Is It Time for Rice Cereal?

Yes, it's time! I gave my son cereal mixed with formula starting at age 1 month because he was never satisfied with just breast milk or formula. He was soooo much happier and slept so much better with a full tummy.

Here is a great article about the subject: http://babyfit.sparkpeople.com/articles.asp?id=473 It gives the 'clues' you should go by to see if your little one is ready (example: the ability to sit up, hold head up and turn on their own, etc.). OH! By the way: the sleeping-through-the-night-if-you-give-cereal story is just that....a story. A Myth. It may work for some, but it isn't necessarily the healthiest choice for your baby. Best advice: Don't rush. (and NEVER put cereal in a bottle as it can be a choke hazzard - why take chances)

Two quotes from WebMD.com:

"According to the World Health Organization (WHO), babies should be breastfed exclusively for the first six months of life and products such as infant formula and baby foods should only be marketed for the use of babies older than age six months."

"Don't assume that you need to stop breastfeeding your baby just because she's starting to enjoy a variety of solid foods. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months, and thereafter for as long as mutually desired."

I completely agree with Stephanie T. Introducing solids before 6 months can cause digestive issues, increased risk of food allergies, and pose a choking hazard. Contact your pediatrician before starting cereal. I know a lot of people say they started their babies earlier than 6 months, but 6 months is the rule and general guideline.

It's completely normal for babies to start waking up again in the middle of the night. It's possible she's teething, or going through a growing spurt. My 16 month old has been sleeping through the night since she was around 4-6 weeks old, but she still occasionally has rough nights when she wakes up crying, especially when she's teething. Babies aren't supposed to sleep through the night all the time. Give it some time (a week or two), I can pretty much guarantee you that your daughter will get back on her schedule (only for it to change again =p ). Cereal will not necessarily make her sleep better. It's probably a better idea to instead increase the amount you nurse and bottle feed her during the day.

I started cereal at 4 months and Emme has no allergies except that she's lactose intolerant. Just call your doc and ask his advice!

I have a almost 4 year old boy and I started cereal in his bottle when he was 1 month. I know that doctors advise agianst it. But my parents did it and I'm fine so I thought why not. It was great he slept through the night from 4 weeks on!! Good luck and do what you think is best for your situation!!

I have a 5 month old little boy who started sleeping through the night at 8 weeks. When we went to the doctor for his 4 month check up, they asked how much formula he was taking a day. At that point my son was taking almost 42oz a day. He's got a very good appitite. They said because he was eating so much to go ahead and start him on cereal. They told me not to put it in his bottle but to spoon feed it to him. They told me to start out small and to try differant consistancy until we found one he liked, and to start off feeding it to once a day. We are now up to two times a day and a little bit thicker of a concisistancy. My doctor told me they usually don't like to start children out earlier than 6 months on cereal now because of something to do with the earlier you feed it to them it is some how linked to childhood food allergies. I really didn't understand nor did I question it. But because my son was taking so much formula they said to go ahead with it. Your best bet may be to check with your doctor and see what they have to say.
Good Luck

Check with your doctor, and even if they say it is okay to start cereal, I can guarantee you will be told not to put it in the bottle!

The American Acadamy of Pediatrics recommends waiting until six months to start any solids, including rice cereal. Their digestive systems are still immature and need time to become ready to digest foods. Also, another mama is right about the link to early food introductions and later food allergies. I would just wait until six months. Your baby is probably going through the usual four month growth spurt. It will pass.

4 months is about the time to start rice cereal. your dr. can discuss how much at your 4 month check up. I would try a small amount before bed time

It is common for babies to go through a growth spurt around 4 months, and they wake up to get more milk and stimulate an increase in production. It usually takes about a week for things to even out. Also, I always had to remind myself that sleeping through the night for an infant is actually only 5 hours at a time. My thoughts are that it is better to wait, since the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends just breastmilk or formula for the first six months. Good luck.

