Dr told me to start cereal at 4 month appt!

vanceke08

Really? 4 months. She said "if he does good on that, in a week or so you could move on to baby food. GAH. you suck Dr. 

danienross

We were told the same thing.  When we mentioned wanting to wait for 6mos the reply we got was, "If you wait to long to start solids then she will never learn to eat from a spoon."  I was dumbfounded.  Of all the reasons that can be given for starting solids early, she gave the dumbest one I'd ever heard.  We chose to not listen and we started around 7mos BLW style.

vanceke08

oh my! because nobody can learn to use a spoon. wow. She said that he is waking up more at night because he is hungry and formula isn't doing it for him anymore. Which makes sense, but I just am not comfortable giving him cereal at this point. I don't mind getting up 2x a night instead of 1. I do mind giving him foods his little tummy is not ready for. 

pitterpatter129

vanceke08:

oh my! because nobody can learn to use a spoon. wow. She said that he is waking up more at night because he is hungry and formula isn't doing it for him anymore. Which makes sense, but I just am not comfortable giving him cereal at this point. I don't mind getting up 2x a night instead of 1. I do mind giving him foods his little tummy is not ready for. 

It's probably just a growth spurt.  I think I was still bfing every two-three hours at that age, even at night.  It's not age appropriate to expect an infant to STTN.  Your doctor gave silly advice in my opinion.  From what I've seen on here, giving cereal doesn't usually help with sleep anyhow.  Babies wake up at night.  I would hold off on solids like you planned to do.

 

catrinawaves

My dr told me to start DD on rice cereal at 4 months as well, for no reason at all. I wasn't a huge fan of the way she tried to tell me to do it, as opposed to just offering her advice, but since I'm ultimately calling the shots with DD I just made a brief statement that we were going to wait. She just shrugged me off as if I was being a bit ridiculous.

I was actually surprised she recommended it since she has small children herself, all of whom she nursed, and including a 3 year-old who doesn't consistently STTN. For some reason I thought that would mean she wouldn't be as old-fashioned as some drs in regards to solids...

kcisthebombdotcom

Just as an fyi, this isn't a totally crazy thing. My board certified pediatric GI doctor who works out of a well ranked children's hospital strongly advocates starting solids before 6 months, as now there's research that shows introducing allergenic foods after 3 months/before 6 months is ideal in preventing food allergies. I delayed solids until 6 months with my first, but started at 4 with my second based on her recommendation.

sugarbear0524

It's refreshing to see a mama questioning starting solids too early.  You see posts all the time with the attitude of, "Can't wait to start solids!" and mamas trying to talk their pedis into approving it. I especially side-eye the idea that adding rice cereal to their LO's bottle will help them sleep through the night.

I agree with you--what's the rush?  Solids are one more piece to the puzzle, but they add work and complication.  There is time for everything.

lady_tytah

I added cereal to my daughter's bottle and that sleeping through the night then was a lie lol...she still woke up every couple hours eating all the way to 1. She just loves eating and has a high metabolism to include a busy body. She needed the calories. She's the same way now. She can eat 6 times a day easily. If you dont feel comfortable giving him foods at 4 months dont. This time I dont plan on giving foods till he shows he's ready. Which if he's like his daddy, he wont last till 6 months. 

erbear

KC_13:

Just as an fyi, this isn't a totally crazy thing. My board certified pediatric GI doctor who works out of a well ranked children's hospital strongly advocates starting solids before 6 months, as now there's research that shows introducing allergenic foods after 3 months/before 6 months is ideal in preventing food allergies. I delayed solids until 6 months with my first, but started at 4 with my second based on her recommendation.

Yup. earlier is actually the newest, most current recommendation. 

That said, make your own decision. We tried 6 months with DD2 and she just wasn't interested. She started eating solids (no cereal) around 8 months.

honkytonk_kid

erbear:

KC_13:

Just as an fyi, this isn't a totally crazy thing. My board certified pediatric GI doctor who works out of a well ranked children's hospital strongly advocates starting solids before 6 months, as now there's research that shows introducing allergenic foods after 3 months/before 6 months is ideal in preventing food allergies. I delayed solids until 6 months with my first, but started at 4 with my second based on her recommendation.

