Rice Cereal - APO,AP

When the baby doesn't seem to be sleeping all night or when formla doesn't seem to be enough. like if you give baby one bottle and still would like more.

My daughter had reflux so the doctor told us to start giving her some before each feeding to help the milk stay down, when she was 2 months. Usually you would give it to them after a feeding because you want them to get more of the milk since that is where all the "good stuff" comes from. If you give your child a little spoonful and they do not push it all out with their tongue is usally a good sign that they are ready.

when your baby is still hungry after you nurse/feed her normally, you should introduce rice cereal!

6 months is the recommended age due to maturity of the digestive system and development of the tongue (younger ones still have the thrusting tongue reflex). Solid foods are not necessary for nutrition the first year of life, it is more for experimentation so go slowly. Also, if you breastfeed, you will notice a big change in the smell of the poop when you add solids. It stinks, another reason not to rush.

Start slowly with a small amount mixed with breastmilk or formula. If the baby is not interested, don't force it. If the baby spits it out or cries, try again another day. My son refused solids until he was almost 8 months old when I tired it that time he ate an entire jar of sweet potatoes. (You can start with fruit or vegetables instead of rice cereal if you want to as well). He was onto table food fairly quickly after that and stopped baby food completely, even for breakfast before he was a year old. Now he is over two and eats everything including things that are spicy and sour.

From what I have seen, the same people that force feed their babies are the same ones who are struggling with toddlers and then older children who won't eat anything. (Not always the case, but to give yourself the best shot, don't push or obsess).

Good luck and have fun!

We started giving the cereal in a bottle, just a tablespoon at 3 months to help the formula last longer in his stomach. However, if you are mixing it to feed from a spoon, you will only know the time is right when you try it. It will be akward for your baby as they aren't used to eating from a spoon or having anything that thick in their mouths. They also have cereal feeders that you can mix the cereal up and put into and the baby sucks it from a bottle with a larger hole in the nipple part. Hope this helps. You can also ask your babies Doctor or someone at the WIC office for more advice.

I guess I didn't know when he was ready. But I breastfed my son and about 4 months he wanted to eat more often then 4 hours. So I gave him a little bit of rice cereal with breast milk in it. At first he had a hard time with the spoon but he got it. But for us rice cereal blocked my son up and we had issues. Then we switched to barley and bananas and had not problems. I just kept trying and eventually he took it. Researchers have said it takes about 15 times of trying a new food for a baby to like it, or really take it.
I would trust your instinct.

R. (also on Okinawa, Japan)

I was afraid at first and started around 6 months. Just introduce the food slowly don't force him/her to eat it. If rice and forumla(breast milk) dont work for him/her try it with a little veggies mixed in instead. My daughter did not like the milk mixed with it but like it with veggies and ate it up.

I am also a H. S. located on Okinawa :)

Normally your pediatrician will tell you to wait until your baby is able to sit up on its own.

I think each baby is different. When you go in for your 4 month checkup I would talk to your doctor about it. My son was big and I was breastfeeding him every 2-3 hours around the clock. My doctor told me to start cereal at 4 months. There are also signs you can look for, for example they should be able to hold their heads up well, the tongue thrust reflex is gone, and baby reaches for and shows an interest in table foods. I started right at four months based on my doctor's recommendation and because I was hoping it would help him sleep better at night (which it did). If you have a lot of food allergies in your family they recommend waiting until at least 5 months.

To answer your question directly, that is purely a decision you must make! You can always enlist the advice of a physician that knows your/your family's, the baby's bio fathers/and his family's allergy and medical history. But to make a long story short, if your families don't have many food allergies you are probably ok to start it when you feel your baby needs more substance to his/her diet. At our house, we were down to eating every 1 1/2 hours! I just add a little it to their bottles and they gulp it up.
Oh by the way my profile is old, I am a first time mother of fraternal twins who are ~6 mo's. Good Luck
W.

When my little boy started acting really hungry even after I gave him a bottle I tried cereal and it worked out great. Hope you have good luck with it.