Baby Cereal Question

Yes very normal. Cereal takes longer to digest. As you move her into other foods, you will see a lot of changes in color, conistancy, odor, and frequency.

Welcome to the world of solids, her poop is not only going to change consistancy but it will change color depending on what you feed her.

Same thing happened with my breastfed baby when she started cereal. I think that it's completely normal. No worries!

Your baby is too young for solids. I know some pediatrician's recommend solids at four months, but if you do some research yourself, you will find that your baby will be less allergic and healthier staying on just breast milk for as long as possible. If she is breast fed she does not need any solids for the first year, although many mom's choose to add them to the diet earlier. When you do choose to add them, do not add cereal first, as it is the most allergic, which is why many mom's choose to avoid all solids until later (one year). Fruits and vegetables are the easiest to digest and the least allergic therefore they should be added first. Yes it is normal for the stools to become more formed when solids are added. You are decreasing the amounts of good flora present in the breast milk and therefore the stools become harder. My son weighed 20 lbs at 8 months and he was totally breast fed until 12 months. He never had an ear infection nor got sick the entire time he was breastfed.
B. S. RN CCM

totally normal. as long as her poop is soft when she does go ,and doesnt go longer than 5 days without going. if when she goes it's hard and/or she strains or screams then add 1oz of prune juice to her bottle 2 or 3 times a day until she goes. i just asked my sons dr about this yesterday

I agree with the last poster.
A baby will have diffrent BM no matter what you feed them. Just as we do with what we eat.

My 2 younger sons went from forumla at 6 months old to soy milk & they both had at least 1 teaspoon of cereal in their bottles at 3 days OLD along with the 3-4 oz of formula.

My youngest still takes a bottle of soy milk with cereal.
Now he is on 8 oz of soy milk with 1 oz of organic cereal.

When they start moving more they will loose weight.
This is NORMAL...but, they will have MB less with organic or soy products due to it being more natural made/grown.
My oldest was a poop machine. He was on breast milk till 6 months old then regular formula with cereal till 1 years old & then went straight to organic whole milk. He has no milk allergies. His BM changed as I changed his milk. But after a bit of time it regulated to fit his body's needs.

J.,

This is normal and I don't think you need to worry. If she is constipated you can add a little pear juice to her cereal...it works wonders.

Rice turns to starch and will make stools loose...try oatmeal it won't be so harsh on her tummy...when she starts on veggies spinach, sweet potatoes, corn will sometimes do the same thing..I bought a baby food grinder & made made my own..takes a little longer but so much better for them..most of the baby food is made overseas...check it out..Gerber, Heinz that's the reason I made my own...! The peditrictian also told to mix some canned pumpkin with a bit of sugar & cinnamon (just for taste) & give to them to stop loose stools...she was a vegatarian & gave me many great hints ! This really works ! Good luck!

Yes, it's very normal. You are about to become a "poopologist" with the ever changing poop as your child tries new foods. It will also start to smell unlikd breast fed baby poop.

I think 4 months is very early to start feeding a baby solid food but now a days people are doing things quite diffent from when I was having children.But of course bm change is normal no matter when you introduce a baby to solid foods. when you change your diet your bm changes don't they, so her system is not different from yours.

My daughter did the same thing. My pediatrician told us that her bm's could change day to day. As long as they aren't rock hard pellets that she has trouble passing, then it should be fine. If they do get really hard and she seems to have trouble, then call your pediatrician because she's probably constipated. Oh and get ready for the smells!! Also as you start adding more solids you may see her bm's have different color- like orange for example when she eats something orange like carrots.

Good luck!

Hi J.,

Barbara S. is right on. It is way too early for solids... I am not sure why some pediatrition's still recommend that as current research shows a child should not begin solids until after 6 months at the earliest. We began our kids at 8-9 months and then just veggies.

hey.....
we had same problem.. her gastroenterologist said rice cereal makes babies constipated and he was right.
he said to feed barley or oatmeal cereal as they keep things moving along. hope this helps. -mb

It is completely normal. As long as like the consistency of thin peanut butter you are fine. The more you introduce the it become s more infrequent. Sometimes, it may be once a week. My youngest daughter seems to save hers and spend an entire day pooping.

