When Is It OK?

Hi, I'm new to the site but not to kids. I have 4 teenagers, 17,15,14,13. My oldest son was put on cereal bottles at 2 weeks because formula did not fill him. He then had cereal mixed with baby juices at 6weeks. All my kids were on cereal bottles by the time they were 6 weeks due to different things. mainly hunger. None of them have food allergies. All are healthy. All doctors are different. Good luck.

I started my daughter on rice cereal at 2 weeks old. She had acid relux and formula alone wouldn't stay down. 1 tbs for every 2 ounces. She took to the formula mixed with rice cereal right away. Maybe you could start off with 1 tablespoon of cereal and introduce this to her slowly.

I have a 4 month old little girl and I started giving her cereal when she was almost 2 months old..I know of moms who have given babies cereal at 2 weeks!!! I think it will be fine...and she will probably sleep better!!
Good Luck

Hi V., I was just curious as to why you want to feed your baby cereal at this young age. It has been my experience that babies don't have the slightest idea what to do with anything other than a bottle being in their mouth, they just spit anything else out. Plus I don't think their stomachs are mature enough to handle solid food. And your Dr. is right to say that you should wait till at least 4 months of age before you start solid foods. Babies are perfectly happy with a good bottle. My advice is to wait, the big mess of making and feeding and cleaning up food will come soon enough for both of you. Good Luck.
M. (mom of 6)

V.,

I gave my youngest daughter cereal in her nighttime bottles when she was 5 weeks old. She has had an extremely bad bout with acd reflux. However I wouldn't change it for the world b/c she started sleeping more than 20 minutes at a time. So far in the eight months that I have had her here with me I can only count twice that I was so tired and sick that I couldn't do anything for her or hear here. I am a stay at home mom who will hopefully start the distance learning again here shortly. please keep me posted. my e-mail address is ____@____.com

the best age for cereal, is between 4-6 mths...that's when i started giving my daughter cereal in her formula. her little belly could handle it then.

If you start prior to when her body starts making its own digestive enzymes no earlier than 6 months, you will risk damaging her ability to digest food. This will effect her immune system and how easily she is susceptible to illness including major diseases. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends waiting until 6 months to begin solids period. You can go to their website to read more at www.aap.org.

I know books give advice to look for signs of readiness. This doesn't mean their bodies can digest it, but rather means the child is capable of not having a choking hazard. It is like saying if they act more hungry and can reach for food and can sit up and hold their held up well, they are showing physical signs of readiness for food. But biologically they do not make digestive enzymes to process that food until they are 6 months old. An 18 year old is big enough to hold a bottle of beer and drink it, but they don't usually have enough sense or maturity in order to do so responsibly so the surgeon general puts out a warning on alcohol like the American Pediatrics Association puts out a recommendation for when to eat. I realize that is a pretty extreme example, but it just shows guidelines are set up by these organizations for a reason. Good luck!

I am now giving my 3 month old cereal and have been since he was 2 weeks old. I also gave it to my daughter. I helps them get fuller and I noticed it helped them sleep through the night which is great!!!

THEY ARE ALL DIFFERENT!! You know your kid best and if they are satisfied w/ just fluids. I started cereal @ 4 months w/ my first and 2 months w/ my second. Formula alone was not cutting for my second child so we started cereal @ 2 months and we were ALL much happier.

Don't go by a book or what someone else did...listen to their advice and you can make the best call!

Good Luck!!

You know doctors go by the book. If she isn't sleeping through the night and getting up to eat. I gave mine cerreal at bedtime. Not enought hat the milk is thick, just enough to use a cereal cut nipple. Pick rice for her first cereal and don't change up for three weeks incase she has an alergy to it. same with veggies and fruits, veggies are first

The main reason they want you to start feeding cereal later is that the earlier it is given the increase in chance they can become gluten intolerant. Celiac disease, where gluten kills the vili in the small intestine, runs in our family so it was recommended for us to wait until at least 6 months. So just make sure you don't have any family history of gluten issues then it should be fine but just be careful.

