Baby doesn't like baby cereal?

Question

My little girl is 5 months old. She's been reaching for my cups and food and things (she can put the cup to her mouth)..so I decided to start her on baby cereal...she's had it so far a handful of times....she's been 100% breastfed otherwise. So...she seems to get tired of the cereal rather quickly like she gets tired of the taste and reaches for the breast....I mix it with nursery water...maybe I should be mixing it with breastmilk...maybe that makes a difference to her liking it???? Anyway, I'm feeding it to her once a night...I don't know how much to really be giving her...or when I should start giving it to her more often..etc...help!! Maybe she would like the one with bananas in it better?? Any hints would be helpful if you guys wouldn't mind sharing your experiences...Thanks.

Answer 1

Breastmilk or solids ONLY until six months.

That cereal is nasty, have you tried it? It's more appropriate for a formula fed baby as it tastes similar. Banana is often good as a first food (at six months or older) as it tastes more like breastmilk. Sweet potatoes and avocado are other good first foods.

Please take a look at KellyMom and read some of the articles there, they are research based.

Answer 2

I would try adding some breastmillk and she if she likes it. Keep in mind, she is only 5 months old, so you do not need to worry if she does not eat much(easier said that done, I know). My son did not like it with breastmilk, so we added water and a little apple juice and he really liked it then. We do not give him juice otherwise though.
I would stick with the plain cereal and try different things to add. Everntually, we started adding prunes and bananas to it and he loved it. I would try it with breastmilk first and give her a several times of trying it. It is something new so it will take her a few times to like it. I read somewhere to give them 10 chances of eating it one way, then you can change it. You have the luxury knowing that she does not really need it right now. She will be just great with breastfeeding for awhile. At 6 months, try avocado for the second food. It has great fats good for brain development. Then sweet potato or banana. "Super Baby Foods" was a savior. I am sure you could get it on amazon for cheap.
Good luck

Answer 3

That's because it's NASTY!! Have you ever tried it?

Besides, at her age she doesn't need it. Actually, she doesn't need any processed rice cereal from a box ever.

Why try to feed her something that she doesn't want? If you really want to feed her solids, and you don't want to wait until she's 6 months, just feed her the banana! There's no law that you have to feed rice cereal.

Breastmilk should be her main nutrition source for most of her first year. Solids before 12 months are just for fun, they're not necessary. ALWAYS nurse her first and then give her solids.

Your milk is the PERFECT food for your baby, no processed cereal flake in a cardboard box will touch it.

Answer 4

Definitely mix it with breastmilk. That is what I did and my daughter loved it... also, make sure that it is rice cereal. I started my daughter on it at about three months. Get her used to cereal first, then move up to mixing in fruits and veggies. Its a long process, but its worth it. Gradually is better because babies palates are not as developed. Start with smaller amount as well... then you won't be wasting too much breastmilk if she doesn't eat it all. Also, try getting sippy cups with two handles. That really helped my daughter a lot. Good luck!

Answer 5

My son is 7 months and I too have had problems with cereal. You may give her 2 teaspoons of cereal and 3-4 of breast milk or iron enriched formula... water makes the cereal tasteless and therefore they reject it. The consistency should be slightly runny but not too much, they won't be able to keep it on their mouths. About taste I recommend pumped breast milk, since she's used to its sweet taste. You may also mix it with a teaspoon of fruit. It is totally safe to start fruits and veggies along with the cereal. But in the end its up to you. No matter what everybody says, please avoid giving any solids (cereal or baby foods) on a bottle, it can cause decay on her gums and soon to make appearance teeth. Those first teeth will eventually go, but it would be sad if they would have to be taken out because of cavities. Avoid the cow's milk too, at least until she's older. Some babies are very sensitive to it, you should also avoid it if there is people in you family who is intolerant to it. Good luck with the cereal! If you have doubts your pediatrician can answer all your questions!

Answer 6

Mix it with breastmilk, and that should work with her liking it...
the water just doesnt work well with taste'

My daughter took mainly the breast until she was 1 yr old, at 6 mths we started with baby food, but by 9 mth she was using her fingers to eat a few bits of food off her highchair

Answer 7

Of course she doesn't like it, did you ever taste that stuff? Nasty.
If you have a blender, try pureeing some regular cooked oatmeal until it's very smooth, and mix it with a little regular milk, or breast milk. she will take that much better because it doesn't taste like wallpaper paste. At 5 months she can handle a little cow's milk as a food, introduced slowly in small amounts. Mixing a little mashed real banana into it makes it a tasty baby food she will love.

