Is it too soon to feed my baby cereals?

Question

My baby is 3 months old. Is it too soon? How many people have fed their baby cereals before 4-6 months?

Also, which is better to start with...rice cereal or oatmeal cereal? Or does it even have a difference?

Answer 1

It's way too early. You need to wait til they are at 6 months or older.  

Answer 2

My daughter is now 5 months old. When she was only 2 weeks old she started projectile vomiting, at first I was horrified and scared out of my mind. Of course being a first time parents I called the doctor. She recommended putting a teaspoon of cereal for every ounce. (ex: 5 ounces, 5 teaspoons). She is not overweight, she does not even spit up anymore, and the best of all SHE SLEEPS ALL NIGHT LONG.

On the other hand if you're considering mouth feeding it to the baby mix his or her first cereal with their formula or breast milk to a very thin consistancy then feed them with a rubber tipped spoon, if they're ready they'll eat it. At first my daughter hated the idea of cereal, but I kept trying once a week a tablespoon at a time and she finally caught on!

Answer 3

With my son we started him around 8 weeks.  Formula wasn't satisfying him, so his dr told me to put the formula in his bottle.  With my oldest daughter I think we started around 3 months, again, just formula wasn't satisfying her.  Her dr is kinda new school and wasn't too happy with me, he told me that it "could" cause allergies, she is now almost 5 and has no food allergies.  And now I have a 4 week old daughter that is already eating 6 ounces at a feeding and eating every 3-4 hours, I'm sure we will start feeding her cereals soon too.  It's more of a personal choice on when you start feeding your baby cereal.  The dr's are just recommending when you should start.

Answer 4

Yes, it's way too soon.  Their systems aren't able to digest solids adequately until 6 months, which is why every major health organization now recommends waiting until then.  At that point they can start on real food, you don't have to use cereal first.  It's the nutritional equivalent of white bread anyway, better to start with veggies and meats that have some actual nutritional value.  

But the saying goes, food before one is just for fun.  Breastmilk is adequate nutrition for the first year, and any food given before then is mostly for experimentation with tastes & textures (neither of which cereal really offers).

Answer 5

Yes, it is too soon for your baby to start solids.

Here is a checklist on when you will know if your baby is ready to start solids:

    *  he is about six months old

    * he can sit up without any support

    * he continues to be hungry despite more frequent nursing which is unrelated to illness or teething

    * he has lost the tongue-thrusting reflex and does not push solids out of his mouth

    * he can pick up things with his finger and thumb (pincer grasp)

And as an extra...it is always too soon for 'baby' cereals.  If your child is ready for solids, they do not need purees - let alone to be spoon fed.  This method of introducing solids is called 'Baby-Led Solids' or 'Baby-Led Weaning'.  It has been recommended by the WHO and LLL for more than 50 years now (so its not some new fandangled new age dirty hippy 'thing').  

Check it out!  Do your research!...If theres anything a responsible parent does...its research research research!

http://www.tribalbaby.org/babyLedEating....

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/babyled...

Answer 6

I started w/ rice but only used it for 3-4 feedings.  It can cause some serious constipation!  We then went to a single grain oatmeal (b/c I was under the impression that it's easier to digest) and a few weeks after that went on to the whole grain oatmeal (which is healthier).  I would wait a while longer if I were you and if he/she is ready at 4 months of age, start then.  If not, try again at 5-6 months.  He/she should show signs of readiness and be at least 4 months old (you don't want to start sooner b/c it can be hard on their tummy if you do).

Answer 7

My son is 3 months old and I give him 2 tablespoons of rice cereal in his 9oz bottle at 9:30-10pm..before he goes to sleep and that is it...he seems fine..I am going to the doctor and going to ask him when I should start giving him cereal in a bowl...If you want just add me as a friend or something and I can let u know...

Answer 8

As a mother of 3, I believe that baby food should wait until the baby can sit up on their own or your doctor says they need supplementation for medical or other reasons.

You should always start with rice cereal as it causes less chance of provoking food allergies in infants.

Answer 9

I started my first daughter a tad earlier cause she was an oinker! My second hardly ate at all so I started her at 4 months. They both hated rice so we did oatmeal. It doesnt matter. It is what your child prefers. I never mixed it in a bottle!!!! If my girls couldnt sit and take it from a spoon it thought it ws to early. We are all different and none of our babies come with lables so I strongly believe that "good mommies know best"  

Answer 10

My wife and I started feeding our kids cereal at about that age and they loved it.  I kept them full longer and they were happier due to this.

Answer 11

i started at 2 1/2 months. he was eating 7 ounces at each feeding. so i started gi ving him cereal before bed

Answer 12

always start with rice cereals- they are the easiest fro baby to digest.  i would ask your dr but i didnt start cereals or anything other than formula until five an dhalf months old.  i was trying to wait until six but got too curious.  really though- your doc would be the best person to ask or one of the nurses in the office.  they know your babies med history thus far and every baby is different.

good luck and congrats!

Answer 13

I would wait at least until your baby is 4 months, even longer if they aren't showing signs of being ready. I started Brady on rice cereal at  months, kept him on that until he was 6 months then started oatmeal and veggies.

Answer 14

Yes, it's too soon.

Current recommendations from ALL reliable sources are to wait until around 6 months to begin solids -- though some sources will say that the 4-6 months is ok ... if baby is clearly ready this early.  

When you do start solids, it doesn't matter what you start with. Rice cereal is no more 'digestable' or 'easy on the tummy' than oatmeal or peas or peaches.  And, in fact, many babies are badly constipated by rice, and do better on oatmeal or fruits/veggies.  

(Rice cereal became a traditional first food back in the 1940's and 1950's. At that time most babies were formula fed on homemade formula.  Because these formulas contained no iron, babies often became anemic, and so needed iron-containing foods early. When iron-fortified rice cereal came on the market, it became common to offer it to babies VERY early -- often from birth.  Today, most babies are breastfed or fed commercial formulas. Both of these contaim ample iron, so babies don't need solids until at least 6 months ... and don't need rice cereal at all.  But tradition still has us giving rice cereal as baby's first food.)

(BTW, I'm sure you'll get lots of responses from moms who started solids at 2-3 months .. or 2-4 weeks.  And they'll all tell you that THEIR baby was just fine.  Of course not all risks affect all babies.  Early solids have risks, but nobody would ever say that ALL babies started on solids early develop allergies or obesity or such issues. But the risk is there -- so, in the absence of any benefit (and there is never any benefit to solids at 3 months), why take even the smallish risk?