When is it okay to start a baby on cereal?

Dana - posted on 07/12/2010

you usually start cereal at 4 months old. My son will be 3 months old next week and he has acid reflux so the dr said to give him 2 spoon full of cereal and it helps! he sleeps all night long.hes a much happier baby. dr may say wait. but its your baby and its up to you. I say go for it.

Kristin - posted on 07/12/2010

I'm sure similar things have been posted, but I also have a 3 month old and he has a HUGE appetite. And like a few people said, I'm not going to let him go hungry so I talked to the dr. and she said to start him on cereal (he was not quite 3 months at the time) and he LOVES it! I did try it in a bottle first but he's such a vigorous eater that he kept choking on it and spitting it up so I switched to a spoon and he took to it very well. Now he eats a 6 oz. bottle and about 1 tbsp. of cereal mixed with about 2-3 tbsp. of formula for breakfast along with about 1/2 to 1 jar of either applesauce, bananas, or pears (the baby food, not regular fruit), and at night he usually just has the cereal and a 6 oz. bottle. And as a bonus, he's learning how to eat off of a spoon which is a little tough at first but once they learn the whole "open your mouth" part of it, it works! Good luck!

Sena - posted on 07/12/2010

I gave my daughter breast milk every 2 to 3 hours until she was 4 months old. She as waking up in the middle of the night hungry for more. When she was 4 months I started giving her baby rice cereal at night. I give her a bath at about 9 or 9:30 and I put her to bed at 10:00. She has about 1 1/2 tbs. of rice cereal with her milk and she sleeps from 10 at night to 8 in the morning. It is such a blessing to have a child who sleeps through the night. I would talk to your doctor if your concerned. I have had friends and family who have given their child cereal when they were 1 month because their child wouldn't stay satisfied.

Ashley - posted on 07/12/2010

thats is normal for a three month old to get up like that through the night.....to eat such a big bottle...well it just depends on the baby I guess!! My boy when he was younger he was up every 3 hours in the night drinking a 4 oz bottle. Starting him on cereal will not hurt him at all. You know your baby best. Just watch to make sure that he's not getting binded up and not developing any rashes or having any rections at all to it!

Marilyn - posted on 07/12/2010

with my 5 year old we started her out on rice cerel at 2.5 months the stared mixed fruit and veggies into the cerel, and of course the bottle of formula after she ate. We also plan on doing so with our son, he wakes every 2 hours at night to eat.

Honesty - posted on 07/12/2010

thats funny, i think all docs have different opinions, my daughters doctor told us to do the B.R.A.T. diet. Bananas, Rice Cereal, Apples, and Toast, but you cant do the toast obviously. he told me to do the fruits first which i dont think is a big difference, i started my daughter on carrots and she loves them, i make sure i give her veggies all the time cause my husbnad doesnt like them except for a select few and i want to make sure my daughter likes them. once she starts eating more she will get veggies and fruit at each sitting

Mary - posted on 07/12/2010

My son was the same way,his doctor told us to put 4tsp of cereal in every 6oz bottle,he was only 2months then,and when he was 4months they told us to start giving him vegies first,not fruits,b/c if u do fruits first it is hard to get them to the vegies which has a of nutriants they need.I would try this my son sleeps all night now.but wic on the other hand will disagree,but I suggest you wait till you talk to ur doctor and see what they think b/c every baby is different.I hope all works out for u good luck.

Chantelle - posted on 07/12/2010

i have a 4 month old and she sleeps on avaerage 5-6 hrs a night, then feeds then goes back down for another 4-5 hrs. it's normal for a 4 month old to sleep for 4 hrs or so. i am not going to start my daughter on cereal until she is around 6 months.

Winnie Takyiwah - posted on 07/12/2010

I am always thankful when my 3 month old sleeps for 4 hours and takes 4 oz of milk. I think your baby is healthy and 3- 4 hours is pretty good. Mine will have at most 4 oz and will feed every 2 to 3 hours at night. She sleeps the same when she has 2 oz.I think you should wait and ask your doctor at the 4 month appt. But mothers instincts are always the ones to respond to. Good luck

Honesty - posted on 07/12/2010

i would talk to your doctor to get the go ahead and be on the safe side, but my daughter started at 3 months cause she was eating so much. i went home to visit famliy and that first week i spent 60 in formula, but he did tell me to wait till 4 months before i start on food. my mom said she started me and my siblings on the oatmeal juice which is really thick like cereal when we were only a few weeks old and we turned out fine lol.

