I am going to start giving rice cereal for my 5 and 1/2 month old baby. Any tips on how to do it?

Question

Should I give before or after his formula milk feed? How much gap? How do I know if hes tolerating it or having allergy? Any website on this?

Answer 1

You can give it before his formula. you dont have to wait that long in between giving your boy rice cereal and then his bottle. i always give my son his food, then wait about an hour or so and give him his bottle. but he's always nine months old. when he was 4 months old, i skipped rice cereal... he hated it. so i went straight to baby food... never had one allergy or an issue with it.

How much per day

• Begin with about 1 teaspoon dry rice cereal mixed with 4 to 5 teaspoons breast milk or formula (it'll be very runny). (put it in a bowl, and feed it to him with a spoon)

• Gradually thicken consistency and increase to 1 tablespoon dry cereal mixed with breast milk or formula, twice a day. (morning and night)

Signs that your child is allergic to the rice cereal include:

Bloating of the stomach

Increased gas

A rash around her mouth or a**s

Diarrhea

Runny nose or eyes

Unusual crankiness

If your child seems fine after three to four days, you can consider introducing a second food, such as oat or barley cereal. Once your baby has mastered these, try introducing ground vegetables, fruits, and meats -- in that order.

Always wait several days after feeding your baby a new food so that you can pinpoint any allergic reactions he may have. If you suspect your child is showing signs of a food allergy, speak to your doctor right away.

http://www.parents.com/baby/feeding/soli...

this site is really good too:

http://pediatrics.about.com/od/yourbabyw...

Answer 2

I'm old school... mix it with his formula and just make the hole a little larger... not too thick at first... then let him wash it down with a couple ounces of regular formula...

Answer 3

I dont think it really matters how you incorporate the bottle with it, its whatever works best for your baby, my son would have a bottle about 45 minutes after his cereal. You can try to do it about 30 minutes before, if your son acts like he doesnt want the cereal then wait to do the bottle until later on... sometimes I would just wait until my son was hungry again. My son didn't tolerate cereal very well, as soon as I started giving it to him he would wake up about 3-4 times a night, crying, that's how I knew he wasn't tolerating it well, other signs to watch for would be extreme fussiness, change in behavior and sleep patterns, and decreased want for food. Keep in mind cereal isn't scary so if you dont think your child is doing well on it then you dint have to offer it, my son never eats cereal anymore and hes 7 months old. And also remember you have to keep trying and trying and trying when it comes to food, at first your baby will make faces and it will seem that he doesn't like it, but the more you try the more he will get used to it, chances are its not the taste he doesn't like, its the texture, something he isn't used it. And most of all good luck to you, sometimes introducing new foods can be kind of frustrating!!

Answer 4

You need to try and give it to him about 30 minutes after he has a bottle. Make sure you use his milk to stir it up. Then, feed him! But, dont be to fast about it, let him try and chew and swallow. Also, have a bottle handy so if he gets thirsty you give him something to drink.

Normally, Babies dont have a reaction to Rice Cereal-Although feeding him to much at once may cause constipation. So, just be easy and slow starting out. Good luck.  

Answer 5

well usally mix it with formual try once a day maybe in the evening still just as much formula this is just to teach the baby to swallow food. good luck

Answer 6

I used to mix it with baby juice, usually white grape.  This made it more of a treat!  Good luck!