4 Month Old Reacting Poorly to Rice Cereal??

Hi J.,

I didn't get a chance to read the other ladies' comments so I hope I'm not suggesting something already written. My advice is to cut back to only one serving of rice cereal a day for now. When I started giving my son solids (I didn't start until he was 6 months), I gave him only a small amount of rice cereal in the morning along with his bottle. I didn't begin giving him the two meals until probably a week or two later. She may just be getting too much at once and her little body just isn't ready for all that. We only recently, after a month of eating solids, have increased his cereal from 1/4 of a cup to 1/3 of a cup twice a day. His second round of cereal (and now a veggie) is given at the 3rd feeding instead of the 4th and final feeding of the day. He seemed restless at night too and we were afraid he was getting too full shortly before bedtime. He may have had a stomach ache. So I think maybe just try less than 1/4 cup once a day for a while and once she's able to tolerate that, increase the amount. If it's still not working, I would just hold off on the solids until she's a little older. It's not a problem to wait if she isn't able to handle it right now.

Good luck!
-K.

it sounds like she's not ready. my doctor recommended we wait until at least 6-7 mos, but that was because my son was predisposed to food allergies. is that a possiblility? Does yoru doctor have any feedback?

Hi J.,
I was also told to start my son on cereal around 4 mos old. However, the cereal just didn't agree with him. I switched to oatmeal, and that was much better. Try a little at first and see how she reacts. If she spits that up too, then wait and try again in a few weeks. Good luck!

I haven't read all of the other responses yet. However I was just reading about baby's first foods in the Chiropractor's Office the other day and it says "NO RICE CEREAL!" not in their bottle, not as their first food, not for babies. Even though that is what I started my daughter with when she was a baby, I do agree after reading the article. I educated myself so much more on baby food after my first, so this time around with my 6 month old I've taken a whole new approach. Ideally you should wait at least 6 months to introduce anything into your baby's system besides Breast Milk, that is if you're BFing. Then after much research and talking to friends, I decided No Baby Food! Baby Food is designed for little babies and is mostly junk food in a jar. I don't even blend up or puree his food, it's not necessary. I am giving real food to my son. He eats a real banana and sucks on it until it's soft then he swallows it. He eats raw eggplant, for some reason he really likes this...I like mine cooked. He likes to hold and suck on raw carrots and mushrooms. I am in amazement, he can actually suck, gum (chew) and then swallow. The article states staying away from wheat and grains because their body isn't designed to digest them yet, and they can become gassy. It also suggests holding off on melons and berries because they can be high allergy foods. So introduce them a little and only at one time to see how your baby reacts to them. I thought was I was doing the right thing with my first by doing the rice cereal, oatmeal, baby food thing, then I did research, and I feel so much more confident and better about my decision as far as food goes this time around.
Hope this helps.

My daughter introduced rice cereal to her daughter at the pediatrician's suggestion as well. She was also breastfed. The first time, she threw up rather than spit up. The second time, she was hospitalized. It was determined that she had a rice allergy, and later oat allergy as well. Different doctors have had different opinions, but my daughter felt that the cereals were given too early. Her research has suggested that when babies are introduced to foods too early, they may develop allergies to them. Based on what she's learned, she made the decision that for subsequent babies, she would not introduce foods until six months, and limit her own intake of foods that are highly allergenic while breastfeeding. It sounds as if your daughter is thriving, so two more months with strictly breast milk shouldn't be a problem. If you have any doubts, contact La Leche for advice.

My son did the same thing. He did it at 6mths too. He could never handle rice cereal. I got a great book called "Super Baby Food". This book suggested giving avacado (of course liquified (I diluted with breastmilk) he handled it like a champ. No spitting up or poor bowel movements. This book is a great resource even if you do not do everything it says. Yes my son will still eat raw avacado. It has way more nutrients than a simple carb cereal. Good luck, I hope this helps!

I would take it as a sign that she isn't ready.

Really, breastmilk has more calories in it than solids so if she is looking for more after breastfeeding solids aren't going to fill her up all that much. Your breasts will adjust and she might just be going through a growth spurt.

