What food should I start my baby on? Rice cereal doesn't seem very nutritional. 4 months old?

Question

And oatmeal is very heavy. He is 4 months old and I wanted to wait until 6 months, but he is ready. He is teething off and on and gets restless and is up all night. partially from teething, and partial because he is hungry.... just restless. He is feeding more and more and more and longer and longer and longer. He seems happy enough during the day, but still eats more often and longer. Nights are becoming awful. He used to wake up 3-4 times a night hungry. Now he is waking up 3-10 times a night hungry. When he is teething it is worse because he is awake from being restless, which a full tummy would help ease some of that. Last night he was up till 3 am screaming. I fed him and fed him (he was eating for comfort and because he was hungry). I was finally couldnt' handle the screaming anymore and I cried and put him in his playpen to cry until I calmed down and tried to sleep.

Answer 1

I normally don't intentionally go against other answers on here, but I have to disagree with the answer about there being no link between hunger and sleep. Babies will absolutely wake when hungry. I have Healthy Sleep Habits book and it even mentions this fact. Rice cereal may not seem like much but it is full of essential nutrients perfect for a first food for your baby. Try giving him rice mixed with breast milk or formula in the evening and he will most likely sleep longer. I would recommend starting him on it in the day though, just in case he has any gas issues in adjusting to digesting it.
Take care.

Answer 2

Being restless and wanting a bigger feeding isn't a sign that your child is definitely ready for solids. It is recommended to wait until 6 months if possible. Is he sitting up on his own yet with good neck control? Is his tongue thrust reflex gone? Does he appear interested when you eat foods?
My son is 5 months and I'm waiting until he's good and ready before introducing solids, and then I might just skip the cereal altogether and go for vegetables that are nicely pureed.
If you think your son is ready, I'd be wary of food allergies. First I would try increasing his bottle intake by maybe an ounce or two and seeing if that satisfies him. If it doesn't then you can start with pureed foods, giving them a 3 day wait in between starting a new food. Good luck!

Answer 3

The best thing to do is ask your pediatrician and talk with them about it. There are certain foods a baby should not have at this age and the pediatrician will be able to help you make a more informed decision. Cereal is typically the first thing they start on, though. Good luck! I feel for you and I hope you all get some good sleep, soon!

Answer 4

baby rice is suggested as a first food as it is a very simple food and therefore easy for baby to digest.its also of a consistency that baby can handle at 4 months.
if he has only been used to milk,then he is going to need to learn how to swallow solids too.anything heavier can cause digestive problems,food intolerances and allergies in later life if given to babies too soon.just offer him a little rice at dinner time halfway thro his milk feed and this should make a difference for when he goes to bed.his tummy should be a little bit fuller and he will hopefully be more contented and sleep longer!!give a little paracetamol via syringe just after for teething pains and fingers crossed,you'll get some sleep in!

Answer 5

Rice cereal is usually recommended first because it is less prone to cause allergies. Go by the sequence recommended by online nutrition sites and/or your pediatrician, and wait between introducing each new food to watch for allergic reaction.

As for the timing, sounds like you have some good maternal instinct on what to watch for. There are those that religiously follow the strict timetable their doctor told them or they read somewhere, but insightful moms like you see the signs that they are developmentally ready for the next phase.

I wouldn't recommend putting the cereal in his bottle--it's too hard to get the nipple hole just right and it doesn't encourage them to develop the tongue and mouth muscles needed for proper eating/swallowing solids. Just mix it up pretty runny with formula or breastmilk and give it to him with a baby spoon--it will be messy but if he is developmentally ready he will get the hang of it.

Once you see that he is handling the rice cereal ok--a couple of weeks or so, then you can try oatmeal. The next thing you will probably have to introduce is juice (or at least diluted juice) because the bm's will change and he may get constipated.

If you are using both breast milk and formula that could be part of the problem...you need to stick to breast milk as much as possible to keep your milk supply high in both quality and quantity. Watch your diet, as some of the crying/discomfort could be caused by you eating foods that disagree with his sensitive tummy--I found that I couldn't do onions/garlic etc. during this time unless I wanted to pay for it with colicky sleepless nights and extra gassy, smelly diapers.

Good luck!

Answer 6

Rice cereal is actually fortified with ALOT of vitamins and nutrients, for the very reason that it's normally an infants first and only food for a while.

I put my little one on rice cereal mixed with a bit of forumla (or breast milk) and some applesauce on the side. Worked wonderfully!!! Once she was fine with that, I started sweet potatoes, then carrots, then pears, one at a time so you know if she's allergic.

Good luck!!!

Answer 7

Its normal for a baby to be restless at night at this age. This is when they start to learn how to put themselves to sleep. Either on their own, or by you feeding them or rocking them. Its not a sign theyre hungry- unless they're eating a full meal.

Anyway. I did rice cereal at 2 months for like a week. It was pointless. We went right into orange fruits and veggies at just under 4 months. Theres no reason you cant try that.

Answer 8

There is no link between rice cereal, or any other solid, and sleeping longer.

You have a sleep problem, NOT a feeding problem. I recommend you pick up Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Weissblum, or the No-Cry Sleep Solution by Pantley.

You're right, though, that rice cereal isn't very nutritious. If you really want to start giving him solids, even though it does not help them sleep more, I'd look into something homemade.

ETA: Of course babies wake when hungry, so nurse them more. What you're describing seems mostly like a growth spurt.

From the links below:
"Adding cereal to a bottle of breast milk or formula has often been recommended to help a baby sleep better. But there's no evidence that babies will go to sleep faster or sleep better if they're given cereal — or even a full meal — just before going to bed."

Answer 9

Start with rice cereal. Give him that once a day for three days then up it to twice a day for three more days. Then give him oatmeal for three days once a day, then twice a day for three day. Do the same thing with Barley and the Mixed grain. Once he has tried all of these and has had no problems interchange them with each other. Barley for breakfast, oatmeal for dinner or whatever. If you think he wants it more than twice a day give it to him three times.