Forums » Infants - Feeding/Nursing

• michelle cantu

  

  • 17 posts
   

  July 7, 2011 11:45:45 AM PDT

  What's your take on starting rice cereal by or before six months?  I just posted my experience with my 3rd baby:

  http://athriftydiva.com/2011/07/06/starting-rice-cereal-already/

• Bethany Adams

  

  • 5 posts
   

  July 11, 2011 2:58:03 PM PDT

  I started my baby on cereal between 4 and 5 months. I had originally decided to wait until 6 months, but she started showing interest in solid food. Her doctor said based on her size, she was likely ready. She ate very, very little of it at first though. Maybe a teaspoon or two a day.
• Lexie Lane

  

  • 89 posts
   

  April 21, 2012 4:06:01 PM PDT

  Dr. Sears actually recommends starting them at 4 months to build their GI tract so that it strengthens their immune system. So I started mine at 4 months. Didn't respond to other foods right away but slowly got into them. Worked out really well.
• Pamela Henderson

  

  • 6 posts
   

  April 21, 2012 6:54:01 PM PDT

  I started all of my babies around 4 or 5 months old. They all responded fine to it, in the begining its new to them, so it will take a while for them to get the hang of eating with a spoon.
• Dawn Douglas

  

  • 50 posts
   

  April 21, 2012 7:22:33 PM PDT

  I started both of mine before 6 months. Our first was eager and ready at 4 months - we could tell by the way he was reaching for food, etc. Our second wasn't ready at 4 months but was by 5 months. They didn't eat much to start but it sure was a great way to ready them for other foods sooner. The oldest generally eats anything, and the youngest (who is 9 months) has liked everything we've given him too. I also think you need to do what works for you and your family :-)
• Sarah Oneal

  

  • 59 posts
   

  April 21, 2012 8:02:18 PM PDT

  My first was started at around 4 months. He ended up having pears most of the time (constipation and actually he couldn't poop for a year on his own.. totally hard. Pears were the easiest on his tummy and low in iron) Anyways,
  second one I tried at 6 months. Wasn't interested in rice cereal with breastmilk or anything for that matter. He just drank breast milk. (he's 17 months and STILL doesn't eat (Maybe a few chips here and there)
  
  Personally? It depends on the child. :)
  
  My brother was 2 weeks old and starving, because my mother wasn't producing enough milk or she dried up or something, anyways, the dr said for her to feed him rice cereal. And she did. At 2 weeks! He was a very healthy child, other then needing food at the time. :)
  
• Dawn Douglas

  

  • 50 posts
   

  April 21, 2012 10:47:31 PM PDT

  Sarah - that's funny you mention the rice cereal at 2 weeks. My husband and I have been reading our baby books and discovered that we were both on fruit and rice cereal from very early on. Within the first few weeks as well. It's interesting how all the "rules" change over time.
  
  And thanks for the comment about pears...I am sure our baby is tired of prunes, poor kid...he has a "slow moving system" and sometimes takes him days to clear out (but when he does...like on Thursday...5 #2's in a row!). I will have to go and get pears, I bet he'll like them too!
• Yetunde Uwaifo

  

  • 3 posts
   

  July 11, 2012 10:10:05 PM PDT

  I started cereal at around 5 months because my twins could no longer get all the calories they needed from milk. (They couldn't increase their milk intake but were obviously hungry). I skipped rice and started with oatmeal cereal though