when can i start adding rice cereal?

Sarah - posted on 11/11/2009

American Academy of Pediatrics: http://www.aap.org/publiced/BR_Solids.ht...

When my now 20 month old was over 6 months old, he was not gaining weight as quickly. Our pediatrician told us he needed more breastmilk and less solid food because milk or formula actually contains MORE CALORIES than solid food because of the way a baby's stomach digests food. Giving solid food to infants is just to introduce them to eating (like introducing potty training) and is less nutritious than the breastmilk or formula that their bodies can digest. Filling a baby up with cereal means he's getting less nutrition/calories. You might get more sleep, but it might not be what's best for Baby. Babies wake up frequently to eat because their stomachs are small. We can't expect a baby to eat as infrequently as we do because they can't hold as much. If your baby is hungry, feed him the right stuff!

Kiley - posted on 10/21/2009

i wouldnt recommend giving rice cereal until they are about 4 months, i havent even started my son on it yet and he is 4 months today! but they will let u know when they are ready for it. and try adding a little more formula to ur water, it just may not be thick enough

Katie - posted on 10/21/2009

Well this is a debate that gets lots of conflicting info i think.. lol i am not a doctor but i have 4 kids oldest 7 youngest 2 mths and others in tween lol with my 7 yr old and 3 yr old they both had feedin problems with spittin up and gas several formulas later i said forget it and added cereal.. My 6 yr old and 2 mth old where 9 lb babies at birth and witthin weeks where eatin 30 + oz of formula a day.. so i added cereal b/c they only need 26 oz a day of formula.. so i guess i am trying to say it wont kill them to add cereal it depends on baby they honestly do not want u to feed a baby solids if they are not eatin the 26oz of milk thats needed for development so once they hit 26 oz most babies are 4 mths.. but i dunno i feed my 2 1/2 mth old cereal in every other bottle

Brandie - posted on 10/21/2009

I have three beautiful girls. I started adding cereal to all their bottles at 1 mth old :)

Jalisa - posted on 10/20/2009

you should probally wait till shes about 3 months for that then go right on ahead. but at a month and your only giving her 3 oz maybe you should try 5 to six if that doesnt helf keep going up until you hit 8 oz then if your still having that problem that add about a half a teaspoon... and that should do it but right now your really not giving her much!

Denise - posted on 10/20/2009

With my son I started feeding him very loose cereal at 2 1/2 months. I fed him with a spoon about 3oz of loose cereal & then the rest of an 8oz bottle. If I hadn't done it, my son would have been taking almost 16oz of milk at a time & would still want more. By adding the cereal, it curbed his hunger & he only took the one bottle. It worked out perfectly for my lil one.

Anita - posted on 10/20/2009

That's normal for a month old baby. I went through the same thing with my baby girl when she was a month old. Don't add rice cereal to her milk. Increase the formula up to 4 ounces instead. Try adding in a teaspoonful of gripe water to her milk just before bedtime. This should feel her up. My doctor even advice to give her pacifyer because if she seems hungry all the time, it may not be for the milk. Some babies just want to suckle because it gives them sense of security. All these informations worked for my princess. She's now a happy bouncy 10 month old baby who hardly cries. Happy parenting

Michelle - posted on 10/20/2009

I Added rice two weeks after she was born.. my kid has a protein allergy so shes on that super expensive similac alimentum formula.. my child would throw up like the exorcist.. terrible.. so my wonderful doctor whom i love very much said i should add a teaspoon per ounce.. so no more vomit!! it worked like a charm.. it also helps becuase it makes them full faster... so shes not up every 3 hours in the middle of the night.. she stared sleeping through the night at 6 weeks. my child has not had any excessive weight gain.. and has not once choked on her milk.. because its not thick.. she is now 7 months and 3 weeks.. and she is very healthy..