Also, I don't really think that interest in your food is a readiness factor. I know a lot of people say it is but I just never bought into it. From about 2 1/2 months on my daughter was interested in my plate of food but she was far from ready for solids. At the same time if she saw me putting on make up she was interested in my make up...and yet I don't think anybody would argue she was ready to wear make up. Your daughter is at an age where she is interested in whatever you have - food, make-up, a house hold cleaner, whatever.

I'd say wait another month or so...solids is such a huge shock to their digestive systems anyway, I'd let hers develop a little bit more.

We didn't start solids until 7 months and my daughter ate like a champ (until she decided she was too busy to eat).

Good luck!!!

I had the same problem with my son on rice cereal. He has reflux, so at around 4 months I was supposed to give him just a little rice cereal like just a tablespoon twice a day and his spitting up got worse and he didn't sleep and his doctor told me to stop the rice cereal he may have an allergy to it, so I did. Now that he is 9 months they are suggesting I try it again since he is eatting foods with rice flour in it. So if I were you I would talk to her doctor and see if an allergy could be the problem. Good Luck!! I know how frustrating getting new foods in them can be.

DO NOT use honey!! Honey can cause Infant Botulism. google it. As far as the cereal: How much are you giving her? It should only be about 1 Tablespoon cereal and 1.5-2 Tablespoons breastmilk. It should be very runny. Try that once a day until you see her taking it well and then twice a day and so forth. then you can start baby foods! With the spitting up: What time are you giving it to her because if you are feeding it to her right after you bf then her belly may not need anymore food. Find a good time in between feedings to do the cereal. If she is constipated you can try giving her a little diluted juice to try to move things through or mix a little bit of baby prunes with her cereal and breast milk. Should get things moving. Hope this helps!

You might try a different cereal. My daughter was also exclusively breastfed and she loved oatmeal cereal. Gerber was the brand we used. I have also known people who fed their children the same veggies they were eating in a puree form so they would learn to eat whatever the family ate. Sounds like your daughter wants to be a "part" of the family in the eating sense too! I'm sure there will be other great suggestions here too. We have the BEST Moms here!

I would say yes, she is not ready for solids at least her little tummy and digestive system is not truly ready. Continue to breast feed, your body will be able to do everything and then some to sustain your little ones tummy. Drs are suggesting you start feeding earlier and earlier but you really don't have to until they are 6 months old. Breast milk is still the very best and has all the nutrients needed to give her everything she needs. Though their could be an allergic reaction to the rice cereal, so I would also talk to your dr and see what they say. Rice is by far the least allergenic, but you never know. Hope that helps.

A.

it sounds like your daughters system just isn't ready for solids. she does not need anything but breast milk until she is 8 months. i would go back to nursing, and just try again later. you could try at 5 months, and if she is still not ready, try again at 6 and so on. she could also have a food allergy, but more than likely, she is just not able to digest the solids yet.

My son was/is allergic to rice cereal. It didn't mateter what time of day it was or what I mixed the cereal with, he threw it up. I just stopped giving him rice cereal and he eats barley or Oatmeal. The barley is mild like the rice where as the oatmeal has a funky taste but he seems to like it. Just because "they" say to start with rice doesn't mean that it will work for your baby. Just use something else and see if you get the same results. If she is still fussy and spitting up with the different cereals then I would wait a wile longer before you try to give her food again.....Hope this helps.......Oh yea and for some reason my son can eat rice but not rice cereal so if she does have an allergy/intollerance to rice cereal that doesn't always mean she wont be able to eat other rice products....GL

Sorry to hear your little one is having some problems! When my daughter was 5 months old, the doc suggested that we try solids. She was in the 90th percentile for weight. Well, once we introduced rice cereal, the trouble began. She ended up having problems passing the food. This led to having to stimulate her bowels and give her suppositories. She was also cranky (can you blame her). To make a long story short, we ended up having to eliminate solids and it has been difficult to get her up to speed on taking solids. She is now 15 months old and starting to pick up. With all that said, I would suggest maybe holding off a little on the solids to let her system get regulated. That is finally what the doctor's office suggested to us. You might want to check with her ped just to make sure. I have heard that their little tummies are not ready for digesting solids until around 6 months. When you do resume feeding, we had success with the infant oatmeal cereal. Hope this helps!

