Is Cereal Enough??

Cereal and solid foods are intended to be a supplement to their regular milk feedings. In th evening (or anytime he gets cereal) he should first take his regualr milk feeding, then get cereal. The nutrients in solids foods are not enough to replace the nutrients babies get from milk until they are much closer to one year old, even when you add in foods besides cereals. Good luck!

The mother of 4 and 40 something. My youngest is 13 mo. I say try feeding him by spoon, but also through a little in his bottle at bedtime. It will help to fill him up and hopefully sleep through the night.

Cereal should be in addition to his normal bottles. It shouldn't replace it. Give him cereal, then his regular 6 oz bottle. You can increase the amount of cereal after a few days, too, once he's eating it well.

Dear M.,
Feeding infants cereal at 4 months, may be what the Dr. told you, but it is usually too early to feed an infant. Besides, think about the nutritional value and how old the food is you are feeding him. It's not only processed, but it is usually very old unless you are buying organic.

I know that many moms want to encourage their babies to sleep through the night, but is it best for baby? It's not that you can't feed him, but why are you?

Consider consulting with a Lactation Consultant regarding the best time to introduce foods and what kinds. Even if you aren't nursing, they can help you with the transition of introduction of foods.

I fed one of my boys infant cereal because he is under weight @ 30% and breastfed. What I caused by feeding him early was an overweight toddler. It's not that you are going to create an overweight infant or toddler, but babies usually don't need to be feed until they are usually 6 months or more.
Read and consult with others besides your Dr. They don't always know best.
Best Wishes,
H. B.

I would probably try more formula after his cereal feeding...just to make sure he sleeps thru the night. I started my son on solids at 4 months, he did AWESOME!! And slept GREAT after he finally got his belly full! :)

If he is happy, then you know he got enough to eat. I would think he would need a bottle along with it. In many ways, you can follow your baby's leading and mommy's instincts in the area of food. Enjoy that little guy! Congratulations!

My doctor has always suggested that I continue feeding my babies a bottle/nursing with the cereal. So what I would do is feed them the cereal and then afterwards let them nurse/drink a bottle until they felt satisfied.

Your baby will let you know what he needs. If he is used to a 6oz bottle, chances are he will probably need at least a couple ounces after the cereal. It may take a few days to figure out the right combination. One nice thing, if you son isn't already sleeping through the night he will be now! Also it may take him some time to learn how to actually eat the cereal, so don't be suprised if more of it ends up on his bib than in his belly. Best of luck and have fun.

I would give him some milk with it, just for a drink if nothing else. He will stop eating or drinking when he is full. How much cereal and milk you give him depends on how often he gets up during the night for a feeding. As you start giving him the cereal, he will get up less and less during the night because his tummy is fuller for longer.

When I go the okay for my son to start on cereal, I asked how much and she said twice a day and enough to fill the cap to his playtex bottle, then give him bottle. Babies know when they are full, so I followed the signs of my son. If he wanted more I gave him more and if he didn't then I just gave him his bottle. He is now 8 months and pretty much knows when he is hungry or not, and there are times when he doesn't want food at all and just his cup which I think is fine. Good Luck!

I am going through the same thing as well, and am not sure how much cereal is enough. I have found that I just keep feeding my daughter cereal until she doesn't want anymore. I'm assuming that means she has had enough. Not sure though. I have found that feeding her a 2oz. bottle afterwards seems to help as well. I'm totally clueless about this as well. Let me know if you get any helpful hints.
Good luck!
S.

I'm a mother of four boys and I learned the hard way to give more milk than cereal. Start slowly and still offer the bottle/breast after the feeding. Doing this will help prevent any constipation that may occur. Remember, to, that he doesn't need the calories nutritionally yet and these feedings are more for developement. Enjoy him!

I would let your baby decide. If he takes the last bite of cereal easily and looks for another bite he is probably still hungry. Try a small bottle feeding after cereal. If he turns away, he's full. Can't hurt to try, the most you'll be out is a few ounces of milk!
Good luck!
Sara

M., my son was 5 1/2 months when I started giving him cereal, and that is about the amount I started him on. It didn't last very long; if your son is ready for it he will start asking for more very quickly! My mom is the one who helped me when I did this, and she said to start out just mix it pretty thin and it is really more to get them used to eating off a spoon instead of just the bottle. If your son eats as much cereal as he wants but doesn't seem quite satisfied, it doesn't hurt to give him a bottle afterward. If he is like my boy at all, you will find yourself giving him more and more cereal after just a few days, and hopefully soon he won't need the bottle right after. The biggest hurdle (for me) was just getting the kids used to eating off a spoon. Good luck!

One tbsp is enough for a feeding, but I added it to my son's last bottle in the evening, rather than replacing it. Also be aware that the rice cereal can (and likely will) cause constipation and you may need to add white Karo syrup to his bottles to counteract that. You probably won't need more than a tsp, but you'll figure out a balance. A word of caution - too much Karo can cause a blowout like you've never seen! Once you discover the right combination, he'll be a happy, satisfied baby at bedtime and you'll both sleep better. Good luck!

Follow his cues on if he is hungry or not. A 4 mos old does not have a very big stomach. If youare feeding him before the cereal and he eats the cereal then that should be enough. He will puke up what is too much so you want to try and just see how he is doing after the cereal. If he seems fussy or still hungry then more, otherwise just wait. I used to give the cereal first, then about 3 oz afterwards with my kids but each baby is different.

