When do you start adding ceral to a babies formula?

Question

The baby is a preemie

Answer 1

Check with the pediatrician (especially with a preemie!), but generally it's a couple of months and you mix a little rice cereal with the formula so that it's still very, very liquid. Much depends on the individual child, so it's best to check first.

Answer 2

Typically the answer would be when a normal milk bottle (or normal breast feeding session) leaves them unsatisfied or the feedings are becoming too frequent. That's the babies way of telling you "Hey I need more food, this isn't cutting it anymore." They you can start mixing rice cereal in the milk bottle, creating kind of a milk shake out of it, cut the holes in the nipples bigger to allow for the thicker formula to flow. With a preemie you should check with your pediatrician first, as the development of a preemie is vastly different from a baby carried full term.

Answer 3

When the baby isn't getting full enough from the milk. You will know because your baby will be drinking a lot and more frequently. Sometimes a doctor will suggest it. I started adding cereal to my daughter's formula at 5 weeks. She wasn't a preemie, but was lactose intolerant and wasn't getting enough to eat, (drink). Good luck! I added the cereal into the bottle and cut a little slit in the nipple. Begin slowly.

Answer 4

If the baby is a premie, at about 4 1/2 months. Start with rice.

Answer 5

The people recommending 3-4 months are about a generation behind the modern medical thinking. There is no need for a baby to consume anything but their mothers milk for the 1st year. Thats what humans did for thousands of years and it is the way we were designed. Breastmilk has all the nutrients, vitamins, minerals, protiens, fats, etc that a baby needs. Formula can be substituted if necessary, but it isn't as good as breast milk. If your baby is lactose intolerant try a soy based formula.


It can actually be harmful to the baby's digestive system to feed them other foods as young as 3-4 months. Probably not perminently harmful, but it will needlessly give them gas, stomach aches etc because their digestive tract isn't fully developed. Most modern literature recommends waiting until at least 6 months before giving cereal (rice is best because its easiest to digest.)

Also, when you move on to veggies, give them things like strained peas broccolli, brussel sprouts. You may feel like you are being mean, but your baby isn't going to like anything the 1st time he tries it anyways. By sticking to these bland foods it allows him to acquire a taste for it and you won't have to fight with him to eat his peas as a toddler. If you give him bananas, corn, carrots, or other very sweet foods 1st he will acquire a sweet tooth and will never want anything that isn't sweet. Once he has learned to enjoy peas etc you can give him some sweeter foods occassionally. We tried this with my son. He does like sweets like any kid, but his favorite foods of all are peas and broccoli. Given a choice between a cookie and a bowl of peas, he actually chooses peas.

Answer 6

Ask your pediatrician, about 3-4 months old and just add formula to rice cereal for babies. Don't feed out of a bottle.

Answer 7

You don't. You feed cereal with a spoon when the doctor says, about 2 months or so. and you feed them a bottle with their formula... Not together. It may take more time but a baby needs to learn to eat from a spoon. If their too young to eat from a spoon then it is formula only. Ask your doctor.

Answer 8

6 months for an average child, but I am not experienced with premature babies. Sorry. You should ask your doctor about all the things you would need to do with a premature baby that are different than a full term baby.

Answer 9

I put my son on cereal when he was about four months... I think the minimum is at four months... unless they arent getting enough to eat from the formula, in which case your babies doctor may recommend a little cereal in the bottle...

Answer 10

it used to be 4 to 6 months but my youngest is 17 yo. the longer you wait the better, within reason. don't just do it to get the baby to sleep thru the night. it's about health and nutrition for the child, not the rest for the parents. ask you pediatrician for advice!