2 times a day might be too much to start off with. When I started my daughter on rice at 4 months I did it once a day at her before bedtime feeding. i would mix maybe 5 tbsp of rice with milk and she would eat it all. she would also have a 4oz bottle but sometimes she would not drink it all. spitting up is definitely gonna happen because the stomach is getting use to something new. after a couple weeks i started giving her 2 feedings. (morning and night) you have to look for signs that tell you they dont want anymore food. my daughter will keep eating as long as you put the spoon to her mouth. i know shes done eating when she stops getting "excited" to see the spoon coming towards her mouth.

she may be cranky because her tummy is too full and that could cause the not wanting to nap. my daughter would become (and still does) so irrate when she got too full. the only thing that would soothe her is if i rubbed her tummy or she spit up. after a few weeks she should get use to the rice and then you can start her on baby food.

hope this helps :)

as far as the honey/maple/karo syrup goes...that is a decision you have to make on your own. i have given my daughter honey and karo. she didnt get sick from having either. EX: when my daughter was gasy i would boil 2 oz water with rose petals (drain the petals) and give her the "rose" water mixed with literally 2 drops of honey in it. in 30 min or less she would not be fussy and her gas was gone. I would also give her karo (tbsp in her milk) when she was constipated. fyi- i pumped for 3 months then switched to formula-

if you beleive in giving you child home remedies then i would say go for it but it is really up to you.

Could be the vaccinations also. Her little legs could hurt from the shots. I would take her off the rice cereal for a couple of weeks then try again.

Skip the rice cereal and go on to the next step in solids. Not all children will like it or react well to it. Just go on to the next cereal or even veggies. It does not have to be done in the exact order. Believe me, neither of my girls did it exactly right and they are VERY healthy now.

If she is in the 99% then i wouldn't worry about solid foods yet. research is showing that babies that are fed solids before six months have more digestive problems later in life. i would just keep giving her that good breast milk, there will be plenty of time for solids later.god bless.

Maybe you should try just giving her one feeding til her tummy adjusts. Also, many doctors (think about it in a global sense too) recommend that perhaps rice cereal is not the best first food after all. There are tons of things to read about this on-line. Just a thought. Good luck. Seems strange that rice would make her spit up since the formulas that are made for babies to prevent spit up all add rice. I bet her little tummy is just getting used to it. Plain yogurt might be another good first food option for you.

I would highly recommend stopping the cereal for a couple of weeks and then trying again. The baby's digestive system might not be ready for the cereal at this point.

this can be *so* confusing!!

i do believe they are not supposed to get honey until they are at least 1 year old. so please check that out. it can be dangerous due to botulism.

also, four months may be too early for your baby for cereal. i started my daughter at six months as per the pedi. i know all babies are different, but it sounds like, and i think you recognize, that maybe your baby needs a bit more time.

please don't rush anything. the advice you have gotten so far is sound. the cereal to start should be runny (esp. for for such a little one!), and in between feedings. to try and minimize spit ups, keep her upright, and settled during and after feeding. if it's just too much for her to handle, try again a few weeks.

when my daughter had problems pooping at such a young age (even before 4 months), we were told (by the pedi) to give up to 2 ounces of water a day. you can call your pedi office and see what they say if she has any problems with that! it did help.

but most of all, don't stress, and keep in contact with us here.

we will all try and help the best we can!

I exclusively breastfeed my son until he was 14 months old...he had a sensitive gag reflex. I tried but he would just gag and throw up. So I would definitely put off introducing solids...sounds like your daughter is doing great with just your milk. Just follow her cues. Also the cereals are not the best first baby food...there is little to no nutrition in it. So maybe to mashed banana or avocado or something of the sort...when she is ready. Also some of the other signs of readiness for solids are sitting up on there own and loss of the tongue thrush reflex. Best of luck.

Hi J.! I'm kind of surprised that your physician recommended that you start your 4-month-old on anything other than breastmilk, even if she's big for her age. I thought that the AAP was currently recommending not starting babies on any solids (including cereal) until at least 6 months (due to their digestive systems not being ready, not having anything to do with size). I would definitely listen to your "Mommy instincts" and not give her any more right now if she doesn't seem to be doing well with it.