Christina - posted on 10/20/2009

I started giving my kids there rice when they where around 5 months. if that helps

Krystal - posted on 10/20/2009

When i had my daughter she was immediately on 4 ounces still at the hospital. she was a big eater from the get go. she was born at 7lbs 14 ounces and before we left the hospital she was already 9lbs and 8 ounces!! the nurses said if she's not spitting up then it's the right amont to give. Then she was one month old and just gotten over colic, she was already on 7 ounce bottles and she wanted a whole one every 2 hours. i talked to the dr and he said dont add cereal to the bottle however if i felt she wasnt satisfied by the formula then once she could stay propped up in the sitting position feed her a few tiny bites from a spoon. so i went home propped her up and gave her tiny bites (smaller than my pinky nail) she ate about a tablespoon and didnt cry for being hungray for about four hours. That was my solution to feed her off the spoon tiny bites. and my dr said it would be fine. Its your personal choice. just start with small bites.

Jennifer - posted on 10/20/2009

I wouldn't add the cereal just bigger bottle!

April Blossom - posted on 10/19/2009

i started introducing rice cereals or should i say gound rice when my son was 4 months old but only for 1 meal a day and they it progress ... when he was 5 months it was twice a day and when he was 6 months it was already thrice a day... until now he eats regular food 3 times and still wants milk before he go to sleep...

Starla - posted on 10/19/2009

My son was a preemie and we were told by the doctor to put cereal in his bottles at 2 months but not to spoon feed him until he was 4 months. So your best bet is to talk to your doctor. Some babys need it to help them gain weight or because the spit up too often without it!

Cherie - posted on 10/19/2009

When i took my secound son hom from the hospitle thay had him eatting cereal in his bottle beouse he was eatting alot . if your child eats more then a certen # of ounces (32 to 42 ) in a 24 hour period i would add cereal . http://www.meadjohnson.ca/en/feeding/for...

Melissa - posted on 10/19/2009

I added rice to the bottle at 2months i say go for it, it helps gain weight and fills them up

Heather - posted on 10/19/2009

It all depends on your baby, every baby is different and every parents starts at different times. I started my daughter on it at four months and she takes it well. She is actually taking it by the spoon now. My doctor told me I should be starting her on it around three months but I didn't feel that she was ready. I do it in the middle of day and a little before bed. It helps them sleep better as well.

Katie - posted on 10/19/2009

my pediatrician had me add single grain rice to my son's bottle recently for medical reasons but it's usually ok to start feeding cereal around 3-4 months old.

Bre - posted on 10/19/2009

dont add rice as she is to younge babies eat heaps of milk and if they are eating more then normal it mite be that she is have a growth spirt.. there is no need for solids yet milk is all they need at this stage, my two kids ate heaps more then then what the formular tin recomended but the tin is just a guide every baby is different. i dont think that you need rice added to the formular... i hope i helped

Nora - posted on 10/19/2009

no,dont give her rice cereal just yet,she is way too young for that.. its not recommended before at least the baby is 4 months old,yr baby eating habbit is very normal,i have a 7month old boy and i remmeber very well when since the day he was born till he was about 4 months old he'd eat every 2 hours,i asked more than 1 doctor they said its very normal and at that age u feed them when ever they feel hungry,so dont worry about her eating too much...she will get on a stable schedule after her 3rd month...till then just feed her the amount of formula and water when ever she feels hungry.

Shawnnell - posted on 10/19/2009

I ACTUALLY STARTED FEEDING MY DAUGHTER GERBER OATMEAL CEREAL AT A MONTH AND A HALF AT 3 MONTHS I WAS SPOON FEEDING HER REGULAR FOOD.MY DAUGHTER WAS ACTUALLY EATTING 4 OUNCES OF MILK AT 3 HOURS OLD AND IT DIDNT HARM HER AT ALL SO A LITTLE CEREAL WONT HURT HER . JUST DONT ADD TO MUCH.

