Starting Rice Cereals

I started my son on rice cereal at 6 weeks old. I started with a little (a teaspoon) in his bottle and gradually increased it. In a couple of weeks, I was feeding it to him with a spoon, very soupy at first. I also started giving him apple, white grape, and white grape cherry juices watered down to help with the digestion process. Eventually, he had cereal in the morning and at bedtime. The juice usually came with the midmorning snack. Hope this helps. It does take them a little while to adjust to the different foods.

J.

I have two sons and with both of my boys they hated the cereal. I did though talk to my pediatrician with my first and he told me to try mixing it with gerber applesauce. Make the cereal like normal and then add some applesauce or bananas to it and they absolutely loved it! As far as the gas and poops is concerned, the gas and poops are normal. They are eating cereal that is a litte stronger for the stomach so they will poop more. That's what my two kids did. Hope everything goes well. Good Luck!

You may want to discontinue with the rice until he is a little older. Pediatricians normally suggest 6 months. Whenever I add too many new foods to my 10 month's diet, she has 4-5 bowel movements in a day. When that happens my doc normally just suggests that I go back to milk for a day and then start over.

I'm sure you started feeding cereal b/c your ped told you to do so. Mine did too. However I found that my son wasn't ready at 4 and a half months old so I took a break for a month and tried again and he was much more accepting. I know that it is controversial but I found that putting a little bit in the bottle got him use to a thicker texture and really helped with the acid reflux. There is no nipple out there that works well with cereal (even though they advertise as such) so you will have to carefully cut your nipple larget. Do it in the shape of an x. Your baby will have more frequent bowel movements as you introdue new things and they also will get smellier...sorry to say. Your best bet is to make the change very slow and with little bits at a time. Babies take much longer to get use to things and often dont like it the first or second time. We use the rule of 3s with everything...food, sleep, toys...it all takes time. Good luck!

New textures can be difficult to adjust to. His stomach is also not use to having to digest the more complex food - that's why you have more bowel movements and more gas. You may want to start with less cereal by adding it to the formula bottle - having formula with a little cereal vs. cereal with a little formula. I had to make the hole in the nipple larger as I was able to add more cereal -

Officially, the AAP recommends waiting until 6 months to introduce solids, even though some doctors will still tell you 4 months is okay. Perhaps you should hold off on the solids for a bit longer? Sounds like maybe his little system just isn't ready for it.

Hi,

My daughter was born a month premie,we thought everything was well until she was two weeks old,and then she got choked on her bottle while I was feeding her and stopped breathing.We took her to the er where they admitted her and ran tests.We found out that the flap in her tummy that keeps the food from coming up was underdeveloped and the one in her throat was also,allowing food and acid to come back up and enter her lungs.The doc suggested putting her on a small amount of cereal in her bottle from that point on along with liquid zantac to take 3 times a day to keep the acid down.My daughter was 3 weeks old when the doc put her on cereal.She did have the frequent bowel movements and all,but after about a month she got used to it,and evened out.Your child is 4 months old,as compared to my daughter at 3 weeks.I dont think it will hurt in the least to keep your baby on cereal.I know that you and I started cereal for different reasons,but the point remains the same,my child was a newborn when she started the cereal and all was well,so I cant see there being any adverse affects for your 4 month old.
Good Luck!
A. F.

I hate to be negative here, but your baby doesn't sound ready to me! If he still has the tongue thrust reflex he is not ready to eat yet and if his digestive system can't handle it right now then I would try waiting another couple of months to see if he's ready then. There is really no rush to start solids and the cereals are really just training foods anyway - there are great first foods that are real foods like banana, avacado, mashed potatoes, etc. They actually have natural benefits to them rather than something created in a lab! If you are concerned about iron, then use a formula with iron in it. The tongue thrust reflex is there to prevent them from eating things before they are ready, so if that's what's your experiencing, then take your cues from your baby! Your concern is a sign that you are correct in your intuition! Trust your instinct and follow Baby's lead! Just give him time! Don't rush your baby to grow up - enjoy the tiny baby stuff - it will be gone before you know it! Good Luck!

I started all 3 of my kids on cereal by 3-3 1/2 months old.
I didn't even ask the ped. They were drinking over 48 ounces
of breastmilk and formula a day, and I had read that when they are up to that amount of bstmlk or form. then they are ready for the next step--cereal. I started with a little in their bottles, then usually mixed it with a little juice and/or formula. As they got older..I mixed it with jar fruits/vegs They are now 8,10, and 13 and they all eat well and never had any trouble. Some babies are just ready before 6 months and our generationwas ALL started on cereal at just a few weeks old as per DRs advice and we all turned out O.K.!!! good luck

your son is too young to be eating anything but breastmilk/formula. 6 months is when their digestive system is ready.

Hello,
I would try Gripe Water for spitting up and being gassy.You can buy it at a few pharmacys. It is an old formula that was used in England and is very safe and my daughter used it when she was a baby. It helped a lot with acid reflux and made it easier on her tummy. The problems you are having is more common now days and it's painful to watch your child suffer.
It's important to wait on feeding cereal at that age. Wait at least until he is six months. It's too early. Good luck!!

Hi! Why don't you trying waiting another month or so before going with the rice cereal. Babies really are fine with breastmilk or formula until they are 6 months old. He may just not be ready yet, and the cereal may also be causing the gas. I would try putting it off for a month. Good luck!

