11 Weeks - Starting Cereal?

T.: Absolutely start the little guy on cereal! It sounds like he's a big boy and he's probably just not getting his tummy full from nursing alone!

I started both of my babies on cereal at about 5 weeks old. They wouldn't eat it from a spoon, of course, so I would cut a bigger hole in the nipple of a bottle and mix the cereal with formula. This satisfied them and as a plus, they slept ALL night because their bellies were full!

Good Luck & God Bless!

S.

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As you will learn if you ask his doctor, ABSOLUTELY NOT. The barest minimum age for feeding an infant anything other than breast milk or formula is four months. Preferably, you should wait till he's six months old.

If you have started this practice, put it to an immediate end. His digestive system is not able to properly handle anything but breast milk or formula and his health will suffer more and more with every feeding of cereal or anything else that is not - again ONLY BREAST MILK OR FORMULA. By far of course the best thing for him is breast milk, so by all means, keep it up!

I am a little concerned by your saying that your baby "is always hungry after nursing." He should just nurse until he is not hungry anymore. So if he stops nursing on his own, assuming he isn't overtired and is drifting off before he is truly full, then he shouldn't be hungry after nursing. Don't place any limits on how long he feeds or when.

L.

Hey T., yes you can ask your doctor and they will probably tell you to wait...but i'm very much old school, my boys are grown and i have grand babies BUT, my oldest started cereal at 10 days old, with a spoon, he was hungry ALL the time. After he started eating the cereal he was much happier and slept much better. I'm sorry, i don't care what the dr says, if my baby is hungry, i'm going to feed him. My second son started cereal when he was about 4 weeks for the same reasons. Neither of them has allergy problems or the other things that are supposed to come with giving them cereal or other foods that early. But, each child is different and each Mom has to choose what she will do for her child. But, if you do start use the rice cereal.....Good Luck, R.

My 3rd child was like that. He just couldn't seem to get enough. I was totally against the cereal thing but was more against formula so I tried it at 3 months and he acted as though he was starving. I couldn't believe how much that child downed. He loved and it help curb what I couldn't seem to keep up with as far as nursing went.

T.,

I had a big baby, too - my second one was right at 10 pounds. But, I kept her off of cereal until 5 months. I nursed, but I think I began supplementing with some formula around 3 months because I didn't make enough milk to keep her satisfied. (She's now 9, so I'm having to remember a long way back!!) I do clearly remember my pediatrician telling me that their digestive systems are not ready for solids until 4 months and that the later you can wait - the better. I know there are plenty of cases of people adding cereal to the bottle and doing well; but, I also know that the earlier you start cereal, the greater the chance the child will develop allergies and other problems. Formula does seem to be more filling than breast milk, so you might try giving him a couple of ounces of that after every breast feeding.

By the way - I am the "infertile" mom of 3 kids, too. God is Great!

I would try to give it a go! Try before bedtime, or later in the evening and I can gaurentee that he will sleep much better too. Use a spoon, some people say put it in the bottle, but I have heard that that is a big nono. We started our now 8month old on ceral when he was 2.5 months and he did just fine...ofcoarse call your peditrician and ask also! :-) good luck!

I would ask the babies doctor cause they don't want babies on anything but milk till they are 6 months and if you do rice cereal good luck

Our son was 9 lbs. at birth and was born hungry. We had to put him on cereal in his bottles at around 10 weeks or he would stay hungry and not be satisfied. Afterwards we would laugh at him because he would seem so fat and happy, just full and content really. He gained weight fast and weight 25 pounds by the time he was a year old and was in the top percentile of his age group for weight. He was a chunk of lead but my arms looked great from all that baby lifting and it was like a constant work-out. Once he got to walking he hardly gained any more weight until he was nearly three but just got taller. He's a teenager now and is tall and slim. He just started off hungry and healthy and we love those plump pictures of him now.

I have had big babies also I started my little girl who weight 9lbs 10oz on ceral at a month because she was hungry and formula wasnt doing it for her. I would just put a teaspoon in his breast milk and see if he can handle it if so I would do that. Good Luck

That was a BIG baby!!!

I really don't know...in my honest opinion I would say his digestive system is way too young to process cereal, 4-5 months is better but still young. I always tried to wait until 5-6 months. I think you should ask a nutritionist or your Pediatrician. But when all is said and done, you are the momma and know what he needs.

He is way too young. Baby's tummies are not ready to handle food/cereal until at least 4 months. It has nothing to do with how big he is or how hungry he looks. Before you take advice from people who say our mothers did and we survived I would talk to your Ped. & do research on your own. Feeding babies food too soon can lead to many problems down the line later in life.

I would hold off on it. My youngest did the same thing and I didn't give her cereal until 4 months. He is gaining plenty of weight and is probably just imatating you.

You can check with your doctor, who will probably tell you to wait, but I was feeding my daughter rice cereal when she was 5 days old. I would feed her a couple of bites at bed time so that she would sleep longer at night. You might try a couple of bites of it after he eats to make sure that he is full. I did not put fruit into it until she was 3 months old. Best of luck
G.

Hi T.!! I am J., Mom to Evan 6 and Gabriel who is 17 weeks old this week. Gabe was 8 lbs and 14 oz when he was born. My husband brought him to the pediatrician's office at about 9.5 weeks old for some congestion and asked if we could start cereal. Our pediatrician said it was fine to start cereal. Girl, I would go for it. We are about to start fruits and veggies. My boy is hungry. I had to switch off from breast milk to formula to keep my boy satisfied!!!! It is possible that your little guy is hungry. I know breast milk didnt satisfy my big boy who is over 15 lbs. Good luck!!! My mom always goes back to the days of when we were babies and mentioned that they gave us rice cereal at 4 weeks old and nothing was wrong with us. I think there are too many articles out there that really have alarmed doctors and parents to not give cereal until 6 months of age,etc... anyways!! Good Luck!!

Hi T.,

I gave my now five month old daughter rice cereal right before she turned two months. When she was born I used to breastfeed and bottlefeed, but it was never enough for her. So I starting giving her rice cereal at about 9 weeks old. I only put two teaspoons of it in the bottle in the beginning along with the milk, but slowly increased as she grew older. When I went to her doctor for her two month shots, her doctor told me if she's drinking more than 32ozs. a day, start her on rice cereal. Once I told her I already begun giving it to her, she said that was fine. I am sure your baby will be ok, but it always good to double check with your doctor. Good Luck and May GOD Bless!!