Growing Boy Formula or Cereal?

Hello! I have 3 children 10, 8 and 2. I had to supplement some formula with breastfeeding and I started cereal between 4-6 months. It was great because my baby was full and happy and I actually got to sleep through the night. All of my kids have no food allergies and are all healthy and growing. Hope that is helpful. Good luck!

It depends on whether you want to keep exclusively breastfeeding. He is most likely going through a growth spurt and will want to nurse more. That is how he signals your body to ramp up your milk supply. Once your milk supply has increased, his nursing schedule should settle down again. If you supplement with formula, your body won't know to increase your milk supply, and you will have to consistently supplement with formula. Before a year solids are not meant to replace breastmilk or formula, especially for such a young baby.

Good luck!
J.

Nursing is supply & demand. He's at an age where he's going through growth spurts, so nurse him every time he wants to so that your milk supply will catch up. Introducing formula can frustrate the process, so it depends on if you want to slowly switch over or keep nursing.

He's old enough for rice cereal. I always fed my babies mid-day, but an evening meal would work too. Start with lots of milk and just a bit of cereal, then gradually make it thicker as he gets better at eating. I had pumped and frozen milk (maybe thats why I always had so much!) since they were newborns, so I used that milk for the cereal. If you don't have any breast milk or don't want to pump, you can use water or a bit of formula. Just don't use cow's milk, goat's milk, etc.

He may be going through a growth spurt. I would just keep nursing you will eventually produce what he needs.

I had to start rice cereal before bedtime somewhere between 4-5 months with all 3 of my sons. You don't want to get in the habit of formula if you have a choice-the other mom was right about your body needing to get the signal from a hungry, nursing baby to begin making more milk, and I think I remember reading that your body will even begin to make milk with a different fat content in response to your baby's needs. Try giving him a small bowl of rice cereal very close to bedtime and then nurse him as usual. If you are worried about allergies, try one of the organic type brown rice baby cereals. You and your baby should be sleeping better very soon : ). If he does well with the rice cereal at night, you can try some during the day as well and then branch out to other cereals one at a time after that. Good luck!

I think it is probably fine to start rice cereal if there are no large food allergies in your family. Looking back in the olden days I had cereal at 2 mos. I think it is really about allergies not so much what they can handle. Just check with your Pediatrician.

I know it is hard with the breast feeding as you don't know how much he is taking in. Maybe pump, give him a bottle so you know as he may need more ounches.
I had a very large, and hungry boy too, couldn't keep him satisified and alternated formula and breast milk. He was eating 6 oz by 3 months, so maybe up the ounces of breast milk/formula as well. By 7 mos my son was taking in 8 oz!!!!!

I started him on cereal at 5 mos and that helped a ton for him and by 6 mos he was eating all baby foods and variations of cereal mixed in. By 10 mos he was eatings strictly what the family was and gave up baby food.
I stopped breast feeding him by six months as I wasn't producing enough and he wanted solids more then anything and took to the formula well.

I would double check with your Pediatrician on the cereal to be honest my son had NO problems at all.
During growth spurts especially it is like they are bottomless pits.
That is great he is willing to take formula too so you don't have to struggle. You can mix formula and breast milk or even stir in breast milk with his cereal.
Good luck.
Try pumping though to see how much he is actually getting for your gauge to see what is going on.

My brother needed cereal early. Possibly a boy thing.
What you can do is add a little (I think I added a Tbsp or two)rice cereal in a 4oz bottle of formula at night and that should keep him satisfied. I hope this helps. Kay

Yes I agree with everyone so far. Start him on cereal. I use to put the rice in the bottle's to thicken it up, but you might have to make the whole a little bigger for the cereal to go thru. Good Luck

I'd give him some cereal. We always started with Barley as it's supposedly less allergenic, although our allergist says the only real concern would be wheat cereal (so no mixed grains until after a year). If he's been sleeping and suddenly can't, our doctor says it's time for food. Worked like magic for all 3 of our kids, although since we waited longer with our daughter, it took her a bit longer to go back to sleeping all night since she was used to waking up by the time we added cereal. GL! Have fun with the cereal!

