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To start or not to start...cereal at 4 months

grover1995@aol.comgrover1995@aol.com
in Babies: 3 - 6 Months

So we had our 4 month appointment yesterday and my LO now weighs 14lbs.  The doctor suggested that we start him on rice cereal (as i think most doctors do at 4 months).  He consumes about 30-35oz of BM/Formula a day and sleeps 12 hours at nights without waking up for a feeding.  It doesn't seem like there is any reason to start the cereal now.  

 What are the pros and cons of starting now? 

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Re: To start or not to start...cereal at 4 months

  • noahchristophernoahchristopher member

    We started it about a month ago when our son was 4 months.  We did it because we had been adding a little in his bottle because of his hypoallergenic formula being super thin and he had problems keeping it down.  We decided to take it out of the bottle and see if he could eat it instead.  He did great with it!  Seriously gobbled it down.  I guess they say in the beginning it's just for practice.  Our son didn't really need the practice.  He just knew how to eat right away.

    Now we give him 2 tsp in the morning and 2 tsp around 5pm.  We've also been giving him 1/4 of an avocado in the middle of the day and he LOVES it.  This has been our solids routine for the last couple of weeks and he's doing great with it.

    We mix both the cereal and the avocado with formula to make it nice and thin.  He's eating around 30 oz of formula a day, sometimes 29oz and sometimes 32oz.  Along with the solids.

    Every baby is different and will react in their own unique way.  If your pedi gave you the ok and you want to try it, I see no reason not to.  Also, if you want to wait a bit longer, there is nothing wrong with that either.  It's also up to you as to when you want to start dealing with feeding solids.  I thought it would be a pain in the butt, but it's actually fun and easy!

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  • TeacherVickyTeacherVicky member

    We haven't started yet because like you, our DS seems content and satiated. He's growing well and developing properly. If he was showing that he was hungrier, we would have started by now.

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  • MyBeehiveMyBeehive member

    We started cereal after the 4 mo pedi ok because DD seems so interested in our food and drinks, watches carefully, tries to intercept it, lol, etc. 

    Like a pp said, it's FUN and easy if LO is ready, follow their cues. :)

    For us, we started on thin rice cereal made with formula and did that for four or five days. Looking back, it was like practice to learn what the spoon is for and how to use her tongue correctly, it's really fascinating watching her " get it"! If she's ready it'll show. Then we switched to oatmeal cereal made the same way and it's a BIG hit, DD loves it, she smiles at the spoon coming at her , it's the cutest thing.  

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  • Mrs. MoMrs. Mo member

    The only reason we started with it is just for practice (to learn to eat off a spoon). When they first start, they barely ingest any as most ends up on their face/bib/high chair anyways.

    Off-topic: You may want to change your sn so that it's not your email address. You never know what type of crazy people are out on the interwebz.



    "Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." -- Dale Carnegie
    "Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." --Thomas A. Edison
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  • KrisM86KrisM86 member
    If your baby is healthy and gaining enough weight, there is no benefit to starting cereal now. The current AAP recommendation is to start solids at 6 months unless there are other issues (trouble gaining weight, reflux, etc.)
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  • tew213tew213 member

    imageKrisM86:
    If your baby is healthy and gaining enough weight, there is no benefit to starting cereal now. The current AAP recommendation is to start solids at 6 months unless there are other issues (trouble gaining weight, reflux, etc.)

    This is what our pedi told us. DD is 17.5 lbs so obviously gaining weight just fine. I was kind of excited to think about starting solids soon - but I'll wait til 6m per pedi. Crazy how different pedis recommend different things. Kind of hard to know what to trust.

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  • OurJellybeanOurJellybean member
    I always thought any carbohydrates before a year wasn't the best as their pancreas don't produce enough amylase which is responsible for carb breakdown. Starting carbs too early has been linked to gi problems and allergies later in life not to mention it's harder on their systems. We will try baby led solids when the time comes. Like pp said, if baby is gaining well there is no need to start this early
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  • kourtneyp23kourtneyp23

    I read a great article giving advice as to when is right for YOUR baby.

    Does he constantly chew on things, is he teething? Does he watch you eat and want to reach for your food too?

    I tried cereal one day with my 4 month old and he really hated it, wasnt sure what to do at all. However, he DID chew on the spoon for a good ten minutes.

    Two days later i made the cereal a little thicker and he ate the whole bowl!

    Just try it maybe and see how it goes? Listen to what your baby tells you, not just what's "normal" :)

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