Is it too early for us to give our 16 week old daughter rice cereal mixed with my breastmilk? She shows a lot of interest when she watches us eat, plus she can sit up in a high chair just fine (though she can't sit up on her own just yet, she needs a supporting hand or a boppy pillow or that high chair.) Although my husband would like to be able to feed her too, we want to get the timing of this right as we know her little digestive track is still forming. She poops very well on the breastmilk, and I feed her enough now that she is 16 lbs at 16 weeks (and over 24 inches long. Side note, both my husband and I are over 6 ft tall.) Maybe we should wait more, maybe we don't have to. Does she need to sit up totally on her own without other types of support?
Our girl loves to eat, though we do still limit the cereal (organic Oatmeal) to about 3 times a week in the evening when I return from work and we can focus on the "how to" part of eating (Mommy says, "ahhh".) She is almost 5 months now and still breastfed and drinking breast milk from a bottle. Pleasantly, the cereal seems to be going over well. We'll continue to increase her exposure as time goes on and will soon try some other foods. Thanks for the advice everyone!
Well first let me tell Dad, keep up the good work, it's not everyday that we hear about a dad who takes such an active role in the baby!!!!!!!! Also as far as cereal now, go ahead. She'll be fine. Just keep an eye on her "normal" pooping's if she starts showing sign's of constant tummy aches, or if her "normal" pooping ( which will change as you introduce her to new foods), cut back a little bit.Good Luck
My children.. one started on cereal at 6 weeks old.. the other one was 14 weeks.. You'll have that feeling when to give it. Try a spoon ful and see... good luck. Sometimes feeding them a little solids.. makes them sleep a little longer too.
i started cereal with my first child at 2 months and she did fine i did the doctor recomended time with my second child and she aboslutly hates cereal she will scream and scream until she gets the bottle she wants nothing to do with a spoon so if she seems ready to eat i say go for it the doctor will supporte you and your decision to start solids as long as she seems ready
C.
Hi K.-
I started my son on cereal at exactly 4 months. He was actually hungry and not getting enough from breastmilk. His pediatrician suggested it. If she is showing signs of interest, maybe check with her pediatrician to see what he/she suggests. A lot of pediatricians swear by starting around 6 months and not any earlier because of possibility of allergies, etc. My son does not have any allergies and was much happier once we started. I did end up switching him to oatmeal early on because the rice was causing some constipation.
HI K.,
I started both of boys out on cereal around 2 months old. As long as they are not laying completely flat, she should be fine. You can have her slighly laid back. She does not need to be able to sit up all the way. My kids pedi, even told me that. It depends on how comfortable you and your husband are. It may help her sleep better at night, and also she may go longer in between feedings. I tried it the for the first time in the morning, so I knew I could watch them throughout the day to make sure that they did not have any type of reaction.
J.
At 16 weeks, she's technically 4 months old, so it's OK to introduce rice cereal but please do NOT mix it with your breastmilk in a bottle because it greatly increases her risk of choking. It's best if you mix it in a bowl, and make it VERY thin, to offer on a spoon. If you decide to offer it in a bottle, it should be 1/4 tsp of cereal per ounce of breastmilk. I BF'd my daughter until she turned 5 months (she self-weaned to a bottle) and didn't get any solids until 6 months, which is actually better for babies. The AAP recommends waiting until at least 6 months old before starting any solids. Breasfed babies can actually go to 8 months without solids.
K. sounds like your little one is ready to eat some cereal :) sure i would give her some see how she does with it like the other post sometimes rice cereal can constipate the babies but 16 weeks is the right age my youngest was on cereal rice at a very young age i wanna say 6 weeks the dr had me puttin it in her bottles cause she had reflux bad but as she got older she got in off the spoon she loved her cereal and my oldest i believe was 12 weeks when i put her on cereal cause she was hungry just try it with her start off with just a couple of teaspoons and see how she does :)
I think it depends on the doctor you have and the material you read. All three of my kids ate cereal the first time at 6 months. If you are feeding breastmilk thats really all your baby needs, however, if you are noticing a huge increase in feeding time and length in between and the baby seems unsatisfied, it may be time. My doctor advised me to wait as long as possible when breastfeeding because that was natures food, and all the vitamins are already supplied. You know your baby best. Happy feeding!
