My pediatrician told me to start my baby on cereal. She said to feed her cereal in the am. and top it off with a bottle. The problem is i have been trying this for 4 days and my daughter screams bloody murder everytime i put the spoon in her mouth. she screams until i give her the bottle. So she is not really eating any cereal. My question is how do I get her to eat from the spoon? Should I try the cereal in between feedings instead of waiting for it to be time for her next bottle?
2006-10-25 09:53:21 · 23 answers · asked by yensenm 3 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
First, you start off with adding 1 tbsp. of rice cereal to the bottle. You may need to increase the size of the nipple from a Stage 1 or level 1, to a 3 or later stage nipple.
Gradually increase the amount of the cereal by 1 tbsp on Day 2 and Day 3.
There are also cereal feeders and you can get a cereal nipple that opens up bigger for more solid cereal. You eventually can get it to the point where it is like cream of wheat and use the cereal feeder with the cereal nipple. That is the easiest.
2006-10-25 09:58:22 · answer #1 · answered by stocks4allseasons 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Try giving her a lil bit of the bottle so she isn't as hungry and shes more willing to wait on the spoon. Or if she don't want the bottle to be taken then feed her in the afternoon between feedings til she realizes the spoon is a source of filling the belly up just like the bottle.
Personally I also think its a bad idea to get them used to solids thru a bottle....they need to learn froma spoon. But she may not be ready for solids yet. My second child had no solids til almost 8 months old so no rush!
Good luck
2006-10-25 11:05:24 · answer #2 · answered by sensual_sweet1 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Try different times of day, and don't try it when your daughter is hungriest. Give her a small bottle first, and mix the cereal with a formula or breast milk until it is really, really slushy to start with.
If you don't have success, wait a couple weeks and try again - she may be telling you she's not ready. Between 4 and 6 months is the age range to start solids so don't sweat it.
ps: DON'T follow the advice of the answerer above who suggested putting cereal in the bottle. Adding cereal to a bottle is not advisable because your baby may choke on the thicker consistency. Also, it may be difficult for your baby to differentiate between solids and liquids later on. She needs to be clear that bottles are for milk feeds only
2006-10-25 09:58:52 · answer #3 · answered by eli_star 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Let me tell you that pediatricians some times are wrong. I got second opinion from another pediatrician when the first one recommended that my daughter start on cereals but she was doing fine on weight gain and she was also breastfed and formula fed as well. Getting to the point the other pediatrician said to me that a beby should fed cereal until he or she is one year old if we do this before we will make them overweight, since their digestive system is not ready for that ammount of calories that cereal carries. But in the other hand if you want to follow his advise do not force her put some cereal mixed with her milk on a small spoon and let her try it the next day do the same until she develops a taste for it.
2006-10-25 10:00:14 · answer #4 · answered by Carlina 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Maybe you could try to put it in her bottle instead of giving her cereal by spoon
. Or give her half a bottle, feed her some cereal then give her the rest of the bottle & cereal.
Just for my curiosity why did the doc tell you to put her on cereal? I have a 4 month old too. I just feed him breastmilk. Tried to give cereal in a spoon about once a week for a month now but he is not interested. He is gaining fine so I am not pushing the whole spoon thing.
thanks
2006-10-25 11:13:06 · answer #5 · answered by staxi 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
My sons pediatrician told me to start him on "solids" before he was 3 months old. At the time he was eating 3-4 ounces every 3 hours. Its no big deal if the baby wont eat the cereal the iron she needs comes from her formula. She may never eat cereal. My sons first food wasn't even cereal it was sweet potato's. Do not feed her when she is screaming she could choke. Give her some of her bottle to calm her then attempt to give her the cereal put it in her mouth just past the tip of her tongue.
2006-10-25 10:27:52 · answer #6 · answered by texas_angel_wattitude 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
In the beginning I gave my baby a little cereal inbetween feedings just for her to get the taste and to learn to recognize the spoon and how to swollow something like that. Once the baby got a little older I mixed it in with the bottle in the morning and gave it to her alone (with some milk on the side) in the evening.
2006-10-25 10:42:29 · answer #7 · answered by ceci_garcia21 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Go to any store and look for what is called an Infa-feeder -- it looks sort of like a bottle, but it the nipple has a larger hole for thicker foods. It also has a plastic disk that moves as the baby sucks to keep air out of the food. Or, thin the cereal a whole lot at and put it in a bottle. Stop torturing your baby.
2006-10-25 10:02:39 · answer #8 · answered by tsopolly 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
This child is obviously not ready for cereal. Give it up. Waiting until six months or beyond will not harm the child. Stick with the bottle for now.
2006-10-25 10:08:26 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
try this give her the bottle and every couple of sips give her a spoon of cereal. what i did was i put the cereal in the bottle and mixed it with formula my kids got all of it. not only was it easier for me but more comfortable for them. then i added spoons of apple and peach pure good luck
2006-10-25 09:56:52 · answer #10 · answered by inna357 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