Is it okay to start a 3 month old baby on infant cereal?

Question

She eats 4-5 ounces of formula every 2-3 hours and acts as though she is still hungry.

Answer 1

My Son is 10Weeks and eats 4oz every 3hrs or 6oz every 4 hrs...She is getting biiger and needs more food in her belly. She is perfectly normal. Up her intale and she will go longer between feedings. She wont eat if she isnt hungry. We started my son on cereal at 8 weeks-Per DR....He is fine- And when spoon feeding for the first couple times its NOT "force" Feedinf the babies just dont know how to sue there tounge yet, They arent rejecting it,it just takes some time time to get used to it.Hope That Helps.But dont be afraid to call Pedi..Thats what they are there for silly!

DEFINITELY DO NOT PUT THE CEREAL IN A BOTTLE!!

Answer 2

No... it's too early for her to have cereal! Here's something I found on Babycenter.

Starting cereal this early in her life isn't a good idea. Despite her weight and the amount she is consuming, her gastrointestinal tract is still immature, and introducing another foreign protein in cereal can predispose her to allergies later on.

At this stage of her physical development, formula is still the only food a formula-fed infant should get. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months with gradual introduction of solid foods in the second six months for a breastfed baby, and introduction of solid foods between 4 and 6 months for a formula-fed infant.

Some of the signs that your baby is ready for solids are an ability to sit fairly well in a high chair as well as take food off a spoon and transfer it to the back of her mouth. This means the disappearance of the tongue-thrust reflex (where the baby pushes most of the food put into her mouth down her chin with her tongue). The final signal is an interest in food.

With your baby eating so frequently, I can imagine you are thinking she simply isn't being satisfied by the amount of formula she is getting. If she is taking 4 ounces every one to two hours around the clock, she's eating a lot! . If she is spitting up a lot or having diarrhea, she may not really be absorbing all that food. Or if you are mixing powdered formula with too much water, she may be drinking more of it in order to get the calories she needs.

On the other hand, a baby who weighs 12 pounds — which, at her age, is between the 75th and 90th percentiles for weight — needs to eat about 32 ounces of formula a day, give or take a bit, to continue gaining weight. And formula-fed babies also seem to go through growth spurts, at around 2, 3, and 6 months, when they may take more formula for a period of time and then go back to a more "normal" intake.

It might be helpful to determine whether she is really hungry all those times she is eating. Check the hole in the nipple — is it too big? Is she drinking too fast, and not getting the amount of sucking time she needs? Feeds should take about 20 minutes with lots of hugging and snuggling with Mom or Dad. This helps satisfy both her nutritional and nurturing needs. Will she take a pacifier or suck on her thumb or fingers instead of taking a bottle? Can you distract her from her bottle by playing with her or doing something else? Are you, perhaps, encouraging her to finish the bottle instead of taking it away once she indicates she is no longer interested by pushing it away or biting on the nipple?

When you do start solid foods, start gradually, allowing your baby's GI tract to adjust to each new food before starting another. Rice cereal mixed with breast milk or formula is generally baby's first solid food. Then wait a few days and try something else, such as a green vegetable. After a few more days, you can introduce another cereal such as oatmeal, or another vegetable or a fruit. This way, if your baby has a reaction to anything, you will know right away what it is. While which foods you start first is not terribly important, the usual progression is cereals, vegetables, fruits, and then meats. Foods considered potentially allergenic, such as cows' milk, eggs, wheat, and fish, should not be started until the baby is closer to a year old.

Answer 3

My daughter is 3 1/2 months old, and her DR said to put a few spoonfuls of cereal in her formula 1 or 2 times a day and shake it up good. This was a month ago? so I would say go for it. You won't hurt the baby. If she is full-she will stop eating. They go thru growing spurts that cause them to eat a little more. Don't forget to make the hole in the nipple a little bigger or she will get frustrated when it won't come out!!

Answer 4

Everyone has a different opinion on how soon is too soon to start a baby on cereal. I can tell you from my own experience that I started my daughter on cereal when she was 6 weeks old. I'd mix it and put it in the cereal bottle, and she'd eat all but 1 ounce of it. She'd also sleep better thru the night. She will be 15 this sunday and has NEVER had any health issues/allergies from starting her that early. I'm 14 weeks along with my second one now, and I plan on once again starting this one on cereal when it's about the same age. So, all I can say is that if your baby is still hungry, go ahead and give her cereal. It wont hurt her and she'll be a happier baby.

There is a specially designed bottle just for cereal. Its called an Infa-feeder, and its made by Evenflo. You can find it in any baby section of most stores. There are other makes and brands as well, but each one does the same job. Here is a link to show you what it looks like.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Sassy-Baby-Food-Nurser-Cereal-Feeder-2-4oz-BLUE_W0QQitemZ180106853153QQcmdZViewItem

Baby Food Nurser Kit
By Sassy


Baby Food Nurser Kit is designed to ease the transition from breast milk or formula to solid food. Unique vacuum disc keeps nipple full and air out. Baby Food Nurser Kit includes 2 4 ounce nursers. Recommended for ages 6+ Months. Top rack dishwasher safe.

This listing is for the blue nursers. Yellow and red also available in my store.

FEATURES

SEAL-TIGHT COLLAR LOCKS NIPPLE SECURELY IN PLACE TO PREVENT LEAKS.

PATENTED RIM HELPS STRAINED FOOD THROUGH OVERSIZED NIPPLE HOLE.

CONTROL DISC PROVIDES UNIFORM FOOD FLOW AND PREVENTS CLOGGING.

UNIQUE VACUUM DISC WORKS WITH BABY'S SUCTION TO PUSH FOOD FORWARD AND KEEP AIR OUT.

Answer 5

doesn't sound harmful... Give her a tiny amount - and don't force it if she rejects the spoon.

DO NOT mix it in formula in a bottle... the nutritional effects would be pointless (advice given to me by a pediatrician.) Just make sure the consistency of the cereal in the bowl is watery enough that she won't gag on it, and that she can swallow easily.

Don't replace formula feedings with cereal... Give her half of her formula, then help her to eat some cereal, finish the formula, and then the rest of the cereal if she has room :)

Answer 6

That is not a lot of formula. That is normal, my baby does the same. I think when she is doing more like 8 oz every 2 hours, then it will be ok. Just hold off it for another month at least. Maybe she is not hungry still, but maybe she likes to suck. Try giving her a pacifier and make sure you burp her good too.

Answer 7

Try just mixing a little bit of cereal in the bottle to make sure your baby tolerates it. If she does, then start off with small amounts and go from there.

Answer 8

My Dr told me to give my son a tablespoon of rice cereal when he started waking up in the night which he did at 4 months old...I gave him the rice cereal at bedtime with a really good nurse, and he want back to sleeping through the night. Iwouldn't give it to her for at least another month.

Answer 9

If you want her to have tummy aches, then its okay.
Give her more formula if she's still hungry, maybe also a larger opening in the nipple. Formula is not recommended until 6 months when their digestive tracks are ready for it, plus they get all their nutrition needs from milk/formula until then.

Answer 10

No don't give her cereal you should give it to them at 5-6 months