Yup. earlier is actually the newest, most current recommendation. 

That said, make your own decision. We tried 6 months with DD2 and she just wasn't interested. She started eating solids (no cereal) around 8 months.

For all kids, or for those at a higher risk of allergies? I haven't seen that research.

sucredee

danienross:

We were told the same thing.  When we mentioned wanting to wait for 6mos the reply we got was, "If you wait to long to start solids then she will never learn to eat from a spoon."  I was dumbfounded.  Of all the reasons that can be given for starting solids early, she gave the dumbest one I'd ever heard.  We chose to not listen and we started around 7mos BLW style.

 I find that very interesting about the spoon. We started BLW at 6 months and never did any baby cereal. She started eating my oatmeal around 7 months. Anything that could be eaten with a spoon we would preload a spoon and give it to her and she would feed herself. Seems much better than being spoon fed. DD has been really good with a spoon since around 11 months (scooping/feeding herself). So that seems like a dumb argument. Sounds like they just tried coming up with some sort of argument. 

My DD took a while to really take much of an interest in solids. She still is a nursing fool and just turned two. She ate everything early on but currently she is a bit picky even though she gets what we eat. I think kids are ready for solid when THEY are ready and who cares if they aren't into solid food much at 4-6 months,  you do what feels right for you and the pedi doesn't really need to know....

MangomamaFL

We don't use baby cereals. We start solids as soon as the baby is reaching for food off my plate.

beth2882

hocus:

Shrug. Since your doctor doesn't live with you she is never going to know what you do. We did rice cereal very early with my first kid but pretty much skipped cereals with my second.

This!  I have told my DH several times that we don't always have to do what the pedi says. 

steph574

My nephew had a really rough beginning, and the docs said he had plyoric stenonis...(which IMO, was not the problem) They did surgery on baby, he contracted a blood infection, had seizures...etc.

Come to find out, the doc had suggested to my brother and his wife to add cereal to his formula at 6 weeks. I have a hard time convincing myself that didn't cause alot of his issues.

It doesnt surprise me that they suggested it at 4 months. My DD always chose nursing over solids, so we never really pushed them.

kcisthebombdotcom

honkytonk_kid:

erbear:

KC_13:

Just as an fyi, this isn't a totally crazy thing. My board certified pediatric GI doctor who works out of a well ranked children's hospital strongly advocates starting solids before 6 months, as now there's research that shows introducing allergenic foods after 3 months/before 6 months is ideal in preventing food allergies. I delayed solids until 6 months with my first, but started at 4 with my second based on her recommendation.

Yup. earlier is actually the newest, most current recommendation. 

That said, make your own decision. We tried 6 months with DD2 and she just wasn't interested. She started eating solids (no cereal) around 8 months.

For all kids, or for those at a higher risk of allergies? I haven't seen that research.

https://www.vapg.com/Solidshandout.pdf

https://www.medpagetoday.com/AllergyImmunology/Allergy/17382

https://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jan/14/six-months-breastfeeding-babies-scientists

terri_doula2010

1. I would find a new doctor.

2. I would say something very emphatic (but hopefully polite) to any doctor who told me that. Especially that it was a must?? Nope. Not gonna happen, and what pisses me off is that lots of people do just what their doctor says without their own research. Sorry, I'm rather passionate about this topic since I'm constantly concerned about my LO's gut due to allergies and celiac.

3. Some kids take longer than others to sleep through the night. That was true of my LO BF on demand, once he started solids, etc. He has only just started sleeping through the night in the last 4-6 months.

dino24saur

That seems so odd. My DD's pedi encourages BFing everytime I talk to her. They always tell me I can stay in the room to nurse if she is hungry since it's about a 20 minute drive to my house. She told me not to give cereal, stick to only breast milk for the first 6 months.

mdharris29

I too have heard of the newer research that waiting until six moths is not some litmus test. I don't find value in cereal anyway and go right for the veggies. My DD it was more like 5 months after she saw me eating and started crying at me and my son was 4 months after he grabbed food off of my plate and shoved it into his mouth. I say watch your kid and just know that it is "oK" if it is before the 6 month mark.