Intolerance to Rice and Oatmeal Cereal

Updated on September 06, 2011
A.K. asks from Minneapolis, MN
15 answers

A few months ago we tried to introduce cereal, the first couple times were fine. The next few times my baby would vomit violently about 2 hours after eating it, for about 2 hours, until completely emptied out. Suspecting a food allergy, we went to her peditrition and got her blood allergy tested for several things, nothing came back abnormal. She also had rotavirus around that time, so we were never sure if that had something to do with the vomiting or if it was the cereal (it was rice AND oatmeal at different times, so she reacted to BOTH of them). I stopped giving her cereal. I eventually started her on applesauce, pears, ect, and she will now eat most fruits and some veggies (only if i mix them with the fruits). Yesterday I tried to re-introduce rice cereal (because I wanted to make sure she got enough iron in her diet) and sure enough, about 1 hour and 45 mins after she ate she threw up until every last bit was out of her system, and about 8 hours later had a blow out diaper. I took her to the doctor again and she told me she must have a 'intolerence' to something in the cereal. All the cereals - rice and oatmeal cereal in the box, and the 'rice cereal with applesauce' in the jar - made her sick. For now, the doctor said just don't feed her cereal. But I am going to be so afraid to try ANY new foods, espically the finger foods that are made of grains. Has anyone else experienced this? I wonder if she will have food allergies to other things, or if it is a grain or wheat allergy.

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A.L.

answers from Minneapolis on

I am just wondering if you are giving the plain cereal in the box or the stuff that you just add water too (it already has the formula in it too) because my daughter reacted to the kind that already has formula in it, but not the plain stuff.

I have celiac disease and #1 it is not a wheat/gluten allergy, it is an autoimmune disorder #2 rice does not have any wheat/gluten nor does the rice cereal...it is one of the safest things a celiac can eat.

If she really reacts that horribly to it maybe you should bring her to a allergy specialist.....

Adult and Child Allergy P.A. in St. Paul is great....Dr. Walsh

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A.L.

answers from Appleton on

We, like you, started seeing these kinds of symptoms in our oldest (he's now 3 1/2) when he was 8 mos. old. Certain things made him vomit terribly...certain types of baby food, etc. Certain things like Blueberry Buckle and hawaiian Delight made him really really sick...turns out it was a dairy allergy. He's allergic to SOME kind of protein in the dairy...we're not EXACTLY sure which one, and we dont' really feel it's necessary to get him put through all the testing, when we can pretty much just avoid the foods that cause him to be sick. I would start making a list of the foods that make her sick. Maybe you will eventually see a common factor in all of them. Until then, I would just avoid the foods that you KNOW make her sick, but don't be afraid to try new ones. Dealing with an allergy can be difficult, but once you learn what foods to avoid and what to replace them with, it's much more easily manageable. Good luck!

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S.B.

answers from Janesville-Beloit on

I took care of a baby with this same problem! Is your baby breastfed? The baby's doctor told his mother that sometimes babies who are breastfed can have an intolerance for grains! He couldn't have any of those gerber snacks because of the grain! He eventually grew out of it, so maybe that will happen with your baby as well! I still care for this child and he is 18 months old and I am happy to report that he has no problems with grains at all!

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H.M.

answers from New York on

Hi Allison, I came across this post recently and my kid about 11 months old since she's 6 months has the exact same issue described by yourself and doesn't seem to be going away, can you please advise if you were able to diagnose this issue and hope your kid outgrew this problem

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K.R.

answers from Seattle on

My Daughter had the SAME EXACT thing happen! I had given her a small amount of rice cereal a few times and never got a reaction. Then one night out of no where i found her in her crib in a pile of vomit, and she kept throwing up until it was stomoch acid :( I thought it was maybe bad breastmilk that was mixed in with the cereal but a few days later i tried it again and the same thing, except this time i found her face down in it and i about had a heart attack!!! I looked up everywhere online about it and all of her syptoms were the same with something called FPIES , its basicaly a protein intolerance not a food allergy at all. I also tried to give her the oatmeal that the same thing hapened. I have decided to stick with simple fruits and veggies for now, most babies grow out of it. But i totally feel your pain!!!!