Let me tell you some doctors are sticklers on feedings. I know that one doctor will say no wait till a certain age and another would say go ahead. My personal thought on this is... That if the child is just not getting "enough" you can supplement with water after the normal feeding. But it is important that you make sure that the child gets the normal formual and or breast milk before you give water. If your child only eats ever so many hours and get hungry inbetween then give a little water to help. I really dont think it would hurt anything to add a little ceral in also, but then I'm not a doctor.
I wish I could help more.

my dr told me the same thing i have a 18 mo and a 3 mo old and i think i was giving my 18mo cereal when she was 3 mo or so and i went ahead and started my 3 mo cause ther formula is not filling her up they tell you not because of diebates or something like that but mine is just getting bigger .good luck

Your baby should be able to sit unassisted and have lost the gag reflex and be interested in eating it. Starting later reduces allergy possibilities and allows the stomach time to develop enough for it.
I would not rush it at all.
L.

i started my son oh cearal about two months..he was always so hungry and the bottle wasn't enough..i just didn't tell the doctor..you did it with you last one..so just do what you think is best..

My daughter was born with jaundice (very yellow)so she couldn't handle much at all...1-2 ounces of formula per feeding for the first 6 weeks so I didn't give her cereal for about 4 months. However, my son was 8 lbs and 12 ozs at birth and came home from the hospital drinking 8 ozs per feeding (at 6 hr intervals)so I started him on cereal at 2 weeks (1 tsp rice cereal per bottle). He slept 7 hrs straight at night so I couldn't complain! :) I don't feel right recommending it to anyone, but it was fine for him. You said you were thinking about it, but you didn't say she acted like she needed it so I would just watch her closely and see if she acts like (cries, sucks on her fingers) she really needs additional suppliment in order to sleep good at night. Good luck!
B.

my dr. said if they baby is hungry feed the baby...he suggested rice cereal first...not too much just enough like maybe a teaspoon in the bottle...i did it with all 7 of my kids the oldest is now 21...then when they get older give them more...

You really should go by Dr's opinion on this- he/she probably said 4-6 months, and that's right. earlier than that and there really aren't any benefits.

Well I know the dr's don't agree, but I feel it depends on the baby. I ended up giving my son very watered down cereal at 6wks because he was never satisfied with just formula or breast milk. I think you need to follow your instincts and what you feel is best for your child. Hope this helps.

They recommend that a baby has the ability to roll from stomach to back and from back to stomach. The movement makes up for the need to be burped. Also, they need to have a need for the cereal. If the normal amount of bottles does not keep a baby satifisfied then it's time to think of solid foods. That's why the recommended age is 4 months. Because that's generally when all these things start. With the rule always being never feed from a bottle the cereal helps them use their tongue to be ready for baby food. Hope this helps you.

Doctors say not till 4-6 months. Six months is best, gives the baby's little tummies time to develop enzymes to digest food. Until then, they don't have them, and it puts a strain on their digestive system. I just saw your what happened---why would you go against what your doctor told you? Seems like that is asking for trouble.

Usually the best time is when they are close to being a year old. At least that's what most doctors say but if your daughter is still hungry even after a bottle, I would try mixing a little cereal in a bottle, so that it is thin enough to go through a nipple and let her have that.My mom fed all us kids cereal at an early age as well and my sister fed her son cereal from the time he was 3 months old. It basically depends on the child, my daughter didn't eat cereal until she was about a year old.

My son had reflux BAD when he was a baby and I gave it to him at 6 weeks! I think even if he wouldn't have had it, I still would've given him cereal! Tons of people will probably say that because of allergies you should wait, BUT if you think your child is still hungry after a bottle or you would like to get some needed sleep I would say go for it! No harm in trying it in my opinion. Good Luck and keep us updated!

I didn't give my daughter ceral until she was 5 months old. The earlier you introduce solids, the greater the risk for food allergies. Besides that, at 2 months old they are not ready for solid food yet, they don't know what to do with it. I would wait as long as possible, but definately check with your doctor and see what he/she thinks.

I was reading about you and it says that you ahve family on OK?? where at? My whole family jsut moved down there so I'm here alone iwht my kids and husband of course. :-) i too have no friends...well my husbands b/c he's lived her ehis whole life...anyways.....about the cereal...i started both of mine on cereal at 4 months however my new one may need it earlier to help with spitting up and he's just hungrier than the other two...but we will see.

