Feeding Cereal

Hi. We were just told the same thing for our 4.5 month old baby by a pediatric GI specialist. Our baby has reflux too and the doctor suggested thickening her feeds with rice cereal. Since I still nurse, I decided to start feeding her a little rice cereal before nursing her in the evening. Rice cereal was suggested as the first thing we use. Barely is not suppose to taste that great. Our pedicatrican suggested using oatmeal if we have any problems with constipation.

She definitely sounds ready, as long as she can also hold her head up strong, with no support. My daughter is just about to be 4 months and is already on stage 1 food (she was holding her head up on her own, literally at birth!) You can definitely start introducing the cereal, stage 1 fruits or veggies (1 type at a time for 3-5 days each to make sure there are no allergic reactions) and then move on from there as your baby progresses.

If she has acid-reflux, you will actually want to avoid too much oatmeal, barley or anything with wheat, as these increase acid. Rice is definitely best for controlling the acid and spit-up.

I'm a pediatric CNA so, if you have any questions, please feel free to email me anytime!
E.

I suggest checking out the westin price foundation website. They say avoid all grains until 1 year if possible because they are hard to digest and will aggrevate your baby's reflux. Try fruits, veggies, and meats that are ground up. Organic and grass fed if possible. Egg yolks are also good, but not the whites which are the parts that cause allergies. Good luck!

usually you start with rice, but any of those is fine. it sounds like she is ready to eat! just choose one and add nothing new for at least 3 days to make sure there are no adverse reactions

go for oatmeal first, its less constipating,

as for foods you could also try putting your dinner in the blender for her.

stay away from honey, nuts, and anything you or your hubby might be allergic too.

good luck

M

Pick up the book Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. You should be able to get it in any book store. It's a great resource and describes when and why you should introduce certain foods, as well as lots of recipes and hints for feeding.
www.superbabyfood.com

Since she has GERD, I would recommend waiting until 6 months to start solids. Many doctors are recommending this anyway now.

If I remember correctly, it's rice, barely and then oatmeal. Although, we skipped over the barely altogether. We did rice, and it constipated her, and then moved right to oatmeal, which she loved. We did just oatmeal until 6 months and then started with green veggies. Some kids start sooner with the veggies if they're not satisfied with the cereal. If she's looking for food, and watching you, then she's ready. That is what my daughter was like and she grabbed the spoon from my hand at the first meal and put it in her mouth. Also, if they keep the food in and don't push it right out (of course a bunch will come out no matter what, but you'll know the difference if they're really pushing it out). Also, if they open there mouth for more after you give them one bite. Those are all signs that they're ready. Have fun with it!!

I have 1 year old twins, and my daughter to had acid reflux, she grew out of it, at about 7 months. I gave her the rice cereal until that time, and she was fine. Good Luck.

Dont touch Barley.. big time gas... Try oatmeal first...if it works.. stick with it. When you go to fruit - applesauce is really good and pears too... low acid.... Good luck..

Hi,
I always started cereal at about the same age, and my daughters loved it, after a try or two. The first response it to push it out of their mouth because the texture is different, but after a couple tries they get the hang of it and can't get enough. My second daughter quite possibly had acid reflux, although never diagnosed. (very colicky) The addition of cereal seemed to help keep stuff down. I started with just a tablespoon or two mixed with breast milk, (or formula) and started very liquidy and thicker each time. I started with rice, tried it for a week or two, then introduced oatmeal for a week or two then barley for a week or two. If there was no reaction to each of those, then you can do a mix. Hope this helps!

You know your daughter is ready to eat food when acts as she is now, wanting what you have. Rice is usually the best cereal to start out with. Make it on the thin side the first few times you give it to her.

Everyones opinion on when to start solids is differnet so go by you daughters cues. Though it is said that to aviod food allergies, it is recommened to hold off solids till 6 months but if your ped. says to start, go for it. My daughter also has reflux and I only gave her oatmeal. Than barley when she got older, that she liked. I didn't start spoon feeding till she was 6 months but she had oatmeal in her bottles since she was 9 weeks old. Rice cereal tends to make them consipated. Alittle prune juice in a bottle or two takes care of that. I do recommend using beechnut or organic cereals because they do not contain soy...which alot of babies are unknowingly allergic to. All gerber cereal contain soy. Good luck!!! Hope this helps.

4.5 months is quite early to be giving food especially with GERD. You may want to talk to the pediatrician about a probiotic to fix that problem. Pear juice is actually the closest (so I've heard) in molecular structure to breast milk so why not start with some finely grated or blended organic pear? Be sure to leave enough time between new foods to prevent allergies.

Rice is quite constipating and with GERD, not exactly a good idea. Grains are acidic. Don't always believe what the mainstream media tries to sell you when it comes to food choices!

S. Hoehner
www.sharethecause.com/detoxqueen

I would keep away from any cereal that binds...rice and barley. Oatmeal is a good choice. I put a little in my sons bottle and he slept longer, wasn't as hungry and did not grow up to be a fat kid (That is what people say about giving cereal too young.)

My baby girl also has GERD and I've been very aware of what I feed her. Basically all the green veggies are absolutely harmless for it (but my baby doesn't like the taste. I mix it with the cereal and have stuck with it so she is more accepting now). Look at the label for the Sodium content- the higher it is the more likely to cause reflux. Banannas were her fav taste but absolutely caused more reflux than what it's worth. Apples were fine. Carrots are pretty high. Sweet potatoes aren't as high so you can mix in a little bit. Prunes were okay. And my baby loves Barley. Mine is now 8 months old, so in the AM I give her the Good Morning Cereal that has apples and Bannanas (applesauce was great by the way) but the content isn't so high that it bothers her acidity. She loves it. In the afternoon I give her Barley cereal with a fruit or veggie. And in the evening I now started her on the mixed grain cereal with a veggie and maybe some fruit for dessert. She does great.

As yours gets older, there are also teething biscuits and dissolving cookies that your babe will love.

Good luck! -N.

A.~

We started our daughter recently on cereal too. I recommend Earth's Best as it is organic, if that is important to you. If not, Gerber does lovely cereals as well. I bought both the rice, and oatmeal, and have found our daughter prefers the rice quite a bit to the oatmeal. So, I suggest buying a small amount of at least 2 of the 3 now, and seeing which she prefers and which yields less spit-up. It seems to be a flavor preference. Our pediatrician and the "What to expect book both recommend NOT putting the cereal into a bottle though - but rather feeding it with a spoon. Good luck!

you may want to google "delaying solids" and you will get lots of sites that explain the benefits of waiting till 6 months. your daughter is still very young.

A.,

The later you wait to start solids, the better it will be for your daughter. Their systems are not ready to handle solids at 4.5 months, even if a doctor said so I would not recommend it. When I started my last baby on solids, I started her on bananas and avocados, which were suggested by Dr. Sears, and she is my best eater, so I really recommend not starting with cereals. I did start her on solids sooner than any of my other babies, because like your daughter she acted interested in food earlier than they did, but she was six months when she had her first banana. I waited until my daughter was about 9 months to start with the infant cereals. Of course you will do what you feel is right for your baby, but that is what I did. I also know people who don't offer solids at all in the first year and have had success with that. One thing I have noticed in my friends babies is that the ones who start them on cereal early (before 5-6 months) tend to have babies who grow to be larger (fatter) and have poor eating habits now that they are toddlers. I don't know if there is a correlation, but I have noticed that.

D.