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M.K.

answers from Minneapolis on

Might be a good idea to try just plain rice and just plain oats to see if it is the grain that is actually bothering her or all the stuff they add to baby cereals. You can take whole grain rice or oats and grind them in a coffee grinder, food processor, or blender. Then cook with water per the instructions, adding more water as needed. I usually wisk them quite a bit while cooking to keep from getting lumpy. If this works, you can make large batches, freeze in ice cube trays, and store in ziplocks for quick use.
Another idea: I have Crohn's disease and have always had trouble digesting complex carbs (the starchy stuff like corn, rice, oats, wheat, potatoes ect.) Lots of folks with IBS and other inflamatory diseases are the same. Probably not a concern, but thought I'd give you the info. You can find more about this type of diet restriction at www.scdiet.org
Also if you're worried about iron, lentils, egg yolks, and turkey are good sources. This is what I gave to my little guy. Wholesomebabyfood.com has good info about alternatives for getting iron. Here is a link: http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/Iron.htm.
Best of luck with your little girl.

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K.V.

answers from Wausau on

My kids do not have intolerances to anything, so I can't really relate, but I'm a big fan of making my own baby food. I used the book "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron. Excellent resource. I made all my own rice cereal, so it's never dehydrated, I KNOW what's in it (only rice!), and it's all-natural. If you're concerned about your baby getting enough iron, ask your pediatrician for a supplement (oral drops). I used that too with my boys. Something to try.

I would be very surprised if your baby is allergic to rice (highly uncommon; it's one of the highest tolerated and safest foods for people). Both of my sister-in-laws and father-in-law have celiac disease (they cannot tolerate gluten), but rice is safe for them to eat. I'm sure that this is frustrating for you, but I urge you to hang in there!

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J.P.

answers from Norfolk on

This same exact thing has happened with my daughter. What a horrible experience. She is 13 months now. I pray that she grows out of it. Has your baby grown out of it or what has the doctor said to do? ANY info would be helpful. We have gone to 3 doctors and they all seem clueless. Thanks!

B.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

baby cereals are dehydrated and processed to the point where they are not healthy at all. Skip them, and hwen you get to intro'ing new foods try to stay as basic as possible, make baby foods for her, stick with natural wholesome foods instead of the jarred baby foods or the commercial foods marketed for kids. They are just full of sodium, dehydrated, and not health yat all.

www.wholesomebabyfood.com is a great site for making homemade baby food, finger foods, nutritional information, etc.

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J.R.

answers from Minneapolis on

I would just keep trying different things as long as she's not having allergic reactions. My first thought would be to give some Cheerios or even add some milk and let them get mushy and mush them up if you are worried about her throwing up whole pieces and hurting her throat.
My daughter had the same reaction to the Soy formula that we tried because of a milk protein allergy. She drank a ton and then fell asleep for 3 hours. She woke up projectile vomiting 10 feet across the room out her mouth and nose. It was horrible and she was only a month old. Then she slept for hours and seemed like she was sick all day.
Best Wishes,
J.

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K.K.

answers from Minneapolis on

I wanna say this might be a gluten allergy - but I'm not sure, it's such a tough call. There are also barley cereals - but I would see if you can get her to eat some gluten-free something while continuing to take her in to find a solution.

You can find gluten-free products at co-ops and other organic grocery stores.

Oh yeah, gluten is a part of the grain in wheat and other grains incase your wondering.

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H.B.

answers from Tampa on

How did everything turn out over time? My baby is now 10 months and responded the exact same way as yours when I introduced oatmeal cereal and fruit/oatmeal at 7-8 months. Right now I'm just avoiding everything with grains. What was the outcome?

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K.B.

answers from Milwaukee on

My child has some intolerances to fruits so I know how you feel. Some babies are just sensitive to grains or as someone else said, it could be a reaction to gluten. Our doctor wants us to do cereal unti Gabby is 18 months for the iron content. I'm sure you can find other good sources of iron to supplement with.

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G.H.

answers from Minneapolis on

I agree with Becky, you should try to keep your baby's food as un-processed as possible. AND rice is not a form of gluten so I would not worry about a gluten allergy. If you are breastfeeding, continue to take you multivitamin/prenatal and you baby will get iron from your milk.

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T.D.

answers from Minneapolis on

Why don't you just give her soft pieces of bread or cheerios or other things that are grains? My baby has no desire to sit and eat that mushy stuff like that (she's 11 months old), so that's what I do.

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