We are trying to introduce spoon feeding with ceral for my 5 month old girl. It worked well the first time and now she isnt getting the hang of spoon feeding. She acts like we are putting the spoon down her throat and gagging. We only put a tiny bit on the spoon and put it on the tip of her tongue. She is waking up more at night because she is hungry. I have been putting cereal in her bottle in the mornings and evenings and she still wakes up at night. Any suggestions.
Make the cereal a little thicker. My boys never liked the watery cereal. It may be dripping into her throat and making her gag.
what type of cereal are you using? What are you mixing it with?
Try using oatmeal, rice, barley, etc...see if you get different reactions...also try mixing each with different things; water, juice, formula.
I would try each different "concoction" a couple of times before moving on to the next one. This will give you a more accurate sense of whether she likes it or not.
It could be as simple as not likeing the flavor of what you are giving her (hence switching out what you prepare it with - water, juice(s), formula) or as complex as not liking the texture of the cereal you are giving her (hence trying the different types)...
Good Luck... ;-)
E.-
Our little boy is also 5 months old. We started ceral at 4 months and had the same reaction. I called our pedi and she told me to try mixing in a small amount or carrot or squash in with it since veggies are the next step in solids. He loves it. We mix the rice ceral with the veggie even for breakfast. We also make it almost the consistancy of potato soup- not real thick but not runny either and he seems to prefer that texture. In fact very little of it ends up on his face, chest, high chair ect because he seems to like it so much. Just another suggestion. Good luck.
She's probably going through a growth spurt and needs to eat at night to compensate for the growth she is experiencing and the extra calories she needs.
If she's refusing to eat the cereal, or gagging on it, she's probably not ready for food! The World Health Organization doesn't recommend feeding solids until six months of age (this includes spiking their bottles with cereal!).
If she's having such a rough time with it, I would hold off for another month and try again.
In regards to the night feeding, start offering her more in her bottle during the day or offer her more feedings per day and see if that helps her not be hungry at night.
Regarding spoon feeding: Try putting the cereal on your fingertip and feeding her that way at first. When they first start eating solids, they don't take more than 1 tbsp or so, so it's easy to do a full feeding off your fingertip. She is much more familiar with your finger being around her face than a spoon. As she eats more, it's pretty easy to transition to a spoon.
Regarding the waking up at night: I remember reading on another post that rice cereal really does not have that many calories. This may be something to investigate. You might be giving it to her with good intentions, but she may not stay full from it. When they first start on solids, it should not replace their formula or breastmilk, it should be in addition to it.
I also agree to wait until she is 6 months old before you go full speed ahead with solids.
I would probably wait another month to start spoon feeding.
Hi E.,
You might check the consistancy of the cereal- make it loose at first then gradually thicken it up- start with Rice cereal as it is the easiest to digest and the texture is most favored.....try adding more to the milk bottles ... and you might try a little fruit like applesauce or plums with the spoon feedings. She will get the hang of it soon.
good luck and blessings
I make my daughter's cereal bottles in the blender. I use 24 oz water, one cup of formula, three cups of oatmeal cereal, add her vitamins and probiotics and blend away. It's a very thick mixture and comes out very smooth. It makes about a day and a half to two day's food at a time. Makes making bottles a breeze! She has SEVERE GERD and was projectile vomiting several times a day. This has helped greatly. In the beginning, she was kind of on the constipated side. Adding the solids has brought great balance on that front.
We started spoon feeding her with the cereal (I took it straight from her bottles since it was so thick) around four months. I started her on the veggies after that and then the fruit. Now, she'll eat anything. Just keep at the spoon feedings and I think she will come around. Don't push it too much but still go through the process. My daughter likes it so she can grab the spoon and chew on it.
I think if you used a thick bottle mix and used that for her spoon feedings as well, she will get more food and sleep better and not be thrown off by the new textures until she gets her groove going.
She may be going through a growth spurt and could truley be hungry at night. I know there are several peds that oppose putting cereal in a bottle b/c it tends to make babies lazy eaters. (they learn to just suck it down and when offered anything a little thicker they refuse or choke on it) Some kids have to be offered a new food 8-10 times before they will take it. Keep offering the same things and see if, after several tries, she takes it down like a champ.
