Infant Rice/cereal??

I also have a 20 week old. She has started solids too about 1 x per day to start off with. I put about 1 tablespoon of cereal to about 4 tablespoons of formula- then warm it up in the microwave. We are giving it too her pretty runny right now until she is more used to it. I gave her some squashed banana yesterday thinned with a little formula, and she gobbled it right up. So you can also do some veggies and fruits, as well, or mix it in with the cereal.

http://www.babycenter.com/0_age-by-age-guide-to-feeding-y...

Do not feed 'solids' 3 times a day... or baby will get constipated.
AND... for the 1st year of life.... breastmilk/Formula is a baby's PRIMARY source of nutrition... NOT solids and not other liquids.
This is also per our Pediatrician.

Your baby is young.
And, their digestive system is not even fully developed yet.
Don't rush it.... no need to rush....

Well, we give our baby cereal in her bottle because her reflux is bad. She's even on medicine. I know a lot of people are really against this but not every baby is alike. It's helped her a lot.

I would imagine you would just start feeding her the cereal maybe once a day. We put cereal in every bottle so I know that they can have it more than just once so I wouldn't worry. Constipation can be an issue depending on your baby's body. The formula my daughter is on causes her to have looser stools so the cereal actually helps her problem.

In the end, any true questions and concerns should be directed to your pediatrician. Just to be safe. I know that cereal can also bulk up a baby quickly so you don't want them to have too much.

Hi-at 4.5 months definitely only once a day. Breastmilk/formula should still be their main diet and the cereal is just to get them used to eating. Also, if you don't want to waste breast milk, I just made the cereal with water.
For a really good feeding schedule, check out www.happyhealthymom.com under feeding.
Good Luck!

At that age she really only needs a tablespoon or two at a sitting, probably one or two sittings a day. So it sounds like you're ok. I'd try to hold off ramping that up until closer to 6 months.

I remember the "oh he's so ready" feeling. I wanted to hold off longer though, so we'd give my son little "tastes" of things. Like a fingertip worth of mashed up banana.

If you've been breastfeeding all this time, there's no reason you can't give fruits and veggies. Just introduce them slowly to check for allergies. But really, it's not mandatory to start with rice cereal, I think that's just an easy suggestion for pediatricians to make (my son is 6 months and has never had cereal).

This site is great:
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/solidfood4to6montholdbab...

Yes i was feeding rice /cereal my baby from about 3 month because when i was giving just milk she was crying crying and i was giving to her three times a day and she was okey now she is almost 15 months and i don't see any reason to worry about just give her twice a day for now to see if she dosen't have consipation and if she do not have she will be all right not to worry ...........

I fed my DD cereal once a day (as much as she was willing to eat, usually only 1/2 oz-1 1/2 oz) until she hit 6 months, then started giving her veggies and fruits. (although I did mix a little bit of prunes, then pears into her cereal for flavor) From there I gradually added more. I started out with rice, and she got sooo constipated. I would recommend that once she gets used to the rice (If she isn't already) trying her on oatmeal... makes for easier pooping. lol.

4.5 months is too early for her immature and open GI tract. You will cause inflammation, irritation and introduce foreign bacteria. I swear I just answered this question the other day.... babies also lack a gag reflex and can aspirate food if solids is given too early.

Rice is not a good thing to give to an infant - even when they gut is ready for solids. Rice is binding and will cause stomach cramping, constipation and gas. Oatmeal is a much better thing to start off with.

I'm very glad to hear you are breastfeeding - and at 4, almost 5 months - that is ALL she should be eating. Babies go thru many growth spurts and that will cause them to eat a lot in shorter time frames. It's called cluster feeding. Don't think that this means you aren't producing enough, it just means the baby is priming your body for the next stage and in upping you production.

If you use that time to give her wasted (no nutrition) calories to fill her up, you will sabotage your milk supply. Just because a baby enjoys watching you eat and mimics you... does not mean they are developmentally ready to eat solids.