Beginning Cereal - update w/ pict!

Just got back from the dr. and he said to start Logan on Rice Cereal. He said to give it to him twice a day, in the morning and before bed... How much do did you give your baby when they started rice cereal?
Thanks

UPDATE:
Yeah it was harder than I thought. I didnt even know how to get him to open his mouth!!! AND I dont think he swallowed any of the cereal, just kept spitting it out...
The dr. said to spoon feed, but DH thinks we should put it in his bottle. Any suggestions? Or will he eventually understand he is supposed to swallow the cereal?

Image Attachment(s):

Message edited 7/22/2005 10:55:57 PM.

Re: Beginning Cereal

I personally never measure...i just put a little cereal and I keep adding the formula until it is the right consistency So I am probably the wrong person to ask

Re: Beginning Cereal

I started with 3 tablespoons. The Dr. said to give between 3 and 5. Now she gets 4.

Re: Beginning Cereal

my doctor said to start with 1 tablespoon and then keep increasing it as she wanted. she will now eat 4 tablespoons of just cereal or 3 tablespoons of cereal when mixed with 1/2 jar of fruit.

Re: Beginning Cereal

3-4 tablespoons w/ breakfast and dinner
not exactly before bed but like 530

Re: Beginning Cereal

Thank you everyone!! And did you start this around 3 months of age or sooner?

Re: Beginning Cereal

I started Gianna at 4 months...that is what my Dr told me. Every Dr is different and I have heard people starting cereal as early as 6 weeks because the baby was not filling up on just formula and everyone is growing, happy & healthy

Re: Beginning Cereal

Ava started at 4 months along w/ 1/2 jar of fruit. I put the cereal in the fruit until it got to an oatmeal consistency so I never measured.

Re: Beginning Cereal - update w/ pict!

I love the picture, he is so cute!

Re: Beginning Cereal - update w/ pict!

He's a cutie!!
I didn't start Mallory until a little after she turned 5 months.... she showed no interest before that and I didn't see the need...my Dr. said to wait till 6 months....

Re: Beginning Cereal - update w/ pict!

Posted by Giannas-mama

I personally never measure...i just put a little cereal and I keep adding the formula until it is the right consistency So I am probably the wrong person to ask

Message edited 7/23/2005 12:08:42 AM.

Re: Beginning Cereal - update w/ pict!

I gave Jared a little taste of cereal when he turned 1 month old. I only gave him a teaspoon of cereal and I spoon fed it to him. Then I would pop the bottle in to wash it down. I started on oatmeal, not rice though.

I know not many mom's give their babies cereal at this age but I felt that he was just not satisfied with the formula. Hey, I've got a hungry baby...what can I say?!?!

Re: Beginning Cereal - update w/ pict!

I started early at 3.5 months because Kevin was waking at night for feedings and my dr preferred I start solids rather than go over 32 oz of formula.

Kevin took to the spoon rather quickly. The first day he pushed a lot out but within a few days he did well. I started with 1 tablespoon of cereal (since I started early - dr said start there and slowly increase) made to a soupy consistency (which I slowly made thicker as he did better). Did this twice a day. You can slowly increase the cereal a you just want to make sure they are still eating enough formula because that is valuable to them at this age. My dr said if eating less than 24 oz of formula decrease solids. Eating 32 or more oz of formula increase solids at 3-4 months or age - until he starts three meals a day. I wouldn't recommend putting it in the bottle. You want them to learn to use the spoon and the bottle makes that more difficult. I would think the only time to do that is is they have digestive issues and you use the cereal to thicken formula. My dr said if they stay closed lips or cry - put away the cereal for a week since they are not ready.

Now at 5 months - he eats about 3-4 tablespoons of cereal mixed with formula and a half a jar or fruit or veggie - twice a day. In about a week I will start lunch - which will be a meat mixture.

Re: Beginning Cereal - update w/ pict!

I was told not to rush the solids.... I found this article....
Gone are the days when pressured mothers stuffed globs of cereal into the tight mouths of reluctant six-week-olds. Nowadays parents feed their baby on the timetable that is developmentally and nutritionally correct -- as determined by their baby. Don't be in a rush to start solids. Here are some good reasons for waiting.

1. Baby's intestines need to mature. The intestines are the body's filtering system, screening out potentially harmful substances and letting in healthy nutrients. In the early months, this filtering system is immature. Between four and seven months a baby's intestinal lining goes through a developmental growth spurt called closure, meaning the intestinal lining becomes more selective about what to let through. To prevent potentially-allergenic foods from entering the bloodstream, the maturing intestines secrete IgA , a protein immunoglobulin that acts like a protective paint, coating the intestines and preventing the passage of harmful allergens. In the early months, infant IgA production is low (although there is lots of IgA in human milk), and it is easier for potentially-allergenic food molecules to enter the baby's system. Once food molecules are in the blood, the immune system may produce antibodies to that food, creating a food allergy . By six to seven months of age the intestines are more mature and able to filter out more of the offending allergens. This is why it's particularly important to delay solids if there is a family history of food allergy, and especially to delay the introduction of foods to which other family members are allergic.

2. Young babies have a tongue-thrust reflex . In the first four months the tongue thrust reflex protects the infant against choking. When any unusual substance is placed on the tongue, it automatically protrudes outward rather than back. Between four and six months this reflex gradually diminishes, giving the glob of cereal a fighting chance of making it from the tongue to the tummy. Not only is the mouth-end of baby's digestive tract not ready for early solids, neither is the lower end.