Of course her BM will change -- rice is a wonderful fiber and used in that BRAT diet for the trots. How infrequent? Are you using breast milk to make the cereal? I'm excited your daughter is moving to solids -- next step finger foods --

A tip for later on: I used oatmeal/cereal when it came time for my son to learn to eat with utensils. Anything that would stick to the spoon, even if it was upside down. He was much less frustrated when he was able to get food into his mouth, even if the spoon wasn't right!

completely normal. Once you introduce anything but breastmilk into a breastfed baby's diet, the consistency of their BMs will change.

An exclusively breastfed baby does not need anything else until AT LEAST 6 months. Starting solids any earlier puts baby at increased risk for food allergies. It also takes away from the calorie and nutrient dense goodness that breastmilk provides for optimum growth and development. Foods this early may also contribute to weight issues down the road. As far as bowel movements go, you can now forget the sweet smelling, seedy yellow mustard diapers if you continue with solids. As to her liking the cereal, babies at this age love to put EVERYTHING in their mouths. This goes for their hands, your hands, keys, toys, clothes, blankets... anything they can pull to their mouth. Spoon feeding is just taking the trouble of bringing it to their mouth for themselves out of the picture. I understand your doctor recommended it, but it's based on out of date information. The AAP and the WHO/UNICEF have recommended no solids until at least 6 months for many years now.

In short, skip the cereal for now.
If she wants to mouth something give her a teething ring or a doll.
Breastmilk only for another two months, and keep up the good work.

It's great that she likes the cereal.....my breastfed baby wouldn't touch the stuff! :) It's normal for their BMs to change once they start solids. If you notice she's getting constipated, I'd try decreasing the cereal and increasing breastfeeding since it's a natural laxative. Also since you're breastfeeding, if she turns down babyfoods at any time, don't freak. She's getting the best source of nutrition from you! You're doing great mama!

This is very normal to have the bowels change when introducing new foods esp grain cereals. However if she seems to be in discomfort or has almost no BM contact your dr.

The stools should be as they are. the cereal is thicker than the breast milk. Good Luck
Carolyn T.

You are right the first baby cereal should be rice, but it should be single grain rice because it is easier for them to get used to digegsting. If you are concerned you can out some karo syrup in her bottles with cereal or in her bowl of cereal you can start off using the lite karo syrup and if it doesn't work then go to the dark. My doctor put my daughter on cereal at only 1 month old because she couldn't hold her milk down but she was still gaining weight so he didn't change her formula and the karo syrup helps them to have a bowel movement and it won't be so hard and it will keep them form getting constipated since they are eating something a little thicker than they are used to eating. He started me off on the dark karo syrup and it worked wonderful for her, but my niece was started off on lite karo syrup and it worked better for her than the dark because it was too strong for her. The karo syrup i am talking about is the one that is used in pecan pie and can be bought in any grocery store. Good luck and congratulations on your new little lovable bundle of joy.

Yes this is completely normal . . . whenever you add something new to her diet be prepared for a difference in her BM's. My son is still on rice and his BM's are thick and clay like . . .and I remember the joys of the new colors, smells, and consistencies each time a new food was added to my girls' . . . The main thing is to watch and make sure she doesn't start getting constipated or has diahrea (spelling) in those cases a change in her diet may need to be made, but less frequency or change in thickness and color is completely normal especially when you are adding new foods to her diet.

Good luck and have fun :)

Good grief, some of you ladies are giving a new mom a really hard time over a very small decision. She is following the advice of her trusted physician.Give me a break every child is different and has different needs. No child came with a hand book. we are here to support and learn not get bossy.

I have one child but have raised several. My son came home from the hospital barely eating and ounce at a time. My nephew came home from the hospital eating 6 to 8 ounces at a time( not lie). He is now a very healthy grown man 6'7" about 300 pnds of healthy muscle with 3 beautiful children and never a serious illness.

My pediatricians advice was this there are healthy breastfed babies and sick ones. there are healthy bottle fed babies and sick ones. If you are a mom that eats a very healthy consistent diet then breastfeeding is best, if you aren't then it's not. But finally on to the dear girl's question.