Clacy - posted on 10/19/2009

My daughter was the same way, even now. Sometimes you just have eaters. I was told the same thing about the rice cereal the only problem is since she is so young her gag reflex might not be ready for her to have a "thicker" drink. The gag reflex prevents a baby from chocking at that age, (you see her tongue pop out of her mouth) it will push what ever you try to put in, out. I would bump her up to four and a half five ounces then at four months try the rice cereal. That is what I did. =)

Nicki - posted on 10/19/2009

My son did the same thing and i started giving him cereal in his bottle feeder at age 2 months and yes the doctors will not like it but the milk just dont fell them up and my son also started tasting and eating table food around 2 and a half months and he is fine and doesnt have stomach problems sometimes u just have to use your own judgement.

Krista - posted on 10/19/2009

My doctor told me not to add cereal to the bottle & not to start giving until 4 months, just up the amount of formula you are giving her.

PAMELA - posted on 10/18/2009

I WAS BRESTFEEDING MY SON AND I HAD TO ASTOP BECAUSE I FELT HE WAS NOT GETTING ENOUGH FOOD WHEN I WENT TO THE BOTTLE AT ONE MONTH OLD HE WAS EATTING AROUND 4 OUNCES AND BY 2 MONTHS HE WAS EATTING 5 TO 6 OUNCES .

Nicole - posted on 10/18/2009

Babies go through growth spurts. feed her more formula per feeding. bump it up to 5 and see how she does. You really shouldnt put the cereal in the bottle.

Lakyia - posted on 10/18/2009

also see if she takes to plain water might save time/milk and energy. lol

Lakyia - posted on 10/18/2009

Well @ 1 month she is very hungry but I believe i was letting my daughter drink a lil more than 3 oz and if u feed more the time between bottles will be greater (but I was still b-feeding too...ex:@4:00 a 6 oz or so and then she wont be hungry/starving until maybe 7:30-maybe 8-ish. my 3month old is eating cereal off the spoon and in the bottle but her doctor said its a lil early but if she takes to it its fine just no baby food until roughly 6months. Hope it helps. You may be able to sprinkle a lil cereal into the bottle no scoops or pours just a sprinkle (a pinch).

Katie - posted on 10/18/2009

Hi. I started adding a tiny smidgen but of rice cereal right around two and half months. I put it in her milk at bedtime and it helps her sleep through the night. Also, it helps cut down on the calories and better fills her tummy. Now, only feed her the cereal as a mean when she's old enough. Slipping a little bit before bedtime works for me though. Hope this helps!

Ashley - posted on 10/18/2009

I started my son on cereal at one month. He was taking 6 ounces of formula and crying for more before 3 hours. My pediatrician told me to begin cereal and it helped emensely. Formula has a lot of calories and for someone so little, it's too much volume. He's done very well on the cereal (rice) and will go 6-7 hours overnight before needing to eat. He is right on target for his weight as well.

Laura - posted on 10/18/2009

Saying to start rice cereal at 4 months is like saying children will be born on their due date and weigh an exact weight, basically saying babies are all the same.

Fact is babies are all different and you will know when your little one is ready.
And if you aren't 100% sure because your like me a first time parent who second guesses themselves because you don't want to screw up anything you can ask your doctor. I did and he told me to at 2 months I could start to feed him more or spoon little bit of rice cereal to him from a baby bowl if he is still acting hungry.
He was also a chunker eating 4 ounces every hour to 2 hours then. And don't worry about a weight gain problem if shes proportioned. He was 13lbs and 24ins at 2 months so he didn't look fat in the belly because he was pretty long or atleast to me he didn't look like a fat baby. lol

But it really just depends on the weight of the baby. If you have a big baby eating like my little guy then do it. But if baby is still eating less than that then just give her more formula or breast milk. Hope that helped!

Jamie - posted on 10/18/2009

My daughter did the same thing. I started adding cereal to her bottle at just 4 weeks old. It didn't hurt her in any way and she is normal, happy and healthy. My doctor said it was fine, but not to keep putting the cereal in the bottle, but to introduce it by spoon when she was old enough to hold her head up and eat from a spoon.

