Please Help Me Understand About the Cereal

All kids have issues with eating at first. Its a new thing. They aren't used to such a thick substance. But feedings right now aren't for nutrition. They still need PLENTY of breast milk. Feedings at this age are mainly for practice getting used to the spoon and thick food ideas. Pretty soon, you'll start fruits, and vegies, and even giving her crackers to "gnaw" on. It'll get easier as the foods progress! But keep practicing and be patient!

Breast fed babies usually have a tough time with cereal & thicker consistencies...sorry! One idea is to feed her with a bottle filled with mostly breast milk and just a bit of cereal mixed in. That way it will be more "milky" consistency and you can slowly thicken it until she's used to it. When it gets very thick, though, you'll have to increase the hole size in the nipple. Good luck!

Don't give up! It takes while for the baby to get the hang of eating. Just put a small amount on the spoon and gently put it in her mouth. Mine is the same age and she sucked it off the spoon to begin with also. They get better with lots and lots of practice!!

Also, it could be that she doesn't care for the rice cereal. It's awfully bland. My daughter loves it mixed with a bit of applesauce. I just buy a jar of the unsweetened. No need to buy the baby brand. Or, you can try the flavored rice cereal. Banana was a big hit for me. Good luck!

make it really liquidy and put it in a bottle you mit have to make the hole in the nipple bigger. then start thinking it up after she gets the hang of it. It works I did it with my daughter

I would suggest what I did for my daughter whn she was that young and starting cereal. I bought her special bottles, to make it neat and new, and I then cut the whole in the nipple larger to make it easier to get the soupy cereal out. That way she is still sucking because at 5 months she may just not be ready for a spoon quite yet. The bottle thing worked great with mu daughter so maybe it will work great for yours.
Good Luck!

Is there a medical reason why the doctor thinks you should be giving her cereal? The last I knew the 'general' recommendation was nothing solid (and even soupy cereal would be considered a solid) until 6 mos....but most nutrition should be from breastmilk or formula through the first year.....

I tend to have the philosophy that the child will let you know when she is ready for 'more than breastmilk'...as long as she is growing properly and all that stuff.....

And if she doesn't seem to 'get' the spoon she probably isn't ready yet. (And there is nothing wrong with that)

If you are okay with how her breastfeeding is going and there aren't any medical conditions I would just stop trying the cereal...Maybe try it again in a couple of weeks...

Really early experiences with solid are about learning about food---not really about consuming a lot.

If you are able to get to a LaLeche League meeting near you I would do that too. You will moms there who are supportive of breastfeeding --and probably a lot of different ideas about introducing solids. (I am sure there are people here who can recommend groups--it has been over a year since I have attended...I have been to many in the metro and they were all GREAT)

I breastfed my son and I got sick so my milk dried up and I had to transition him to a bottle. I just found a bottle that was soft like a nipple and wide like the area around the nipple. It should work if you find a nipple that is like your actual nipple so that she can't tell the difference. Also try holding her as if she is feeding from the breast. After just slowly transition her into different positions and harder nipples so that she knows what is what. It may take time. My son was really fussy until he figured it all out.

Hi M., you aren't doing anything wrong. Your pediatrician might have jumped the gun a little. Introducing solids can be 4-6 months - when the baby shows signs of being ready. What your baby is doing (gagging, spitting out) is signs she is NOT ready. The AAP reccommeds 6 months of breastmilk only. I was lucky and belonged to a BF support group hosted by the lactation nurse for the hospital. She helped me watch for the signs of readiness and it was amazing to see. Around 4 months or so, she showed great interest in my drinking water cup. watching, then reaching out, then grabbing, then pulling to her. I let her test it out (little sip). Then she started to do similar things with my dinner plate. I was determined not to start her before 6 months because food alergies are more likely to be caused by introducing solids before 6 months too. So, at 6 months, I tried cereal made with breastmilk. She did ok. What you watch for is their tongue trust. If it's out - well, they aren't ready. If it's in, and they swallow, you're good!

