How early did you start rice cereal?
Moms View Message Board: Parenting Discussion: Archive July-December 2004:
How early did you start rice cereal?
My son is 3 months now and was sleeping from 10:30-5:30 and now he wakes up twice a night hungry. I feel like a zombie and I feel so bad for him because it seems like he's constantly hungry. (He won't eat more than 6 oz of formula at a time.) Should I just be more patient or can I start him on rice cereal? My pediatrician said not to put it in his bottle...not sure why? He also says that rice cereal shouldn't be started until he's 4 months. My friend started her son at 3 months and said he was a "totally different person" after she did. help...
Okay, my advice is 'old', because the 'baby' I'm referencing is now 20 years old. My son was less than 2 months when I began spooning him a tiny bit of rice cereal. He had been having a lot of reflux, and it seemed that most of his formula would just come right back out, despite his gaining weight as he was supposed to. I never put the cereal in the bottle, and I decided to do this (with my pediatrician's blessing) since he always seemed hungry.
I started DD at about 3 months because she was always so hungry as well. I first gave just a tiny bit to her mixed in her bottle, i'm talking maybe only a teaspoon to make sure she could handle it then gradually up it. I didnt have a feeder bottle so had to prick a bigger hole in a regular bottle then I just designated that bottle for cereal feedings. Good Luck!
I started my ds at 3mo. I spoonfed, and still do. I was told not to put it in w/bottle, because it can be too thick, and they are used to liquid. My pedi-nurse said they can only 'learn' to digest one at a time, one or the other, not both at once. And that made sense, so I gave it to him by spoon. Plus, it teaches them how to use the spoon early.
I started here and there at 4 months with Sarah, then more consistently at 5 months. She was an "easy keeper!" There wasn't much she didn't like and she tolerated everything!
Emily, on the other hand, was about 7 months old before she could tolerate solid food on a regular basis. I would try about once a week or so, but usually ended up having to wash it off of her, the crib, the crib sheets, the wall, and the floor! ugh!
I loved mushing up bananas for Sarah as one of her fruits! She loved them. Emily hated them! LOL! In fact, even today, she will eat bananas sometimes, but they are not her favorite! LOL!
So, everything I learned with Sarah, was totally different for Emily!
My son is also three months old. My ped. told me that I shouldn't put him on rice untill he wants a bottle like every hour. So right now he eats a full eight oz bottle between every three to five hours during the day. And then at night he goes night night at about ten and sleeps until seven thirty. So we are not ready here, but if you little angel is only eating six oz, then I wouldn't think he is reading for solids yet, from what I have been told.
Theresa
From Dr. Sears' site:
STARTING SOLID FOODS: WHEN? WHAT? AND HOW?
Ready to open your baby's mouth to a whole new world of textures and tastes? Is baby ready to open her mouth? Get ready for the joys – and the mess – of eating solid foods. When you begin feeding your baby solid foods you want to progress in a way that sets baby up for healthy eating habits. You are not only putting food into your baby's tummy, you are introducing lifelong attitudes about nutrition. Consider for a moment that during the first year or two you will spend more time feeding your baby than in any other interaction. You both might as well enjoy it.
WHY WAIT? 6 REASONS
Gone are the days when pressured mothers stuffed globs of cereal into the tight mouths of reluctant six-week-olds. Nowadays parents feed their baby on the timetable that is developmentally and nutritionally correct -- as determined by their baby. Don't be in a rush to start solids. Here are some good reasons for waiting.
1. Baby's intestines need to mature. The intestines are the body's filtering system, screening out potentially harmful substances and letting in healthy nutrients. In the early months, this filtering system is immature. Between four and seven months a baby's intestinal lining goes through a developmental growth spurt called closure, meaning the intestinal lining becomes more selective about what to let through. To prevent potentially-allergenic foods from entering the bloodstream, the maturing intestines secrete IgA , a protein immunoglobulin that acts like a protective paint, coating the intestines and preventing the passage of harmful allergens. In the early months, infant IgA production is low (although there is lots of IgA in human milk), and it is easier for potentially-allergenic food molecules to enter the baby's system. Once food molecules are in the blood, the immune system may produce antibodies to that food, creating a food allergy . By six to seven months of age the intestines are more mature and able to filter out more of the offending allergens. This is why it's particularly important to delay solids if there is a family history of food allergy, and especially to delay the introduction of foods to which other family members are allergic.