Nicole - posted on 10/17/2009

My son was the same way. He would eat every two hours, except he would suck down more than three ounces at a time. Also he would screem at the top of his lungs anytime the bottle was removed from his mouth. My doctor recommended that he didn't start cereal until 6 months but i believe i started him at 4 months due to him going through so much formula. I would say talk to your doctor and if you due decide to give her cereal in the formula make sure you use a size two nipple or the she will suck and suck and suck and nothing will come out.

Tanya - posted on 10/17/2009

my son had reflux from birth the dr said it was ok to give him 1 tsp per ounce of formula at 2 weeks old. but if she is crying she might have gas and you can try some infant gas medicine and see if that helps. it is totally up to you. My son was eating 6oz at 1 month.

Lizzy - posted on 10/17/2009

put her up to 5 oz it dont matter if she dont finish it all, when she does start finishing it put it up to 6 an so on, i never gave my daughter baby rice till 6 months.

Michelle - posted on 10/17/2009

I HAVE FOUND OUT EVERY BABY IS DIFFERENT. I WAS TOLD NOT TO PUT CEREAL IN MY BABY'S BOTTLE BECAUSE IT WOULD CAUSE HER TO BECOME OVER WEIGHT. THE FORMULA WAS TO THIN FOR HER, SO I STARTED TO ADD CEREAL. WHEN I DID THAT SHE DIDN'T THROW UP, AND SHE WAS LESS HUNGRY TO. I STARTED WHEN SHE WAS 4 MONTHS, AND SHE IS FINE. EACH METHOD WORKS DIFFERENT FOR EACH BABY, YOU HAVE TO FIND THE ONE THAT WORKS FOR YOUR BABY!!!!

Deanna - posted on 10/17/2009

I am so glad you posted this because my Olivia is the same way...I am going to ask her doctor about the acid reflux thing and her trying to sooth it with drinking:) She is 6 weeks old and drinks 6 oz every 3-4 hours!! I feel like that is a lot..but she is my first child so I have no idea.

Heather - posted on 10/17/2009

when both my kids were two weeks old i gave them a teaspoon of rice ceral in there bottle..if i feed them anymore formula they would trow it up but they were hungary and that solved it and they sleept through the night ...

Hanna - posted on 10/17/2009

Your 1 month old little princess is like my son who was 9lb 4 oz at birth and had an appetite of a crocodile pretty much from the moment he came out of me. he had a low blood sugar level so they gave him formula (he was a c-section because at almost 41 weeks i wasn't going into labor & my cervix was high & posterior so it was dangerous to induce me as it could have resulted in some serious injuries for my baby & for myself), he ate the whole bottle, then 2 hrs later he ate another one (there goes the theory that their stomachs are tiny & don't need that much food the first day) he was eating every 2.5-3 hrs since day 1. then he was always too hungry so he wouldn't nurse (and believe me i tried every trick in the book & even a top lactation consultant in town couldn't get him to latch on so i had to pump & give) and until he was 1.5 months, i went through hell trying to get my milk supply up because he was eating over 25 oz a day and by 3.5 months he was eating about 35-40 oz a day.



now to answer your question: unless your child has acid reflux, safe age to add rice cereal is 4-4.5 months. and that should be decided by your pediatrician, not you. i know it's hard, i know it sucks, believe me, we've been there before, but until your baby is that age, if she's hungry just increase amount of formula you're giving to her.



all this nonsense about how much a child should be eating before 9 months is guidelines, but not strict rules. and the reason being that kids are different size & don't tell me that a 3 months old who is 9lb & a 3 month old who is 15lbs eat the same amount. because they don't. and at that age, they eat as much as they need so put a slow-flow nipple on the bottle & put more in the bottle that way she'll eat as much as she wants but won't over eat before her brain will tell her that she's no longer hungry. by doing this, you will also develop an eating pattern that is easier for you to manage (i.e. your baby will eat more fewer times during the day rather than grazing all day long & every hour at night).



