re: Starting rice cereal at what age?

Quoting I♡C.:" The hog wash is to give it at 6 months and not before that. You'll hear others even say it has no nutritional ... [snip!] ... view points on it all. Doctors suggest 4-6 months unless reflux happens, and then sometimes they suggest rice/oatmeal sooner."

You are ignorant and selfish.

Cereal is really pointless, and not good for babies.
Not only does it fill up baby with empty calories, but the enzyme needed to break down the grains in cereal (and oatmeal, too!), amylase, isn't even produced in babies until at least 6 months. Some studies are saying that there isn't enough produced to break down complex grains until after 1 year. Giving baby cereal before they can properly digest them can wreak havoc on baby's digestive system.

So skip the cereal, and don't start solids until at least 6 months. Even then, try to avoid grains until after 1 year.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Live-Laugh-Love:</b>" You are ignorant and selfish."</blockquote>


 

Quoting Live-Laugh-Love:" You are ignorant and selfish."

I appreciate it.   And I don't care what others think. We all raise our kids as we see fit. What works for one, might not work for someone else. May God soften your heart as to not cut other moms down.

I never served it as "food" but both my kids had pretty bad reflux so their pedi suggested adding a tblspn to their bottles a cpl times a day (they were around 2 months). My babies were bf so I would just add it once in the morning and once at night. I'm pretty sure they have ready-made formula like that though.

I just though every baby gets cereal at a point. I was unsure that's why I figured I would ask and get a bunch different responses from what moms have done.

Quoting I♡C.:" The hog wash is to give it at 6 months and not before that. You'll hear others even say it has no nutritional ... [snip!] ... view points on it all. Doctors suggest 4-6 months unless reflux happens, and then sometimes they suggest rice/oatmeal sooner."

The AAP has changed their recommendation to 6 months for solids. And it DOES have no nutritional value...it's iron fortified but babies get enough iron from formula and breastmilk. The iron is breastmilk is actually more readily absorbed. And you shouldn't be giving your baby solids to help them sleep through the night...babies should be waking up at night to eat. Formula/breastmilk contains much more nutrition and giving them rice cereal for that purpose just decreases the amount of formula/breastmilk they're getting - which should be their primary source of nutrition before age 1.

It's not about what "works" for one. It's about facts and who chooses to accept them and educate themselves and who doesn't...

Quoting I♡C.:" I appreciate it.   And I don't care what others think. We all raise our kids as we see fit. What works ... [snip!] ... as we see fit. What works for one, might not work for someone else. May God soften your heart as to not cut other moms down."

Umm yeah you pretty much invited that when you did it to everyone else in this thread by calling our input "hogwash".  

Quoting I♡C.:" I appreciate it.   And I don't care what others think. We all raise our kids as we see fit. What works ... [snip!] ... as we see fit. What works for one, might not work for someone else. May God soften your heart as to not cut other moms down."

May God soften my heart..hahah thanks for the laugh  
Should have thought twice before throwing around your passive aggressive insults.

4 months, I would not start them at a few weeks. I have heard of people starting at 3 months. My LO started at 4 months, (well 16 weeks actually which is just shy off 4 months) but now 2nd week in she is eating fruit and vegies more than cereal. She has 2 tablespoons around lunch time. Yesterday I gave her apple mixed with rice cereal for breakfast then sweet potato at lunch (2 solid meals). Today she is back to just 1 solid feed, I think giving her 2 was a bit much as she ended up skipping a few milk feeds. Always give formula or breastfeed before solids as that is more important.

Quoting ♥ axel sean n me:" ds had severe reflux and i was told never in a bottle, only by spoon."

my DD has GERD but needs previcid...She has cronic ear infection im fighting tooth and nail for an ENT dr the urgent care told me they see signs of cronic ear infections

Quoting Click Me Click Me!!!:" my DD has GERD but needs previcid...She has cronic ear infection im fighting tooth and nail for an ENT dr the urgent care told me they see signs of cronic ear infections "

oh no poor baby   the spoonfed cereal did nothing to help anyway, he ended up getting put on losec (reflux meds) at 5 months. they refused to give him meds because he wasnt losing weight till i took him in there and showed them how much pain he was in, he literally screamed 24/7 before the losec.

I disagree that it doesn't help babies sleep through the night, my son was a peanut and woke up every hour and a half to eat, my dr suggested rice cereal for dinner to help and it worked. He didn't sleep 8 hours straight, but he got more than one! If he didn't have cereal he'd wake up all night crying.

But like I said he was a peanut and the milk just wasn't enough, we started at 5 months with this routine. I agree though, if your baby isn't begging to eat or even refuses, don't push it its not like they NEED rice cereal to survive.

It's not that it doesn't help them sleep through the night...it's that babies SHOULD be waking up during the night to eat. You've now replaced nutritious breastmilk/formula with empty calories in order to make your child "full" so they'll sleep and therefore you can sleep.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Lizplustwo:</b>" It's not that it doesn't help them sleep through the night...it's that babies SHOULD be waking up during ... [snip!] ... breastmilk/formula with empty calories in order to make your child "full" so they'll sleep and therefore you can sleep."</blockquote>


I fully agree, but there comes a point when they wake up TOO much and it isn't about making them over full, it's about making them comfortable. I always offered him milk first, cereal second, if cereal is what makes him happy and comfortable enough that he can get good sleep, then I guess that's what his body needs. Also, it wasn't so I could get sleep, it was so he could, when a baby can't get more than and hour and a half sleep without waking up for that long, it's not exactly fun, they're miserable from being over tired and it turns into a vicious cycle. But this is what worked for us, it is not necessarily the case with everyone.

I do think that it shouldn't be the first option for people. I know so many people who are quick to offer cereal so they can cut back on milk to save money or time.