When to SAFELY Start Baby on Rice Cereal

You are good to hesitate.

The AAP recommends at LEAST 6 months.

I would recommend considering that especially with a family history of digestive problems.

Something that no one realizes is that we do not have the enzymes necessary to break down these types of foods until the teeth start coming in. Don't feel like you have to start solids until that point. It is crucial for healthy development of the GI tract. If you force your child's GI tract to break down and try to process solids before they are ready they will be susceptible to GI dysfunction. As one lady mentioned, allergies is one example of that. If you especially acknowledge that you have a history of a sensitive GI than your child may as well. For more info check out this website:
www.icpa4kids.org You can find some great information that will help you with these types of questions.
T.

Don't let anyone tell you you HAVE TO start at 4 months if you're not comfortable with that. I waited til 6 months with my first son, and i am going to do the same with second. (He's 4 months old now.) And both were big boys - the first one was almost 9 lbs, and the second 11 lbs at birth. My pediatrician recommended this, and i trust her, but most importantly, the boys were just fine waiting til 6 months. I'd ask a second pediatrician if you are really wrestling with it.
Good luck!

Actually the AAP says between 4-6 months. I don't think there will be any harm starting before 6, but definitely not before 4. Because of this accepted "range", I made it easy for myself and started at 5 months :)

Wait until 6 if you really think the "tummy problem" is serious.

Good luck!

I am going to be honest with you, my son, went through formula like water. He was spitting up constantly and not getting full. I started my son at 3 months, very little, now I give him more I use the single grain, preferably the barley, it gives a better bowel movement. With some things doctors can't tell you everything, especially when you live with your baby everyday. You have to feel your own child. Give him a little bit, see how he reacts. Start of with the rice, it tastes better. The oatmeal is a little heavy I think. Good luck

Doctors differ on what they believe about starting solids, which means you'll never get a straight answer to this question. Many people feel very strongly about waiting til 6 months, others feel just as strongly about 4 months. There really shouldn't be anything inherently "unsafe" about starting at 4 months, else no doctor would ever say it. There are just a lot of people with strong opinions out there, and people tend to talk in extremes.

That being said, my doctor told me to try it at 4 months, but don't push it. He believes if the child is not ready, they won't eat it, and that if they are capable of swallowing (the tongue thrust reflex is gone), that they should be capable of digesting it. It also won't hurt to wait or to compromise and take it very slowly.

I too have a long history of tummy problems, and my baby's pediatrician was my pediatrician, so he knows all about it. He still had no reservations about starting her on cereal at 4 months. She loves to eat (formula, rice, and now some fruit), and her spitting up has greatly reduced in frequency since we started solids.

Do what you and your husband are comfortable with. Kids are resilient.

I would go ahead and start him on Rice Cereal. I actually started my son on Rice Cereal at about 10 weeks. I had gone back to work and I had my son in a Day Care Home and the woman who cared for him said, you need to do something, the formuala is not enough for him, he cries because he's hungry all day long. That was a Friday and I started the cereal the next morning, I remember reading through the book I had about how to get him to take the food, well, all I had to do was offer it on a spoon, he gobbled it up. At the next pediatrition visit, my doctor asked if I had started him on food, I said yes and she said that's great. He was my first and only child and I thought the Dr. was going to tell me when to start feeding him food. The books all say 4-6 months and I thought she would want me to wait at least 4 months...oh well, just goes to show, we really do know what our babies want and need...trust your instincts!

J. Penfield
Stayin Home and Lovin It!
www.juliepenfield.com
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You need to do what you are comfortable with as long as it is after 4 months. We waited until 6 as our pediatrician said there was no nutritional need for solid food before then. We actually began with banana, blended until really smooth. It is sweeter and more like breastmilk/ formula than rice cereal. If you're concerned, you could wait or just try him with a little and see what happens. If he's happy as he is I would probably wait...

Good Luck

My daughter started cereal at 4 months and we mixed her cereal (rice then barley) with formula. The age (4-6 mo) is more about the ability to use the tongue to get the food to the back of the mouth than the ability to digest it.

Try a little bit and see what happens. If you and the baby are both doing well with it, keep going. If either of you are not comfortable, wait a few days and try again. This will be just one of those "first" that seem scary until the next one.

P.:

aap says not to start solid foods until 6 months.. not 4.

he is not able to digest the cereal/ if youa re going to start solids start with fruits, vegtables,,

cereal has NO nutrtional value.. it is a filler.

P., RLC, IBCLC.
Pres. Lactation Support Group, Inc
800 LACTATE
www.lactationsupportgroup.com

I agree with you. I would wait until 6 months or maybe even longer. You are laying the foundation for digestive health and also can prevent or minimize allergies if you wait to introduce solids. After 6 months, I would trust my instinct, as you are doing, and follow his cues regarding solid foods.
Amy