Starting my baby on Cereal!

Rachael - posted on 08/16/2010

Hi Christina, i started my son on farex - rice cereal and breast milk at 5 and a half months, i tried holding off til 6months but the milk just wasnt enough for him i had givin him only breastmilk. i waited 2weeks befor trying a new food as he got a cold so i wanted to wait til he was better so he knew it was stil fun to eat. i tried him on pear next and waited about a week then pumpkin which he hates! and now potato and apples. i still give him cereal at least once a day he loves it and helps fill him up of he isnt sure on the new flavours. to start i gave him a teaspoon once a day for couple days then a tablespoon once a day once he got use to that he was having a large tablespoon twice aday mixed with breastmilk. Good luck you will figure out what works best for your son and what he likes they usually say wait 4days between new foods and stay away from very acidic fruits like if you are going to make his food golden delishous apples have far less acid than others. i waited long riods inbetween foods because i have a huge family history of allergies. you will be ok follow yor instints when you think he is ready. Mum knows best : )

Holly - posted on 08/16/2010

My daughter started it at 3 1/2-4 months and baby food 4- 41/2 month. She will be one on Oct. 26. We started her on it then because she was drinking an 8oz bottle 4-6 times a day and she weighted 18lbs.I started her out on rice and a month later it was oatmeal. Then I started her on fruit and then vege. I give her cereal and bottle in the morning, fruit and a bottle at lunch, a vege and a bottle for dinner and a bottle at judt before bedtime. She is my first, too. It just comes down to what you want to do and what your baby wants. Your baby will let you know what they want.

Jennifer - posted on 08/16/2010

at 6 months, rice cereal made my son constipated and very uncomfortable so i skipped it and went on to infant oatmeal because oatmeal has fiber, and rice cereal does not. he likes the taste much better, and it doesn't make him uncomfortable.

Dara - posted on 08/16/2010

My kiddo who is 10 months loves an oatmeal cookie I make. Mush up 2 ripe bananas, mix with ground oatmeal or oatmeal cereal, a spoonful of applesauce and any fruit chunk you like. Make sure there is enough oatmeal to make it a cookie dough consistency. Grease cookie sheet, bake for about 15 min on 350. They are awesome, and full of good stuff for baby. My girl goes ballistic when she sees them.

Amy - posted on 08/16/2010

They say 3-5 days to make sure your child isn't allergic to anything. Rice Cereal was constipating for our son so we switched to oatmeal cereal.

Start with stage 1 foods, and they suggest to start with veggies before fruit (because when they get the sweet stuff they won't want things that aren't as sweet).

We started with Rice Cereal at 4 months (Our son was ready), then at 5-6 months we started introducing other foods along with the cereal. Typically we feed our son some of the stage 1 foods for both Lunch and Supper, then gave some rice cereal right before bedtime.

Typically you start 1-3 times a day (depending on how hungry your child is acting). They should continue to drink about the same amount of milk/formula. Any food before about 1 is more so them getting used to eating solid foods. So if your child only eats a little don't worry.

Also, around 6-9 months if they've got a lot of teeth, teething biskets are nice (once they figure out how to swallow the other baby food first of course).

Dara - posted on 08/16/2010

And yes, still give cereal with other foods. You want baby to have a balanced diet, just like you. So, a grain, a veggie, a fruit and eventually a protein and milk product can all be combined. I usually mixed pureed veg and fruits in the cereal to provide more flavor.

Dara - posted on 08/16/2010

Signs that baby is ready for solids are that they sit up with little help, try to grasp things with finger and thumb, and show interest in what you're eating. If he is showing these signs, then chances are he is ready for solids. For my oldest, she was ravenous so we started her on rice cereal at 4 months, introducing new foods once a week, in case an allergy shows up. She did great with cereals, and I cooked and pureed all other foods for her (so much cheaper than store bought baby food). With my youngest, she did not do well with store bought baby foods, so I tried some alternatives. To start out with, give baby one serving of cereal a day (about 4 tbsp), and then gradually increase. The only thing about rice cereal is that it doesn't have a lot of nutrient value. Some really good first foods are fruit and veggies. I started with any yellow veggies, like carrots, sweet potatoes etc. Cook them in a small amount of water then dump it all in a blender (water too) and puree. Babies love the sweet taste of both foods. Also try pureed green beans, broccoli, and white potatoes. Good fruits to start with are apples - you can buy unsweetened apple sauce, bananas mushed up, pureed pears.

With my youngest, I took her off store bought cereals completely as she wasn't gaining weight on them, and they gave her diarrhea or constipation. Now, I buy whole grain oats and grind them in my blender before cooking. Oats are a good starter food too.

Ultimately, you have to try things out and do what your baby responds to best. Always wait a few days before introducing new foods, to make sure baby reacts well to them. Stay away from strawberries, egg whites, and nuts as they tend to have strong allergic reactions.