Infants and Eating

hi there im A. i have 6 children ages 11 9 9 5 4 3...when i tried cereal they wouldnt eat it either so i tried putting the cereal in the bottle with the formula...or try putting some applesauce or bananas in the cereal when you feed her that worked with all of my children...if you have any other questions let me know i might beable to help...let me know how it went.
A.

I put fruit in it, it helps. I also did the oatmeal with bananas, thats a good idea too. Nathan was the same age when I gave him cereal just because he wasn't getting full on the bottles. He did the same thing, but he just had to get use to the spoon. Put some in his bottle, and try every now and then to feed him with the spoon. Hell get use to the consistancy. I would use fruit:)

I began mixing my rice/oatmeal cerals with formula as well as a fruit juice. Prune juice is a good source of fiber and gives the cereal a sweeter taste, my son loves it!!

i would stop and maybe re try again later ! sometime i have read that babies just dont wanna try the cerial till even 6 mo !! i would just feel your way

Wait another month. I think you may be starting too soon -- at least according to my HMOs guidelines.

I have read the other responses and sure you could try to add fruits or veggies, but from what you wrote it sounds as if she isn't ready. 4 months is on the early side I usually recomend 5/6 months to start solids or older depending.The key is don't force it.

My son was the same way I would mix it with formula and slowly start to weed it out, that way they get the familer taste with the new one.

Most infants do not need to start on solids until they are at least 6 months of age. If for some reason your daughter seems hungry after bottle or breast, whichever you use, you may to start her out on something other than cereal. My son's first foods were mango, avacodo, and sweet potatoes. He did not start eating solids until 5 1/2 months, though we also tried at 4 months. Mango is a very mild fruit, and easily digestable in infants. I was advised that it is not a good idea to mix an infants foods, and that ALL fruit should be cooked. I would either give her the fruit, or the cereal, not both. it is very possible though that she is just not ready for solids, and you may need to take a step back. It is also a possibility that she just doesn't like the cereal. (Have you ever tried it? It is not good.) I would experiment with other mild foods, and if she still doesn't want them, I would just wait a month or two. I hope that this helps.

When my daughter started eating cereal, we put a little bit of the fruit baby foods and it and she loved it. That is what I would suggest.

it is ok to mix in fruits or veggies, but it is wiser to start with a veggie so that the baby doesn't always get used to a sweeter taste. my kids loved the sweet potato mixed in with the cereal or rice. i would usually mix in 2 lil baby spoonfuls of the veggie for the cereal mix. also do you hold her when you feed her, because sometimes mine didn't want to be held when i fed them, so i used to alternate that and the bouncing chair with gentle vibration.

I say wait another month or so. She sounds like she just isn't ready yet, which is fine. They don't Need solids at 4 months.

As for the veggies before fruit, I think thats hooey! We did the veggies first, like our pedi recommened and our daughter does not like fruits now that we're to them. She's gagged and hated apples and bananas! After a while we got her to eat them, but it took a while.

So personally, I'd wait. She just sounds like she isnt ready yet.

Try mixing a little "baby fruit juice, like apple juice" instead of water. I've added a little bit of yogurt. You can do the fruit too. There's nothing wrong with that. Have you tried the flavored cereal?

To answer your fruit question, I don't really think theres any partiular rule. Stick to the same fruit for a couple days so you can make sure there are no allergies. You just need enough to flavor the cereal.

She may just need more time. My 10 month old son was the same way. Now when he sees it he goes crazy.

T.,
Your child may be ready at 4 months for cereal but maybe not. Here is a website you can check out http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Resources/feedinginfants-ch7.pdf
You should not be mixing any fruits in at that age, her digestive system is not developed yet and will not handle them. Wait until she is at least 6 months before you introduce fruits. I am a firm believer in introducing the vegetables first because they are not as sweet as the fruits and your baby will like the fruits better. If you introduce all the sweet foods first you may have a hard time convincing your child to eat the vegetables. I just studied a chapter on this in one of my college courses and had my son's 6 month check up and verified this info with my doctor but you can also read it on that website. Good luck and don't rush her to grow up because they do grow so fast!!!
S.

I had the same reaction with my son. He wouldn't eat anything until he was almost 6 months old. I wouldn't worry about anything.

You must be incredibly busy with 5 kids! Hats off to you! My daughter wouldn't touch cereal or baby food until almost 6 months. I was worried about it but the doctor said it was not a problem - rice cereal is really just a tool to help babies learn how to eat. I mixed the cereal with breastmilk and made it really thin to start...I even snuck in some baby pears but had no luck until almost 6 months. Good luck!!

I've always mixed cereal with fruit baby food,the only way my boys would ever eat it.Try it she may gobble it up.-H.