2. Young babies have a tongue-thrust reflex . In the first four months the tongue thrust reflex protects the infant against choking. When any unusual substance is placed on the tongue, it automatically protrudes outward rather than back. Between four and six months this reflex gradually diminishes, giving the glob of cereal a fighting chance of making it from the tongue to the tummy. Not only is the mouth-end of baby's digestive tract not ready for early solids, neither is the lower end.
3. Baby's swallowing mechanism is immature. Another reason not to rush solids is that the tongue and the swallowing mechanisms may not yet be ready to work together. Give a spoonful of food to an infant less than four months, and she will move it around randomly in her mouth, pushing some of it back into the pharynx where it is swallowed, some of it into the large spaces between the cheeks and gums, and some forward between the lips and out onto her chin. Between four and six months of age, most infants develop the ability to move the food from the front of the mouth to the back instead of letting it wallow around in the mouth and get spit out. Prior to four months of age, a baby's swallowing mechanism is designed to work with sucking, but not with chewing.
4. Baby needs to be able to sit up. In the early months, babies associate feeding with cuddling. Feeding is an intimate interaction, and babies often associate the feeding ritual with falling asleep in arms or at the breast. The change from a soft, warm breast to a cold, hard spoon may not be welcomed with an open mouth. Feeding solid foods is a less intimate and more mechanical way of delivering food. It requires baby to sit up in a highchair – a skill which most babies develop between five and seven months. Holding a breastfed baby in the usual breastfeeding position may not be the best way to start introducing solids, as your baby expects to be breastfed and clicks into a "what's wrong with this picture?" mode of food rejection.
5. Young infants are not equipped to chew. Teeth seldom appear until six or seven months, giving further evidence that the young infant is designed to suck rather than to chew. In the pre-teething stage, between four and six months, babies tend to drool, and the drool that you are always wiping off baby's face is rich in enzymes, which will help digest the solid foods that are soon to come.
6. Older babies like to imitate caregivers. Around six months of age, babies like to imitate what they see. They see you spear a veggie and enjoy chewing it. They want to grab a fork and do likewise.
for more go to: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T032000.asp
HTH -
Amy
I started Rylee at 4 months.
DS - 4 mos.
DD - 6 mos.
DS - 4 WKS
DD - 3 WKS
They are both very healthy and happy eaters still today. Good luck.
thanks, ladies. as much as i want to sleep, i think it's best i wait a few more weeks. his tummy is probably not ready for it since he is only eating 6 oz. gotta be patient...
Mrshheidi - Yes, please wait. It is quite normal for infants to have growth spurts. Check with your dr. (Are you nursing -- it should be in a handbook somewhere about what the "average" is on babies wanting fed more for a few days) I want to say 6 wks, 3 mos, and 5 mos...but I may be off.) They are still going to have these growth spurts if formula fed, just don't know if they give out the info since with nursing you have that extra worry "Are they hungry more because I'm not producing enough"
The BIGGEST reason to hold off is his digestive system. Our pediatrician says the longer you hold off on solid foods, the better. It can also affect their food allergy tolerance I've heard. We never started ANY of our 4 children on rice cereal before 6 mos and the first 2 never had ANYTHING solid for 12 mos.
But this is your child and your life and completely YOUR decision...just wanted to make sure you had all the info you could to make the best decision for YOU and YOUR situation.
You didn't say if this is your first. If it is, it is SO hard to see this first year of adjustment and little sleep as temporary. If you're an old hand at this, remind yourself that it is INDEED temporary and BEG friends, neighbors, or hubby for an afternoon nap. If you're lucky enough to be home with the baby - SLEEP WHEN THE BABY SLEEPS!! The BEST and most IGNORED advice! Cleaning can wait.
