Cereal and BLW

elliezen

I was just talking to a friend and her LO and my DS are about the same age maybe 2 weeks apart. I am planning on doing BLW. She just started her LO on cereal.  I know nothing about cereal, I dont have to give him any right? I plan to hold off BLW until about 6 months and continue with BM as the source of nutrition.  I  guess I am just looking for someone to tell me my plan is fine and I dont need to know anything about cereal, what it is or how to make it : ) 

TIA  

poison489

There are rice and oatmeal cereals that you can buy and mix with breast milk or formula.  It is usually reccomended because it has added iron, that LO needs because their iron stores go down around 6 months.  I don't believe you have to do it if you are doing BLW.

elliezen

MandJS:

We are not doing cereal. That said - our pedi is concerned DD won't be getting enough iron, so I had to promise to offer meat and green leafy veggies often. Also - pedi mentioned that there is an anemia test at 9 months, and if DD's iron is low, he may make me supplement.

Hum ok, good to know about the Iron, I am not sure if my pedi will be on board yet, we go in a week for the 4 month. How would you give green leafy veggies for BLW? I dont see a baby eating a spinach leaf. What I am not thinking about?

ncbelle

We never did cereal.  As for the iron...we didn't give kiddo anything in particular to keep up with the iron but he continued to nurse.  I had his iron checked at his 9 month to be on the safe side and his levels were great.  There is less iron in BM BUT it is more readily absorbed by the body than iron in formula or cereal.

There's some info here: https://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/Iron.htm

babydragonsister

MandJS:

elliezen:

MandJS:

We are not doing cereal. That said - our pedi is concerned DD won't be getting enough iron, so I had to promise to offer meat and green leafy veggies often. Also - pedi mentioned that there is an anemia test at 9 months, and if DD's iron is low, he may make me supplement.

Hum ok, good to know about the Iron, I am not sure if my pedi will be on board yet, we go in a week for the 4 month. How would you give green leafy veggies for BLW? I dont see a baby eating a spinach leaf. What I am not thinking about?

Yeah - I haven't figured that out either. Maybe creamed? We give DD broccoli and while I don't think she's eating anything yet, she seems to like sucking on it. I figure that's better than nothing. And she sucks on meat pretty well.

DS looooves spinach and arugula.  He sucks on it and gums it.  We also sautee it and put it in eggs.  Most mornings I make a smoothie (OJ, banana, and kale) and he has a little so he gets leafy greens every day.  However, our new pediatrician claims that this is still not enough iron and we need to supplement.  I'm not sure, I have a lot of research to do, I think.  Will report back in the next week. 

jg'ssis

If you continue to only BF while offering solids (no formula supplementation), then it's highly unlikely that you will need to given iron supplementation in any form, and that includes cereals.  From Kellymom: https://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/iron.html

 We did BLW with DD.  She took to it like a duck to water.  We cooked spinach, she loved it.  She pretty much loved everything, actually.  Still does.  (Lunch today was gyoza and edamame dumplings.  Dinner was enchilada casserole with black beans.)  Her favorite food is unflavored Greek yogurt.  We LOVED BLW!