re: How old was your baby when you introuduced rice cereal?

Quoting GrumpsMama.:" OT, kinda. I have a friend on fb, her LO is 3 weeks old and has him eating rice cereal..so he will sleep at night."

she's putting him at higher risk of not only obesity, but of diabetes. Baby's stomach isnt' ready for that. It's a a lazy thign to do. I'd rather have a ehalthy baby.. than one that sleeps a little longer

Quoting KB*in*the*Sky*with*Juju:" My son wasn't born yet (technically) when they (the NICU) started him on rice cereal for reflux."

rofl.. sorry. What does that even mean? Yes.. it can be used for reflux when the benefits outweigh the risks. BUT.. unless the baby was still insid eyou.. it was "technically" born.

Quoting snugglemama:" rofl.. sorry. What does that even mean? Yes.. it can be used for reflux when the benefits outweigh the risks. BUT.. unless the baby was still insid eyou.. it was "technically" born."

  

Honestly ur not meant to feed them solid till 4 mths 6 mths preferred only time a medical professional recommend rice cereal to younger babies is if they have acid reflux otherwise its a no no!! if ur child is hungry give them milk my son at one point was on 9 9oz bottles a day he was hungry so i fed him

Quoting Mym:" Im going to refer to my doctor at my daughters appointment this week but its always nice to get other ... [snip!] ... the rice cereal and thought maybe that could be a alternitive for her bottle before bed, when is a good time to introuduce it ?"

At that age, their tummies and digestive systems are not ready for anything but formula or BM. And really, the only "good" reason to give rice is if your kid has extreme reflux that diet changes haven't cured, or your child is anemic. It takes away from the nutrition they get from formula or BM. It's like you eating a candy bar instead of dinner, kwim?

I didn't start solids until 6 months she does not care for it though but its okay cause all she needs is boobs.
6 weeks is way too young.

OP- even some dr's are behind with the latest research. Many dr's still say to start solids at 4 months.. and some even will say its' ok earlier of the child is big. Size does not mean mature digestive system though.

The WOrld health organization doesnt' recommend starting solids until at least 6 months.

http://babyfit.sparkpeople.com/articles.asp?id=712

Get All the Facts

The World Health Organization, American Academy of Pediatrics, and many other worldwide health organizations recommend exclusive breastfeeding (or formula feeding) for at least the first six months of a baby's life. Many children thrive on breast milk alone for up to 12 months of age. Ounce for ounce, breast milk and formula have higher caloric, nutrient, and fat contents than solid foods.

Starting solids too early has risks, including an increase in food allergies and higher risk of developing diabetes. Waiting until your baby shows all of the signs of readiness for solids are your best and safest option. Inform yourself on the topic of solids by talking to your pediatrician and researching well-respected sources before offering your baby solids that she might not be ready for.

Quoting snugglemama:" rofl.. sorry. What does that even mean? Yes.. it can be used for reflux when the benefits outweigh the risks. BUT.. unless the baby was still insid eyou.. it was "technically" born."

Technically, as in he wasn't FT, as in only 30ish weeks or so gestation...

Quoting snugglemama:" OP- even some dr's are behind with the latest research. Many dr's still say to start solids at 4 months.. ... [snip!] ... to your pediatrician and researching well-respected sources before offering your baby solids that she might not be ready for."

 
Our pediatrician told me 6 months if I wanted to start solids but made it very clear that babies don't need the first year

Quoting KB*in*the*Sky*with*Juju:" Technically, as in he wasn't FT, as in only 30ish weeks or so gestation..."

I understood what you meant lol. but saying he wasn' t"technically born"... means he was inside you.

Quoting Martini Vengeance:"   Our pediatrician told me 6 months if I wanted to start solids but made it very clear that babies don't need the first year"

fantastic doctor! I work with some doctors that shock me with the feeding advice they give.

Quoting snugglemama:" fantastic doctor! I work with some doctors that shock me with the feeding advice they give."

I love him lol I asked around cause I wanted the best doctor and I honestly think he is!
Some doctors are crazy or something  

Quoting snugglemama:" I understood what you meant lol. but saying he wasn' t"technically born"... means he was inside you. "

I should've put "wasn't supposed to been born (technically)"....

Quoting snugglemama:" fantastic doctor! I work with some doctors that shock me with the feeding advice they give."

Feeding advice and car seat advice. That is how I learned about the importance of rear facing, when my 4 yr old was about 9 months my pediatrician told me it was time to turn him around because he was over 20 pounds. I went home and googled information about the best car seats and stumbled across a youtube video about keeping kids rear facing longer and I was like   But this same pedi told me I could turn my daughter at 1, and only 15 pounds. And told me I could put her in a booster at 3. Unfortunately then I was young, and thought my dr new everything  

Never. Rice cereal is a pretty empty food and your child's stomach is not fully developed when they're born. See, humans are born "premature" in the animal kingdom, otherwise they would not be able to fit through the birth canal of the mother. So to compensate, they develop most of the organs, but then have to continue to develop once they're out of the womb. So their intestines aren't fully closed and developed until about 5 months. Introducing foods before then can seriously upset or cause damage to the immature system. This can lead to digestion issues later in life.