When did you start giving your baby infant cereal?
Was it just at night?
I know I'll be in the minority here, but never. Cereal is really just filler, there isn't much nutritional value. I understand that some babies need that filler for reflux, etc, but mine didn't have those problems. So I didn't want to fill up their tiny tummies with something they didn't need.
Actually feeding your baby anything before 1 is not necessary and isnt used just as a filler OR for any nutritional value.They should receive ALL their nutrition from breast or formula.Feeding a baby under 1 is to teach them how to eat. And they start with bland cereals (which are actually not very filling) bc they are less likely to upset the digestive system and can be made in multiple consistencies based upon the child
I started giving my youngest cereal at 4 months (my first had allergies so we waited until 7 months. Make sure you speak with your doctor first
Quoting runner-mom:I know I'll be in the minority here, but never. Cereal is really just filler, there isn't much nutritional value. I understand that some babies need that filler for reflux, etc, but mine didn't have those problems. So I didn't want to fill up their tiny tummies with something they didn't need.
My older son I think it was about 4 months. I never put it in bottles. He always had it on a spoon.
My baby has a feeding tube. I do occasionally mix a teaspoon in for added calories when he needs it.
It was at 4 months on the doctor's suggestion. We quit as quickly as we started. It caused NOTHING but problems for my poor baby. I honestly believe the majority of his GI issues were avoidable. The next kiddo will get NO solids until at least 9, possibly 12, months.
Like the first poster, I never gave my kids cereal. It has no nutritional value whatsoever. It's just a filler and if you're breastfeeding, it actually hinders the REAL iron in breast milk to be absorbed because of all of the fake iron in the cereal.
I do let my children 'tell' me when it was time for 'real food.' My son was about 6 months but my DD we didn't let her have any table food until she was about 9 months. I just mushed up everything, never bought that food in a jar stuff. This way, I know EXACTLY what's going in their food.
Babies don't need anything but breast milk or formula until they're a year old. Before that, baby food is just practice.
But, I think majority of pediatricians say to give cereal/baby food at 6 months and older. By 6 months their gut is mature enough to digest baby food/cereal.
Hope this helps.
I'm Kristina. I'm a married (to my high school sweetheart, Bobby), breastfeeding (and child-led weaning), co-sleeping, baby wearing, ERF, solid delaying, vegetarian (for over 16 years), vaccinating, disposable diapering, gentle disciplining, full-time college student, House MD loving, anorexia, self-injury and sexually abuse recovering, Fibromyalgia suffering SAHM to a handsome boy (Daniel Matthew 5.5.07) and my darling little boobie monster (Ryleigh Madison 9.13.08).
People need to understand that when they're deciding between breastmilk and formula, they're not deciding between Coke and Pepsi.... They're choosing between a live, pure substance and a dead substance made with the cheapest oils available. ~Chele Marmet
so I reiterate...I didn't want to give them anything they didn't "need". Neither of my kids had anything BUT breatsmilk until 7months. Their first solids to "practice" with were veggies, and we never had any problems
Quoting gypsydancer7:
Actually feeding your baby anything before 1 is not necessary and isnt used just as a filler OR for any nutritional value.They should receive ALL their nutrition from breast or formula.Feeding a baby under 1 is to teach them how to eat. And they start with bland cereals (which are actually not very filling) bc they are less likely to upset the digestive system and can be made in multiple consistencies based upon the child
I started giving my youngest cereal at 4 months (my first had allergies so we waited until 7 months. Make sure you speak with your doctor first
Quoting runner-mom:
I know I'll be in the minority here, but never. Cereal is really just filler, there isn't much nutritional value. I understand that some babies need that filler for reflux, etc, but mine didn't have those problems. So I didn't want to fill up their tiny tummies with something they didn't need.
We started with it in the bottle at one month, at ped's suggestion, for reflux. We started spoon feeding at about 4 months, because at 3 months ds upped his feedings to every freaking hour (6-8ozs). After 4 weeks of eating like that, his ped said it was time to start introducing solids. And ds knew EXACTLY what to do the first time we offered. Though he never liked being spoon fed rice cereal (he had no probs with it in the bottle), so we switched to oatmeal cereal pretty quickly.
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my son is 2 months and he gets it in his bottle because he has horrible reflux and it pretty much ended that issue....my other 2 kids started it at the normal 4 months and only had it on a spoon
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- DandieMandie
on Nov. 26, 2009 at 7:56 PM