Doc Says to Start Rice Cereal at 4 Mo

Hi L.,
I am impressed with your knowledge about allergies and your awareness of your son's needs! As for your doctor, I cannot say the same. My understanding of the guidelines for starting cereal in families with a history of allergies/asthma is to wait six months. That's what I did with all three of my children while I was nursing them. My best advice to you is to keep doing what you are doing: educating yourself, paying attention to your child's individual needs and trusting your instincts. And find a better doctor!

Best wishes from our family to yours.

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Hi L.~

The cereal thing is somewhat of an issue with me... not sure why, but your concern caught my attention. I say go with your gut. You know your baby best. I never gave my babies cereal as a main food. I only ever used it when just introducing foods, such as applesauce (unsweetened) and mashed bananas.... probably to mellow the flavor, since cereal has none! Our ped. actually says "it tastes like paper~ who wants to eat that?!" I guess I am lucky that I really like him and agree with his suggestions 99% of the time.

My son was 2 weeks early and in the 5th percentile in the growth chart most of the time. We nursed until he was a year and I really only gave him "real" foods, not that jar stuff. I also didn't start with the mashed bananas, applesauce or any other solids until 6 months or later with both babies. They will show you the signs. If he is content with nursing, I would not rush anything.

Wishing you the best! ~J. B

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L.,

By all means wait! Especially if you don't think the little one is ready. My daughter was born 6 weeks early and is a few days shy of 6 months right now. She is exclusively breastfeed at this point. We're going to be waiting a good bit longer to introduce solids - she's not showing any signs of being ready - sitting up on her own (holding the position, not necessarily getting there by herself), losing the tongue thrust reflex, showing interest (she likes sitting with us, but is perfectly happy with a spoon, sippy cup of mamas milk, or toy), and having a pincer grasp (not palmar/raking grasp).

For the first year, solids are really more for play rather than for nutrition. When we do start solids, we will not be using cereal. It's an overprocessed carb with little, if any, nutritional value. We're going to be starting with avocado followed by sweet potato then banana. I'm just going to mush it up with some breastmilk for consistency.

I really think that waiting for her to be ready will be so much easier, not to mention wiser from a food allergy standpoint. By waiting, she can start eating from our plates at dinner and I don't have to really even deal too much with purees. Prior to six months (and that's a generalization with kids falling on either side of it for readiness), which is the recommended start time from both the World Health Organization and The American Academy of Pediatrics (although the AAP does support differing opinions on this), children are prone to having an open gut, where the intestines are not totally ready for solid foods and starting solids early is thought to encourage the formation of food allergies/sensitivites. Also, at 1 year old, only about 25% of the childs nutrition should be made up of solids, the rest should still be breastmilk or formula.

S.

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I have a son now 3 years old (also named Brayden)and a daughter 8 weeks old. I strictly breast fed Brayden until he was 6 months old. At 6 months, I slowly started in cereal. My doctor said that it was fine to strictly breast feed for the first 6 months and then after that I should start cereal. My Brayden was in the 95th percentile for both height and weight and is currently in the 95th for height and 50th for weight and has always been very healthy. So, as you can see he did just fine growing with only breast milk for the first 6 months.

I will also only breast feed my daughter for th first 6 months. I feel that the breast is best for the first 6 months and as long as your producing enought milk for your baby than why start cereal before.

I hope this helps.

Andrea

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Our doctor also told us to start our second little girl on oatmeal first at 4 months and with our first daughter were not told to start until she was 6 months and to start with rice. We tried this time at 4 months but she had no idea what was going on so we stopped it wasn't worth the mess. At a little over 5 months old we were eating dinner and I noticed her smacking her lips watching us eat. I went ahead and took the chance and she started eating like a champ but was allergic to the oatmeal so we quickly switched to rice with no side effects. She is also on soy formula. We had alot of trouble with the milk based formulas. I don't know much about preemies my girls were 8 lbs 3oz and 8 lbs 10 oz but I say go by his development. I hope everything works out.

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Hi L.:
Whether or not you start feeding rice now is up to you. I know I started feeding my daughter rice cereal at this time because she was so small. She was not premature, however, is was the smallest full term baby they had ever seen. She weighed 5lbs when we left the hospital. The rice is not a subitute for breastmilk or formula. Would not start with much more than 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp. I mixed it with expressed breast milk. If you want to do it but unsure just start really small, sprinkle it in like you would sugar in your coffee or salt in pot of pasta. You are the mother and knows what is best. Update-my teeny-tiny baby is 10 now and strong and beautiful. Good Luck-and always listen to yourself, you know what is best for you and your baby.

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L.,
I am a SAHM of two wonderful little boys,one is 3years and I also have a 4 1/2 month old. I just took him to the doctor to day for his 4month check up. He also is allergic to dairy products and has severe eczema, my doctor said not to rush anything. Their practice hands out a little schedule to follow for eating, but he said since Dylan is special that we should wait a month or two for everything. If you are concerned their is no benefit in feeding him rice cereal now compared to 1-2 months later. Do what you feel is comfortable. Also, I belong to gerber's website and just got a pamphlet on feeding. If he is not a supported sitter and has not acted like he wants food( I think there was a few others to), not to give your child food yet.
So I guess what I am trying to say is, you are the mom and with his allergy I would not feed him cereal, quite yet. Good Luck!
Stephanie

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My sister Jill gave me good advice. She says when the baby starts grabbing for your food, it's time to start giving him some!

