Pedi suggested rice cereal--5 weeks

katkat74

My LO is not happy eating 5.5 oz every three hours. He is 10.5 lbs at 5 weeks and my pedi said I should think about adding rice cereal to help his spitting up and help him to be more satisfied. I know it is super early to do this but we are considering at this little guy seems really hungry no matter what.....

daniellepanda

That seems really crazy to me. Is he an old school pedi? I know they used to give babys rice cereal at a young age years ago thats why I ask. Ours mentioned that we should not start it at all until 4+ months but our LO was 10lbs at his 8 week check up so maybe thats because of his size and not having any eating issues being EBF.

Hyfagal

I've heard of reflux babies getting rice cereal at very young ages. Hope it helps your little guy!

meltoine

If your LO is having really bad reflux and nothing else (medicine, a wedge in the crib, etc) is helping, I might consider it. But five weeks is really, really young. 

If it's just to satisfy his hunger, I would definitely not do it. If he's hungry, it means he needs nutrients (fat, calories, vitamins, minerals, etc) and rice cereal won't give him any of that, it will just make him feel full without actually satisfying his nutritional needs.

Are you sure he's still hungry after 5.5 ounces? How long does a feeding last? Are you giving him time to realize he's really full? Is his discomfort after a feeding more about the reflux possibly? Can you try feeding small portions more frequently? 

meltoine

Oops- I didn't read carefully. PP said reflux, you didn't mention that he had reflux.

Definitely try slowing down the feedings if he's spitting up. That most likely means that he's taking in more than he can fit into his stomach at a time. The answer may be less food, not more. It's also possible that he's taking in a little too much, then spitting up a lot, so he still doesn't feel full because he spit up more than he needed to.  

juliane2004

daniellepanda:

That seems really crazy to me. Is he an old school pedi? I know they used to give babys rice cereal at a young age years ago thats why I ask. Ours mentioned that we should not start it at all until 4+ months but our LO was 10lbs at his 8 week check up so maybe thats because of his size and not having any eating issues being EBF.

My baby was 10 lbs 4 oz at 3 weeks, no rice cereal suggested here...

Nyki06Wed43530

I was told no solids until 6 months. 

mamaprof

Your baby's intestines are not ready for solid food yet, even rice cereal. To introduce solids now increases the risk of food and environmental allergies, while providing no nutritional value. All the research points to delaying solids until 6+ months. 

kcisthebombdotcom

I'd feed every 2 hours and avoid rice cereal.

We used rice cereal with my DS and it worked great-he had no adverse effects from it and it helped his reflux immensely. However, in your LOs case it doesnt seem necessary, especially if he's gaining weight well.

I'm guessing the spitting up/fussiness is because you're feeding your LO every 3 hours. My DD is 13 weeks and still needs to eat more frequently than that. I'd space your feedings closer together and you'll probably see a reduction in the amount he spits up.

GL!