If I were you, I would wait and try again in a couple of weeks or when she is 6 months old. And remember, breastmilk is the primary source of nutrition until 1 year. Nurse your baby first, then try giving her a little cereal. They'll be more content to try things, too, when they aren't famished and looking for their tried and true breastmilk! So, nurse first, then try some cereal and other solids as she progresses.

When you do try again, another thing to consider is that babies have preferences on the type of cereal they like, some, it's rice, some barley... etc! Good luck to you!! You're doing a GREAT job!

I have a fully breastfed six month old. I don't know if your doctor wanted you to feed her for a reason, but most of the books say to watch for signs that the baby is ready to eat---She follows your every move while you are eating, reaches for things on your plate, etc. Also, babies have a natural tongue reflex that helps them push foreign objects out of their mouths so they don't choke. Until that reflex subsides, putting an object in their mouth-spoon-is just not going to happen. If you read up any on breastfeeding through the La Leche League, they don't recommend feeding food until six months. I have waited and am just now started to feed my girl, and she is taking it in like an old pro. Good luck, here are a couple of websites.

http://lalecheleague.org/

http://superbabyfood.com/

My daughter did the same thing. Finally around 5 mo. old I started her on veggies and she did fine. We started her on fruits at 6 months, that is when I went back to the cereal and mixed in fruit. She did just fine with oatmeal. She is now 13mo. old and I still can't get her to eat rice cereal or anything with rice in it. Just give it time. I wouldn't start the fruits too early, she may not want to go back to the veggies. Since your breast feeding I wouldn't push the solid food thing for another month or so if she doesn't want it.

don't worry you're not doing anything wrong. it just takes time. eating from a spoon is a learned technique and she is just taking her time. keep trying and don't get frustrated. you already know that she is getting plenty of nutrition, because your breastfeeding her, so that's not an issue. it's just a matter of teaching her as she grows up that momma will not always be her only source of food. all babies are different and they do things in their own time, so don't get caught up with other people's stories of when their baby started on solids.

good luck...
B.

I assume you're using rice cereal? I used breastmilk too with my son and what I found that works is I would fill a bottle with the rice cereal in varying amounts...start small and work up...then (since I was pumping) fill the rest of the bottle with breastmilk. If I used too much rice he would get kinda constipated, and then I'd adjust how much went into the bottle. it was very frustrating figuring out how to get him to eat it/not get stopped up. Now we're a toddler with a mind of our own and he's still frustrating to feed. I think you just try your best and keep trying. good luck. the iron in the cereal is important for her at 5 months so do what you can...we also snuck rice cereal in mushy fruit options, call your doc to see if you can do that for her. Where do you wanna work? what's your major? nosey aren't I?

Get a feeder bottle. They are made to give infants baby cereal and baby food without having to change the routine of using a bottle or sucking to fill their belly. You can mix the cereal to any consistency you need, and put it in those bottles. She'll be getting used to cereal and still be able to suck to get her food. They have them at all kinds of stores (I got ours from WalMart) with the other bottles and baby supplies. Keep offering cereal to her from a spoon to gradually get her used to that, but right now she is getting overloaded (from a baby's perspective anyhow) by having to get used to not only a new taste and texture, but also to a new form of feeding. If you change only one thing at a time (and obviously, breastmilk on a spoon isn't the practical way to go) then she will probably adapt more quickly and easily. Good luck!

My son did this to. He didn't want any solids untill he was old enough to pick it up and put it in his mouth himself, like crackers, and teething biscuits. He was fully breastfed also. I see alot of people have said try to put it into a bottle and that is kind of tricky to decide to do. If the dr is wanting to extra calories of cereal, then go for it. If the purpose is to switch to solids and learn to eat from a spoon, not a good idea. My son did like it if I added some flavor, like a spoonfull of baby food in with it instead of milk or water. I think they even have the flavored cereal now with bananas or apples for instance, but if you use these it may be better with water instead of breast milk. Good luck hope this helps.

