According to the feeding chart my pediatrician gave me, around 5-6 months I should introduce rice cerel and yellow vegetables to my daughter. I guess being a first time mom I am a little confused about the cerel thing. I noticed that the cerel container I bought does not give any dosing instructions. Am I supposed to add the cerel to the babies bottle along with formula? And if so, how much...and do I put in less formula? But then I have also read that it is "bad" to put cerel in the babies bottles and that you should only give them cerel from a spoon. So if that is the case, around what age are babies typically able to eat off of a spoon? My daughter currently eats 6 oz bottles of formula (if that helps with the dosing of the cerel). Thanks for the help!
2007-09-26 03:54:25 · 13 answers · asked by ataman 4 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
My son is 4 months old and is eating rice cereal from a spoon. My peditrician said to start with cereal then between 5 - 6 months add a new food every week. My family has a history of milk allergy so we are going slow with introducing solids. I mix 1 tsp of cereal with approx 4 tsp of breast milk or formula. Make it pretty thin at first til baby gets the hang of it. My son ate it all right away, but lots of babies need to figure out how to eat and they like to blow bubbles and make a mess, so that is normal! I wouldn't add cereal to the bottle because your baby needs to learn to eat from a spoon. My son started out with 1 tsp once a day and now 3 weeks later is eating 2-3 tsp twice a day. I would just start with cereal, see how she does for a couple of weeks then introduce other foods.
2007-09-26 04:59:22 · answer #1 · answered by andmic510 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Typically, a baby’s first food is a little iron-fortified infant rice cereal mixed with breast milk or formula. The first feeding may be nothing more than a little cereal mixed in a whole lot of liquid. Place the spoon near your baby’s lips, and let the baby smell and taste. Don’t be surprised if this first spoonful is rejected. Wait a minute and try again. Most food offered to your baby at this age will end up on the baby’s chin, bib, or high-chair tray. Again, this is just an introduction.
Feeding Your 4- to 7-Month-Old
http://www.tinyike.com/feeding-your-4-to-7-month-old/
To add to the first persons comment.
Do not add cereal to your baby’s bottle unless your child’s doctor instructs you to do so, as this can cause babies to become overweight and doesn’t help the baby learn how to eat solid foods.
Also check out this..
Formula Feeding FAQs: Starting Solids and Milk
http://www.tinyike.com/formula-feeding-faqs-starting-solids-and-milk/
2007-09-26 03:58:51 · answer #2 · answered by Jamin 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
There's no correct 'dose' for cereal. Just like your daughter has her own amount for drinking bottles, it's that way with food too. You just have to try it and see how it goes, and eventually you learn and fall into a pattern and know when to increase amounts. For starters, you just make up a little bit of cereal, because you are just introducing it to her. Some babies don't take to it right away, and they may take a little while getting used to eating from a spoon. Many people try some cereal at dinnertime, in addition to her regular bottles. As she gets accustomed to the cereal, you can start giving her more like for breakfast, and then veggies at lunch or dinnertime. As you know, you don't add cereal to a baby's bottle, although many people do. You use some of the formula from her bottle to mix with the cereal, then let her drink what is left from the bottle.
2007-09-26 04:19:37 · answer #3 · answered by angelbaby 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
On the can or box it should have a place that says babies first cereal experience or something like that. It's a very small amount the first time cause they want to make sure she is not allergic. Then after that you have to figure out how much she wants to eat. You can make a few tbs. of cereal mixed with some formula and water or just formula or just water it depends on the thickness you want. I don't measure anymore i just pour some in a bowl add some formula and a little water to make it kind of whipped and feed it to him. And they say 5 months, but my son started on cereal at 5 weeks cause he wasn't getting full enough and I NEVER put it in a bottle he started with a spoon at 5 weeks and did and does just fine!! B/c of that when I went to the Pediatrician my son was able to start baby food at 9 weeks since he did good and he has a high metabolism. So all babies are different, if you daughter likes the cereal let her eat as much as she wants in one sitting, it's good for her!
2007-09-26 04:02:25 · answer #4 · answered by eiseisbaby07 2 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Don't put cereal in your baby's bottle. What I did was put some cereal in a bowl and add formula, enough where it's runny. Your child needs to learn how to use her tongue to push the food back. She will get the hang of it.
She might not eat that much at first so don't be alarmed. Just give her the rest of her formula that's in her bottle.
2007-09-26 04:05:11 · answer #5 · answered by Mexicana 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You generally mix one tablespoon of cereal with enough formula to make it runny. Make sure if you're using the cereal with formula already in it, you add water instead.
If she's old enough to eat cereal, she's old enough to do it from a spoon. In fact, you shouldn't feed her cereal until she has the head control and has lost the reflex that makes her push solids out of her mouth with her tongue. If you try to feed her from a spoon and she pushes it out with her tongue, try again in a few weeks because she isn't ready.
Also, the chart your ped gave you, you CAN introduce solids at 5 months, but the new guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting until 6 months at least. Even then, solids are supplemental to nursing/formula. Go slow, don't force baby to eat when they don't want to or don't seem ready.
2007-09-26 03:59:02 · answer #6 · answered by maegs33 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
No cereal in the bottle. Put the cereal in a bowl, pour formula in the bowl and mix the two together, and feed with a sppon. When you first start out the consistency should be thin (alomost like applesauce) and then gradually thicken as you go along and your baby gets used to it.
2007-09-26 04:10:47 · answer #7 · answered by Shannon 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You are right. You should feed it to her from a spoon. Start out mixing it with formula in a bowl. Mostly formula. If she tolerates it well, then slowly cut back on the formula and add more cereal so it is a thicker consistency.
2007-09-26 04:04:32 · answer #8 · answered by notthatiknow 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
DONT put cereal in your baby's bottle!
at around 5-6 months your baby should be introduced to solids, just follow the directions on the cereal pack, and only mix a wee bit, and make it runny, as she/he will take a while to get used to being given something other than milk.
2007-09-26 03:58:14 · answer #9 · answered by manders 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
You mix the ceral in the formula to the consistancy she can handle, and you spoon feed it. It should be very runny the first few times.
My son was eating from a spoon at 3 months. He was eating baby food by 4 months.
2007-09-26 03:58:20 · answer #10 · answered by amosunknown 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