Starting on baby rice?

Question

did you begin feeding your little one with rice cereal in the morning, arvo or before bed? im going to begin feeding him with a spoon i have read up heaps how bad it is for in a bottle as they can choke etc...but dont know where to fit it into his day..he feeds at the moment on formula as i couldnt breastfeed :( at 4am, 8am, 12pm, 4pm, 8pm and has just started waking up twice during th nighttime for more feeds; cheers

Answer 1

I started feeding it at night time because like you my daghter started waking up at night and wasnt content with just formula anymore!!

Answer 2

I started off feeding it with the evening feeding and eventually switched to feeding it in the morning as I added in other solids.

Answer 3

With my baby, we did oatmeal because rice can cause constipation.  Her bowel movements were rare enough that I didn't want to make it worse.

We started during her most awake time, in the morning.  And then extended that to a very awake time she has in the evening.  It's new, and it's easier to have them awake and alert so that they're up for a new experience.  Also, I've read that it's better to give them a bit of a bottle before hand so they're not starving but more relaxed.  At first, feeding solids are just for the experience more than for actual food requirements, so don't stress it if more comes out than goes in.  :P  They'll get the hang of it eventually.

Answer 4

We always started a new food in the morning so if there was a reaction we could see a doctor easier.  But rice is a low allergen food anyway so nighttime probably would be best.  It doesn't make a baby sleep any longer either so he could still wake up at night.  We tried feeding our son before his naps so he would sleep longer than 1/2hour and it didn't work.

Answer 5

when i started my three daughters on rice cereal i usually fed it to them around lunch time. since you feed him formula at 12 pm and again at 4pm try feeding him at 2 pm and maybe changing the schedule you have him on. or else you could feed it to him about an hour before you put him to bed. it will fill his belly and he may sleep longer at night.  

Answer 6

It's always a good idea to try new foods in the morning. This way if they are allergic, they don't get a reaction in the middle of the night when you aren't watching and it won't disrupt sleep. I started my son the second feeding of the day when he was most awake and happy.

Answer 7

give it to him the last two times before he goes to bed and then he may sleep through the night. i am trying this at the moment aswell

Answer 8

Usually it's best to introduce a new food in the morning, so that you have all day to watch for any reactions to it.  Rice cereal is the least allergenic of all baby cereals, so that's why it's recommended to be the first one.  

However, these days, some doctors and nutritionists are recommending meat as a first food for babies.  Past 6 months, a baby's iron stores start to wear out, so they need lots of iron.

(You should wait until your baby is 6 months old to introduce any solids anyway.  It reduces your baby's risk of developing allergies).

Answer 9

Well when we first started, we fed after her first NAP of the day, so for you, this may be 12pm. That way you can see the effects on the baby's tummy that the cereal may have. Dont nix the afternoon bottle. Say she wakes up from her morning nap at 11:00 am, or 11:30. I would spoon feed her at 11:30am, then her bottle at 12ish. Once she got a bit used to it, we fed her 2x a day. Once at 11:30am then again before her 5pm bottle:around 4-4:30pm.  

Answer 10

I always started my kids rice feeding at night before bed.  I found that it made them sleep though the night much easier.