My first son I starting feeding at 8 months and he was fine. I nursed up to then and he had those fat, chubby thighs everyone likes to squeeze.

Follow you're own instincts, they are good.

P.S. My first pediatrician was them same way. She gave me advice but it wasn't from experience. I switched to a female Dr. who has 3 kids and she is great.

P.S.S. You didn't ask for this advice, but I wait until my kids are one year old before giving them any vaccines. It gives them time for their nervous system to mature. Then I only give them one shot at a time with three months in between. The autism link to vacinnes hasn't been "proven" but my instincts say there is a link. Boys are especially at risk.

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Do what you feel is best for your child, not what some doctor tells you. They are not gods they are human. and if you do not feel comfortable with her, you need to find a different doctor. with my oldest they were starting them at 4 months with my youngest who is 3 now they said wait till 6 months. even then it was a good two months before he actually started eating anything. and he is as big as most 4 year olds. breast milk is the best thing for your baby and you should follow your feelings on this. and go find a doctor you are comfortable with.

"We must be the change we want to see in the world"
-Gandhi

Abundant Blessings
Trish

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You have already gotten some good advice. I never gave my son rice cereal. He didn't have solids until he was a year old and was breastfed exclusively. I say wait. Since you have said that your son has sensitivities, it really would be best if you waited as long as possible before introducing a possible allergan to his diet.

Good luck.

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Personally! you are the parent and you know you child health better than anyone. If you want to wait and you feel your son is satisfied with your supply. THEN YOU GO GIRL!
K. B
P.S. for now on when you schedule appt. make sure you do not get that doctor. you pay dearly for those visits. You should get peace of mind.

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Follow your own instincts. My son was nursed EXCLUSIVELY until after 7 months. He has asthma but at 16 is growing out of it. He would have been much worse had he been given processed foods. We made our own and raised our own goats because both my children were allergic to cow milk. While I realize you can't do the Farm thing, you will never regret giving your baby the best..which is your own breast milk. With thousands of new chemicals being created every year, we are in constant exposure to carcinogenic substances. Even the plastic we heat food in the microwave releases such. What new thing will be bad for us next? Your concerns are valid. Follow your own heart and by the way, change doctors to one who will let you raise your child your way. You will never regret it.

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L. - I noticed that you are a chiropractor. My cousin is too & he is way more informed than most of the peds in the practice we go to (& I love them). He's always looking for alternatives to medicating, also. That being said, my guess is that you are very informed about child rearing. The best piece of advice I've ever gotten; "Go w/ your gut." GOD gave YOU this baby to raise b/c he thought you would do what';s best for him, not the docs. Being a 1st time mom can make you unsure of yourself & look to the docs for guidance. There are very few things you can do that will harm your child. So, take a deep breath, relax, & listen to you. side note: I nursed my son & we waited until he was 5 1/2 months for rice cereal. I knew it was time to start b/c even after nursing he was still fussy & wanting something else.

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Hi L.,

You should listen to your instincts! Dr. William Sears has a chart that tells when to start babies on different types of foods. It can be found at:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T030500.asp

I will try to find some more links for you. My daughter has some information and will send that to me as soon as she is able (she has four children--and one is a newborn, so it may be a little while...lol)

Let me know how things go, okay?

Best wishes,
K.

www.joyfulconnections.net

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Please, please, please follow your intuition and delay the onset of foods into your preciously perfect babe's digestive system! He does not need anything but your liquid gold (breast milk). You'll know when he needs and you want to introduce foods. I can't imagine a chiropractor vaccinating their infanct, but please do not do that either, Especially with a child that already shows some autoimmune-y stuff, such as ezcema. Please look into a good homeopath, and try classical constitutional homeopathy. (If you want the name and number of one, I would happily refer you to mine. She's excellent at pediatrics (mother of 5), and adults.) FYI, I am a mother of 4, ages 20 down to 9. I have my BSN, and have unfortunately let my RN license lapse (forgot to send in the $$ with the re-ap and decided I didn't ever really want to practice again). My youngest was also a premie, and had horrible ezcema on his cheeks, starting when he was weaned. I have been holistic since my first child had his first cold, stopped vaccinating completely.... These children have such strong vital forces. Your cutie-pie has a whole lifetime of food ahead of him.....No need to rush. Besides, I agree with you. I do not trust doctors who do not have practical, loving experience in their specialty.

If there is one thing I wish I had done while I was a young mom, it would be to trust in the development and growth of my kids. (I was always controlling their environment, rather than trying to just watch and observe, only to step in where needed.) They have the wonderful god-given gut guidance and SO DO YOU! Just love him and trust yourself. You are a wonderful mother, and you all have been blessed.