My son (now 3) and daughter (now 18 months) were very different regarding eating, introducing solids, etc. My daughter only wanted to breastfeed, and wanted nothing to do with any baby food until about 8 months. We started trying to introduce it at 6 months, but she never cared for it. Then, she only ate pureed baby foods for about 2 months before moving completely to table food ... I think she almost skipped the whole baby food stage! And, she hated the plain cereals, and never did eat those at all!

My son started right before he was 6 months old, and ate some baby food until almost 14 months ... he loved it, and started with rice cereal and always ate them. I just think babies are different and you have to do what works for them (with guidance from your pediatrician, but not "by the book" all the time). Good luck!

Hi J.,

As a mom who has exclusively breastfed all 3 of my little ones until they showed any interest in the food I was eating, I second all the recommendations to continue doing what you're doing...Breastfeed!!!

I found that when my little ones were ready to start solids I skipped the rice cereal all together and gave them whole foods...avacado, green beans, carrots, bananas, etc that were given directly from our plates but mashed, cubed or sliced depending on what worked best for our children.

Keep doing what worked for you momma!

Peace,
J.

I have a 3yr old little girl and when she was 4mths old I too started her on cereal. Instead of mixing it with breastmilk, I mixed it with a little bit of water in a bowl for the first week and spoon fed her in her high chair. She made a huge mess for the first week but then after that she loved it and got the hang of it. After 2-3 weeks we then started mixing it into her bottle at night (night time was formula and cereal) and she started sleeping 12 hours at a time. After that, we started to feed it to her in the mornings mixed in with baby food, usually bananas and then was a very easy transition into 3 meals a day. These things take time it is all trial and error. Hope this helps! Good luck!

she might be alleger reaction to the rice cereal . my son did when he was that age try a diferent type sorry for the miss spell words.

J.,
It may not be that she is not ready for solids, she just may not digest the rice cereal well. My oldest didn't do really well on the rice cereal, so I tried the oatmeal and just made it really thin.

I also have a five month old daughter. I was told by the pedi. to try to start her on rice cereal because it is supposed to be the easiest on the stomach. My daughter loved it and would eat it with no problem, however, when she went to sleep screamed all night long. It was really upsetting her stomach. I switched to the oatmeal (with bananas) and havent had a problem since. Hope this helps!

Yes, I would probably stop the cereal and go back to ONLY breast feeding.

I always heard that the breast milk would not make them 'fat' and they would gain weight after they start solids.

If you have seen such a dramatic change in her, I would probably go with your intuition and hold off for awhile. I also had a large baby girl (95%) who was exclusively breastfed, and she wasn't interested in solids until 7 months...the pediatrician told me not to worry about this since almost everything she needed came from my breastmilk.

Realize that it is normal for her to be interested in your food early, even if she isn't physically ready to eat. She's interested in everything you do! Does she grab at the phone, at the keys? Grabbing at food is quite common at this age but not necessarily an indicator of readiness.

Your breasts are more than adequate for even a 99% baby- remember that mothers successfully exclusively nurse twins- she is just one baby. Your breasts will up supply as needed, provided you are allowing enough stimulation throughout the day (you might want to lose the paci if you have one) and not supplementing feedings, and getting adequate nutrition and water. Rice cereal is a common first food in our culture but it's hardly breastmilk- your milk is much more valuable nutritionally than rice cereal!

Does she have any teeth yet? That's one of the main things I look for as a sign of readiness. My first two were early teethers so I let them both try food earlier than my later kids. My daughter was ready, my son who was somewhere in the 90% range, was not ready to do more than taste.

If you do want to try starting her on solids, I'd do solids, with a spoon or in bits, not a bottle. I'd recommend no grains no dairy and starting with soft, raw foods that have active enzymes and are easy to digest, like bananas and avocados. If she spits it out or tongue thrusts she is not ready. Avocados are one of the healthiest foods on the planet as far as their nutritional content- but breastmilk is probably still better for a 4 month old.

JMO- HTH!
Take what you like, leave the rest.

