Is cereal necessary for infants?

Question

I've read that the goal of feeding young infants is to teach them how to eat and to familiarize them with textures and tastes. Not necessarily for nutritional value. Here's my question;

My 6 month old daughter is doing great with her fruits and vegetables. I've given her rice cereal and she does fine with it. Is there any reason to continue giving her cereal or is it OK to only feed her fruits and vegetables until we move to Stage 2 foods?

Answer 1

During the first few years of life, milk in some form (breast, formula, whole cow's milk after age 1, 2% or low-fat after age 2) provides a majority of nutrients needed for proper growth and development. Generally between 6-12 months (some doctors OK 4-6 months) babies can be introduced to "solids". Every baby is ready for this step at a different age. Major reasons for introducing single grain infant cereal as a first food is because it has few incidences of reactions, is easy on the digestive system and because of the iron content. Full-term infants are born with a reserve of iron that lasts 4-6 months. After that, infants should receive iron in some form such as iron fortified formula, iron fortified infant cereal or iron drops. 2 servings of iron fortified infant cereal each day will provide your baby with her daily iron requirement if you are breast feeding. If she is receiving iron fortified formula than infant cereal is not as crucial to her diet. The only real differences between stage 1 and stage 2 baby food is the consistency and stage 2 offers more choices. If your daughter has not yet had her 6 month well-baby check-up then you can discuss her iron intake at her appointment. If she's already been for her check-up, make a call to your pediatrician's office to see what they have to say about adequate iron intake for her.

Answer 2

Rice no, cereal YES. Rice cereal is just the usual first choice because it is easier on the tummy because it is gluten free and low in protein. Infant cereal is fortified with iron because it is very, very important for an infant to get lots and lots of iron because for the first few months, the baby is using iron that it stocked up on during pregnancy, but after 4-6 months, the baby needs to be getting it from their diet for proper development. Formula is fortified with iron and it seems to be a lot, but that is because it isn't all absorbed. Your baby *needs* the iron she would be getting from cereal, and as she gets older, from iron rich foods. Please consider giving her cereal or at least talk to your doctor about her iron needs rather than going off of internet "experts" - and yes, I see the irony of the quotes and presenting myself as an expert, but in this, I do know what I'm talking about and you don't have to believe me - that's why I'm directing you to your dr. or Dr. Spock or Dr. Sears. It's why WIC gives cereal for infants and why formula is even fortified in the first place, and why children eat cereal for breakfast. Iron is an essential nutrient that is hard to get elsewhere. My 11 month old son love the Gerber cereal jars such as Oatmeal & Pears and I love that it's got whole grain, potassium, iron, B vitamins & zinc all in one product.

Answer 3

my one yr old has NEVER had cereal of any kind. she was exclusively breasfed until 8months, then we gradually started feeding her babyfood...sometimes homemade, somtimes storebought. we started with peas, then bananas, then pears, then apples, then sweet potatoes, then prunes, then carrots she had chicken and rice once, but it was a store bought jar and it was disgusting (yes i tasted it too), she had mangoes last week and this morning she had corn and butternut squash. she has a very healthy appetite. she nurses most of the time and has 1 jar of babyfood a day. she's right on target with all her milestones, she has always been VERY alert (even at just a few weeks old, she was always looking around) she's still very inquisitive and curious.

as far as the iron intake, i have to disagree with sevenofus. baby cereal is not NEEDED for iron suplementation, nor is the drops or fortified formula. as long as you are eating well, including your iron intake, and you are feeding your baby iron rich foods, she should be fine. my dd had her 12 month well check and they did the iron check...despite never having any kind of supplement, she was right where she was supposed to be. if you chose to give cereal, do it knowing that it is not NEEDED. i'm not saying you shouldn't give it. i'm just saying it's not a necessity.
http://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/babies/IronReq.htm#foods


So no, I don't think cereal is needed at all. i think it's just basically empty calories and just a marketing ploy to get you to spend more $ on bogus crap. just my opinion.

Answer 4

Nope not necessary at all.

I tried to make sure my daughter got at least a little of one of these high iron foods regularly:

-winter squash
-sweet potatoes
-prune s
-meat & poultry (beef, beef & chicken liver, turkey, chicken)
-mushrooms
-sea vegetables (arame, dulse), algaes (spirulina), kelp
-greens (spinach, chard, dandelion, beet, nettle, parsley, watercress)
-grains (millet, brown rice, amaranth, quinoa, breads with these grains)

Don't rule out meats!!... they're safe for little ones too... just be careful w/ choking - but pureed store bought jars of chicken and apples or something like that are totally fine at 6 months.

Answer 5

She needs to have a well balanced diet. If she does well with the rice cereal there is really no reason not to at least give it to her at breakfast time. At 6 months she is still getting most of her nutrients from breast milk or formula, but it won't hurt to get her into the habit of eating a well balanced diet now.

Answer 6

I never fed my son much cereal. It's good to grind food up. You can grind chicken into a cereal like consistency. The more natural the better. Cereal is in a box.

Answer 7

It's okay to give her a couple tablespoons of Cheerios for a snack.