I need to know how to feed my four month old

Question

if i introduce rice cereal in the morning do i also work in baby fornula or how do i feed a 4 month old like a schedule someone tell me how you fed your kids

Answer 1

yes it is perfectly fine to start rice cereal a little after 4 months old... the closer to 6 months you wait the better..

Here's some rule of thumb to tell if your baby is "ready" for solids

1. He drinks more than 32 oz. in twenty-four hours and is still hungry

2. He can sit supported w/ good head control

3. He looks at the food you eat and seems interested

4. He no longer thrusts forward w/ his tongue (this is a relfex in newborn babies, which keeps them from getting anything solid down)

When you think your baby is ready, you can start w/ rice cereal, 2 to 3 tablespoons mixed in some formula or breast milk to give it a thin consistency.  At first, you'll just want to feed him a teaspoon or two to see how it goes... once he starts getting the hang of the swallowing mechanism you can gradually increase his amount to the 2-3 Tablespoons... Keep him on Rice cereal for atleast 5 days to 1 week to watch for any signs of an allergy (s/s include swollen lips or tongue, difficulty breathing, rash, ect, if this happens take baby to the ER).  If no allergy symptoms,  you can then try a different type of cereal such as Oats, and again try that for 1 week.  Do not give Mixed Cereal until atleast 9 months of age, because it contains Wheat which is a common cause of allergic reaction in babies.  Once he is accustomed to eating cereal, you can alter the thickness of the cereal by adding less milk and see if he likes it a bit thicker... experiment to see which consistency he likes best...  after you have tried 2 or 3 types of cereal with success, move on to stage 1 pureed/strained fruits and vegetables and meats...  They used to say to save meats for when he's older... but new research is showing that babies are not getting enough Iron and Zinc for brain development... So it is now okay to start giving meat first (the pureed kind of course, stage 1 jarred foods is fine).  So when your baby is about 5 to 6 months old, you can then start him on  2-3 Tablespoons of cereal at Breakfast, Lunch, And Dinner.  Also he can have a pureed fruit w/ breakfast or as a mid morning snack.  Then he can have a Vegetable for Lunch. Then a Vegetable or Meat for Dinner.  Also continue giving him 6-8 onces of Formula or Breastmilk four times a day, as most of his nutrition should be coming from milk or formula.  As a reminder, the purpose of introducing Rice Cereal first is because it is the least likely food to cause allergies. (most people will tell you rice cereal has no nutritional value and leads to obesity, but this is not true). It is actually fortified w/ Iron and other essential nutrients. It is now thought that breastmilk and formula do not provide enough iron. So, There is a purpose for it. It teaches the baby how to swallow, as he's never had anything other milk before. It will not cause obesity as long as it is not overused. Do not put it in a bottle, as it is a choking hazard.  Remember that more and more kids are developing food allergies nowadays...  so its important to start slow and watch for signs/symptoms. Only introduce 1 new food per week.  Don't worry if he doesn't eat very much either. He may spit it all out. He may not. But don't be concerned that he's not eating enough. A baby instinctively knows how much it needs to eat. Baby foods, while providing a small amount of nutrition, are for the main purpose of introducing the baby to solids and learning how to eat like a "big" person. He'll learn the tastes of sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. He'll learn what he likes and what he doesn't like. Most importantly, he'll learn eating habbits that will carry on w/ him. So try to stick to the healty foods so that he'll have a taste for the healthy stuff later on. Formula and Breast milk will provide most of his nutrition for the 1st year.  

Answer 2

We would add cereal to the bottle in the morning, noon, and evening feeding with a little bit of apple juice to help not stop the baby up.(This worked best for us) You can also feed the baby cereal in the morning and then offer a bottle of formula afterward. It's really what you are comfortable with-our baby always let us know when she was hungry or when she was finished.Your baby will soon begin to establish their own little schedule and will be easier to figure out when exactly to feed him or her.  

Answer 3

Has your pediatrican ok-ed rice cereal?  If so then here is what I would do:

Feed him his regular formula , then offer (from a spoon) rice cereal mixed with formula.  The time of day really isn't super important.  I introduced it to my son first in the evening but if you want to do breakfast that is ok too.  Just remember you are not replacing his fomrula with cereal, you are offering it in addition to the formula.  I would mix his usual bottle then use 1 ounce from it to mix the cereal.  That way baby gets all his milk still.

Answer 4

i'd give only a table spoon with every bottle, and work it in gradually

Answer 5

Personally, I'd wait until 6 months to give your baby anything but breastmilk or formula...

Though he/she may be "ready", many recent studies point towards later problems with the digestive systems with babies who are introduced solids too early.  (In fact, some "experts" blame the reflux generation on that exactly...)

Answer 6

I have  a 4 month old and my ped. said it is FINe to start rice cereal and baby food fruits...(bananas). All babaies are differnent. Don't listen to people over Yahoo Answers telling you your baby isnt ready...your your childs mother and YOU DO KNOW when he or she is ready!!! All you need to do it feed the baby in the morning...maybe at first just ecperiment with the food. Just little by little. Definitely make formula still her #1 source of nutrition, But the more you introduce the food the better hang of it you'll both get. I would just do 1 friut in the begnning to make sure she doesnt have an allergy. Like I did bananas for 3 days. Feed her a little then give her a bottle. Your fine. Its like changing a diaper for the first time...you'll get the hang of it. Just do whats comfortable.

Answer 7

It is advised not to start your baby on foods until the age of  6 mo. They do not have the swallowiing skills until them. Look it up on the internet. We started our grandbaby on food at 6 mo like the doc. said and no problems at all. If you start to early you will probably have problems. And rice cereal is one of the most constipating foods. We had to skip that and go to oatmeal. Dont hurry things.  

Answer 8

whenever it works for you.  my daughter started at 31/2 months on cereal.  each baby is differant and the apa and all of those are changing every 5-10 years so if you are ok with it, if is your child.  feed them whenver you want.  i did it opposite from a bottle so i wasn't taking away from the bottle nutrition, but that was my gig. do a little once or twice a day for a while and then increase as your baby tolerates it.  

Answer 9

4 months is usually too early for solids.  The usual recommended time to begin solids (recommended by EVERY reliable organization, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the World Health Organization, and others) is around 6 months.

When you do introduce solids (whether now, or in 2-3 months) it doesn't have to be rice cereal, and solids are given as supplements to his regular milk.  So... if you wanted to give cereal (or applesauce, or peas) in the morning, you would give him his regular bottle, then offer some solids and let him take what he wants. (You give the bottle first so he will take plenty of milk. You don't want him filling up on babyfood and refusing his milk.)

When I started feeding solids (at around 5 1/2 months -- when my daughter was a baby the recommendation was '4-6 months' rather than the current '6 months'), I had no particular schedule. She was breastfed on demand, and I offered solids at various times of day, as was convenient for me.