How early did you give you baby rice/cereal?

Question

My husband and I have been arguing about this. He says that he wants to start feeding our son (2.5 mos. approx. 13lbs.) rice and cereal because he eats a lot. I keep telling him no, that we need to wait until his doctor says is it okay. I know a lot of moms who DID give their babies rice at his age but didn't tell their babys doctor.. what did you guys do?

-New mom with a lot of bad influences..

Answer 1

I will NEVER EVER EVER give my baby that so called "baby cereal" it is over processed and full of synthetic vitamins to replace what was removed during processing. Sorry, it is disgusting. I also didn't start solids until almost 7 months (he was eating the grass in the park every day -grass doesn't digest,btw) My babe was 20 lb at 4 months (no idea at two months). And even at 9 months it is still only every other day or so he really eats very much food, it is all breastmilk.

I didn't start ANY grains until 9 months. Some studies suggest that grains are not digestable until then. However, whether they are or not they are uneccesary. Grains are carbs, breastmilk anf formula are full of carbs. Why give your baby something with no flavour? Starting solids is about fun and learning about food, its texture, its flavour, etc. There is nothing fun about gruel. La Leche league also recommend first foods to be fruits and veggies, followed very closely by meat as meat provides the iron and zinc that may be lacking. Then grains last.

I did the baby-led introduction to solids. That means no baby food, no mashing, just real food. My baby eats what I eat (not everything, for example no grains until 9 months, and still I really limit wheat). It is good for him and me. It forces me to eat more veggies and fruit, less fat and less salt/sugar. Here is the info on how it works and why it is best: http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/vast_voedsel/rapley_guidelines.html

Here is some info on WHY to delay solids: (Read the sites I am just going to post a few highlights)
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T032000.asp
The following organizations recommend that all babies be exclusively breastfed (no cereal, juice or any other foods) for the first 6 months of life (not the first 4-6 months):

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

Delaying solids gives baby's digestive system time to mature.
Delaying solids decreases the risk of food allergies.
Delaying solids helps to protect baby from iron-deficiency anemia
Delaying solids makes starting solids easier.
"Babies who start solids later can feed themselves and are not as likely to have allergic reactions to foods."

2. Young babies have a tongue-thrust reflex
6.. Older babies like to imitate caregivers.


http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-when.html

MYTH: Baby's weight has reached a "magic" number
Just because your baby achieves "x" number of pounds, or has doubled birth weight, (or however much your baby weighs) does not mean that she is automatically ready for solids - particularly if she is under 6 months.

The American Academy of Pediatrics/World Health Organization recommendations for starting solids at 6 months or later has no exceptions for babies who weigh more. The research that I've seen on the health benefits of starting solids at 6 months and later holds for all babies, no matter what their weight.

It's the maturity of the digestive tract and baby's developmental readiness that makes the difference, not baby's weight.
---

MYTH: "Your baby is big so you need to start solids."
Moms might be told to start solids for differing reasons when they have a large baby.

Some are told that since baby is big, they won't be able to produce enough milk to satisfy baby. This is quite untrue - almost all mothers have the ability to produce enough milk to exclusively breastfeed twins and even triplets. If you allow your baby to nurse on cue, your body will make enough milk for your baby.

Other moms are told that baby is eating too much, so mom should reduce baby's intake by limiting nursing and/or starting solids. There is absolutely NO evidence that a large breastfed baby will become a large child or adult, and limiting nursing can be quite dangerous for a baby.

-----------------

MYTH: "Your baby is small so you need to start solids."
Another reason often given for starting solids is because baby is small (see Normal Growth of Breastfed Babies). I really don't see the sense in this. Ounce for ounce, breastmilk has more calories than most baby-safe solid foods and significantly more nutrients than any type of solid food that you can feed your baby. In addition, starting solids will quite possibly reduce the amount of milk that your baby is getting overall, rather than increase overall intake. One of the first recommendations for a baby who genuinely has slow weight gain is to decrease or eliminate solid foods and nurse more often.


------------

Will giving formula or solids at night help baby to sleep better?
The idea that solids will help your baby sleep is an old wives' tale that has been disproven by medical studies. Feeding your baby solids or formula in an attempt to make baby sleep longer is not a good idea for several reasons:

There's no evidence that it will help. Some babies will sleep worse, due to reactions to the formula or solids (tummy ache, etc. are not uncommon), particularly if baby is younger than around 6 months. Two studies have indicated that adding solids to the diet does not cause babies to sleep longer. These studies found no difference in the sleep patterns of babies who received solids before bedtime when compared to babies who were not given solids. Here are the two studies:

Macknin ML, Medendorp SV, Maier MC. Infant sleep and bedtime cereal. Am J Dis Child. 1989 Sep;143(9):1066-8.

Keane V, et al. Do solids help baby sleep through the night? Am J Dis Child 1988; 142: 404-05.

