What do you think I should give my 5 month old son other than ...?

Question

rice cereal? His Dr said only the cereal but I'm just wondering ?
Thanks.

Answer 1

there are different kind of rice cereal. there is mixed rice cereal. or banana flavored rice cereal. barley cereal and oatmeal for infants. you can give all those to your baby. as soon as he gets used to the rice cereal you can try the mixed rice cereal which is a little grainier and has a slightly different taste. after that you can try the barley. and so on.

you might want to hold back on the baby food until you have the okay from your doctor.

Answer 2

It's easy as a parent to want to push one's child ahead, and its natural. But the medical guidelines are there, and while your child may not be hurt by waiting a month or two for extra foods, foods given too early could cause problems from indigestibility (i.e. gas, spit ups, etc) to long term illnesses (over the last few years diseases like Crohn's have been linked to children getting food too early--although the ages in those cases were 2-4 months NOT 5--this is merely an example of what we're learning).

That said, doctors don't know everything and some are very conservative and others overly liberal, so if you as a parent make an educated decision to include more options there are some wiser and less wise ways you can go.

Wise: light on flavors and sweetness for his first foods. Rice cereal is great because its a simple food. But you can add other baby cereals like rye, barley, and oats which have slightly more flavor and/or texture (they still need to be baby food at this age, no Quaker Oats!). Look toward fruits like avocados which have a little sweetness and smoothness. Regular potatoes at some point are a good option too, though the starch may cause some gas issues initially

Less Wise: The sweet things that you think he'll love. Carrots, sweet potatoes, and corn are likely hits with him, but after eating such sweet things as that, how easily do you think he'll want to go back to rice after eating that stuff :).

There's plenty of time for your child to eat all the different things, unless his health is suffering why rush it?

Answer 3

Why do you think your son needs something else? Breast milk or formula is sufficient nutrition for most babies up until 6 months. At around 6 months, if you notice that your baby seems hungrier more often, then he is ready for the rice cereal that your Dr. suggests. After 6 months, you can begin to SLOWLY introduce other foods, basically the texture of watery applesauce, as your Dr. advises. Be sure to introduce only one food at a time, and introduce it for at least 3 days before introducing another. That way, you'll know whether your son is tolerating the food or not. Remember, there's ample evidence now that introducing foods for which the baby's digestive enzymes are not ready can cause food allergies. Take your time, be methodical, and enjoy the ride!

Answer 4

You can put a little stage 1 fruit in with the rice cereal too if you'd like.

Answer 5

If that baby is still hungry try giving him bananas, by Gerber, this is what I started all of my babies on. This is very easy for him/her to digest. Never peaches, plums, or apple sauce until he older. Those will upset his belly for a long time. By the way my baby is 8 yrs old now and my oldest is 15. I wonder do the doctors follow the same advice that they give, because these babies are hungry, I also hope that you are wiping the babies tongue and mouth out this helps so they do not get Thrash, if they drink a little water as well, that will help their bowels, and that white chalky film that formula leaves. I also used to have a daycare, at the present I am about to open a group home for mentally challenged adults

Answer 6

At 5 months he doesn't even need rice cereal - my kids didn't do solids until 6-7 months. A little bit of banana puree might be fun [just to see his reaction], OR peas is always a fun one to watch :P But just a teeny teeny bit. Rice cereal is good but not needed yet :P

Answer 7

i used to mix apple juice in my sons cereal to give it a different flavor. when he has had rice cereal for a while and he doesn't show that he has allergies to it you can go on to a different cereal and when he gets to eat baby food you can mix that in with his cereal. Just make sure he gets iron fortified cereal that's the big thing . If you go to wick you can ask them too they know about infant nutrition. Good luck

Answer 8

Go to your local library and pull a few books on baby and child care, specifically on food and eating. That will give you a good idea about the thousands of opinions out there on what kids should eat and when they should eat it. Pick the one that works for you and go with it. I didn't pay any attention to a pediatrician who based everything on age (in months)... After all, my kids were good sized babies... so, by weight, they need solid foods earlier than some of the smaller babies.

Most important? Make food an adventure for you AND the baby. Get comfortable with how YOU choose to introduct your child to table food, and then have fun with it. Your child will grow to be a person who enjoys trying new flavors and textures.

Answer 9

The sooner you give babys different foods the more prone they are to getting an food allergy.
The only reason babys even get food is to fill them up on something other than milk. An infant could live off just formula.

Rice cereal just gets there digestive system ready for food...you wouldn't want to give him something too soon and upset his stomach...if he does ok with cereal then that is fine for now...

I mean i am sure you can wait another month!

Answer 10

Ours is a "liberal pediatrician". she allows us to start any stage 1 baby food at 4 months. her rules are only one new food each day, in small amounts. And we have to give her the same food one time per day for 3 to 5 days, to make sure there is no allergy. But she had all the stage 1's throughout her 4th month of life. We started with veggies, then some fruits. she did great. she did not like some things at first (like green beans) but is now a happy healthy 10 month old who eats any table food that we eat. even green beans.
good luck............