Hey I'm no expert at kids but from my experience I mixed the cereal with juice, it made it taste better to the kids and then they got more than formula, which we both know is pretty nasty. Both my kids were formula feed and only my daughter had gas issues, I used Mylicon drops with every meal and she got over it in like a month. Hope this helps ~~K.~~

it has been my experience with infants that starting them on any solids before they begin to cut their first tooth is too young. Our bodies develop the digestive maturity in synch with the development of our teeth, our tools for eating solids. I learned this philosophy while birthing my son and raising him in the mountains in Jamaica. Most all native peoples who live connected to the land and do not have access to "special" rice baby cereals and "formulas" follow this feeding plan. Your baby is probably having gas because he does not yet have the digestive enzymes to break down foods yet. You will notice all of the saliva and drooling that happens when he cuts his first tooth, this will indicate the increase in complex digestive enzymes are forming. good luck.

I never worried with my son, but he ate things early. You can try mixing a little fruit in with the cereal. make it sweeter, try pears.or applesauce.

I mixed mine with formula from day one. They already like the taste anyway. As far as the bowels go, that happens when you start feeding them new things. Each child is different as far as how much they eat. Maybe try the one's with apple or banana flavor already in them. Remember, the more bowel movements the better! Rather out than in.

I know this may sound strange,but sometimes you have to listen to "your mother." With years of education between my husband and I (he a doctor,I am a nurse and teacher) we thought we had it covered...until we had children. I come from a very large extended family where everyone knows everything. When our daughter was born my mother said,"You need to feed her pasta-soon and fix it as though you would eat it." When it came time to start cereal my mother insisted that we feed her it mixed with the formula, heated slightly and a pinch of sugar. When time for baby food, if veggies: heated with butter and a pinch of salt and taste it-if you did not like it how would they! I am sure you get the picture. Needless to say we have two very happy children who eat everything from carrots to squash to cauliflower-cooked or raw, salted or not. Good Luck- A.

This is normal. Basically, you're just getting him used to the idea of eating solids while he outgrows his tongue thrust reflex and his digestive system matures. He'll get better every week. Gas drops with each feeding are helpful. My pediatrician suggested mixing the rice cereal with apple juice. The Vitamin C helps the iron absorption, and it really improves the flavor. (Dilute it if he gets diarrhea). My 5th child (now 8 months) did exactly what you're talking about, but it improved as his digestive system matured. I personally believe there is no hurry for solids, but my pediatrician did say that around four months they need the extra iron that is in the cereals. I doubt he'll ever eat a bowl full. I sometimes mix the cereal in a baby food jar so I can judge the portion size better.

I just wanted to add one more suggestion. I am a mother of 3 and did many of those tricks (mixed the cereal with breast milk, juice or fruits). They worked, when the babies were ready. Your son has a natural reflex to thrust his tongue forward to feed. If he spits the food back out, he is not ready for solids. He reflexes will change as he gets older. It is suggested to only feed him when he can eat from a spoon. Once he can eat from a spoon and he spits it out by choice, then you have to work your "mommy magic." Good luck!

Try feeding him small amounts. It is normal for him to spit it out but as long as he eats most of it that is good. Dont worry that is good that he has many bowel movements at least he is not straining or constipated.

That is all pretty normal for a 4 month old beginning rice/formula cereal. He is spitting it out because he is not use to the spoon and cereal and the whole swallowing thing. This takes a couple of times could last for a bit...but just stay with it. The gassy and bowels sound pretty normal too....his body is just getting use to it. You're doing fine!

Hi there! My seven month old has had cereal in her formula since 3 month of age. She needed it to keep the formula down as she as gerd. The rice cereal can make them go potty more but at least he's not stopped up :0) When I give my baby her bowl of cereal in the morning I mix cinnimon flavored apple sauce and she loves it. He may not be ready right now, our baby just got interested in food about the end of her fifth month. Just keep trying and one day he'll be eating you out of house and home, lol.
Good luck!

It sounds like your son may not be ready, but he also may not like the cereal. My daughter would never eat the cereal, she just plain didn't like it and I don't blame her it tastes like cardboard. What I did do that worked was add a little bit to her bottle & she would drink it. However feeding it to her in a bowl where she can get a good taste of it never worked. She's now 7 months old & will eat almost anything including soups, beans, pasta, you name it except rice cereal, bananas & oatmeal (which most babies like)...go figure.

You really should wait until about 6 months to feed cereal. The digestive system is still really tempermental. Plus, if allergies run in your family, the longer you wait to give him food, the less chance he'll have with allergies in his life. When he's ready to eat cereal, he'll just gobble it up.

there is no need to feed an infant of that age anything but Formula, or breast milk. if the child is not handling the cereal, then it is too soon for him, the MAP recamends that you only feed formula for the first 12 months.

Hey Mama! First of all, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that baby has nothing but breastmilk or formula for the first six months. This means no juice, water, cereal, or anything else.

At 4.5 months, your baby is not physically capable of eating solid foods. The gassiness is coming from his inability to digest the cereal properly and it's high concentration of iron. Commercial baby cereals have no nutritional value -- they are like eating paste!

The best way to do it is to watch your baby for signs of readiness for solid foods:
- The baby can sit up by himself without assistance
- The baby has teeth
- The baby shows interest in solid foods, grabbing yours or imitating your eating
- the baby has lost the tongue thrust reflex, which causes them to spit out anythign but a nipple that is put in their mouth.

Good first foods to start with are: mashed ripe banana, mashed ripe avocado. Just take a baby spoon and scrape a little of the fruit off and let him taste. The American Academy of Pediatrics also says that breastmilk (or formula) should be the MAIN source of nutrition for the baby's entire first year. Solid foods are tastes and introductions and supplements for the first year, not the main event!

On a side note, if you let the umbilical cord pulse until it is done at the moment of birth, your baby is not at risk of anemia in the first year and does not need supplemental iron in cereals.

I had to do the same as Tina and I can say this I used the gas drops to help my kids with gas. All of what you are experiencing is normal for most little ones.