3. Baby's swallowing mechanism is immature. Another reason not to rush solids is that the tongue and the swallowing mechanisms may not yet be ready to work together. Give a spoonful of food to an infant less than four months, and she will move it around randomly in her mouth, pushing some of it back into the pharynx where it is swallowed, some of it into the large spaces between the cheeks and gums, and some forward between the lips and out onto her chin. Between four and six months of age, most infants develop the ability to move the food from the front of the mouth to the back instead of letting it wallow around in the mouth and get spit out. Prior to four months of age, a baby's swallowing mechanism is designed to work with sucking, but not with chewing.

4. Baby needs to be able to sit up. In the early months, babies associate feeding with cuddling. Feeding is an intimate interaction, and babies often associate the feeding ritual with falling asleep in arms or at the breast. The change from a soft, warm breast to a cold, hard spoon may not be welcomed with an open mouth. Feeding solid foods is a less intimate and more mechanical way of delivering food. It requires baby to sit up in a highchair – a skill which most babies develop between five and seven months. Holding a breastfed baby in the usual breastfeeding position may not be the best way to start introducing solids, as your baby expects to be breastfed and clicks into a "what's wrong with this picture?" mode of food rejection.

5. Young infants are not equipped to chew. Teeth seldom appear until six or seven months, giving further evidence that the young infant is designed to **** rather than to chew. In the pre-teething stage, between four and six months, babies tend to drool, and the drool that you are always wiping off baby's face is rich in enzymes, which will help digest the solid foods that are soon to come.

6. Older babies like to imitate caregivers. Around six months of age, babies like to imitate what they see. They see you spear a veggie and enjoy chewing it. They want to grab a fork and do likewise.

Re: Beginning Cereal - update w/ pict!

Re: Beginning Cereal - update w/ pict!

What a cute pic! I started Emily at four and a half months. The dr. said anywhere from 3-6 months. They eventually figure out how to get the food. Right now it is just an introduction.

Here's Emily's introduction to food. She had to have peaches with it because she was sooo constipated and she didn't do well with prunes. They bothered her belly.

Image Attachment(s):

Re: Beginning Cereal - update w/ pict!

Its usually like that in the beginning. Putting it in a bottle can be dangerous and your baby can choke as it is not the same consistency he is used to drinking. PLus, half the point of starting solids is so they learn how to eat food. Even liquidy cereal is considered solids.

Good luck and have fun!! He'll get it.

Re: Beginning Cereal - update w/ pict!

I started at exactly 3 months. Maybe he is content with his formula right now? I know my son must have been really hungry b/c he got the hang of it right away and that was the first night he slept through the night without getting up!!!

Re: Beginning Cereal - update w/ pict!

WOW thanks for all the wonderful advice... We are going to stick with the spoon feeding and see how it goes. I was told to put him on cereal b/c he was having 36-42 oz a day... which I guess is tooo much!

Re: Beginning Cereal - update w/ pict!

Aliking, how is the cereal feeding going. We gave Grace her first try yesterday. She didn't seem to like it. I tried again this morning and she was spitting it all over. I was told to give it to her once a day about an hour after her first bottle. How can that possibly help her sleep better. I think I may try it after her 5:30 feeding as well. My Dr. also said to switch to another type of cereal after 5-7 days. Did you do this? I feel like I was given very little guidance. Thanks.

Re: Beginning Cereal - update w/ pict!

I guess everyone has one of these pictures

Image Attachment(s):

Re: Beginning Cereal - update w/ pict!

Posted by Aliking

Just got back from the dr. and he said to start Logan on Rice Cereal. He said to give it to him twice a day, in the morning and before bed... How much do did you give your baby when they started rice cereal?
Thanks

UPDATE:
Yeah it was harder than I thought. I didnt even know how to get him to open his mouth!!! AND I dont think he swallowed any of the cereal, just kept spitting it out...
The dr. said to spoon feed, but DH thinks we should put it in his bottle. Any suggestions? Or will he eventually understand he is supposed to swallow the cereal?

Re: Beginning Cereal - update w/ pict!

Re: Beginning Cereal - update w/ pict!

Posted by MrsERod

Posted by Aliking

Just got back from the dr. and he said to start Logan on Rice Cereal. He said to give it to him twice a day, in the morning and before bed... How much do did you give your baby when they started rice cereal?
Thanks

UPDATE:
Yeah it was harder than I thought. I didnt even know how to get him to open his mouth!!! AND I dont think he swallowed any of the cereal, just kept spitting it out...
The dr. said to spoon feed, but DH thinks we should put it in his bottle. Any suggestions? Or will he eventually understand he is supposed to swallow the cereal?

Logan is soooo big!!!! and ADORABLE!!!

Re: Beginning Cereal - update w/ pict!

I don't know how old your son is....but i wouldn't worry about it. We started angela at 4 months and she had no interest and just spit it out, so we put it on hold. We tried again about a month and a half later, and she was totally ready, opening her mouth and swallowing. There are some instances where you should put cereal in a bottle, like if your little guy wakes every 2 hours at night hungry, or is losing weight, otherwise, you shouldn't put cereal in a bottle just for the sake of giving him cereal, just wait until he's ready, he will be!!