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What age do you start rice cereal?
Wondering when you start rice cereal with infants? Do you wait for the parents to make the decision to start feeding cereal? I have a breast fed baby who is always starving! The doc told mom to wait until 6 months for cereal. I would start at 4 months and then at 6 months introduce baby food. What do you wonderful childcare providers suggest?
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I wouldn't start before the recommended 6 months. I have a 17 month old who couldn't tolerate it until 8 months. I would absolutely not start cereal against a parents' wishes and physician recommendations. If the child is starving, he needs more milk. -
I have the same issue with my EBF babies. They are HUGE and always hungry. Thankfully my dc mom was practical about it and started solids around 5 months (it doesn't have to be cereal).
That said, I wait and take mom's lead. I would never feed a baby anything without the parents knowledge and consent. Now, I would REQUIRE an additional bottle or two to help with hunger. And that's nonnegotiable.
I think current trends are for later feedings (ie: 6 months) because they want to avoid the too early feeding (a six week old doesn't need cereal in his bottle at all, Grandma!:
which could lead to gut issues. But my ped was more practical. He said around 4.5-5 months we could start cereal because by that time baby was old enough and developed enough for it.
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Mom only brings 9 oz a day that's 3 3 oz bottles a day she also projectile spits up mom and doc say she will grow out of it. Baby is always hungry and mom says she only pumps an ounce per breast. Baby kicks and screams after I feed a bottle wanting more.Comment
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I wouldn't start cereal without parents consent either. I would tell mom that she has to bring more milk though. If she doesn't, I don't think I could take care of that child knowing that they are always hungry.Comment
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Not enough milk. Cereal is a filler, they really NEED the milk. Try a slower flow nipple. EBF babies are used to 'working harder' for their meals. I would also tell Mom we need to bump the bottles up to 4oz, and she needs to eat every 3 hours, so Mom needs to bring 12oz/day MINIMUM. I also required my bf moms to have a day's worth stashed in my freezer, for those especially hungry days.
Baby may be going through a growth spurt, too. It happens so often in infancy!
I also didn't give my babies cereal, first. I started solids with avocado (pureed, of course).
Does the baby still have the tongue thrust reflex? My pediatrician said to wait until that was gone, and then start solids. He is anti-cereal, too.Comment
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So she eats, 3 measly ounces, pukes some up, and cries for more but mom brings only 9ounces a day?
Is she a newborn?
I'm really not trying to go "momma bear" on you. Really, I'm not. Couple questions.
How old baby?
First time mom?
Here I can for sure tell you that I REQUIRE 30-40 ounces of frozen bm to be in my freezer.
I rotate stock.
I have them freeze in 2 or 4 oz portions, depending on age.
If she has reflux then she's not spitting because of overfeed ing. She's uncomfortable.
Then when she pukes, is hungry again.
Poor girl.
I'd cry too.
I'd require mom provide double
The amount she feels she needs. She might only get an ounce out, but I promise baby is more effective than pump.
At around 3 mo I typically feed 4 oz 3 hrs apart.
At 6 it's 5-6 oz every 4-5 hours
I hold off on cereal until I must as per food program rules. Especially w bf babies. That milk is straight nectar from heaven and way better than anything man made.
Yes, it's digested faster. Yes you need to feed more often, but it's the perfect food for a human baby. That's why babies process it so effectively.
(Stepping off my soapbox and moving on.)Comment
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ITA about mom either bringing more breastmilk or being ok with some formula. She HAS to do one or the other, or I wouldn't take baby again, period.
As for cereal, I make parents do that part at home. Here we have to provide food starting at 8 months, for the food program, so by that time parents should have gone through the cereals, tried all the different kinds of foods to check for allergies, and we will start feeding a breakfast and a lunch here.
I never feed cereal unless its in addition to some other food and after the 8 month mark.Comment
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EBM= expressed breast milkComment
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Ahem, a grandma here. :I have the same issue with my EBF babies. They are HUGE and always hungry. Thankfully my dc mom was practical about it and started solids around 5 months (it doesn't have to be cereal).
That said, I wait and take mom's lead. I would never feed a baby anything without the parents knowledge and consent. Now, I would REQUIRE an additional bottle or two to help with hunger. And that's nonnegotiable.
I think current trends are for later feedings (ie: 6 months) because they want to avoid the too early feeding (a six week old doesn't need cereal in his bottle at all, Grandma!: which could lead to gut issues. But my ped was more practical. He said around 4.5-5 months we could start cereal because by that time baby was old enough and developed enough for it.:
Back in the 'olden days' our pediatrician's told us to start cereal whenever the baby reached a certain many ounces per day of formula. I think (but don't quote me) it was 24 oz. per day. Once they were taking more than 24 oz. we started with rice cereal so they would take no more than 24 oz. I don't know what breast fed mommies were told. We started babies before 3 months I'm sure. Maybe even 2 months. Whenever they reached that 'magic number'. I loved doing that. They slept through the night a lot faster! I guess the new thinking is well 'new'.
LaurelComment
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