Hello L.,

From what I have read they usually say 5 months babies can start on soft food. So yours is very close. So either really. Maybe your child will decide for you... is the food actually getting in the mouth and staying in.'

Good luck!
A. Lovejoy

My son went through a time when he was a complete nightmares. Screaming constantly, now sleeping. THen a little before he was 4 months old we started him on rice cereal before bed and it made ALL The difference. The little guy was just hungry! I would definitely start the cereal. Just give him a small amount and wait a couple days for allergies. I started my son on veggies at 5 months and he did great with that too. Wait 3-5 days before each new food.

Hi L.,

I started my daughter on cereal at 4 months old and despite what Hedi is saying it really is okay. I talked it over with my daughters doctor and he actually was the one who said that it was okay that she start on a rice cereal and within a week or two I started her on solid foods; she is now 6.5 months old and eating all kinds of solid foods 3 times a day on a regular basis. My best advice is talk to your doctor and see what he would suggest. I also still breastfeed in addition to giving her solids and she was an exclusively breastfeed baby. Good luck and remember eating is messy but fun!!

It really depends what you are looking for. Are you looking to start him on solids early, or are you looking to increase your milk supply? I ran into what seemed like low milk production, but I wasn't willing to start solids early. I didn't want to rush him into foods, and lose more of my milk. I know many people though, that did start cereal really early and had no issues.

If you think that you may not be producing enough milk, there are a few things that can help you out. There is a supplement called Fenugreek (I think GNC is the best price). Start with 3 three times a day (don't read what is on the bottle, those doses aren't for lactation). I know people that have gone up to 8 three times a day. Warning - you will smell like maple syrup. There are also some lactation teas and a prescription to help with milk production.

If you go the cereal route, I would definitely talk to his doctor, and if you want to go the supplement route, the lactation consultants at St. Luke's Meridian are great!

The reason that an infant under the age of six months should not have cereal is that their intestines are still too immature to digest the cereal properly. In addition, babies who are fed any solid foods too early may be at an increased risk of developing allergies. Instead of formula or cereal, why not increase your supply of breastmilk by taking the herbal supplements fenugreek and blessed thissle. Take two capsules of each at each meal and your supply will increase to the point where your baby will not need anything other than breastmilk to stay full. Good luck!

