for experienced mothers?

Question

i have a newborn boy and i was wanting to know at what age did you give your baby cereal and why is it so bad to give it to a newborn ? my mother gave me and my 2 other siblings cereal at 2 weeks old because formula just wasn't cutting it. he is only 3 weeks old and i am giving him cereal once a day(at night).

i bought an infant feeder from babies r us and i make his cereal soupy. he also only weighed 6lbs when he was born and since i've been giving him cereal he is now 6 lbs 8oz(from his last doc apt 2 weeks ago) and he seems to be doing fine his #2's are absolutely normal

Answer 1

Every Mother is different and you have to do what you feel is right for your child, after all, you live with him. If the evening cereal is working, then kudos to you. Are you using rice cereal? I'd always been told that that's better on the baby's stomache.
Good Luck!

Answer 2

Every baby is different. A lot of women go berserk when you mention giving cereal to a newborn. 20 years ago it was OK to give a newborn cereal when they were only a few days old. Why has it changed? My children are 1 and 2. My youngest had a big appetite when she was born and she still does. When she was 2 weeks, i started putting very little cereal in a feeder so she could get her belly full. Some babies can't handle it til they are 3-4 months while some can handle it at an early age. You're the mother. You know whats best for your baby. If you think he is ready for cereal, then start him out just a little. If he gets constipated then he's not ready yet. Go with your own judgment. Good luck and congratulations on your new baby boy

Answer 3

You can give your baby single grain rice cereal 4-6 months. If you give cereal to an infant too early it can cause problems with digestion and cause symptoms such as excess gas and constipation. Also putting cereal in a bottle can cause baby bottle tooth decay because the cereal will sit on the gums, causing sometimes permanent problems to gums and teeth. So talk to your pediatrician and get the go ahead before you start introducing any solids or anything into your infants bottle. If your infant is not acting satisfied after a feeding then you might want to talk to your pediatrician about trying a thickened formula such as Enfamil A.R. Lipil, it contains a rice starch that sits longer on the stomach.

Answer 4

doctors say cereal is bad because some babies can't tolerate it. And some mothers try ot force it on their infants when they are not ready...if a baby isn't ready for it than it CAN actually hurt them...especially if you give them too much. That's why they say don't give them any cereal til 4 - 6 months. I have two boys my 2 1/2 year old is very healthy and very happy...I was giving him cereal at two weeks. I also have a 2 month old and he gets cereal as well...he was 9 lbs when he was born and now he's almost 13 lbs at 2 months...so he's a very healthy eater and just formula wasn't cutting it for him anymore. So I say it's safe as long as you don't give them too much, watch their poops to make sure they aren't too hard...and make sure they are pooping often enough, and you'll be fine.

Answer 5

The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding (or formula) to the age of six months (these are new recommendations) . A baby's digestive system is far too immature to handle solid foods, especially at two weeks of age.

Speak to your doctor. Any medical professional will tell you that it is ludicrous (or at the nicest, very 'out of date') to feed a baby solids so young. The absolute youngest you should wait is 4 months.

My own daughter didnt start actually eating more than a bite or two of solid foods until she was 8 months old. She is big, was then, still is, growing and sleeping well, and loves her food. There's no reason or point to feed your baby cereal unless you *want* them to get really bad gas and maybe develop an allergy to whatever you're feeding them.

sorry if i sound harsh. I'm just surprised that there are still people out there that think it's okay.

Answer 6

If formula just isnt cutting it then give him a couple more ounces. Newborns are supposed to eat every 3-4 hours. 2-3 for breastfed babies. Normally they only eat 2 ounces until about 3-4 weeks and then they go through a growth spurt and they start to take around 4-5 ounces. Babies digestive track can only digest breast milk and formula at that age. I started feeding rice cereal to my daughter at the end of 3 months (around her 4 month birthday). If you feed a baby rice cereal from a bottle you have a risk of your baby developing tooth decay or even it can be a choking hazard! Talk to your pediatrician or a nutritionalist if your baby just doesnt cut it on formula.

Answer 7

It is bad to give it to a newborn because it can cause an increase in allergies and asthma (both of which can be life-threatening). If you are nursing, it also increases the likelihood of diabetes and other diseases. Babies can't digest anything other than human milk (formula is the fourth best and *only* other feeding choice) until 6 months old, so it could also result in slow weight gain and dehydration when the cereal sits in babys stomach for long periods of time, making baby feel full and eliminating his hunger for *nutritious* food.

Yes, *most* babies will be fine even if you feed them foods they can't digest; only a small percentage will have obvious damage. But if *your* baby is the one that is damaged, it is 100%.

Answer 8

I dont know why some people say not to. Some ppl might be afraid of making their baby "fat". I gave my son cereal at 3 months cause he had severe reflux and my Dr reccomended it. My neice had her baby 2 months ago and the formula wasnt enough for her. She started giving her cereal in her bottle at night when she was 4 weeks old. Now she gives it once around lunchtime and again at night. Her baby is fine, not gaining more weight than usual and she even sleeps from 11pm to 7 am now. (as oppposed to waking up every 3 hours to eat) I think thats a good thing. But, If you have reservations about it ask your pediatrition for His/Her opinion on it. Good luck! I hope I helped

Answer 9

I don't know why, but I've heard the same thing. My guess would be because formula/breast milk is more nutritious than cereal, and contains everything they need to maintain a healthy body and grow properly. If you're feeding them cereal, they'll get full on it and drink less formula. While cereal is nutritious, it's not as nutritious as formula/breastmilk. A newborn's digestive system is so delicate at this point...introducing something solid like cereal might do a number on their little bodies. They're designed to sustain at this point on a liquid diet.

Answer 10

I'm a nutritionist
do not give a baby solids until 6 months or later
it is bad to give solids earlier because newborn up to 6 months absorb proteins whole (so they can benefit from antibody's in breast milk) this will cause food allergies that can last there entire life, and digestive disturbance (not to mention is a choking hazard)

giving food this early also deprives your newborn of necessary calories and he has a higher risk of becoming malnourished (cereal has less calories than formula and takes up too much space and time to move out of the stomach)

please stop giving your baby solid food and go back to formula he does not need it

Answer 11

OK first he is not ready for it yet,you must be giving it to him in a bottle with a cut open
nipple and that in it's self is a so called no no .(but I did) That can cause ear aches if he is not sitting up.And colic in some babies, also can make him allergic to wheat .you may have noticed by now that he is either constipated or having runny movements from the cereal.I would give him larger amounts of formula every three hours . and try a little rice cereal at 2 months . Stay away from wheat for awhile.babies are different and so are doctors, Make sure he is not crying because of colic .Good luck ,trust yourself.
and God bless your new baby .