cereal...when did you start?

Hendrix is 11 weeks now and just inhales whole bottles....my doc said around 3 months was good to start him on cereal, i'm wanting to try it out but wanted some input first....when did you all start? Also, is it rice cereal I want, and do I put it in with his formula or not? Thanks!!

6 months(when we started). Mix it with the formula in a bowl and spoon feed it. It NEVER gets put in the bottle.

don't put in a bottle if that's what you mean by putting it in with formula. you can mix with formula though, just make sure you give it to him with a spoon.

I cant believe your doctor said ok at 3 months though....my pedis minimum is 6 months.

I started my daughter on cereal at 3months... her doctor said it was okay.

my baby is almost 4 months and we started her on formula and cereal(1oz). in a bowl not in a bottle.

Quoting Soon to be Mrs. Bonhote:“ I cant believe your doctor said ok at 3 months though....my pedis minimum is 6 months.”

mine said 4months

i started marley on cereal at 2 months. and if your doctor says it fine then go with it

Quoting save the tattas! *BCF*:“ mine said 4months”

Mine used to be 4 and switched to 6. I wasnt going to start her ntil 6 anyway.

6 months

we started at 5.5 months with my pediatrician's approval. you do not have to start on rice cereal, but it is the least likely to cause any kind of allergic reaction. i personally skipped rice cereal because i prefer the nutritional value of oats and whole wheat to rice. but i wouldn't recommend it for you since you are starting your child on cereal very early. 

mixing cereal with formula is fine, but be sure to spoon feed your baby. cereal in a bottle is a choking hazard. you will probably have a hard time spoon feeding your baby at first because of the tongue-thrust reflex (he'll push the food out with his tongue). this is typically a sign that your baby is not ready for solid foods yet but most mamas feed them anyway, even though most of it ends up on their bib.   

just so you know, cereal is not as nutritious OR as rich in calories as milk. if your son is inhaling bottles, feeding him more milk is actually going to fill him up better than cereal alone. there is nothing wrong with upping his milk intake instead of offering cereal. as he grows he's gonna need more to fill him up- it's totally normal. but if you're set on cereal, it would be good to mix it with formula or breast milk so that at least he's getting the calories and nutrition from the milk. rice cereal is basically a filler. it's kind of empty when it comes to nutrition. 

Quoting EllaMakesThree:“ we started at 5.5 months with my pediatrician's approval. you do not have to start on rice cereal, but ... [snip!] ... the calories and nutrition from the milk. rice cereal is basically a filler. it's kind of empty when it comes to nutrition.”

very informative answer, thank you!!

we started at 4 months with the doctors okay because he was eating 32 ounces of formula a day. On the paper for his 4 month check up it said not to go over 32 ounces in a day. Plus he was showing signs he was ready. We did rice cereal for 2 days and he hated it so we went for oatmeal and he likes it with fruit in it. So far we did banannas, applesauce and peaches.

Quoting ~Adrienne~:“ Hendrix is 11 weeks now and just inhales whole bottles....my doc said around 3 months was good to start ... [snip!] ... input first....when did you all start? Also, is it rice cereal I want, and do I put it in with his formula or not? Thanks!!”

I started using rice cereal in his formula at 5 weeks. It helps him sleep longer at night. I ONLY fed him at night (two bottles ) He usually eats a 4 ounce bottle so I put two tablespoons in his formula. He loves it!!! Good luck  

I usually start around 7 months. I just think it's better to wait longer but I've never asked the doctor when to start. I know my dippy brother and his equally dippy girlfriend have their 2 month old baby on cereal and fruit (in his bottle). They say he wasn't satisfied with just formula. I can imagine what they would say if they saw how often Emma nurses.