When to give cereal?

eleasegala

My Lo is 2mths today, and for the past several days she refuses to take more than 2 oz of her bottle. I was wondering if I could put a little bit of cereal in it to make her drink better. She doesn't spit up or anything, she just pushes her bottle away and I know she's still hungry. Suggestions please!

CordeliaD87

I've been giving my LO one formula bottle with rice cereal since he was a month old. He's breastfed, except that one bottle. He's fine with it. In the beginning, he only got cereal every other day for about 10 days just bc I wasn't too keen on the formula part as I couldn't add cereal to my breast.

nursej519

My pediatrician said to absolutely not give cereal until 4 months at the minimum. She said their stomach isn't able to digest it any earlier and can set them up for food allergies.

rivers714

She probably just discovered her tongue and is playing with it and doesn't realize she's pushing it out lol I had the same problem

jennygirlmt

I won't ever give it. I just start with real foods at 6months. But if I were to use it, I wouldn't give it until 6. Is there a medical reason? I think their digestive tracks are built for milk right now and there is no need for anything else.

dotbaby

Why do you think adding something she is totally unfamiliar with would make her drink more? I think that would do the opposite. Babies younger than 4-6 shouldn't have cereal, they're known to aspirate on formula/breast milk mixed with cereal because they are so not yet know how to properly eat it, let alone digest it.

TBsquared

Don't do it, my midwife actually advised me not to do cereal whatsoever as its made of crap, just look at the ingredients

CateOfChicago

My ped said cereal has no real nutritional value. It's really just for practice when they start on solids at 4-6 months. I told her that several family members said they had success with getting baby to sleep longer. Ped said that may be the case bc it is more filling but that means they eat less milk. But they are getting less nutrition. She said no.

Mari621

My first son had food allergies that he has since grown out of. Food allergies are a pain in the ass. I'll start solids and may even bypass cereal starting at 6 months. There is no need to give it to them earlier b.c. their digestive system isn't ready for it. Your just giving your baby a filler with no nutritional value.

LadyBlood

Babies are not supposed to have anything but formula or breast milk to 4 months at the minimum! Most don't recommend it til 6 months even. And if she refuses the bottle, maybe she just doesn't want it anymore. Adding something to it isn't going to change much.

Erin10408

Um, cereal at 1-2 months is crazy.

jmorneau09

My son had been acting uninterested in his bottle as well for about three days now...we had to battle just to get him to eat two oz. He had previously been sucking down 4 like a champ. His pediatrician told me that it was likely part of his growth spurt....kind of like when toddlers and elementary age kids plump up before they grow tall....typically in that get tall faze they don't eat as much. She said it's very common for babies to do this as well.... to cluster feed, grow/plump up, and then not be interested for a few days. After talking with his pediatrician, we just fed him whatever he would eat and didn't worry about it. We are now on day three and he is eating his full 4 oz again. He just needed some time to do something with all that he ate while cluster feeding. As for cereal, I wouldn't....that stuff is processed crap. And especially no at this age our LO'S tummies are not ready to handle anything at all similar to a solid.
We never fed our oldest cereal until 6 months and even then it only lasted for about 3 weeks because baby will get way more nutrition from fruits, veggies, and eventually proteins like meat or eggs( be careful with eggs and don't give them early...they are a high allergy food)...and he just wasn't interested in the cereal...didn't bother me. Good luck.

ftm0413

I agree with the previous poster that it may be a growth spurt, but your LO may also be ready to advance to a faster flow nipple. A slow flow nipple may be too frustrating if she's efficient. The guidelines for 3+ or 6+ months are just recommendations, but it's really up to the baby when he or she is developmentally ready.

supersarah77

I would consult with your pediatrician if you're concerned about your LO getting enough to eat.

With DD, who is 2, we were advised to start iron fortified cereal at around 6 months. AAP recommends iron fortified cereal for EBF babies or iron fortified formula. It was a certain kind of cereal that my ped recommended, not rice cereal because of potential arsenic danger at the time, and we used the brand Earth's Best. I don't know what the recommendations are two years later as things always change, it's crazy, but I know I'm not introducing anything other than breastmilk until 6 months.

montanchelsy

I wouldn't. It has no nutritional value and would decrease the amount of actual formula or breast milk your LO drinks.

rileysmama2007

I'm not planning on giving cereal at all and waiting until at least 5 months to introduce anything besides breast milk.

mbt385

Saw Ped today and asked. She said to wait until 4 months. She also said that cereal can cause constipation and reflux in many babies. Instead, she recommended introducing mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes at 4 months.

marijaa333

My kiddo pushes away the bottle or breast about 3/4 into the feeding. My mom thought that meant he didn't want it any more. I know better that he gets frustrated or bored and then frazzles himself, but if I take a moment to calm him down, he re-latches and finishes his feeding like a champ. It wasn't always so, we had to have a lot of patience and keep offering him milk for hours on end until he would take enough, but we persisted and he has gained around an oz a day since the beginning. 

I would try to convince your LO to keep eating. It really does get better with time.

klaG101

I give cereal to my son at times to help him feel full he is only 5 weeks but it helps keep him stay content so he can last longer than 2 hours at night. Now I just add a little cereal to the bottle with breast milk I've pumped, I would not suggest trying to make it thick enough to feed with a spoon. Did the same thing with my daughter when they go thru growth spurts and cluster feed ( feeding 1-2 oz every hour or so can be a pain when they are used to eating 4 oz every 3 hours)

What you explained sounds like baby is just getting over a growth spurt. Keep a diary of how much and how often baby is eating and call your doctor if you are worried.