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If you're in the market for a new ped, Mt. Airy Pediatrics is phenomenal! Dr. Cady, who only takes infants as new patients, is a God send. He's open to parents making the choices for the children, and that includes vaccinations!!! That's a rare quality if you ask me. Our daughter is 10 months old and we've had the best experience with Dr. Cady and the other peds in the practice as well as their great nurse practitioner. In Bucks county there is also Valley Pediatrics; Dr. Barbera. Ultimately we chose Dr. Cady in spite of the distance because he was supportive of our home birth choice and had a relationship with our midwifery practice, which Valley Pediatrics wasn't interested in supporting. But Dr. Barbera came recommended to us as an open minded dr. more in the bucks county area (huntington valley).
Peace, S.

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why was the doctor recommending you start him so early? If you don't feel comfortable doing it and he is getting enough to eat then don't start. Does your child suffer from reflux problems? If the doctor was only recommending, you don't have to do what he says. You need to do what you feel is right for you and your baby. I don't think you should start before 5 months, but I am not a doctor. My kids didn't show signs of needing to be fed anything more than my milk to after 5 months.

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My doctor told me when my daughter was 4 months old that I should start her on rice cereal, because she was underweight. I did and it made absolutely no difference at all. So for the next three, I waited until I was sure they were ready for baby food before supplementing nursing.

I have a thin husband and all my kids are thin, and they are all smart and developing on schedule.

Staying exclusively with nursing is the best thing for an allergy prone child, especially as you have already noticed some.

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This was probably covered already, but in case it wasn't:

I've read that before starting solid food, breastfed babies should be able to 1) sit on their own, 2) lose the thrust reflex (that automatically pushes objects from their mouths) and 3) take an interest in food. He will show you signs that he wants to eat--watching you eat intently, making chew motions with his mouth, grabbing at your food--when he is ready. Our son (born somewhat on-time) was actually about 5.5 months before we gave him solid food. We were going to wait until six months, but he was curious and kept trying to help himself, and we couldn't resist. :o)

Go with your instinct! It would be hard to start food too *late* for a breastfed baby.

Good luck and have fun!

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I am happy that you have decided to wait on the cereal. Studies have shown that waiting until 6 months to introduce cereal has helped keep children from developing allergies. And since your son has already shown signs of allergies, it's best to do just that. My pediatrition told me to wait until six months to introduce cereal to my daughter. They get enough nutrients from breastmilk (or formula) until that point. There is no need to introduce it. My gastroenterologist also suggested that I wait until my daughter was six months to introduce solids (due to my history of allergies and celiac disease). So I have two doctor's opinions on this matter - and I highly respect both of them.

My daughter got her first taste of solids at six months and she's in the 90 percentile for everything (height,weight). So holding off did not effect her growth at all.

Good luck! And again, I'm so happy that you have decided wait. It's a good decision.

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Hi, I am D.. I am proud SAH mom of a beautiful, active and intelligent 16 mos old daughter, Veronica. Veronica was not a preemie but was small when she was born. At her last Dr. appt she still had not reached 20lbs and that was at 15 mos. The doctors were concerned last fall about her lower weight gain but I know that she is fine. She eats regular food now and she is very active. She is above average on every level. The point of this is that the Dr who was concerned in the fall had me so nervous and scared telling me that something might be wrong and wanted to do tests and all this other stuff but another dr in the practice said that she was just petite and that she was developing fine. I am glad that I went with my gut and heart and listened to the other dr so that roni didn't have any unnecessary tests. God gave you a maternal instinct and no one knows your particular child better than you so I say go with what you think. Waiting to start Brayden on cereal isn't going to do any harm as long as he is still getting enough to eat at feeding time.

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Hi L.,

My baby girl has also had intolerances to certain foods and I have been on the soy/dairy/egg/nut/peanut-free diet since she was about 2 1/2 months...she is now 6 1/2 months. Our pediatrician has been very careful about starting foods with her. She suggested trying some cereal around 5 1/2 months, but I waited until she was 6 months old to start any foods. The rice cereal has gone well, but only after buying Earth's Best organic brand as some of the other commercial cereals have soy! Be careful when picking foods. We started oatmeal and white grape juice last week and she had a reaction, so we have scaled back again to only rice cereal and seeing if the reaction subsides before trying another cereal again. Before we felt she was ready to have cereal we noticed that she was much more interested in what my husband and I were eating and drinking. I believe most books suggest that the child can sit up (at least with support), accepts food in his/her mouth, and shows interest in food before starting any feedings with solids. I would suggest speaking to another one of the pediatricians in the practice and discussing your concerns. It has been my experience that better safe than sorry as the reactions they can have can last for quite a while. Good luck with all of this...by the way purchasing an allergy cookbook could be really helpful, in case you haven't already.

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Hi L. --
My son was 9 weeks premature but I did start him at 4 mos and he loved it! He's now 15 yo and no signs of prematurity despite the fact that the neo-natal docs said it would probably show up again in school.

We started fruits about 6 mos.

Enjoy your little guy -- it goes way too fast!

L.

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