Congratulations on your breastfeeding relationship! It's too good of a thing to surrender easily, even partially--consider working on enhancing your breastfeeding and avoiding both the early solids and the artificial baby milk. You're already doing a great job.
The most current recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics is that caregivers should wait until Baby is at least six months old before introducing complementary foods to avoid problems with allergies, both in infancy and throughout life. (Until about six years ago, the recommendation was to start between 4 and 6 months of age, but studies show an increased rate of allergies of all kinds with babies who started solids before six months of age.)
Other signs of readiness to try solid foods include: losing tongue-thrust reflex (which is tied to Baby digestive capabilities--if he pushes food out of his mouth, he's not ready to digest it yet); being able to sit up on his own (nature wouldn't design a baby who needed solid food if he had to lay down and gag to eat it) and being able to reach and pick up small things between his thumb and finger (self-feeding is important developmentally). Initial feedings are much more about experiencing and experimenting with different textures more than getting more calories--nothing is as perfectly satisfying and calorie-rich as your milk, anyway.
Starting solid food before he is truly ready will not help your baby sleep sooner or longer--in fact, it may backfire and give him an upset tummy to complain about. The more responsive you are to his fussing and soothe him, the fewer calories he will waste on crying--he needs all those calories to learn and grow.
Babies cry and fuss for dozens of reasons besides being hungry. Sucking is a reflex and babies will continue to swallow if liquid is dripping into their mouths, whether or not they are hungry. Allowing some comforting, non-nutritive sucking at the breast will allow your body to have the hormonal stimulation it needs to increase your milk supply to meet his needs during growth spurts. With moms who nurse their babies often and on cue, milk supply typically increases within 24 to 48 hours. If you offer a bottle of artificial baby milk, you will sabotage your body's efforts to increase supply, since your body won't receive all the hormonal signals it needs to increase or even continue milk production.
Consider laying down with Baby and snuggling and nursing him to sleep. Consider putting him in a baby sling or other carrier and walking/rocking him to sleep. Consider keeping him at one breast longer so he is able to receive more of the high-fat hindmilk that will keep him satisfied longer. Many moms find "super switch" nursing helpful, and start briefly on the first breast to trigger a let-down reflex, then switch to the other breast and nurse until Baby seems done, and then switch back to the first breast and let him finish. Many moms also find breast compression helpful (holding the breast in a C-shaped hold for the count of 15 to 20 and then shifting hold to a different area of the breast) to allow Baby to empty all milk ducts (and thus, stimulate them all) and maintain interest by releasing a gush of milk when Mom shifts her hold.
If you are really worried about Baby getting enough, remember that a well-fed baby will have at least five to six really wet disposable diapers in a 24-hour cycle. Younger babies typically have at least one stool a day (a stool is anything the size of a U.S. quarter or larger) but by a few months old, many babies "save up" and have one very large stool every couple of days. If he is gaining well and urine/stool output look good, you can feel confident in your milk supply and know you are giving him the superior infant food.
The antibodies in your milk are so important, especially during this cold and germy time of year, so good for you for keeping your baby healthy. It's also good to remember that since human milk is the perfect food for your baby, it is digested quickly and completely--often within 90 minutes. Humans are biologically designed to have continuous contact with their babies and feed them frequently. The best advice anyone ever gave me was "watch your baby, not the clock." It was a relief to skip the mental gymnastics and just keep nursing. Nursing often helped me keep my supply up and my confidence high.
I really recommend contacting your local La Leche League Leader if you have any breastfeeding questions or want more ideas of how to increase your milk supply. They are so nice and all their services are free and accurate. They have saved me so much frustration and given me confidence. You can find your local group at www.llli.org.
Best wishes to you and your family!

Here's a quote from http://www.drgreene.com/21_561.html, who quotes guidelines from the Academy of Pediatrics

"Children between four and six months of age should be fed solid foods once or twice a day. The ideal timing for one of the feedings is thirty to sixty minutes before bedtime. This will produce the maximum drowsiness for an excellent nights sleep. Starting rice cereal before four months of age has never been shown, in any carefully designed study, to reduce crying or to lengthen sleeping. Starting solids before four months of age can also result in problems with food allergies."

He's got a lot more info in the article about starting on solids. For those of you breastfeeding exclusively, that's fine if the child gets full. He was responding to a mom's who's baby didn't seem satisfied. Note that people bottle feeding typically want to start children on solids earlier than when breastfeeding - maybe because of the cost of formula?? I didn't start mine on solids till 7 months.

As for my experience, I was a marginal milker. I always ran out of milk by the end of the night because my body was getting tired. I tried nursing exclusively, every 2 hrs during the day, and I just couldn't produce enough. Eventually I nursed during the day and then at night, I nursed first, and then supplemented with formula after the last evening feeding. If you do that, you don't have to pump.

Be sure you're eating healthy, drinking lots of water, and trying to get as much sleep as you can. That will boost your milk production. I've heard that a tea called "Mothers Milk" that you can get at a health food store also helps boost production. I forget what the plant ingredient in it is that is responsible for this. There are other products out there, too.

We started giving my daughter a full formula bottle every night at two months! The rest of her feedings were 100% breast. It just held her through the night and she was a happier baby. After she would go down I would pump once or twice more (since she was now sleeping through the night) and that kept my milk flow up. Pumping at night is key!!! I didn't for the first week and my milk supply went down. Took only a week to fix that problem.

We started Rice Cereal at 3 months (docs ok) and she had an allergic reaction. Her tummy was just not developed enough. So we waited until a more standard 6 months to start cereal up.

For now I would just stick to the formula at night. It doesn't make you a bad breast feeder, although many woman on this site will make you feel that way.
You are doing GREAT so keep up the good work!

I fed my daughter this way until she was 9 months and I got prego again. Had I not got pregnant I would have kept up the breastfeeding/night bottle until she was 12 months! I plan on doing this same method with my next baby!