Hi R.,
Here is my honest advice:
1) Start her on rice cereal.
2) Start with 2 tablespoons mixed in with either BM or Formul. Make it a little soupy for starters.
3) Do not put it in her bottle, if you are going to start her on cereal do it the right way and feed her from a spoon.
4) You and her will be a mess so it's best to strip her down to her diaper and plan for a bath after wards.
5) I would give to her starting with once a day, I would start with her dinner. So this way she will have dinner and then a bedtime bottle.
6) If you have had her eating well and sleeping well and sleeping thru the night there is no reason to go backwards from this.
7) Now the other thing How much formula/breastmilk is she taking in a day ? Unless she is taking in more then 40 ounces and you are not getting her satisfied then I would. Other wise increase her bottles.
8) If you have reached 8 ounces with each bottle and she is nursing for quite a long time and still seems to not being satisfied then I would.

I understand about all the allergies and that stuff but not every child can hold off until 6 months and not eating solid food. If there are any allergies in you family then I would be concerned that she may have a reaction but other wise go for it. And the other thing YOU are her mother, you know best not a pediatrician, not a board or some panel that offers advice you are. You do what is best for her.

I watch a 3 month old now that is drinking 8 ounce bottles every 4 hours and sleeps through the night. There is going to come a point where the formula will no longer satisfy him, and his mother is just waiting on him to give the signs that he is ready.

My vote is yes, go for it, W.

When your child starts waking up in the night, yes they are going through a growth spurt hence the waking up in the night, hence the needing more food to be satisfied.

Try more breastmilk and less formula! There is a component (hind milk - so not necessarily a "quick feed")that will satisfy the baby - they will feel full. Their bodies are designed to work with the breastmilk. Formula, nor cereal, can provide that. Adding cereal now will likely add gasses and discomfortable "fullness". Once her body catches up to processing that, it'll only crave more because there is not any manufactured 'foods' that can provide what mom's milk can. I have four of my own children, but have been caring for other people's children for 10 years too. I have experienced many babies, many diets - this has always held true. Go make milk!! Best wishes.

Hi R., I would be very comfortable giving your baby some rice cereal before bed time. I did it with my son MUCH younger than yours and he did wonderful with it! I tried the breast feeding thing but it never did overly well for me. I didn't make enough milk and had to pump anyway because he wouldn't latch on. He was hungry every 1 1/2 - 2 hours! I finally had to switch him to formula. If i remember right (my son is 12 now) I think we would put just a few table spoons of cereal in the bottle. Just enough to thicken it up a little bit. Not sloppy looking (i've seen some moms get it almost oatmeal looking....YUCKO!!) but it was just enough to help him through the night. I know we had to make some of the nipples larger too so it would help get the milk through easier. Just thought i'd share my thoughts with you. Good luck with your baby girl.

Absolutely not!!! You are not supposed to put rice cereal in the bottle because it is too thick and they can chock. She may just be going through a “growth spurt”. Plus the whole point of given them cereal is to teach them how to use there tongue to push the food to the back of there throat. You can give her a little bit of cereal after a feeding. They say you should do it in the morning feeding so if it upsets there stomach you have all day to deal with it and not in the middle of the night. But if you want you can do it maybe at dinner time.

My daughter is 5 months and I haven’t started her on cereal yet. I really want to cause it will be cute to see her eat. She too has slept through the night since early (3 weeks). She had been sleeping 12 hrs a night and slowly has cute back to 10 hrs. So I know what you mean and what you are going through.

I would really not suggest put it in the bottle. Feed her if need be but do it by spoon.

Each of my pediatricians said to never put cereal in the bottle. They drink it too fast and can inhale it into their breathing tubes. I think you are correct in guessing it is time for cereal but try with a spoon. It is time for the messy face to begin and you may not get much into your child but it may not take much to satisfy your daughter.

Good luck,
D.