Answer 8

It's junk; fortified wallpaper paste. Throw it out (or use it to put up wall coverings) and give her real food.

Seriously, try it. Apart from not being particularly nutritious, it's also disgusting.

"Take rice cereal, for example. Under conventional American wisdom, it's the best first food. But Butte says iron-rich meat — often one of the last foods American parents introduce — would be a better choice.

Dr. David Ludwig of Children's Hospital Boston, a specialist in pediatric nutrition, says some studies suggest rice and other highly processed grain cereals actually could be among the worst foods for infants.

"These foods are in a certain sense no different from adding sugar to formula. They digest very rapidly in the body into sugar, raising blood sugar and insulin levels" and could contribute to later health problems, including obesity, he says."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9646449

"Cereals started as an important part of a child's diet back when the infant formula companies couldn't get an absorbable form of iron into the formula. They then fortified rice cereal with iron and introduced the rice cereal early into the diet as a way to make sure the kids got the iron.

Now, all the infant formulas are fortified with iron and of course, breastmilk has an abundant and easily absorbable supply of iron in it, so we really don't need an extra source. If you take away the iron in the cereals, it's just starch."

http://www.drjen4kids.com/myths/mythrice.htm

"Have you checked out the taste and texture of commercial baby cereal? Pour some commercial rice cereal in a bowl. It has no smell. The taste is the very definition of bland. The cereal is made from refined rice that has been processed and precooked. Refined grains have nothing to offer but carbohydrates. Whole grains, on the other hand, contain not only carbohydrates but also protein, fat, fiber, vitamins, essential minerals, and life. The germ is still intact. If you put a whole grain in water, it sprouts. If you put commercial baby cereal in water, it makes paste. Why train your baby to want this? By pre-toasting organic whole grains, grinding them in a small electric grinder, and cooking the grains with water, you can create a fresh, delicious, nutrient-dense cereal with taste, texture, and aroma."

http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/food/kitchen_baby.html

"When the baby is starting to take solids at about six months of age, there is little difference what he starts with or the order foods are introduced. It is prudent to avoid highly spiced or highly allergenic foods at first (e.g. egg white, strawberries), but if the baby reaches for the potato on your plate, make sure it is not too hot, and let him have the potato. There is no need to go in any specific order, and there is no need for the baby to eat only one food for a certain period of time. Some exclusively breastfed babies dislike infant cereal when it is introduced at about six months of age. There is no need for concern and no need to persist if the baby doesn’t want the cereal. There is nothing magic or necessary about infant cereal. Offer your baby the foods that he is interested in. Allow the baby to enjoy food and do not worry exactly how much he actually takes at first. Much of it may end up in his hair and on the floor anyhow. There is no need either that foods be pureed if the baby is six months of age or older. Simple mashing with a fork is all that is necessary at first. You also do not have to be exceedingly careful about how much the baby takes. Why limit the baby to one teaspoon if he wants more? You do not need to waste your money on commercial baby foods.
Be relaxed, feed the baby at your mealtimes, and as he becomes a more accomplished eater of solid foods, offer a greater variety of foods at any one time.

The easiest way to get extra iron for your baby five or six months of age is by giving him meat. Infant cereal has iron, but it is poorly absorbed and may cause the baby to be constipated.

There is no reason to introduce vegetables before fruit. Breastmilk is far sweeter than fruit, so there is no reason to believe that the baby will take vegetables better by delaying the introduction of fruit.

Respect your baby’s likes and dislikes. There is no essential food (except breastmilk). If your baby does not like a certain food, do not push it on him. If you think it important for him, wait a few weeks and offer it again."

http://www.drjacknewman.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=58&Itemid=88

Answer 9

Our son hated the stuff so we skipped it. Our daughter also refused it- but my mom bought it for her- excited that we were finally introducing foods at such a "late start" (it wasn't- it was the time that was right for her). We didn't start solids for either until they were 6 months old- and our daughter was nearly 7 months old when she started. We went right to veggies and skipped cereal. They really don't need infant cereal- honestly they don't. If she doesn't like it, skip it. Go to veggies.

Answer 10

Yes, use breast milk instead of water and put a dab of fruit in with he. She will love it. Also, night would be a good time to give her the cereal mix.