How young is too young...?

Question

I have a set of three month old twins. They are going through about 25 to 30 oz of formula each in a day. Is it too early to start them on solids?

If you think it isn't too early, should they only get cereal or would jar food be ok too?

I didn't mean take them off the formula. I was just wanting to add something to their diet. It seems like they are too hungry too often. They are drinking 4 to 6oz every hour or so.

I would never change their diets based soley on the responses here. I just want a little insight to see if it was even worth asking the doctor about.

Answer 1

girl stop starving them babies and give them some cereal. About a teaspoon or so in their bottle in the morning and at bedtime. You'll know when its time to start putting a little more in their bottle. If you put enough in they will get full before they normally do. I wouldn't put more than a teaspoon in until they are about 6 months. I started my baby on jar food when she was about five or six months. Read the wic papers on when to start jar food. But your grandmother should have told you by now not to starve those babies. Of course they are hungry. You drink milk all day and see how you feel. Remember only a teapoon or so to start. Tell us what you decide okay.

Answer 2

Our peditrician told us not to start anything before 4 months old! Then after that start with rice cereal (only a tablespoon) mixed with formula, enough to make runny so they can eat it. Never put it in a bottle! Before 4 months their digestive system is not matured enough to handle the rice cereal or any other kind of food other than formula or breastmilk! At about 6 months you can start on gerber #1 jar foods (start with veggies first) and then you feed them a 1/4 of the jar for 3-4 days to make sure there are no allergies to the food. After a couple jars of veggies introduce them to the good stuff! But every new food you should feed to them for 3-4 days to make sure there are not allergies! Good luck!

Answer 3

You need to check with your pediatrician first, especially if the babies have any digestive problems, but I have a 15-month-old daughter who has reflux. I started the baby on cereal when she was about 2 1/2 months because she wasn't getting enough from the milk. The doctor said to give her a little rice cereal to thicken her milk and help to fill her up. Don't give them anything but the rice for a while, because you can cause allergies by adding foods too early. My daughter has a lot of allergies, but we were able to catch the food allergies immediately because we only gave her the rice for a few months and then added other foods 1 at a time about a week apart.

Answer 4

I would ask their Dr. if it's OK to thicken their formula with a little bit of rice cereal. My son has reflux and that's what I do for him...he gets 3 teaspoons of cereal in an 8 oz. bottle. (Per his Dr. of course) That might help. I wouldn't start them on cereal just yet, maybe at 4 months. Baby food is another story. For that I would wait until they are used to cereal on a spoon, then I'd mix in some fruits for a few weeks. I wouldn't start them on jar food without cereal until they are about 5 months. Always check with their Dr. first, every baby is different. Good luck!!

Answer 5

At three months old that is early and if they are sleeping through the night they really shouldn't be on any solids yet. Even something like cereal. Yet I would still ask my pediatrician because nobody here should tell you including myself I am just a mom speaking from experience. It went by weight with me and my babies, they were very hungry all the time, even though they were young, so you should ask. And good luck.

Answer 6

This age is usually a good age to start introducing cereal on a spoon. No added flavors. Rice cereal is usually what pediatricians prefer. Spoon feeding will be a bit messy and time consuming but, the earlier they learn the better. They may start off like a pro given they want to eat more. Have fun and be patient. You should still consult your pediatrician first and never put cereal in a bottle.

Answer 7

"Ryan's mom" had a good point, when solid food is introduced you have to be very careful of food allergies.
That being siad, you never want to start solid too early becuase you run the risk of choking or aspiration (food/liquids being introduced into the lungs via choking that can cause pneumonia and a variety of other medical emergencies). My suggestion is that you talk with your pediatrician. He/she may recommended the introduction of thin rice cereal.
I'm sure your girl's eating habits are becoming expensive (formula is PRICEY). So thin rice cereal may keep them fuller longer. But again, consult your pediatrician. He/she will be able to tell you if your girls are ready.

BY THE WAY....the pic of your girls is TOO cute! Congratulations!

Answer 8

Start them on a little rice cereal either by spoon or in their bottles...All my kids started rice cereal around 6 weeks or so..fruits started about 4 months and then veggies when we had gone through all of the fruits...I know you hear a lot about allergies etc but I have 5 kids all without any allergy what so ever...if they are hungry then feed them...I would say to speak to your pediatrician and Im sure that he will agree that a little rice cereal will be fine

Answer 9

A baby younger than 6 months--no matter how mature, no matter how large, no matter how hungry--*cannot* digest anything other than human milk. Formula is the *only* other acceptable choice until baby is developmentally ready for other foods.

When you *do* introduce other foods, don't bother with *either* type of so-called "baby foods". If they are old enough for food, give them *food*. You can give your babies a chunk of banana and let them squish it between their fingers and eat whatever they want of it. Or grate a bit of apple or carrot and give each one a little pile. Most of it will end up on the floor or in their hair, but that's okay, too.

Answer 10

I would give them some rice cereal in their bottles. I don't think that it would hurt or cause allergies. I have four kids and started them on cereal at agout 3 1/2 months old. I started giving them jar vegetables at 4 or 5 months. None of my children have allergies to food. good luck.