Hello J., your daughter may have some of the signs of readiness, but her digestive system likely isn't ready. I would suggest waiting until she is at least 6 months old. My son was big too - 98th percentile and it felt like I had to nurse him non-stop 24 hrs/day! He actually did nurse every two hours (or more) around the clock until he was 4 months old. Then at 4 months he made it to every three hours (at most). When I did start him on rice cereal it constipated him, and we had chronic problems with constipation until only recently. So, when my daughter was 6 months I started her on oatmeal. mashed advocado, etc. - but never rice cereal!

I would hold off and just keep breast feeding til 6 months. she may not be ready. You will make more milk but you may try supplements like alfalfa and and fenugreek and pump b/w feedings. My son was very large and needed more at about four months and I took the pills and pumped for about a week b/w feedings an it worked. I was working f/t too and I made bout 6 more oz per feeding and he was happy.

sounds like she may have a little stomach bug wait a few days and try again

Every baby is different; some ready sooner than others.
Let go of it for now and try again in a week or two. Try giving her just a couple of tablespoons full, quite "soupy", and you might add 1/2 tsp. honey or maple syrup. Years ago we used Karo syrup, but I've found out that it's not advisable, and real local honey or maple syrup, although sweet, also acts to coat/calm the tummy.
Other than that, let HER decide when she's ready, but keep offering it to her and trying it.

D. in NC

I stand corrected on the honey, but the maple syrup would be fine.
Oatmeal is much harder to digest than the rice cereal, and I stand by the other suggestions I submitted, as well as many good tips from other postings. My daughter was ready for "real food" by age 3 months, but one of my grandsons couldn't handle and didn't show any interest in solids until he was almost 8 months old. Every baby is different, use the pediatricians general guidelines, but trust your mommy instinct and do what's best for your baby.

my daughter did not take to the rice cereal, either. Apparently, it is not the easiest to digest. She also was fussy and waking frequently, which she did not do prior to the rice cereal. My ped suggested just skipping the rice cereal altogether and introducing the solids on their own and trying the oatmeal cereal. As soon as we dropped the rice cereal, she was back to her old self. You don't need rice cereal - as I said, difficult to digest - the oatmeal is easier - and it's fine to just introduce the other solids on their own, without the cereal mixed in. Regarding the spitting up; most breastfed kids do not spit up very frequently for the first 4 months or so, but will start to spit up as they are moving around more, so don't worry if her sleeping habits return to normal but she continues to spit up a bit more... I just read through the other posts and DO NOT GIVE HER HONEY!! Children cannot have honey until they are a year old.

.

Keep doing what you are doing...BREASTFEEDING! That is all your little one needs. It gives her ALL of her nutrients. Complimentary foods (also known as solids) were not introduced until 1-2 years old until formula came into play in the early to mid 1900s. The reason doctors started recommending complimentary foods was because formula & artificial milk did not supply the nutrients needed. Introducing foods too early can cause digestive problems as well as lead to food allergies. Don't be in a hurry. You can include her at the dinner table by giving her a spoon and bowl to play with. Most of the time they are just curious and want to play not eat.

I cringed when I read that your doc even recommended starting solids at 4 months. The AAP recommends not introducing solids until at least 6 months old, and if food allergies are known in the family to hold off until at least 9 months.

An excellent book to read is My Child Won't Eat! by Dr. Carlos Gonzalez. It is a must read! One of my favorite books. You can order online at www.llli.org, click on store, and then nutrition. If you have a La Leche League in your town, they may have it available to check out of their library.

I personally breastfed my daughter exclusively for 14 months...she is a very healthy happy baby and eats just fine. I let her self feed...so we don't force feed and have the problem of giving her too much...she eats when she is hungry...stops when she is full. She eats food in it's natural state, so she is able to experiment with texture. That is a big part of the eating process. She usually nurses a little before and after she eats. The other food merely compliments what she is already getting from me.

Best of luck. Remember to go with your motherly instinct. Mother really does know best! :-)

Rice cereal is supposed to be the least allergenic and the easiest to digest, but of course there are exceptions. Your child could be allergic to it, but odds are that she's just not quite ready. Four months is about the earliest you hear of a doctor recommending solid foods. I didn't start my daughter until she was about five months old, and then I had to stop and try again a couple of weeks later. Just waiting another couple of weeks made all the difference. I'd just give it a little wait, and then maybe you could try oatmeal instead.