Advice on Cereal Feeding

My son was put on rice cereal at 4 months. He weighed a little under 14 lbs and has been doing great with it.

My son started eating rice cereal mixed with a little fruit at 4 months. It sounds like she's just about ready.

It sounds like she's hungry. Every 4 to 4 1/2 hours is a long time between feedings for a baby that young, so I would decrease the duration between bottles. There is no reason to feed a baby under 6 months cereal or any other solids.

I started my daughter on rice cereal when she was 6 months old. The AAP recommends waiting six months to introduce solids if there is a family history of food allergies. If your pediatrician is okay with it, you could start cereal at 4 months of age. But your baby should be able to hold her head up pretty well and be able to let you know she's full. (i.e. turn away or put the bottle down when she's had enough.)

Sounds like she might be getting ready, but still check with your ped first because you need to be sure to do it the correct way, i.e. checking for food allergies. I beleive we started our daughter at 5 months, but it's really different for each child I"ve heard. Also, it's around 4 or 5 mos when they loose the tounge-thrust reflex, where they instinctually push foreign objects our of their mouth. Call your ped and good luck!

I would check with your pediatrician. 14 weeks and 14 pounds seems a bit on the heavy side and a bit early to start on cereal. Mind you my last "baby" is now 18 but I think I waited until she was at least 6 months to feed cereal. If you start on it too early she may be on her way to a childhood / adult weight problem.

I started my kids on rice cereal between 5 to 5 1/2 months. However, a year after my son was born, some of my new-mom friends were reporting that Pediatricians now recommend holding off on solids until 6 months old. I don't know why there was a change. Ask your Pediatrician for her recommendation at the next well check-up...but I would hold off until then.

I started rice cereal mixed with breast milk at 6 months with the first and probably 4-5 months with the second. If she seems hungry, you could decrease the interval between formula feedings. I nursed, so I never actually knew how much milk they took with each feeding. But, if they seemed hungry, I nursed.

Feeding cereal too early can lead to potential wheat and gluten allergies later in life. With that said, babies have not built the digestive enzymes needed to help them digest cereal before 4m of age...so you will be doing her a disservice for giving it to her too early. Cereal is a supplement to learn how to eat, not for nourishment, formula or breastmilk should be given ideally the first 5-6m of life and is their main source of nutrients that their bodies need. Is she sitting up on her own yet? Can she hold her neck up on her own when sitting up? Those are other physically cues that she may be ready too. Avoid giving cereal in the bottle as it contributes to obesity later on in life causing their stomachs to expand early, which will cause them to want to eat larger amounts of food. My daughter was not ready until 5 1/2 m and we gave her an avocado since she hated rice cereal. And that is OK, avocaodo is not a high allergy food (actually lower than rice cereal) and is full of good fats for the brain and brain development.

I hope this help.

J. W. MPH
Wellness Educator/Lifestyle and Wellness Coach
Upcoming March Seminar: Thinking Outside the Cereal Box

With our pediatrician's blessing we started solids at 4 months.

Our ped said we could start at four months, but not earlier than that. :-)

Old Hat Mom here-I began feeding cereal at 4 weeks old. This child of yours is hungry. This little person is telling you to feed me something more than formula. It will help this child sleep better too.

JW-Illinois

M.,

I waited until my son was 6 months old, even though my doctor told me to start feeding him at 4 months. I made the decision after reading on my own and talking with other mothers that I feel his digestive system was better off to wait until he was older. I also read that it is better to start with fruit because it is easier to digest than the baby cereal. In the end you need to decide what is best for your baby. Good luck.

K.

I started my son on rice cereal at 12 weeks.
If you think your daugter might be ready, give it a try and see how she does.
You know your child best, and she's not going to implode if you try it and it turns out she's not ready. She just won't eat it if she's not.

I started both my daughters on cereal around 5 months old. I was excited and tried at 16 weeks, but they just weren't ready. I've read that you should look for signs such as sitting well unsupported and opens mouth when food is brought to it. Sounds like she's interested enough...I'd say try it and see what happens! And don't forget to have your camera ready!

I was surprised that my doctor put my son on cereal at 4 months, but it's worked out great for him. The transition to cereal was kind of difficult, it took about 2 weeks for him to get completely used to it.
Good luck!

M., it is perfectly safe to start now. Start with about one tablespoon of ceral and about 3-4 tablespoons of milk. (or more to make it very soupy) See if she likes it. I'm not sure where she is sitting during feedings but make sure she is sitting up and not leaning back too much. Its ok to lean back but not too much. You don't want the food to go down too fast and cause her to cough. Trust your instincts and its not always necessary to run to your ped for every little thing. I agree with having your camera ready. Their first reactions are always great. Good luck!!