Kristina - posted on 07/12/2010

yes u can start when ever your ready i did it because it helped my son but since the day my first son was born until now he sleep a good 8 to 10hrs with no problem he gets his 3 meals a day 2 snacks and he is good and going on 2 years old and he started no 1 at 4months and that was good the other one i started a 3 1/2 months.

Kristina - posted on 07/12/2010

my doc he told me to spoon feed him or put it in a feeder at 3 1/2 month and have started that because my first son was a big eater and started no1 baby food at 4month.

Melissa - posted on 07/12/2010

i havent read all the replys too many!!
but my daughter is 4 months old i tried her on baby rice at 3 months old to make her sleep longer but it was too heavy on her stomach but she was 2 months early so that probably why she used to wake up every 4 hours too and it starts to tire you out when its been three months of it. but now she goes about 8 to 20 hours and thats just on breast or bottle! so its entirely up to you if you want to try and just see what happens and then you can decide if you do ita gain or not! try baby rusk mixed with there normal milk instead of the rice or cereal that may be better and they mnay sleep longer!! best of luck x

Victoria - posted on 07/11/2010

you can deff put some rice cereal in his bottle, my son puked right after he drank his bottle and he was 3 months and his doctor recommended that i put rice cereal in his bottle to help him from throwing up. my son also had a big appetite and it helped! and start with rice cereal first because its not as thick as oatmeal cereal.

Dana - posted on 07/11/2010

Because our son had acid reflux, our pediatrician and GI Specialist recommended we put rice cereal in the his milk at 8 weeks old. They thought it would thicken the breastmilk and help keep it down. Of course, that didn't work, but it certainly didn't hurt either! He was so used to the rice cereal that we started with Stage 1 foods at 3 months. I can't say that it helped his sleeping patterns; he's been a good nighttime sleeper since about 10 weeks. I really believe that each baby is different, and as far as the "wait til they're 6 months to introduce anything else" thing goes, you know what is best for your baby. It's not like you're gonna hand him an Oreo cookie! If you choose to introduce foods/cereal, make sure to do it one at a time, and watch for any allergies... although, I'm sure you know that. I would personally recommend introducing rice first, before oatmeal cereal, just because of the allergy factor, and the texture. Good luck!! (:

Jamie - posted on 07/11/2010

I started my son on ceral at 3 months and he started sleeping from 8pm to 7am. It didn't seem to bother his system and he loved getting something different before bed.

Angel - posted on 07/11/2010

there is times where your baby will have problems doing the #2 but i found waterd down apple juice will help slove that but also they sell at store is the lil things of juice for babys called apple and prune juice might want to keep some of those on hand to

Angel - posted on 07/11/2010

the docs says to wait till thier 6 months but i started my daugther on ceral at 3 weeks old and she loved it and it does keep her fuller. you can try it and see how it works out! good luck

Serena - posted on 07/11/2010

My daughter was on cereal at about 2 1/2 months. I agree with not adding it to the bottle. I found that a spoon works fine. I just dilute it down with milk/water until you find a tecture your child will like. If i didn't feed my daughter cereal I would have had a child latched onto me for every second of the day :). Use your best judgement though. It's what you feel comforatble with .

Brittany - posted on 07/11/2010

the only big thing i saw when i put cereal in my daughters bottle is she would sometimes have trouble doing te #2 so i would just give her like 4-6oz of water a day and that seemed to hlep

Brittany - posted on 07/11/2010

your baby wil not be obese if you put cereal in a bottle!! before they walk its healthy for them to be chubby, it makes the bottles last longer so your not still feeding them bottles with formula every 3 hours..its stretches out...and by the time they are walking they are on different food and the are walking adn runny and the lose the weight...