Of course my advise is the same as most, but I just wanted to give you my experience. We started my son at 4 months old on cereal. He was giving ALL of the cue that you can read about. We started out with 2 teaspoon fulls of cereal mixed with breastmilk. Never gave it in a bottle!! If she is ready for foods, then why not get her used to a spoon. Plus it gives them a while to warm up to the idea before trying other foods. We quickly worked up to 2 tablespoons of cereal once a day and then at 4 1/2 months bumped it to 3 tablespoons with breastmilk 2 times a day. Our little guy also slept the the night starting at 8 weeks. We are now at 5 months old and are going to start veggies at 5 1/2. Good luck and I hope this helps. Let your daughter be the one to decide if she is ready. Try it out with a spoon, if she doesn't want it after a couple of times, then she is not ready.

J.

I would double check with your pediatrician but my son was started on cereal at 4 months because he had acid relux issues. She started him on 1-2 tablespoons per day. I had problems with the cereal getting clumped up in the nipple so might have better luck spoon feeding her the cereal.

Rice cereal about 4 months old and do not add to bottle; feed with spoon.

Why do you need to put cereal in the bottle? Just give it to her seperately with a spoon if you need to give it to her. Does she seem overly hungry? What did the ped say at your 4 month check up? I don't think she "needs" it quite yet.

I agree with Darlene E. My kids ALSO were hungry early. I'd say about 4 mo. old as well. They are vibrant teenagers now-so obviously it was the right thing to do to help them grow...ok...help sleep longer in the morning - tehe! I'd still ask your doctor just in case - because every child is different. Enjoy your baby-they grow up WAY too fast!!!

R.,

You need to ask your pediatrician. My son was 3mo. old and had to have cereal in a bottle. I had to put a slight slit in the nipple so the cereal could go through. I can't remember how I mixed it. I used his formula and cereal, I remember it being still mostly liquid. He had to have food. he constantly cried for food. He was drinking to much formula. Good luck .
DE

Don't put it in the bottle! If you think your child is ready then by all means start feeding your baby cereal. I would suggest starting at night though... then the baby will be fuller thus sleeping longer. I started my son on solids around 4 months. I also suggest using fomula or breastmilk to make the cereal that way the taste will be more famiiar for your child.

First try to let her cry it out and go back to sleep. It may very likely be that she was going through a growth spurt and needed an extra feeding for a few days. You fed her, great, but now you don't want it to become a habit so try letting her cry it out and put herself back to sleep. That is what I did at least.

I started my kids at 4 months on rice cereal but not in a bottle. I fed them 1-2 Tablespoons of cereal mixed with their breastmilk or formula and fed them with a spoon. I usually fed it to them for breakfast and sometimes their last feeding. Wow I considered my kids sleeping through the night when they only woke up at 5 am. They slept from 8:30 or 9 pm-5 am so that was at least 8 hours of sleep without waking up and was content with feeding them their first feeding at 5 am because they usually went back to sleep for a few more hours then fed them cereal and the rest of their milk for their 2nd feeding which was 8-9 am, then they were awake until their afternoon nap. They started sleeping like that at 6 weeks - 2 months.

If you think your baby is needing more food then 4 months is a good age to start introducing rice cereal but it's mainly for them to learn how to eat with a spoon at this age, not so much for extra calories as usually their milk is enough until about 6 months.

our dr. told us to start cereal around 4 months so i would say yes. we started with about 2 tablespoons at first just to get used to it and a spoon. good luck

I did this with my son at 4 months and my daughter as well. The doc always tells you not to but it does not hurt anything. Just put enough to thicken her milk a little bit, too much and she will choke. You could also try using a cereal feeder with some diluted cereal - It has been a while since I used one but I am pretty sure you can put a regular nipple on them.

If it was me I would start feeding the baby about a tablespoon of cereal at night - feeding off a spoon, Get that baby use to a spoon now, not later. I did that with my children and the tons I have taken care of. I do not beleive in putting it in a bottle. Make it RUNNY<< NOTE thick chokes them. runny almost like the milk, then as the baby progresses to other foods it will be used to the spoon.