I went against the docs orders. I started mine on cereal in their bottle at around 3-4 weeks old. I would add enough to make it like a milk shake. I cut an x in the nipple where the tiny little pin hole was. They slept through the night because their little bellies were full. :) We still had to transisition them into eating on a spoon. We added cereal to baby food to make it just the right texture and taste. My experience is this just takes practice. Try it with yummy stuff like hawaiin delight and applesauce first. Then go to things like peas and carrots. Then you wont need cereal at all. Good luck!

They make a bottle I think it is called an infafeeder something like that it is for feeding food I used it very successfully on both of my children. you can put cereal or fruit any baby food try it

Yeah, I had a lot of problems with my child also. Honestly, just keep trying it. Eventually they will get the hang of it. You can try doing it througha bottle, but it's a pain in the hiney! First of all no nipple is really big enough, so you have to push a stick pin through to make the hole bigger (and mark that nipple somehow because you'll drown them in formula later if you try that), secondly I think it just confused my son when he got that same taste from a spoon later. Just keep trying it every day and she'll get it. I know it's very stressful!! My son is now 19 months old and still will not attempt to chew sometimes and then chokes up on stuff. He's just so hungry he wants to just get it down no matter how.

Good luck!!

My daughter would not take cereal either when I mixed it with milk but when I tried with water she did great. I think she did not like the flavor combination. It might be worth a shot. By the way, my pediatrian said never to use cereal in a bottle because it can lead to overeating and obesity in childhood and as an adult.

Hey, I wouldn't stress it too much. My daughter was a breast only baby too...she just wasn't interested in food at all until probably like 9months or so and she NEVER would do the cereal thing...but shes 4 now and doing just fine. On the flip side my son is 6mo and has been eating very well since 4mo.s, in fact he generally prefers cereal and jar food...guess they're all different.

when you do make her cereal make it the same temperature as the breastmilk is, if you have an idea. and also put the spoon in her mouth but let her suck it off there for awhile, after a few times you can start giving her a bite like you normally would. she'll get the hang of it W.

First off, she may not be ready for it yet. Give it a week or two and try again then, she's really still getting everything her body needs from breastmilk anyway.
Secondly, what worked best with my boys when we started spoon feeding was using the small baby spoons that a rubber coating around the spoon part. They had similar reactions to the first several attempts at spoon feeding that you're describing, just gotta keep trying, and cleaning up the messes...heheheh.

I would not worry too much that she doesn't want to eat yet. At 5 months some babies are just too young. The AAP doesn't even recommend giving your child any solids until 6 months as it increases their chances of allergies to certain foods. Since she is being nursed she is getting all of her nutrients from you.

My youngest did the same thing. I was baffled because my two older children loved cereal and couldn't get enough. We ended up trying a different kind. We figured out that he didn't like the rice cereal, he ate oatmeal fine. You could try a different kind and see if that works.

Alot of people say not to put it in bottles, but I have tons of friend who've (along with myself) put the cereal in bottles to introduce it and our kids have done great. I had to do this with my son to help "pack on the pounds" since he was losing weight due to spitting up alot of formula.

Hi M.,
I went through the same thing with my son. I finally bought a baby food nurser. It looks just like a bottle, but you can put baby food and cereal in it. I used it a few times to get him used to the taste and then I would try it with the spoon again. Good luck!

V.

1) If it doesn't work today, try in a couple days
2) Your idea of mixing with b-milk is great, keep it up
3) Temperature is important too. If the milk is cold from the fridge, it may be too much "new" at one time
4) Don't regress and put it in a bottle. Mouth formation around the spoon is crucial with early language development
5) Go as soupy as you can out of the gate and thicken the consistency as she begins to take
6) Don't worry if she only wants to do it for a little bit, the point is not nourishment...yet
7) Use a small baby spoon. We started with a toddler spoon because it was all we had and she didn't like the taste of metal in her mouth, besides it was a little big
8) Patience and perseverance! Like all the development milestones you have/will begin to teach your daughter will take tons of patience and perseverance. Don't give up!

