[CawMama]

I gave Sawyer about 1/2 teaspoon of cereal mixed w/bm this morning. He took about 3 little spoonfulls, and then turned his head and didn't want anymore. He took them well, no tongue thrust or anything, swallowed it well. Do you think he's not ready yet since he didn't want much, or maybe he just didn't really like it?

I'm trying to decide if I should just wait a few more weeks or not.

 

[momtoNatalee]

He is around 4 months right? I beleive the AAP recommends waiting at least until 6 months before starting solids. We never did baby cereal much. I think when babies are ready to eat solids they are ready for finger foods. From all the info I've learned there is no nutritional value in baby cereal. Hopefully someone will have a better answer

 

[BelgianSheepDog]

HAve you tasted that stuff? I'd turn my head too.

All he needs right now is breastmilk. The cereal is just filler anyways and "enriched" means all the vitamins had to be put back in because the processing stripped the original ones out.

 

[mamanurse]

There's no reason to give such a young baby solid foods. He only needs your milk at the moment. I would wait on giving more solids and not give cereal at all. He should be able to sit up unassisted, be able to do the pincher grasp, and be lacking the tongue thrust.

Cereal is not nutrtious and isn't recommended by LLL.

 

[etoilech]

Cereal is pretty nutritionally devoid of nutrients. I'd stick with breastmilk and try to wait a bit 4 months is a bit early, IMO. I give my daughter a bowl of water and a spoon at meal times to keep her occupied/feel included.

 

[mothragirl]

if you search prior threads you'll find a bazillion reasons to not start solids so early and not start with rice cereal.

 

[Dido]

Totally agree that your baby is too young for any solids.

BUT if your baby was at least six months and accepted three spoonfuls - that would qualify as pretty darn successful. Many babies won't accept anywhere near that much of solids. I am NOT saying your baby is ready...but file away for the future, when he is...if he has 3 spoonfuls of something that will probably mean that he likes it.

-a mother to an 8.5 monther who has yet to accept three spoonfuls of ANYTHING

 

[alegna]

No solids until:

6 months
sits unassisted
no tongue thrust
reaches for and grabs food and puts it in mouth.

THEN allow to self-feed. Spoon feeding bypasses their ability to regulate intake well. Also another vote to skip the cereal. Useless, nasty and the potential to cause problems.

-Angela

 

[cryspanimal]

I agree...it is too early to give solids to a 4 month-old. There is a big public health campaign right now urging moms to nurse exclusively for at least 6 months.

 

[LittleLlama]

I agree with everything except the ability to self regulate with spoon feeding. A head turned away from a spoon regardless of who weilds it is definately a sign that they're done and more often than not, frustration sets in before the chuby little digits can get as much into the mouth as they want.

In regards to what kind of food, I liked this article http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9646449/

 

[captain crunchy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by alegna No solids until: 6 months sits unassisted no tongue thrust reaches for and grabs food and puts it in mouth. THEN allow to self-feed. Spoon feeding bypasses their ability to regulate intake well. Also another vote to skip the cereal. Useless, nasty and the potential to cause problems. -Angela

I completely agree with this -- except the spoon feeding part too. We still spoon feed our 14 month old occasionally when she seems frustrated (she hasn't mastered it yet) ...but we always... ALWAYS listen to her cues... any head turning, or *no*, is a full sentence. We don't say *take a bitttttteee* or anything like that. We just sort of put it on the spoon and hover it in her general direction --- We usually put the food on the spoon then into her hand, as she can feed well but hasn't mastered actually getting stuff onto the spoon too well (org.yogurt etc)...

....but ITA... Our dd didn't have any solids whatsoever until at least 6 months and that was just for texture, to play with, feel out, explore etc and it was avacado, sweet potato, etc...no cereal at all...

 

[ndunn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by alegna No solids until: Also another vote to skip the cereal. Useless, nasty and the potential to cause problems. -Angela

I had an argument with someone this weekend about rice cereal and how its not a good starter food and she said that whats the harm because its easily digestable and has iron in it so ya its not the greatest but not bad. I disagreed just from instinct but I didn't have any evidence, so I'm curious, why does it have the potential to cause problems?

 

[BelgianSheepDog]

It's a refined white flour, basically. Setting the stage for diabetes II.

 

[alegna]

And it causes constipation.

-Angela

 

[flyingspaghettimama]

I don't know what kind of rice cereal y'all are looking at, but EB brown rice cereal is tasty. Except it's made by EB. So good! So bad! So confusing! I ate it (mixed with banana and vanilla soymilk) after I had some major surgery done in my teens that required me to eat mush for two weeks. I loved it. Yes, I'm a very, very sick woman.

I'm with CC and LittleLlama - it's pretty obvious to an attached mama when her babe is done eating, whether by breast, spoon, or self-feeding. Cues such as head-turning, hitting the food/spoon/breast, playing Mister Tight Mouth, throwing food, spitting, feeding food to the kitty...well, pretty hard to do that last one with breastmilk...

I agree though that it's better to wait until 6 months to start solids. Number one benefit not yet mentioned = those solid poo dipes are NASTY! Bleh! Hold off on those as long as you possibly can!

 

[CawMama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cryspanimal There is a big public health campaign right now urging moms to nurse exclusively for at least 6 months.

Does anyone have a link to this type of info?

 

[grumpyshoegirl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carrin Does anyone have a link to this type of info?

Kellymom has lots of good info. A big part of it is the open gut issue.

 

[Trishy]

This is from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

Quote:

# Exclusive breastfeeding is ideal nutrition and sufficient to support optimal growth and development for approximately the first 6 months after birth.100 Infants weaned before 12 months of age should not receive cow's milk feedings but should receive iron-fortified infant formula.101 Gradual introduction of iron-enriched solid foods in the second half of the first year should complement the breast milk diet.102,103 It is recommended that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months, and thereafter for as long as mutually desired.104 # In the first 6 months, water, juice, and other foods are generally unnecessary for breastfed infants.105,106 Vitamin D and iron may need to be given before 6 months of age in selected groups of infants (vitamin D for infants whose mothers are vitamin D-deficient or those infants not exposed to adequate sunlight; iron for those who have low iron stores or anemia).107-109 Fluoride should not be administered to infants during the first 6 months after birth, whether they are breast- or formula-fed. During the period from 6 months to 3 years of age, breastfed infants (and formula-fed infants) require fluoride supplementation only if the water supply is severely deficient in fluoride (<0.3 ppm).110

http://aappolicy.aappublications.org...s%3b100/6/1035