We started our daughter on rice cereal a week or two before she turned 4 months. I think we started our son at 3 months. According to our pediatrician, we start the cereals at 4 months and move on to veges and fruits by 6.
When I was a baby, my Mom started me even earlier then this and I have never had a problem.

I say follow your daughter's lead. If she's acting like she's ready let her try some rice cereal. Just make it kind of 'soupy' at first.

The American Academy of Pediatric's nutrition subcommittee recommends after 4 months for those who are formula fed and their breast feeding subcommittee recommends after 6 months for those who are breast fed. You should consult with your doctor on this. Usually at the 4 month visit, the doc will tell you that you can start with some rice cereal. I wouldn't start before 4 months or before my pediatrician recommends it.

Hello M.,
I started my son on cereal at 12 weeks. He was drinking 6 ounces every 3 hours and the doctor said as long as he is sitting up supported he can have it. I started him with just a teaspoon for breakfast and a teaspoon before bed. He is now 5 months and is eatting 2 ounces of cereal for breakfast and 2 ounces before bed and foods in between.

All four of my kids started on cereal at 4 months. I usually started them right after their 4 month check up. It's a lot of fun to watch them learn to eat! Good luck!

Most babies start cereal between 3-6 months. At 14 weeks, your daughter most likely will gag. But, I would run it by your pediatrician. One of my sons was ready at 3 months, the other wasn't ready until about 5 months. Every baby is different.

I agree with Kerri S. Even though you have larger baby, that doesn't mean they are ready for cereal. 4 hours is a long time for a 3 month old to go between feedings. Try giving her bottles more frequently. Cereal has no nutritional value and is just a filler. Plus, it is linked to allergies later in childhood.

Our baby is about the same age and size, and I recently asked our pediatrician that question. She said that we should monitor the amount of formula/milk he eats. When he's at 32 ounces per day on a consistent basis, it's time to introduce the cereal. Hope that helps!

This is what our pediatrician recommended: years ago he used to say 4 months old to start certal. He has now revised that to 6 months old. It is simply not necessary for their growth. Your baby is obviously a decent size and is not underweight.

We shouldn't be training our babies to desire to feel "stuffed". When she's hungry, give her a bottle, it's enough.

I haven't read the other posts but I would definitely ask your pediatrician. I think anywhere between 4-6 months is the norm. You just want to check that your baby's digestive system is prepared for solid foods and your doctor would know best!

It sounds like she is ready!!

I started my son on cereal when he was 6 months old, after clearing it with my doctor. He's a big boy, very tall (90 percentile for height) but fairly slim (50 percentile for weight). He was breastfeeding every hour or so for awhile there during growth spurts. I always let him nurse when he was hungry, and let him stop whenever he wasn't. He's now almost a year, has been walking since he was 8 months, and loves to eat just about anything except avocado.
I'd wait until your doctor recommends starting solids. Maybe she needs to have formula more often? 4-4.5 hours seems pretty far apart, though all babies are different. But if she seems hungry, try formula more often before starting solids too early.

We started both of our kids at 5 months. You should check with your pediatrician.

my boys weighed 10lbs and more at birth. Even though the pediatrian suggested keeping them on formula only until they were 6months old, it was impossible. I started them on veggies only ( carrots, sweet potatoes, beans, peas, etc) at 4 months. I did not begin cereal until they were 6 months old because it was bulk and I did not want them to become fat. They stayed thin but were satisfied with the veggies at dinner time only. You might try offering your daughter water inbetween formula bottles as well. Just like us, it will give her tummy a feeling of being full without all the calories. I don't know what she weighed at birth, but 14lbs seems like alot at 14 weeks if she was in the "normal" range of 7 to 8lbs initially. Most babies double their weight at 6months and triple it at a year......you don't want to make her unhappy, but you do want to keep her healthy.

She is hungry! A huge growth spurt happens right around 3 months old. She needs the energy to grow. 4-4.5 hours is too long to wait between feedings. Feed her more often. Let her be the one to decide when she's had enough. Don't force her to finish the bottle.

Hi M.,

It really depends on what your peditrician recommends and which philosophy they support. Many suggest not starting cereal until 6 months. My ped suggested 4 months if the baby is showing signs of being ready, which my daughter was.

I would talk to your peditrician before starting any solids. He or she will be able to give you better instructions and advice.

Good luck! And remember, they're only this little once...don't have her growing up too soon : )

There is no reason you can't start introducing cereal in her daily routine. I would just start once a day and take it from there. I don't know that it will make her eat less formula though. But cereal won't hurt her... just start gradually. Enjoy those are the fun moments... oh yeah and have the camera ready! :)