If you are only giving your son 1 tbsp of cereal for a meal, then yes he needs a bottle with that. If he will eat more cereal, then give him more. As long as he gets full, that is what matters. He also needs his fluids too. Don't cut out his bottles or replace cereal for a bottle. Babies get dehydrated really fast. I would add cereal to my sons bedtime bottle to help him sleep longer. Just make sure that it's not too thick.
Hope this helps.

looks like you've gotten alot of responses already to your question. i think i agree with most what people are saying. i went throught the same thing and your 'mother instincts' will know when he's full so i would feed him when he is hungry and feed him till he full. he wont get fat. and it's good for him.
thats what i did with my son i would also put his cereal in his bottle with the formula and mix it. that seemed to work best too. you're doing great! he needs his formula just as much as the cereal so keep feeding formula too.
hope this works for you,
E.

M.-
I am also the first time mother to an 8 month old. When she started cereal, at about 4months also, she would nurse afterward until she was full. She also does really well sleeping through the night. So as long as he still acts hungry, I would give him a 4 oz bottle too. Hope that helps =)

~A.

I also always gave my babies bottles after their cereal feedings. When they first start eating cereal they are really practicing eating more than getting adequate nourishment. If your baby won't take the bottle, he probably doesn't need it. My guess is that he will want the bottle.

You should know by the way he screams if he is getting enough to eat. My opinion is if you are giving him a little cereal at night, don't reduce his milk intake. He is a growing boy and his needs are going to be greater the bigger he gets. The other way you can tell is if his stools are hard and he struggles to have a bowel movement

Hi M..

first congrats on the babyboy!i remember those days with him! mine is now 5yrs, we are battling the watching cars thing!lol.

lets see, i breast fed, but we started solids as well at 4months. Mind didn't like rice cereal, so we went to 'milky oatmeal cereal'. -it was OK'd by my pedatrician. basically i added 1 tsp of oatmeal cereal to 1-2 oz of whole milk (till i found out he didn't like whole, went to 2% , he was fine then) and widen the hole in the nipple and he ate it fine, but i did WARM it up, he loved it WARM. i also, when it came time, did veggies first, as kids love fruits anyway, the sugar that is naturally in them-they love. you can add a small amount of butter to the green beans, heat it up. if you use the microwave, just stir before giving to the baby, thats why they tell you not to microwave, cause some parents just dish it out, and don't stir, and their are 'hot spots' in there. lol. I didn't know this stuff, as my family was far away, and worked odd hours. my pediatrician probably hated me, but hey, thats what i paid him for! ( i did have military tircare, but went out of the net work to get the best i could for my baby)

my son had some acid reflux, so we had to burp him for 45 min after every feeding. i learned i had like 4 hands! lol.

i was 22, but still, i had no energy! lol. if you are up late at night, give me a IM, i have insomnia, and i am on mountain time! lol.

take care, and congrats!!

Hi M.,
That is such a good question. Did your DR. say to only feed cereal before bed? It is my understanding that at a baby's early age the cereal is merely being introduced to the baby so his body can get used to it. He still needs & gets most of his nutrition from the breastmilk or formula.
I have three children (9, 7, & 3); with all of them, I would feed them the little bit of cereal & then nurse them till full, right before bedtime.
Good Luck,
A.

i always gave my kids a bottle a long with cereal. during the first few feddings you might try giving half a bottle, then cereal, then the rest of the bottle. if he's too hungry when you start with cereal he might get frustrated because it's so slow going the first few tries. mainly just go with whatever you;re baby seems to need. if he seems full, he may not need a bottle also. good luck.

Don't count ounces. Feed him until he doesn't want any more.

I just started giving my 4 month old cereal, about the same amount as you have been giving your son, and it's not enough for a full feeding. I'm still nursing, and she seems to eat about the same as she normally does after eating the cereal. So maybe 2-4 oz. would be good for him.

The cereal is in addition to the bottles that you have been doing. At this point, the bottle/breast is still the main source of nutrition. Starting the solids is just getting them used to taking things other than their bottles. We started with cereal in the AM/PM and then kept the rest of the breast/bottle feedings the same. (My son hated the cereal so we got away from that as soon as possible.) I guess up until they are about one, their main source of nutrients is still bottle/breast, although food starts to become more important when they hit about 8 or 9 months.

Hope that helps.

When I started feeding my twins cereal I thought I should make it real runny but it was just the opposite. Once I started making it thicker they seemed to eat more. And I think I was giving them well over a tbsp. Rice cereal/oatmeal is the key to getting your baby to sleep through the night. Give them cereal and then milk because the cereal expands in their stomach making them feel full. And once you start baby food no matter what you do, don't give up on the cereal. I'm telling you, it's the key to a good nights sleep. Sweet dreams.

When you add the cereal, it is not supposed to replace the milk/formula in his diet - it is in addition to the liquid you're already giving him. So I would offer him his regular bottle & let him drink as much of it as he wants.

Because you are introducing cereal, your baby will probably not eat enough the first little while to file him up. And if he does, because it is new, he may get pugged up. So take it slow introducing new foods, just a little at a time, and let his body get used to it. And then take his lead on whether you need to give him more formula or not. If he is still hungry, you will know, and give it to him. Don't go one the oz's as much as how your baby reacts to determin if he is still hungry or not.

I am surprised your Dr. said to start feeding him cereal at 4 months. All the experts advice I have read or heard said to wait until after 6 months to start solid to keep the allergies to a minimum, and then to go slowly on other foods to make sure he isn't allergic to anything. I have seen kids whose parents started feeding cereal right away that are allergic to everything.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends only breastmilk or formula until at least 6 months. This decreases long term allegies and immune problems.

I would probably give him more. My son was also on 6 oz of formula when we started him on cereal. I now make a regular 6 oz. bottle ( with a little less formula than usual) and put the cereal in his bottle. He was still hungry if I gave him only a little bit of cereal. You can still just give him 2-4 ozs of formula after the cereal though, if that's what you choose. Good luck!