When and how do I start my baby on cereal?
Mommy…LT asked:
When should I start my 4 1/2 month old on baby cereal? He’s now half breastmilk (I pump) fed and half formula fed. What age did you start your baby on cereal? And how do I go about starting him on it. What type or brand should I use? He now has 4 oz of breastmilk (or formula) about every 3 hours during the day, 4 hours at night. He’s gaining weight just fine on what he’s eating now, he’s more than 15 pounds.
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When should I start my 4 1/2 month old on baby cereal? He’s now half breastmilk (I pump) fed and half formula fed. What age did you start your baby on cereal? And how do I go about starting him on it. What type or brand should I use? He now has 4 oz of breastmilk (or formula) about every 3 hours during the day, 4 hours at night. He’s gaining weight just fine on what he’s eating now, he’s more than 15 pounds.
Do I start with only the cereal, when do I start giving him the jar baby food?
Thanks for your suggestions and help.
January 16th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
frist off my baby started at 3 1/2 months because she was and still is all hungry she eats jar and cereal all day everyday every 6 hours and shes 20 lbs
i just gave her plan cereal try a tea spoon before the baby gose to sleep when your ready and jar food dont start untill 6 months
January 19th, 2009 at 12:41 am
My son was 2 months. He was also 9lbs 1 oz when he was born. We mix the cereal into his bittle with the formula and shake it all up. Doctors say no, but if we didn’t, he’d scream because he was still hungry.
January 22nd, 2009 at 8:56 am
What my pediatrician told me that helped with my son was that when are 4 months old you can start them on rice ceral (plain). Mix half of the rice cereal and half diluted apple juice in a bowl and spoon feed your baby. Once they are 5 months old you can start them on baby food, but vegetables only (starting fruits this early can give them a sweet tooth later on in life). Once they are on jar baby food, feed it to them twice a day, once for breakfast and once for dinner. Once they reach 6 months you can start giving them fruits and up the amount to 3 times a day. I hope this helps!
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:43 pm
I started (I was told it was ok) my son on cereal - very very milky, with milk at 5 months, NOT IN A BOTTLE, i was told that that is a very dangerous choking hazard. it took about 6 feedings before my son warmed up to it. Have patience and if he hates it dont force it. The directions for mixing are on the back of the Gerber rice cereal boxes. OOHH only feed rice cereal at first, then add others in after 3 day incriments just to make sure he’s not allergic to anything. Jar baby food was started later than most of my friends, and that was at 7 months for my son. GOOD LUCK and congrats on the new babes!
January 24th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
see i started mine on a tiny tad bit in his bottle at two weeks cuz it seemed that he was always hungry. it really helped him but you do have to make sure he can tolerate it. um my doctor let me start feeding him baby jar food at 6 months. ohuse rice cereal in the bottle it is the best for the belly and easier to flow through the nipple. every baby is different and some people would turn there nose up on my suggestion but its your child and only you know your baby. i can tell you that my son slept longer and was less fussy when i put an ounceof cereal in a four ounce bottle.
January 25th, 2009 at 8:25 am
Usually babies start on cereal between 4-6mo. First start on rice cereal 2 tbsp mixed with a little formula or breast milk. Start with once a day working up to twice a day and increasing the amount if your baby wants more up to 4 tbsp. Don’t put it in your baby’s bottle this can cause weight and other problems. Baby food is usually started around 6mo. My daughter who is 6mo eats in the high chair 3 times a day. First 4 of cereal and 1/2 a jar of fruit. Second 1/2 a jar of fruit and 1/2 a jar of veggies. Third meal 4 of cereal and 1/2 a jar of veggies. The doc says she can have the whole jar if she wants but she isn’t that hungry yet. Then we just do bottles in between the feedings. It seems to work real well for her. Hope this helps.
Good luck
January 25th, 2009 at 10:48 am
You really don’t need to give him anything but breastmilk until he’s aroung 8 to 10 months old. In fact, some pediatricians say nothing but breastmilk for the first year. The problem that I had with that was that my son tended to be picky. At seven, he still is. I do think it is a bit too soon to start him on cereal. Wait another two months or so. Then, you just take a couple of teaspoons and mix it with either breastmilk or formula so you can spoon it and give it a shot. They do make funny faces, but it usually goes down just fine. Good luck, and have the camera ready !
January 28th, 2009 at 3:05 am
I started giving my boy baby cereal at his 5th month. I’ll put the cereal in his milk and feed today. At start, i’ll only put 1 spoonful of cereal into his milk.
You can start to give him the jar of baby food at 6months.
My son is now 8kg at 6month old.
January 30th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
I was by the book, and I started my daughter at 4 months. I fed her according to the instructions on the box. Her fathers family all suggested I put the cereal in her bottle, because it would help her sleep better. My baby slept fine without it. I disagree with putting cereal in a bottle, because baby will soon be eating baby food (6 months) with a spoon, and if it’s always in a bottle, they will get a late start on the concept of a spoon. You can also overfeed a baby that way. When you do start him on regular baby food, start with a veggie, and stick with the same food for 4-5 days at a time, before introducing a new one.
January 31st, 2009 at 6:05 am
i would start with that gerbers rice ceral. i would put just a little in my sons bottel at night to put him to sleep. But i know its kinda scary to add in ceral into his diet but he will like it. i started my son at probably 5 to 6 months . you should only start with ceral first or maybe a jar food . you pick either one is fine but you should watch to see if he develops an allergic reaction . start on one food for a week or two and then add another. good luck
February 1st, 2009 at 8:10 pm
My son is 4 months and I just started feeding him baby cereal. I only give him rice cereal for now and I am also giving him water after a feeding. He is still on his formula also…
When he turns 5 month’s I will start him on vegetables in a jar.
So it is alright to start your baby with cereal however, you should asks your pediatrcian first. Good Luck to you and your baby!!!!
February 3rd, 2009 at 7:04 pm
i started my baby on cereal at 4 months and baby food at 4 1/2 months… your baby will tell you when he’s ready to eat baby food. my little girl would just watch us eat and hold her hands out and try to take what we had. you can start feeding between 4 and 6 months, but you should wait until your child is showing interest in food. i feed my baby gerber rice cereal, or the oatmeal. she loves both of them… i used to mix it with apple juice, but now i mix it with water and put some baby fruit in it as well.. and for the people that believe giving your baby fruits first will make them have a sweet tooth later on in life… so not true… my little girl started on fruit, and then veggies.. she loves vegetables. my mom started me on fruit when i was a baby, and i don’t have a sweet tooth at all.. start out slowly, mixing up just a little bit of cereal (which you can use breastmilk, formula, water, or apple juice to mix it) and see how he takes to it. if he seems to enjoy it and eats well, move on from there.
February 6th, 2009 at 3:14 am
I wouldn’t even do cereal. It’s not needed. Breastmilk or formula is perfect for the first 6+ months.
When your baby is ready for solids he will be able to eat soft foods (cooked cubed sweet potato, avacado chunks, soft pear chunks, soft peach chunks, grated cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, shredded chicken, etc).
So I would skip cereal, skip the jarred baby food and go straight to finger foods right off of your plate.