Amanda - posted on 07/11/2010

i started my daughter on cereal at 3 weeks she slept thru the night ever sence i started her on fruit and vegies at 3 months and she sleeps any where from 9 pm till 6 am to eat then falls asleep again till 10 to eat and then shes up for the day. Doctors will tell u diff but it worked for me and thats what alot of ppl told me to do.

Jessica - posted on 07/11/2010

it's different for each child, i think. my son started to each the baby oatmeal with banana when he was 3 months old. i fed him this before bedtime because his formula alone was not keeping him satisfied enough to sleep at night. he would sleep but was so restless that i couldn't sleep a wink. after feeding him the cereal he settled down at night a lot. he was just hungry. each parent is different tho. just listen to your child. he or she will let u know when they are ready.

Stephanie - posted on 07/11/2010

My son was put on it at 4 months old on the reccomendation of my pediatrician because he was not getting full and he is fine

Melissa - posted on 07/11/2010

You gotta do what you think is best. My daughter is is about 3 and half months and I am starting her on cereal. The doctors are ridiculous these days. They are encouraging parents to wait till 6 months. The rule of thumb is 4 to 6 months but go by what you think.

Jennifer - posted on 07/11/2010

You are the mom and do know what is best for your child. The doctors can give you great advice about medical issues but you are the one with your child everyday and know what they need. I agree with waiting till they are 6 month but my kids had more of a risk for allergies because of their dad. So waiting 6 months or having years of allergies was worth the wait for us. My sister gave her son cereal at one month but was told to by her doctor because he was not gaining any wait. It is a personal choice and you would know best. Like some one already said you could call your doctor for advice they should understand your concern. Gook Luck!

Kendra - posted on 07/11/2010

Cereal is a good way to keep them fuller longer but it all depends on how much you use. Even if you put it in his bottle he may still wake up in the same amount of time. If he's rolling his tongue back already I would suggest feeding him a small amount of cereal in a bowl but make sure to make it really soupy so that he can swallow and not worry about chewing. Then give him a bottle. You'll notice that he'll drink less milk and it'll be a longer amount of time in between feedings. I did this with my baby and it worked wonders. My baby is 3 months and she's eating stage 1 baby food like nobody's business. :-)

Tanith - posted on 07/11/2010

Both my pediatrician and family GP told me it is fine to start a baby on a small amount of rice cereal from 3 months. They tend to believe it minimizes the risk of developing allergies, while other doctors believe it increases (all depends on their believes)

I started my son on a teaspoon of rice cereal at night from 3 months and he was absolutely fine with it. It never made him gain any more weight than normal - if you worried about obesity (everything in moderation). It also never made him constipated, nor did I find he had any difficulty digesting it.

There are government recommended guidelines, but as all babies are different, I don't believe there is any rule. My doctor always said a mother must go on what their baby tells them. And if a baby is wakeful and often hungry - then he/she is obviously ready for something more substantial.

Don't be afraid - go for it and see how your son likes it.

Jules - posted on 07/11/2010

Like most people said, the general rule is 6 months. But a couple points: Earth's best baby food says right on the package that it's for 4 months and up. Also, I did have my doctor say it was ok to give my daughter rice cereal at about 4 months because she was always hungry. I would suggest that you go the organic route if you start early- it makes sense that it would be easier to digest without pesticides & what not. We did (& still do) almost all organic for her & she has never had an issue with digestion; no constipation, no throwing up. Hope this helps... remember no one knows your baby better then you do, so go with your gut. Giving them cereal isn't a life & death situation!

Joann - posted on 07/11/2010

theres no harm in given him a little cereal to his milk i used to give my kids when there were 3 months and up its k that way he wont be hungry all the time

Michelle - posted on 07/10/2010

AND again with the cereal issue.....

My pediatrician told me to put cereal in my daughter's bottle when she was 1 month old. The mixture on his orders were 1 part cereal to 1 part formula. She has NEVER had a weight problem and she is almost 5. The only thing she ever CHOKED on was one of those stupid bitter biscuits. IF you feel you son is ready for cereal then by all means, start feeding it to him. Good luck.

Liz - posted on 07/10/2010

No, it's not suggested to start infants on rice cereal until they are 6 months of age.