If you daughter is healthy, eating well and enjoying it fantastic. You are feeding her the best cereal you can purchase. it's not like you gave her a mcdonald's french fry to knaw on. Go at your own pace.

My little guy soon found out about food and hasn't stopped. we have never forced him to eat but have offered healthy choices when he is. Our pediatrician says he has one of the healthiest outlooks on food of any of his patients and is very likely to never have "food issues" or obesity as an adult. He started with about one half a teaspoon of cereal in his night bottle at about 6 to 8 weeks and was steadily increased as his need increased. He did just fine Just as your little one will. GOod luck darling

That is DEFINITELY normal. My two boys were on cereal at 3 weeks because of Reflux & that is one thing they warned about. They both have stayed consistently in the 95% and above. Have no worries. You also may find that she sleeps better because she will stay full longer.

Yep, totally normal. In fact, you will be surprised by what her BMs look like as she starts to eat other foods, like sweet potatoes! Don't worry, she sounds like she's right on track! My 6 month old still isn't too crazy about the cereal thing, but my other two didn't catch on to the solid food thing until later anyways! Good luck to ya!

yes, it's normal. her body will start adjusting to different foods, and as you introduce more, her bowels will even start to stink. just remember to introduce foods one at a time for a few days in case she has any allergies you'll be able to pinpoint it. good luck!

whoopsie! sounds like you need a different ped! no need to feed just yet. poops will change when you start on foods and they will start to stink! i wouldn't feed her too much at 4 months or she could get constipated.

you don't have to start her on any kind of food til one year of age unless she is curious or "asking" for it, by making movements toward your food etc. if you stop breast feeding before then, you could start her on some foods before weaning. take it at your own pace and don't rush her or yourself. at 4 months babies really can't digest anything besides your perfect milk, if she likes the cereal then by all means continue, but i wouldn't start adding too many food groups until at least six months.

ours was an early starter, and went for the potatoes at 5 months all on his own while we were at the dinner table. we slowly started to move beyond carbs to fruits and veg at six months. but remember there is no need to stress about feeding her too much or too little. the milk is all she needs, the food is just for fun at this point.

Completely normal. You don't have anything to worry about. My baby girl did the same thing.

~A.~

Rice causes constipation. We had a very hard time with it when my daughter was about 4-5m old (she was also breast fed). My suggestion is to either keep your cereal mix really thin or to start her on oatmeal which isn't as hard on the system.

Yep! Sounds normal. Thicker is fine, as long as it's not hard and she doesn't seem uncomfortable.

Major kudos for breastfeeding! The longer you do it, the better. Your baby will reap the rewards for the rest of her life.

L.

PS don't use sugar or sweet foods in the beginning. Babies don't know the difference, and this helps establish good eating habits. She'll love her cereal just fine plain, be it rice, oatmeal, barley, whatever. In fact, introduce vegetables, not fruits, first (when she's ready), and not just the sweeter ones. *Then* introduce fruits. That way she won't insist on sweet things only but will appreciate the different tastes of all kinds of foods.

Hi my name is R.. My daughter is 8 months old now and when I first started her on cereal I wondered the same thing, but that is completly normal for her. They will continue to be thicker, more stinky (ha ha), and less often. So don't worry its very normal. Have fun with your little one :-)

It will be thicker, but if the baby goes more than 48 without a bowel movement, you should take her in to the doctor.

If you have listened to your pediatricians advice and started her on solids, that is your decision. I was only able to breastfeed my daughter for a month; she has been on formula ever since. The doctors recommended she start on solids earlier than six months because she was consuming massive amounts of formula. Trust me, the bowel movements will go through all sorts of transformations now!
Don't let anyone let you feel guilty.

She is definitely a good age for cereal and her system is working very normally is sounds like. Our son was nearly 9 lbs. when he was born and a HUGE eater/drinker. He had to be placed on cereal at two months old or he would cry and not rest well because he was hungry. He was funny when we gave him cereal for the 1st time. Like a little, relaxed, fat, sleepy person who just had the best meal of their life. He was all smiles and content. Good luck and enjoy all the changes ahead for this year with her.

Completely normal. She may like a drink of water now and then.