V. T.,

I am a mother of 3 teenage daughters, ages 18, 14, and 13. You should wait until 4-6 months to start feeding your baby cereal, to avoid alergies forming. Your baby's digestive system is not ready to handle cereal or other foods before that point, so LISTEN TO YOUR DOCTOR in this case (not your grandmother) who is obviously not a medical expert but cares enough to tell you what she THINKS is right. But THINKING what is right, isn't always what IS right, so listen to your doctor. And as a mother, listen to your gut instinct as well, sometimes even when dealing with doctors. You live and learn, and your kids will learn from you as they grow and start forming their own opinions, remember this experience when you try to tell YOUR kids how to raise their kids. Times change and so do some of the methods of child rearing.

i started giving my now 8 mth old cereal and applesauce at 1.5 mths in order for her to keep her formula and my BM down. my pedi recomended it and i was and still am using the AR lipil that has cereal in it but on dr's orders we were giving her that and the cereal by itself and applesauce in order for her to keep her food down. Now she has no problems at all eating

First, start with rice cereal, but the reason most MD's dont want you to start cereal is the risk of choking on too much cereal and because there are little calories in cereal. If you try it, just do rice and be absolutely sure you use just a bit with a spoon, and not every bottle! Good luck!

Do what your doctor says! Back in the day, people gave their babies food much earlier than doctors recommend now. That changed because studies found that introducing foods too early caused more food allergies in babies and also that babies digestive systems couldn't necessarily handle real food before 4-6 months. If your doctor said 4 months, then he/she is the expert and that's what you should go with. You should be in no hurry to give your child cereal. Your little girl should be getting all the nourishment that she needs right now through breat milk or formula, which ever one you're doing.

I would follow the doctors recommendations on this. Babies younger then 4 months cannot digest the different protiens in cereal or other foods well yet. They require all the nutrients in formula or breast milk more in the first 4 months of age. I hope this helps. Good luck.

Unless your baby has colic or acis reflux it's not good to give a baby ceral before 4 months. Their tummies aren't ready to digest it and it could give them cramps. Colicy babies are given ceral mixed with their bottle to help absorb the acid in their tummies.

I am old fashion even though im only 23 i have 3 kids and they all were eating cereal at 2 mths and tasting things before that. I had all 3 of my kids off the bottle by 9mths and they stopped with formula at 4mths when they started cutting teeth they were at the table with us.... but i think all kids are different if ur baby is getting full then i say wait if she is not then she needs some cereal and u need some sleep lol start off with just a cereal bottle at night. just a little at a time. if it helps then i say go for it not all babies are the same and not all doctors will say the same u have to follow ur motherly instinct so if it were me and she was wanting more then i would give it to her. with milk too. hope i helped a little.

Not until 4 months. Just like your pediatrician said.

The thing about all this raising children stuff is that there is no ONE right way. They get averages from somewhere and your child and your comfort level may not fall into what 'they' say you should do. If most people want to go by the book that is great if that is what works for them. You should go with your instincts and what you think you should do.
Getting different opinions is great just don't let anyone make you feel bad for doing things earlier or later than 'they' say you should.

My doctor said to do it at 3 months if I was ready. I don't really encourage doing it early unless you really need to, not being able to sleep constitues. Rice cereal is supposed to be the best kind (easiest on the stomach and gives iron for brain development.). Good luck!

I don't think you should give it until 5 or 6 months. There's no reason to at this age; it doesn't make them sleep better, that's an old wive's tale from our parents' generation. She's too young to sleep more than 6 hours at a time (unless you're really lucky).

Hi there. Well, I waited until my kids were about 5 months. I did this because it was very frustrating for me to feed them so young. They just were too little to really grasp the concept of eating from a spoon. My daughter is 6 1/2 months now and I started her a month ago. She was a pro right away. So waiting longer saved me some frustration. Also my doctor said that when you start them around 4 months, it's just for them to practice....they don't really need what you're giving them. At that age they are still supposed to be getting all of their nutrition from the formula or breastmilk. She said they dont REALLY need the nutrients from baby food until they are 6 months....hope that helps.