Recent research suggests that longer stretches of deep sleep are associated with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and babies who sleep longer/deeper may be more vulnerable to SIDS (see in particular the research of James McKenna, PhD). Some scientists are saying that it appears that long sleep stretches are not "natural" for human infants and that sleep interruptions in the early months may provide a protective factor against SIDS. More research is needed on this subject, but parents might want to think twice about significantly manipulating baby's natural sleep pattern in the early months

------------

A little more about feeding baby cereal from a bottle...
Doctors and other experts recommend that you never give baby cereal in a bottle unless recommended by baby's doctor for a specific medical condition. Here are some of their reasons:

It is a choking hazard.
The cereal takes away from the amount of milk in the bottle (adds carbohydrates and dilutes the nutrient density), and baby may not get adequate milk volume for proper growth and development.
Baby is being given a higher concentration of calories without being able to regulate her own intake. This can lead to weight problems in the future.
If baby’s doctor suggests thickened feedings for reflux, consider asking about alternatives, as many doctors question this practice and it has the potential to cause more harm than good.

More about cereal in the bottle:
http://web.archive.org/web/20030404085424/http://babyparenting.about.com/library/weekly/aa021399b.htm
http://www.drgreene.com/21_861.html
http://www.babycenter.com/expert/baby/babyfeeding/9155.html

Answer 2

Hello Kaila,

I am employed with WIC Program. WIC Stands for Women, Infant and Children. We do not recommend that you start feeding infants cereal until 6 months of age, because the digestive system is still developing, feeding infants cereal to early will cause constipation problems. Also we recommend that infants be spoon feed cereal and not give Thur a bottle mixed with formula. Some pediatrician will recommend starting cereal at 4 months of age. Please call a local WIC Clinic in your area, you can ask to speak with a Nutritionist. Nutritionist are more educationed in the development of infants than a Doctor, doctor receive very little nutrition education in med school, that's why they have Nutrition in Hospital. Good Luck to you and your husband and congrats on your little one.

Answer 3

It is strongly recommended that you do not feed an infant rice/cereal/pablum before 4 months of age. However if the child is developing quickly (can hold head up, high weight etc) you can try introducing it at 3 months in small amounts. Keep in mind your baby's digestive system needs to be strong enough to digest this food. The intestines and bowels are the last thing to develop in a baby.

Answer 4

2.5 mos is Waaayyyyy too early for cereal.

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests waiting until closer to 6 mos to introduce any kind of solid foods. Until then, baby should only have breastmilk or formula.

Prior to around 6 mos of age, they don't have the enzymes present in their tummies to properly digest cereal.

Starting solids too early can lead to an increased risk of allergies, diabetes and obesity.

My oldest started with rice cereal at 6 mos. My 2nd and 3rd didn't even have rice cereal.....instead I followed LLL's suggestion to start them with bananas and avocados, again, around 6 mos of age.

Answer 5

Ok. Here's the deal. Every book and every doctor has a different opinion on this. I gave all 4 of my babies cereal when they were 2 months old. My doctor said if they don't thow up, have diarrhea or develop a rash then everything is fine. Basically, the baby will tell you if he can't tolerate it. I found that the cereal comforted them and made them better sleepers. ( I think this is more true for little boys rather than little girls. ) Remember, there is no right way or wrong way - every little person is different.

Answer 6

Kaila, my children were both put on rice at age 3 months. The doctor told me usually between 3-4 months, but my children were having difficulties sleeping more than 2 hours at a time at night because they were hungry. I put in about 1 tbls of rice into a 4 ounce bottle of formula, and that would double their sleep time. They were happy and so were their papa and I. You'll notice too, that your baby will eat less when you give him/her substance. I'm not saying to go ahead and feed your child rice now. I'm just telling you how I did it, and everything is ok. Good luck.

Answer 7

I followed my doctors advice and waited to feed my baby when he recommended. I worked for a Pediatric Gastroenterologist for over 3 years and I can not stress to you enough that feeding babies too soon can actually increase their chances of food allergies, constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome. We saw so many babies with these problems and it was all due to one source: feeding babies too soon. You know that most lactose intolerance is derived from giving babies dairy products too early. My gastroenterologist explained that there are certain digestive enzymes that you need to digest certain foods, and a baby at that age does not have them yet. Your husband is not a doctor, so I would follow your doctors advice who received a degree in this field.

Answer 8

I never let my daughter have cereal unless it came from a spoon, I guess I wanted her to know that only formula came out of a bottle. It was right before she turned 4 months. I just made it thin. It went pretty well, of course there is going to be mess..... Good Luck!

Answer 9

If he is eating a lot i would suggest giving him a little bit of cereal twice a day and it will make him so he wont eat as much and will help him sleep better at night

Answer 10

Well, when i went to my daughter two wk check up, i was reading a poster they had hanging on the door. It read when they are at least 13lbs or if they can hold their head up on their own. I waited until my baby was 11lbs and started out with a tablespoon of cereal. And i give it only once a day to see how she will ask with. She loved it, She will be 8wks Sunday.

Answer 11

6 months is when they normally begin rice cereal. If you really think your son needs cereal talk to his doctor first and discuss the pros & cons. Good luck!