I'm sorry but putting cereal in a bottle is no longer recommened, unless your baby is having issues gaing weight and your pediatrician will tell you.There hasn't been evidence at least in all the mag's and book's I read and from dr. that it satify's them any better.Your pediatrician will also let you know when to introduce cereal and the first step food's,you don't want to introduce them to quickly usualy around 4-6 months depending on baby.If you've already had the 4 monnth well visit for baby and the dr.didn't suggest to introduce cereal give them a call and find out.In the begining it'll only be a few spoon's and increase in time.By the way since allergies are hitting even the smallest of children they are waitting longer to introduce food's to babies.For the 1sr month or so try single grain rice I belive to begin with later do oatmeal.If you see baby develop a rash document it and contact your dr. right away it could signal an allergic reaction.wsahm of 2 kiddo's

I would be careful with new plumbing ( stomachs) this may be to early. Some kids do fine some end up with allergies. Maybe last feedng bumped up to a later night time feeding to get her tummy full. sometimes it is not a bottle they want. try to keep real quite no talking and soothe her back to sleep. If she is on a pacifier give her that and dont hold just pat and see if she falls backa sleep. Good luck,,

I think generally they don't suggest putting cereal in the bottle anymore. Choking hazard maybe? Anyway, I tried it when my little boy (who was a huge baby and always hard to fill up) was about that age and it never worked very well. You have to make the bottle hole bigger and it's hard to get it right. We just went to cereal with a spoon. It takes them a couple of times to get the hang of it, but it sure helps keep them full.

We started ours on the rice ceral in the bottle at about 2 months. We would put about a teaspoon in the bottle (6 oz). You may have to get a nipple with a bigger hole (or do what we did and use a needle and make it a little bigger).

That's what our doctor told us to do. By 4 months were were feeding it to them with a spoon with a little fruit juice in it (make it taste better!)

Good luck!

She is more then ready for cereal if she is 4 months. I would suggest just spoon feeding her. I wouldn't put it in a bottle at this age. Usually bottle feeding cereal is for younger babies. Good luck!!! I started both of my babies on cereal much earlier then most people and neither one of them have allergies. By 4 months they were eating fruit and vegetables with cereal. I think it's fine to feed her now. Especially if she is hungry.

Good Morning R., Let me start by saying this. You have a lot of good advice from all of these wonderful mom's. Back in the Day (I am 56), our eldest now 33 didn't nurse well I guess I was a very nervous first time mom and didn't produce enough and our GP told me to just put him on reg milk, he was 3 wks old. Would you believe he is 6' and 220 now. He wieghed 7lb 10oz at birth. Anyway, I also started him on cereal at 6 wks rice, in the box. Now they have the little jars that are so much more convenient.

I guess what I am getting at, is that is entirely up to you and your baby to decide if cereal is needed. Our dil went by the book or Online information she started getting with her first baby. No powder it causes lungs to clog, no cereal until 6-8 mo. Breast milk only until at least 1 yr.. etc.. Well it changed with the second child. She no longer just goes by the online book newsletter. She figured if her hubby survived infancy then I must of done something right.. lol

God Bless you and your precious family
K. Nana to 5
PS I did the same with our second son, he is 5'10 150 age 31 now.

My advice would be to hold off on the cereal until about 6 months. Most doctors recommend waiting until 6 months, I think because their digestive tracts are not yet ready to handle cereal. However, I know there are lots of babies that eat cereal before 6 months and are fine at the time. Now whether it affects their digestive system in the long run, I don't know.

Around this age, babies tend to change their habits a little, likely because of a growth spurt. If your baby needs an extra amount of food, I would just give an extra feeding during the night. That way, she will be getting nutrients at a more continual level rather than filling up once before bed time. If you think about it, she may be better off getting those extra calories she needs from breast milk rather than cereal.

This would still be considered sleeping through the night even if she got an extra feeding, especially for a 4 month old.

I think she will be fine whatever you choose to do. I would consult your ped. before starting cereal, though.

Yes it's time! You can do it only at night tim(bed) feeding. for every two ounces of milk put a spoonful of cereal * make sure you open up the hole a little larger so she can get the cereal. Good luck & God Bless!