I started my son a week before he was 4 months old, my daughter we tried at 4 months but she didn't understand the concept & wasn't ready so we waited until she was 5 months then she took right to it. I would try it and see how it goes. I would definately talk w/your ped first. We always got the go ahead w/our children at 4 months but some docs recommend waiting until 6 months. Good luck
A., SAHM to Mikey (3 on 10/26) & Emily 7 months
We did not offer my girls food until they were 7 to 8 mos old and my eldest was over the 100th percentile most of her young life. Wait as long as you can, and make sure you are not doing it for YOU..........it won't hurt her to give her little bits...but breast milk gives her everything she needs right now...
My son is also around your child's age, he was 4 months on Sept 29th. WE started him on ceral last week. If he is really hungry he will swallow it. He is having 2 dry tablespoons, 2x a day mixed with formula. He is about the same size as your daugther, he does have decent neck control. I normally put him in his car seat or his little rocking seat I have so his back is up right. He also likes to eat in his exosaucer because he is up right. Good luck, I am sure she will do fine.
If your daughter seems ready, I would say give it a try. Just be careful to only try one food at a time! I made the mistake of introducing 2 or 3 within a couple days...what a mess! My daughter is also bigger for her age...at 5 months she is 16 lbs and 27 inches (we are very tall too:) Although our pedi suggested we wait until 6 months she really seemed ready at 4 so we went for it. After the initial setback of too many foods we got on track and she LOVES it. She loves to eat, she has loved every food we've given her (so far peas, prunes, and apples, and cereal)! The best part is that she IMMIDIATELY started sleping thru the night! She now sleeps 10-12 hours waking only once for a brief 4 oz bottle. Before solids she woke up all night long! We feed her twice a day (morning and night) 4 TBS each time (we started with less tho). Until she is 6 months she shouldn't get more than 100 calories a day (or about 8 TBS) from solids. Good luck! Remember, if she doesn't take to it you can always just try again later!
I am surprised at all these responses. There is no 'grey area' regarding feeding solids in any of the major American or international medical communities.
The universal recommendation is that a child be EXCLUSIVELY fed breastmilk until six months of age. This means nothing else, no cereal, no water, no nothing. Following these giudelines can greatly benefit your child's health, both in the short term and for the duration of his/her life.
That said, of course every child is unique with unique needs and a unique timetable. Only you can be your child's expert advocate, and only you can know what her stage of development is for sure.
My oldest child started cereal at 8 months, and then we took it very slowly...he needed time. Our youngest's first 'meal' was at five and a half months and he virtually snatched an apple out of my hand to gnaw on, so I put a piece into a mesh feeder and let him try it. He's been an adventuresome and hearty eater ever since.
Glad things are working out for your child, but for those of you out there looking for advice, please consider the medical recommendation as your first plan of action.
I am a mother of three boys, 3 yr old, 2 yr old, and a 4 month old. I don't think it's too early to give them baby rice cereal and all my boys needed it either by 3 or 4 months. As long as they are able to hold their head up and if they can't hold their head up, then wait on it. And make sure you don't give cereal in the bottle, try with spoon and take it a slow and takes a lot of patience.
Do you know what to do if your baby, or child chokes on food? Ask your pediatrician just to be on the safe side.
if YOU think she is ready, and she acts like she is, go ahead! I started my son at about 3.5 months old on cereal for "dinner" every night, he was fine. Now he is almost 10 months old(on the 25th) and he eats regular food just fine, we hardly give him any "babyfood" from the jars. And my Pediatrician praises what we are doing every time I go to the checkups.
Hear is what Dr. Sears says. ..
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T030500.asp
Birth to 6 months
FEED:Breastmilk and/or iron-fortified formula satisfies all nutritional requirements. Solid foods not nutritionally needed, but infant may want
FOOD PRESENTATION:
Breast and/or bottle
Developmental Skills, Implications for Feeding:
Designed to suck, not chew
Rooting reflex; searches for food source
Tongue-thrust reflex pushes out solid foods
Sensitive gag reflex
At 6 months he recommends introducing solid food.
