How long did you give rice cereal?

LMK8605

We just started rice cereal yesterday.  How long should I wait until I transition to other foods? 

Also, any tips for feeding rice cereal / food???  What is the easiest way for twins just starting out on food??

Thanks!

CaliJenny

We gave it a week.  They hated it!!  At first I thought they still had the thrust reflex and didn't know how to eat but by the end of the week it was obvious it was the cereal.  I tried green beans and they ate all of it so that's when I knew it was the cereal.  I also tried to mix rice cereal with their favorite, sweet potatoes and then tasted the cereal and wouldn't eat it even mixed. 

I turned both high chairs so they are side by side and then stood (or sat) in front of them to feed them.  I just used one spoon and one bowl or jar of food and alternated bites.  At the end I'd give the spoon to one kid to play with and they'd chew on it, giving it to a diff kid each time they ate so they could get used to wielding a spoon. 

Have fun and have your camera ready for the faces and messes!!  It seems way more complicated than it actually is. 

lisa&andy

My kids hated rice cereal so we only spent a couple of days on it, they enjoy oatmeal so much better. We then went 2 weeks on oatmeal before introducing any fruits or vegatables. For us, I make sure to get them eating it before they get too hungry because otherwise they scream through it all. I sit in the floor with their high chairs on either side and go back and forth between the 2 kids. What did they think of the cereal?

LMK8605

DS loved the cereal - but he loves to eat in general lol.  DD has yet to really commit to a bite.  Should I try veggies if she won't take the cereal??

lisa&andy

I would go a head and move to oatmeal or barley (I think that is the other one) just so they can get used to the texture and different tastes. I waited until the tongue trust reflex had stopped before moving on to veggies, no point in wasting it wasting it if they are going to spit it back out. I would give them a little longer before introducing veggies, let them get used to the rice or oatmeal first. She may not like the rice or the consistency of it, experiment if you haven't with how thick/thin and warm/room temp it is.

macchiatto

We started with veggies instead since rice can be constipating--then fruit, then oatmeal, then rice. So by the time we introduced rice, we could mix it with peaches or pears to reduce the constipating effect. Our pedi wanted us to do each food for a full week before moving on to something else because our boys both have eczema plus we have a strong family history of allergies so they were at risk.