scoops of formula and then proceed to shake it up, then I put enough rice in with it to make it slightly thick, And u r probably thinking "Well how does the thick formula/Rice flow through the nipple?" Well I took a pair of the tiny small scissors and cut the hole a tiny bit bigger, but not too big cause u dont want it to flow out to fast but big enough so the thick formula/Rice can have a steady flow into his mouth. And of course when we do feed him the regular bottles of formula during the day we use a regular nipple. The doctor says he's growing just fine and is very healthy. Good luck to you! and Hope you have a happy New Year!! :)