rice cereal

[~NewMa~]

Why rice cereal and when? 4 1/2 month old EBF baby still night waking to nurse. Normal?

[kavamamakava]

I have no idea why rice cereal. I didn't ever bother with it. Your baby sounds normal.

[tzs]

i think rice cereal was from the days of feeding babies that were too young to "eat" so it is super runny enough to basically pour down the throat and supposedly easy on the gut (but so are real foods like banana...pear...etc...)

skip it and wait until your babe is ready for real foods (6 months or when they are showing the signs of readiness and wanting food) whether you are doing purees or table foods.

i know this ped who actually has a really interesting theory that the first food you give your babe is going to be his "comfort food" so why have that be cereals? i think at best those cereals are just filler and at worst baby junk-food. although, i have to admit that i use the earths best oatmeal to thicken stuff. i figure, hey, it works and extra iron is a good thing.

[tracymom1]

IMO, rice cereal is a waste of time. We started with avocado and steamed zucchini around 6 1/2 months. At this age, food is just something to experiment with and breastmilk is where all the nutrients are coming from. Now, at 10 months, DD eats just about everything I do (and with no teeth!) in addition to nursing 6 or more times a day. She has just recently started sleeping through the night and I think its because I make sure she gets plenty of nursings throughout the day and the solid food she eats is so nutritionally dense.

[lil_stinkyfeet]

I would skip it.. IMO it is messy and unnecessary.

[HungryCaterpillar]

Night nursing at this point is TOTALLY normal. My DD still nurses at night frequently at nearly 8 months (thank goodness for cosleeping.) I assume someone told you it wasn't normal, and that rice cereal in an evening bottle would help STTN? That's BS and an old wives tale.

Rice cereal at this point is at best useless, at worst it could actually be harmful. Babies can aspirate and choke on cereal in bottles, it's a dangerous thing to do. Wait until 6 months and start food when the baby seems ready. We started with rice cereal because I had some concerns about DD with food intolerances, and rice is pretty much the least allergenic food there is. If it weren't for that I would have started right in with veggies and fruits. Now I'm mixing baby oatmeal with her food to try to firm up her stools, not sure if it will work or not. Cereals don't have much nutritional value.

[Norasmomma]

I did do oatmeal and not rice cereal with DS, He was 4.5 months and screaming at dinner with us while we'd eat. We tried to give him a spoon for awhile, but soon it just didn't cut it. Both my kids have obviously wanted food before 6 months, DD ripped a sandwich out of my hand and started chewing on it. The cereal made them happy, and both are great eaters and eat anything and everything(well DD doesn't eat avocado, and has hated it since she was a baby). I follow my babies lead with food and both have exhibited what I took as readiness.

I have to say nursing at night is totally normal, through at least the first year. DD nursed at night until I nightweaned around 12 months because co-sleeping and nursing were just not working for our household, no one was getting sleep anymore.

DS is almost 8 months and I don't foresee him nightweaning, ever. He's a boobie boy.

[kismetbaby]

Rice cereal is definitely an outdated idea IMO. And so is the notion that adding calories/ "solid food" will make babes STTN. Some babes STTN early and some do not--no matter what food/formula or only BM they are eating.

My LO is almost 8 m old and still nurses 3+ times a night. Maybe its the calories, maybe its just for comfort. . .but its what he needs.

I do use a little organic oatmeal cereal to add to some things. . .but really my LO prefers real food and I think that's better. When babes are ready to eat they will be able to eat versions of the things you eat.

[akind1]

I agree, why do rice cereal, when there are other things? our ped said reason was for baby to become accustomed to spoon feeding. he also said do this anywhere between 4 and 9 months, whenever babe and we were ready.

I had let DS gnaw on some firm things before I ever spoon fed him though. we have started jars just in the last week (I was doing my own, but realized it is a pure waste of time when he is not eating all that much) that and jars are easy on the wallet anyway! you'll find some of the jars already include rice or oatmeal (well, the stage 2 ones).

as to the night nursing . . . this might continue the entire time you intend to nurse, from what I've read on MDC. though some do night wean their babies, or the babies night wean themselves. DS is 6 months and eats 2-3 times a night. It used to be just once.

[AFWife]

Rice cereal is totally pointless...and, if you do more research, actually pretty bad. It's been linked to constipation and gastro issues. So yeah, skip it.

Food does not always equal STTN. My son has been eating solids since he was 9mo and only JUST started sleeping 4-6 hours solids (he's 13mo). We did BLW so there was no need to "get used to spoon feeding" as a PP's Ped mentioned.

[akind1]

we do a little bit of both BLW and spoon feeding; ds happens to really like the texture of purees and spits anything else out unless it is just really firm and he can gnaw on it. so it is still baby-led, just not table food like I had originally planned. also I kind of figured they'll get used to eating from utensils eventually.

DS would love it if I let him spoon feed himself! as it is he ends up wearing half the jar

[fruitfulmomma]

Another momma who has never done rice cereal or pureed baby foods. I start solids when the child is developmentally ready for them, last one was around 7 months, and let them eat whatever they want off my plate that won't choke them.

Total normal for her to be night nursing at this point. My 17mo is still night nursing.

[jammomma]

Giving a baby rice cereal is mostly a cultural or traditional thing and it is not necessary, especially at only 4 months old. There is no scientific or medical reason for giving a baby rice cereal as their first food. My son (11 months) has never had rice cereal.

And a 4 1/2 month old nursing at night? Totally completely 110% normal. My 11 month old still nurses at night and he doesn't seem to be quitting any time soon.

[karika]

both my babies nursed through the night. with dd2 she was on breast 60% or more of our sleep period. It is only recently that she is sleeping without my nipple in her mouth, she wakes up after 7-9 hrs to pee (we EC) and nurse which she sleeps through, sleeping for another 2-5 hrs... she is 17 mo. Avocado was our first food and carrots and peas that I prepared. I only gave rice cereal in the normal rotation of breakfast foods, not a first food. I only used one box because even though it was organic, it was fortified which interfered with dd2's system. I tried it once with dd1 very early, then ended up throwing it out... dd1 started solids at 10 mo and dd2 was 8 mo. start with properly prepared veggies (steamed and peeled) and avocado after they reach the milestones of readiness anywhere from 6 mo-13 mo I have seen. Baby must be able to sit, have a pincer grasp and lost the tongue thrust reflex that spits food out. That is a reflex to keep babies from choking. I know I see it on funniest home videos and the like and I wish I could tell the parents it means the baby is not ready for food....

[Asiago]

Rice cereal is outdated in my opinion also.
I read a medical theory lately that childhood diabetes may be linked to early intro of cereal. It may overtax an immature pancreas (to secrete insulin hormone).

Regardless, why introduce a processed food to a baby as a first food, why not real unprocessed whole foods, like fruit and vegetables or meat.

My EBF 7 month old nurses 3-5 times a night. We co-sleep so he doesn't actually wake up, just latches on and nurses. When he wasn't sleeping in the bed but next to it, he would wake up to nurse.

Your baby's night nursing seems perfectly normal (no worries).