Heidi, just do what you think is best. Some of this medical stuff I believe goes way overboard.. it reminds me of those silly emails we get every so often "When I was young my Mom...... i'm surprised i'm still alive today" giving examples such as salmonella, e. coli etc.... I hope you know what i'm talking about because its hard for me to explain, lol!
Anyways, always go with your gut instinct, mother ALWAYS knows best!
I agree with Vladasha! It is most likely a growth spurt. And, if you are breastfeeding, breastmilk digests much quicker that formula. Either way, I assure you, it is probably a growth spurt and it will slow down in a week or two.
Hi. I got your email and thank you for sending the book. I am going to read it.
Here in the South, many Moms give their babies rice cereal mixed with formula in their bottles, but docs DO advise AGAINST this practice because it could cause choking.
Both my kids were premies and were allergic to breastmilk. They were fed a specialized formula called Pregestimil, found at Publix groceries. We had to be very, very, conservative with giving them solid food because they had tummy and allergy issues. They both were given rice cereal at six months (since they were 2 more early) their bodies were at four months.
My Aunt and My Mom both swore up hill and down dale that if I would give them rice cereal, they would sleep better and feel more satisfied. Since both kids had to be fed every two hours when I came home with them, I was tempted, but after checking with the doc. I went with his advice. Today, the girls are both happy and healthy so I suppose waiting so long didn't do any damage. However, they both woke up twice during the night for night feedings of formula until they were given the cereal at six months. AJ
You do waht is best but it fills them up better and it doesn't hurt them. If they are allergic you will know at 4 wks or 6 months. I willsy this by DR told me 3 months but he also said if I do it before just do it a little at a time in a bottle until they are round 4 months and after that start using a spoon. Jade took 1st stage food in a cereal bottle and when she went to 2nd stage that is when she started getting food with a spoon and she transitioned just fine from one to another.
Good luck and go with your mom gut.
It's late and I didn't read all the posts (I've been doing a lot of reading here tonight). But I started my ds on cereal by 4 months for the same reason- suddenly he became hungrier at night when he hadn't been before. My aunt (a pediatric nurse) said- "Yep, it's time for the cereal!"
So, what I did was I gave it to him in his bottle. I used the Playtex ones with the liners in them and the big nipples. I used ONE nipple for cereal. I took a sharp knife and made slits in the hole of the nipple in the shape of a + sign so that it would allow the cereal to pass through the nipple. Then I filled the bottle with 8 oz of formula and 1 (or maybe 2) Tablespoon(s) of dry baby cereal and shook it up. He got cereal twice a day and was much happier after that!
Be careful to check and see how well he swallows the cereal at first. He's not going to be used to it, and he may gag. Start out with just a small + in the nipple and as he is able to work the cereal down better, you can make it bigger.
Hi
I am a nurse and a mother of 3. My two older kids who are now 12 and 9 were started on rice cereal between 6 and 10 weeks. I now have a 2 month old and until recently I was chomping at the bit to start him on cereal until my last visit to out pedi. She told me that there is some startling evidence that the rise in childhood diabetes may be linked to feeding cereals too early because rice is a simple starch. Starches cause the pancreas to pump out insulin rather quickly in response to a rapid spike in blood sugar. This is all very normal physiology but in a young infant, the pancreas might not tolerate that well and it may either overwork it and damage it or set it up for early failure later in life causing diabetes. Scientifically this makes total sense to me because of my nursing education. The open-gut close-gut theory also makes sense to me from a scientific point of view as does the fact that rice cereal doesn't really have any nutritional value anyway... it just offers a quick energy boost. All this said, I have decided with this child to wait until at least 4 months but I am going to try to stretch it to 6 and start with something other than rice. Additionally, medicine is not static. I am 36 years old, my mother smoked through her whole pregnancy with me because it wasn't thought to be a threat to her or me... and now it is almost thought of as child abuse!!!
I started my kids on barley cereal, because I was told it there was less chance of allergies, and it was easier to digest. Those 2 kids are now 15 and 13. I think my first was about 4 months, and my second closer to 6. I tried her a bit earlier, but she didn't want it yet.
Wow, I just hit the post button, and then saw that the original message was written in 2004!
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