My Little Girl HATES Rice Cereal!

Hi J.!

This happened with my daughter, too. (She is now 22 months) First, I wanted to ask you if you are mixing the rice cereal with breast milk...? I had to do that with my daughter but she still wouldn't eat it, so i switched to baby oatmeal with breast milk and she loved it. I eventually started mixing it with breast milk AND baby applesauce or other fruits (Earth's Best has the best mixtures) and she loved it that way, too. I would just keep trying- she will eventually get the fact that it is not associated with the previous problem, ya know? Just keep trying different things and you will eventually find something that works for her. Hope this helps! Good luck! =)

Hi J., It sounds like you have the right idea to me. Your child probably does remember ceral associated with the pain. At 6 mo, you could diffenatly go on to something else. Are you following any kind of feeding chart? If so, just move on to the next recommendation. If you need help with that, I can look up one for you. My youngest in 3 1/2, so I don't remember off the top of my head what the next usual food comes next. However, there is a really good website by a pediatrician family. The man's name is Dr. Sears, he has really good books out and a website you can get a lot of good info on. I believe it is www.drsears.com, or askdrsears. Just try those, or google his name. But just give you child something else to eat, pears, bananas, something mild.

Everything will be fine :)
L., mother of 5

children are really very smart little people! either one of two things could be occurring; she could be associating the taste with that very painful experience and refusing because of the memory of it all. That means her ability to relate things is functioning. Yeah! Or the rice cereal could have caused the reaction and she doesn't want it to happen again. Again, Yeah for her.

In any case, if she doesn't like it, don't make her eat it now. Try it again in a few months. My son always loves Cream of Wheat with a little (very Little) brown sugar and almond milk.

Best,

J.
www.thenewfastgirls.blogspot.com

Add a jar of fruit....or use the gerber oatmeal. My son didn't like the rice either...but the oatmeal with some fruit or even a veggie was good for him..:)
She might be associating food with pain, but it's probably just the weird texture of the rice.

My daughter is just over 6 months. She hated rice cereal from the get go. I tried it and I don't like it either. I know they have nothing to compair it too, but it still doesn't taste good. She is doing much better at eating real food such as vegetables. I first started with sweet potatoes and I am moving on to squash. I have been making her baby food and freezing it in ice cube trays. Then if you want her to get the iron from the rice cereal just mix a little in with the vegetable for fruit. I also purchased the cream of rice, it is just like cream of wheat and I figure it will taste better than the baby rice cereal. I also purchased the oatmeal cereal and we will see how she likes it. Good luck. What I have learned in starting solids is there is no particular was to do it. Do what feels right. I also learned from my family that in Europe they start feeding solids around 4 months and do not even give rice cereal.

Hi J., you can start on regualar baby food now she is old enough. Just remember you do veggies first and then fruit. Do one veggie at a time for a few days so that way you know she is not allergic to anything. My son started on regular baby food at about 5 months old. I hope this helps and good luck!

As a clinical nutritionist I never recommend giving rice cereal to infants and neither does the pediatrician I refer all my clients to. there is a reason she doesn't like the cereal and forcing her to eat it is not going to help. Start her on veggies first. If you want a toddler that eats healthy you will introduce veggies to them first. Green beans are always a safe start. Don't start with carrots as they are too sweet and then everything after that will seem bitter. If you would like more information on feeding your child in a healthier manner please respond back.

MOve on to something else. Try veggies or oatmeal. SHe had the cereal with no reactions so I would just move on. Once my kids ate something other than the cereal they never ate the rice cereal again, it didn't have enough flavor in it. She probably does associate the two so why push it.