now as far as adding cereal to bottle. again it depends on your baby. i did & it worked great, but by the time i did, my son was eating out of a #3 nipple (fast flow) and i started with a little bit so he continued eating out of #3 nipple, and by the time i bumped it up to a cereal nipple the mixture was thick enough & flow wasn't that much faster where he would choke. the choke hazard comes from flow being too fast & from cereal nipples cracking. it's true that a y-shaped nipples are harder to clean & if baby decides to chew on them, the hole gets bigger & that's when it becomes a choke hazard. so you do have to replace the nipples as soon as u see that there's even a little bit of a crack, which sometimes means that you change them out every 2 weeks.



for everyone who says u should feed rice cereal from a spoon because it's easier, if your child eats it, great! go for it! my son HATED IT! not that he hated eating from a spoon because he ate apple sauce & banana & sweet potato & squashes, zucchini, pumpkin just fine, but not cereal. then one day i decided to taste what i was feeding him & let me tell you, i wouldn't eat rice cereal from a spoon either. it tastes disgusting!

i hope this helps, good luck to you!

Chelsea - posted on 10/17/2009

When my daughter was 3 months old I noticed her not being completely satisfied with just formula. So I started giving her rice cereal. I made it really runny, and fed it to her with a spoon. She took right to it. But at one month, your baby is probably going through a growth spurt, so just give her more formula at each feeding.

Allison - posted on 10/17/2009

Quoting Jackie:

I gave my son rice cereal at one month. But he was also spitting up alot. And on the contray of what Gerber says, my pediatrician said it was fine. It was thicker and would keep him fuller longer. It also helped SO Much with the spit up. He had colic and acid reflux. She also told me that it would help him with sleeping at night. Babies wake up because they are hungray, if they arent hungray they will sleep longer at night and stay awake longer during the day due to having a good nights sleep (they still need their naps though). I guess it all on what YOU think. My son, it worked. I went with what my pediatrician said and it made mine and my husbands life alot easier under the circumstances. Your the mom go by your instincts. If in doubt, ask your pediatrician. Hope this helps.

I gave my son cereal at 2 months old in the bottle bc the formula and breastmilk wasnt filling him. He would nurse for half an hour, still want a 2-3 ounce bottle and was still looking for more!! I was also pumping at the time bc of medical issues from when he was born. He was getting at least 2 ounces while nursing plus the bottle and when I spoke with the pedi he said to try and put some rice in his bottle to keep him fuller. It worked with my son as well and I know my cousins have done the same with their daughters.  I saw earlier someone had said about it causing weight issues, my son is now almost 1 and is still under 20lbs, he's tall and skinny. Just do what u think is best and if your not sure ask your pedi.

Jennifer - posted on 10/16/2009

i started giving my daughter cereal at 3 months old for acid reflux. Despite what Gerber or anyone else says, you can put the cereal in her bottle as long as you have a cereal nipple and you hold her upright when she eats. Also make sure it is shaken up very well so there are no chunks in it. But at 1 month old, she is going through a growth spurt so just give her 4 oz. my daughter (4 months now) was never on a schedule. i believe when ur hungry you eat so i never kept a schedule. she eats 3 oz every 2 hours but its so little cuz the reflux. i would try to postpone the cereal until at least 3 months because their digestive systems arent developed enough to break down the ingrediants. my daughter developed a 102.5 fever within 15 mins of eatting her first bottle with cereal...so wait as long as possible. She just has a hearty appitite. let her eat, shell be fine! =)

Brittany - posted on 10/16/2009

ps i've seen everyone was mentioning a weight gain problem. like i said i have been giving my daughter cereal in her bottle, she is now 4mths old, n she is georgous. shes on schedule with her weight, she's very smart, and very active... take a look at her. im not saying feed her cereal cuz i said so, if your comfortable with it, and you believe this will help with your problem. you can look at pics of my daughter shes not over weight at all, and i lie to you not, she did the same thing ate, and cried til i fed her more. i was so worried that i took her to the doctor to make sure nothing was wrong once i started with the cereal, she would eat the bottle without crying after wards play for hrs and go to sleep. i used to have to give her a bottle just to get her to sleep. now she falls asleep on her own.