There are guidelines about this for a reason. Just wait.



Rice cereal in a bottle is BAD!



Here's 5 reasons.



Allergies: While no one agrees completely on what it is that actually causes allergies, we do have enough research to see certain connections. One, very well documented connection to serious allergies is when a baby has been exposed to the allergen too early. Putting cereal in your baby's bottle, even rice cereal, can cause allergies.



Choking hazard: Some infants do not fully have their swallowing reflex fully developed at birth. Sucking cereal from a bottle can cause a choking hazard. . .and babies have actually died this way. Choking on cereal from a bottle certainly isn't a common cause of death. . .but why do it when it is linked to something like choking?



Digestive Issues: There is a connection between babies who have solids too early and digestive problems. The fact of the matter is that baby tummies are designed to take in breastmilk. When you can't breastfeed, there's formula which mimics breastmilk. Baby tummies are not designed to take in solids, and it's not surprising that they malfunction when forced to do what they're not designed to do.



Obesity: One key factor in obesity is infant feeding. Infants are born with a self regulatory ability to take in only what they need. By feeding on demand and following a baby's cues, you are essentially helping them form habits of eating when hungry and eating until they feel full. This sets them up for a lifetime of healthy eating habits. But when you add cereal to a bottle, it bypasses their system and essentially they take in more calories than they need.



It does not work: There is no scientific evidence to support the notion that baby's sleep better with cereal in their bottles. The truth is, babies are designed to wake frequently at night. Dealing with sleep deprivation is part of the parenting package.

Brittany - posted on 07/10/2010

my daughter was born big and ate a lot! when she was 21/2 months i start putting a teaspoon of cereal in her bottles especially the last one of the night and she would sleep from 10 at night to 10 am.... then at 3 months she wasn't sticking out her toungue so much, and i started her on actualy cereal out of a bowl and spoon and added a teasppon or two of applesauce because she neede it! just as long as you watch your ok to give it to him

Elysia - posted on 07/10/2010

professionals dont recomend starting solids until 6months but you can start at 4months on plain rice cereal. I started my son the week before he turned 4months under the supervision of my child health nurse as he was bf and would be feeding for an hr then have an hr and half break and be back on. I knew he was hungry. They say not before 4months as there digestive tract isnt ready to cope with "food"
I would say what your describing sounds like he is going through a growth spurt and just needs a little more to get him through that.

Ashley - posted on 07/10/2010

i started my daughter on it at 3 months...she ate it for breakfast every morning for a month until i started her on baby food. she musta realized it tasted like crap-lol...she would never eat it after that.

Laura - posted on 07/09/2010

I agree with the moms who recommended waiting another month and not to put it in a bottle. I've read the same research about obesity, but I tried this it anyway and I did not notice a difference so I stopped. My baby was sleeping in 3-4 hour spurts at 3 months too so I think it's normal. The formula bottle at night seems like a good suggestion. If you are breast feeding, your baby might want to nurse at night for comfort, not for food. Try a pacifier when he wakes up. Good Luck!

Katherine - posted on 07/09/2010

My pediatrician said I could start cereal at 4 months and to see how it went. I really like my doc, his mantra has always been...baby is boss (when it comes to eating)! My guy wasn't super thrilled with cereal at 4 months so I waited another month and tried again. He hated cereal, no matter how thick or thin it was. I started giving him veggies and he loved them! I'm not sure if you breastfeed or formula feed. If you breastfeed you might think about a bottle of formula at night, it is thicker and takes longer for them to digest and usually helps them sleep longer. I have also seen ads for a formula by Similac that is especially for night-time because it is more dense and helps them sleep longer (in theory). My guy wouldn't breastfeed so he was pretty much always fed formula and by three months was sleeping through the night, and not just 5 hour stretches, he slept from about 9-10pm until at least 7am.....BLISS!!!! Good luck!