It sounds a lot like your child is associating the rice cereal with the soreness in her throat. You could try oatmeal cereal or just go ahead and start another food. Be encoaraging and keep trying she will eventally forget about it but right now it's to soon to push for her to get over it.
Good Luck

You actually said it, she's probably associating the act of eatting with the pain of the infection (and I know how bad that infection can be, my sister had it on her lip). Try something else- at over 6 months you can go straight to veggie/fruit purees (only introduce one at a time, though) or you could try a different cereal- the slightly different taste might be enough to break the association. I never used rice cereal, I used baby oatmeal instead so I wouldn't have issues with constipation (the reason they say to start with rice has to do with food allergies, which aren't an issue in my family, plus the research has really been pretty wishy washy on it). They also have barley cereal and brown rice cereal. Try everything, and keep it up. Babies do make associations like that, but they also forget them eventually.

I agree with everyone- try something else. My son really likes oatmeal. I've also mixed pear baby food into the rice cereal or oatmeal. I would say to try a sweat veggie- like sweat potatoes or squash. My son has always loved pears as well- my doc said they are a good option because they are easy to digest.

Good luck! Keep trying!

She may be assiciating it, but that's sort of doubtful as she's pretty young. Neither of my kids liked the rice cereal, at all. Actually, my son ate it for a few days, and then my daugther took one bite and spit it out, and turned her head when I tried to feed it to her again. I tried to add fruit as well, and that didn't work. Try to add other foods to it. Banana's are pretty high in sugar, so try to be careful when adding it. Anyway, I moved on to the oatmeal, and they both loved it.

Try barley cereal , it's much tastier and easy on the stomach. When you start a baby on solids start with cereals and then green veggies, yellow/orange veggies and finally the fruit. Introduce them 1 at a time to make sure she is not allergic. If she stilll has the yuck face you can move to the Gerber breakfasts which are fruit and grain , I tried them and the blueberry is yummy , lol !

She doesn't have to eat grains either initially so if she still just wants your breast milk and veggies thats OK. Some babies are just finikey !

Hi J.,

She is actually young enough that you can still keep her on breast milk but you're right, she probably associates rice cereal with pain (it's an instinct thing). Some people don't introduce solids until the baby is 8 or 9 months old so you have some leeway. Just try gentle things like squash or peas but see how she reacts physically, don't move too fast. I'm sure there are baby books that give you a good idea what order to try things in.

V.

The Dr. told me to try all of the cereals before moving on to vegies. So if I were you I would just move on to the next cereal, like barley. Maybe it's because breast milk is sweeter. The Dr. also told me not to worry, they won't starve themselves. When they're hungry enough they'll eat even if they don't like it. Good luck.

Babies are smart, but I don't think she is associating the Herpangina with the rice. There are other cereals though - My youngest loved this raspberry yogurt rice cereal I found at a little market. Of course there is oatmeal and barley too! I know there are more out there too! Just watch out for anything that mixes with a very acidic fruit like bananas. She probably wouldn't like that until a little later. My son was about your daughters age when I found the raspberry one. Anyway, foods are slow to be introduced for a lot of reasons. First is her tummy. She may have trouble digesting/processing certain foods. Secondly, introducing foods on top of each other & baby might have a reaction (allergic) & you won't know which caused it. Carrots, sweet potatoes, applesauce are good firsts. Watch out for pears - they are a natural diuretic & baby can have a bit of a problem with those. Did your Dr., ever say what they thought caused they Herpangina? Good luck & God Bless!

yeah i would try something new. babies deffinately remember things like that. try oat meal with her or fruits and vegies im sure youll find something your little angel will gobble up!

J.,

Rice cereal has very little nutritional value and tastes like cardboard. Neither of my kids every wanted to eat it. By all means, move on to other foods.

:-)T.

I would try either mixing it with fruit or veggies or just giving them to her alone. I doubt if she's associating the cereal with the illness, since it's been a while since she was sick, but who really knows what babies are capable of thinking? Good luck. :)

Hey J., try adding a little applesause to the rice ceral. J.

My kids hated rice cereal, too, but LOVED barley. It's much tastier. And mix it with breast milk, something she's used to and likes. And by all means, move on to other foods! Mashed bananas, mashed avocados, steamed and pureed veggies and fruits are all good!