I hear a lot of people giving their 2 month old rice cereal and how it is bad, but what does it do to the babys insides? Could it lead to death? What bad side effects would come of this?
2006-12-04 20:09:14 · 12 answers · asked by Korbyn's Mama 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
The gastrointestinal tract of an infant at 2 months of age is still very immature; all of the digestive enzymes are not fully developed and large proteins may be absorbed whole instead of being broken into useable components. Absorption of whole proteins is thought to be associated with development of food allergies. The undigestible rice starch could lead to upset stomachs and other digestive difficulties.
Additionally, as babies of this age have less head control of a baby of say 5 or 6 months they should not be swollowing solid food which can get stuck in their throat and cause a gagging effect, which is unsafe.
2006-12-04 20:29:34 · answer #1 · answered by PrincessT 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
My daughter is a micropreemie and was in the NICU for 4 months...she had INSANE bad reflux so the nurses there in the NICU started giving her rice cereal at 2 months (it supposedly helps reflux in some cases)...anyway, nothing happened to her. She got a little constipated for a little bit, that's all.
It affects all babies differently. You should ask your pediatrician before you give a 2 month old anything like that though.
2006-12-05 04:38:41 · answer #2 · answered by Megan V 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They can't properly digest it that early on. They would get no nutrients out of it and it would fill them up so they take less of the breastmilk or formula they need to grow. It's not a "complete food" like breastmilk.
It could constipate them.
Starting solids too early increases the risk of allergies, diabetes and obesity.
Delaying solids also helps to protect baby from anemia.
The following organizations recommend that all babies be exclusively breastfed (no cereal, juice or any other foods) for the first 6 months of life:
World Health Organization
UNICEF
US Department of Health & Human Services
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Dietetic Association
Australian National Health and Medical Research Council
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
Health Canada
2006-12-05 09:33:50 · answer #3 · answered by momma2mingbu 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Rice cereal does nothing to a 2 m/o baby, but fill their hungry lil' tummies.
All of my babies were not satisfied with just breast milk, once they reached about 2 months of age. They'd cry continuously, if I didn't give them something to fill their tummy ... before tucking them in for the evening. If they're hungry ... feed them something that's gentle on their digestive tract. Rice cereal is the best choice.
2006-12-05 04:18:40 · answer #4 · answered by ♥Carol♥ 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Baby cereal does nothing bad to a 2 month old. I had to mix a little bit with all 3 of my children because formula wasn't filling them up, and that was my doctor's opinion. Don't give them tooo much though, because they can get really bad gas. diarreah, or indigestion. No I don't think it can lead to death unless you make the nipple hole in the bottle to big and they choke.
2006-12-05 04:28:10 · answer #5 · answered by Lila 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
My Mom and Sisters have always given rice cereal to there infants,. And, I started my son on it at 3 weeks. He is fine.
2006-12-05 15:53:22 · answer #6 · answered by eh77530 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As long as you only use a enough to thicken the milk then the side effects will be a baby with a better sleep right after.
2006-12-05 12:30:44 · answer #7 · answered by healthykidnow 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I guess they say that if you give a baby solids too soon they have a greater risk of developing food allergies. Maybe that's true. But both of my babies were on rice cereal at around 6 weeks, and all it did for them was make their tummies nice and full before bed.
2006-12-05 04:27:50 · answer #8 · answered by Smitten_Kitten 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
i gave my baby rice cereal since he was a couple of months old and it didn't affect him any. and i know a lot of people who have done the same thing and their children have turned out just fine...
2006-12-05 04:32:15 · answer #9 · answered by hotmamma_2be 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It doesn't have a negative affect on all children that young, but in general you shouldn't because first off their stomachs are so small they overfill quickly and it can cause gas, vomiting and a lot of spitting up. Secondly there are acids enzymes etc that break down our food in newborns they may not be able to digest this well because their stomachs are just not ready to break it down. Hope this helps.
2006-12-05 04:16:17 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