Ricky - posted on 07/09/2010

the earliest you should introduce cereal is 4 months, before then they cant digest them. So try to hold out for another month. And when you start to introduce it, keep it quite runny, then slowly thicken it as he starts to eat more of it. The 3-4 hours of sleep is really good, when my son was 3 months hea was up feeding every 1-2 hours during the day and 2-3 hours during the night, which completely exhausted me so I was recommended wean him onto formula which allowed him to stay full longer until he was 4 months and was allowed to start cereals.
Although some moms add cereal to bottles its not recommended by the manufacturers or doctors.

Tyneisha - posted on 07/09/2010

Now. Doctors get on my nerves with that. Fed your child. Milk while it has all the nutrients that your baby needs is not feeling. What you do is put a half of teaspoon of single grain rice cerea; in his bottles. You will notice that he sleeps better and longer and he is full. Milk runs right through babies that's why they feed so often. Also by 4 months your child CAN eat pureed baby food. Sometimes you have to ignore doctors and do what's best for your child. My mom is a clinician at CHKD and the doctors tell her to tell me to do stuff all the time that they can't say on the record professionally.

Ashley - posted on 07/09/2010

I started my baby on cereal to 6 weeks old..I put a little in her bottle to help her sleep through the night and it works wonderfully i have done it will all 4 of my children with the first 3 it made them gassy so i just gave them some infant gas drops and they were fine..my youngest doesnt get gassy with it...any question feel free to ask...

Rebecca - posted on 07/09/2010

Danielle,
When I had my son, they told me to feed him as much as he'll take as often as he wants.
I can't believe they told you that!

Nikki - posted on 07/08/2010

4 hour stretch is very good for a 3 month old and 6-8 ounces is the average every 2-3 hours. My son was eating 4 ounces the day he was born every 2 hours and 12 ounces every 2.5 hours when he was 4 months, so at 5 months we intro'd veggies and fruits ( he didnt take well to cereal) It is recommended you wait til 6 months.



Please do not start your baby early on food to get the to sleep through the night, their digestive system is still too weak and new to process solid food and this can cause a very gassy and constipated baby and then you wont be getting any sleep.



At least try to wait another month and ask your doctor first, 6-8 ounces is pretty average for that age



also DO NOT PUT CEREAL IN A BOTTLE ITS A CHOKING HAZARD AND IT CAN LEAD TO OBESITY, FEED IT WITH A SPOON.

Sarah - posted on 07/08/2010

I would call your doc and see what he/she suggests. 4 hr stretch is normal for your son's age, so there is no need to do cereal. The sleeping longer/better is more of a myth. Sometimes they sleep less because it upsets their tummy and they can't sleep as well. It can also make them constipated which then leads to other issues. Really at your son's age for brain development formula/breastmilk should be all that he is getting right now.

When you start cereal you will need to water it down a lot. At first babies are not use to the texture and consistency and will often times coke on the thicker made cereal. So at first you are feeding them more of a liquid cereal and as they get older and more use to the texture then you make it thicker.

Danielle - posted on 07/08/2010

My doctor told me three months and I can mix it in --JUST A LITTLE -- into his bottle. I cant wait three and a half more weeks. I know what you mean my seven week old will eat six sometimes eight oz. (Course the nurse at the doc office has a fit each time I tell her that, "NNOO he can only have three oz every three hours at MOST." I looked at her and told her "You keep him a day and do that, he is hungry I am not going to let my son go hungry")
His grandmother keeps giving me a hard time saying to go ahead and start it but I am waiting till three months, I know once we start he will sleep on his own for the entire night, I just know he will.

Angie - posted on 07/08/2010

a 4 hours stretch is really great for a 3 month old. Sleeping through the night is technically only 5 hours so that's really good.

I wouldn't give any sort of solid foods before 6 months old (including cereal). Chances are it won't help them sleep longer and could have very negative long term affects if started too early.

Jordan - posted on 07/08/2010

In general Doctors do not recommend Cereal until they are at least six months of age because thier littl ebodies cannot digest it. However my 10 and 11 month old niece and nephew both started cereal around 3 months because they were both hungry and it did satisfy them longer. I dont think it bothered them because they continued giving them a couple ounces before bed. My sister said the Rice Cereal was hard on my nephews system so she recommended Oatmeal Cereal to me if I decide to use cereal earlier. You will find many different opinions on this topic so you should probably do your research and make the best decision for your family.