Brittany - posted on 10/16/2009

its not as bad as it seems. she's supposed to eat every 2 hrs when shes that young. but, i had the same concern and i actually started giving my daughter cereal when she was two mths. its kept her full for longer and it actually helped her to get to sleep faster and stay asleep longer. so i think it would be a good idea for you to start giving it to her.

Danielle - posted on 10/16/2009

Usually about 4 months you want to start adding rice cereal in the bottle, but only when your peditrician tells you that it is time. :) Hopefully this helps. For now I would just increase the formula intake like the last reply!

Christine - posted on 10/16/2009

I didn't start my daughter on rice cereal until 4 months but with my now 8 week old son, I started him at 6 weeks, twice a day. He was eating 3-4 ounces every 2-3 hours and now it isn't as often because the cereal fills him up. It also allows both of us to sleep longer during the night! I am glad I didn't listen to what others said (including dr.s) about waiting until 6 months! I agree with another mother above, you know what is best for your child.

Sarah - posted on 10/16/2009

Babies will eat more often if they hit a growth spert. More than likely, she's at the right age and she'll be hungry more often. There's nothing wrong with giving her a little more formula. I'd say rice cereal at a month is a little soon. My daughter started at about 7 weeks, but never out of a bottle. She was also on baby bananas because she was eating every 30-45 min. lol (It's okay ladies, calm down, the doc said it was fine as long as she seemed to handle it fine.) My parents did the same with my sisters and me as did both sets of grandparents. Everyone's fine. Babies will eat anywhere from every 2.5 to 4 hours for the first few months. It's normal.

Rachel - posted on 10/16/2009

I would start with bumping the amount of formula you give at each feeding. See if she will take 4 oz at one sitting. My son is 6 weeks old and we started him on rice cereal a week ago. He was taking 6 oz of formula very 4 hours at that time, but with me going back to work soon, we need him to sleep longer at night. He is now taking between 4-6 oz with the rice cereal and is doing wonderfully. He sleeps between 6 and 8 hours at night. Just be sure to use a bigger nipple on the bottle. Otherwise it will take her forever to get through a bottle. Hope this helps!

Virginia - posted on 10/15/2009

its only a choking hazard if you start too early or add too much. i started adding some rice cereal to my sons bottles at about 3 or 4 months. i would put 1 table spoon to 4oz of formula. its very little and it wasn't even enough that i had to do anything to the nipples, plus i would only do it for his night time bottles. it would buy me 3 1/2 hours between bottles as opposed to 2 hours

Erica - posted on 10/15/2009

My little boy was 10lb 4 ounces when he was born so he started eating alot. He was eating over 20 ounces a day before he was a month old so we started him on oatmeal in his bottle. People say not to, but he loves it and we haven't had any problems with him like constipation or vomitting. It is a personal call just trust your gut. He gets 1/4 cup of oatmeal mixed with 4 ounces of water and two scoops of formula. Good luck.

Marissa - posted on 10/14/2009

I would try like 5oz or so of formula...but most Docs don't recommend cereal til 4months BUT if your baby spits up alot they say that its ok. Enfamil makes this super expensive formula for spit up but all it has in it is rice flour which basically is the same thing as cereal. I gave my youngest cereal at about 8weeks because he was eating 5 or 6 oz of formula every 2-3 hours ALL the time. If your baby is sucking down 5 or 6oz all the time I would do what you think is best but the longer you hold out on cereal the better because what the docs recommend is basically an average as to when MOST babies can handle that careal in thier tummy. not all kids can take it, some are ok while others are not. IF you do decide to try cereal though, I would try it in the afternoon for the first time and see how the baby takes it. If they are screaming and fussy the rest of the day then don't keep doing it. That way you aren't up all night with a screaming baby..Good luck with everything! :)