Try putting alittle fruit flavored baby food mixed in with it.

have you tried putting it in a bottle and just making the nipple hole bigger?

Hi M.,

I had an exactly the same experience with my son who is now 9 month old. I started Rice Cereal when he was 5 month old - nothing worked. Matter of fact, as of now, he still does not like to eat Baby food period. But he is very healthy brestfed baby and his doctor said he is getting enough nutrition from the brestmilk and he will start eating when he is ready. Now since he turned 8 month old, he started eating Gerbers' Graduates figerfood, Cherrios, Crackers, bread, a lot of things that he can pick it by himself. We came to the conclusion that he just wanted to control by himself, and he just does not like babyfood. I am sure that many people would say the same thing - don't worry about it too much especially your daughter is still young.

Hope this helps. Good luck.
K.

Hi there! First off, with babies you have to just keep your patience and try and offer it to her several times. Is she 5 months old? That still may be a little too young. I started both of my boys at about 6.5 months and they are fully breastfed too.

I am an accredited La Leche League Leader with the Overland Park South Group and can tell you that your baby doesn't NEED the cereal right now especially if you aren't comfortable starting it. Pediatricians can only suggest but ultimately you are the mother and you know what's best for your baby. Congratulations on breastfeeding her for this long exclusively! That is the best thing you can do for her.

With that said, if you want to continue to offer cereals, have you tried mixing the cereal with a tiny bit of organic baby food bananas or fresh bananas? Also, what KIND of cereals are you trying? Are you just offering one type? If so, you may want to try oatmeal, mixed grain, rice, or barley, etc. till she finds one that she likes. Most of all, just give it time. Since she is wanting to suck another thing you could do is put a tiny bit on your finger and let her get a taste that way then gradually move into spoon feeding. Just be patient...she'll come around. Just remember that all of these tastes are a new experience for her so she won't take much at first. The important thing is to keep offering.

Good luck and keep us posted! :)

C. Tai
Independent Consultant
Arbonne International
www.real.myarbonne.com

I have heard of people mixing cereal with formula or breast milk. But try it this way. Make it really soupy and put it in a bottle. Slit the end of the nipple just slightly to allow the thicker milk/cereal combo through.

I'm not sure if this will work, but if you're using the box cereal, they'll hate it. They want flavor like we do. Try the baby cereal in the baby food jars. Try one flavor at a time for three week to make sure there's no alergic reaction. If there's not one, go on to the next. Let me know how it works.

We stared our daughter on cereal at about 4 1/2 -5 months. She was waking up every 30 min to and hour all the time. The Ped said she wasn't getting full on the formula. We too tried to spoon feed her to no avail. Again we spoked to the Ped he suggested putting it in her bottle. I do relize you can't add anything to your breast for the baby, but you could pump and give her a bottle with a little bit of rice in it. I think we did on scoop to 8 oz at frist and made it stronger as she would eat it. I would not start her on Fruits too many babies wont eat veggie if you do. My daughter loves brocklie and all her veggies. She will eat them first most of the time. She is strating to eat the fruits more and more but she is 2 1/5 now and has a mind of her own. :)

Hi M.! My son is 5 months old and he isn't too thrilled about the rice cereal by itsself. While it's controversial, I put his cereal in his bottle and he loves it plus I get the added bonus of being able to sleep all night. I have played around with giving him some squash and sweet potatoes and he isn't sure what to think about those either. The thing to remember is that the only thing a baby really needs until 9 months or so is formula or breastmilk. The rest if just for experimenting. Just keep trying and offer only a few bites at a time. The spoon is strange to them but they will get used to it. You might try a savory food (like squash or sweet potatoes) and see if she likes that a little better. Have you tried putting the cereal in her bottle? Good luck!

D.
Mommy to Conner, 5 months