Cereal @ 3 months?

Did anyone start their baby on cereal at this age? The nurse @ our dr's office suggested it since Joseph is 14lbs, eats every 3 hours and isn't sleeping well thru the night yet. Both moms seem to agree. If you did, did you do it w/ a spoon or in a bottle? Thanks!

Re: Cereal @ 3 months?

We started just a few days before Kevin turned 4 months. He gets cereal added to his formula in the bottle for reflux but he also gets it on a spoon.

Re: Cereal @ 3 months?

I am thinking about asking to start a little to thicken her bottle because of the reflux. This new formula she is on is so thin that it just comes right back up.

Re: Cereal @ 3 months?

I started Jared a little past a month.

Re: Cereal @ 3 months?

I just tried oatmeal w/ Ryan the past couple days... he's gonna be 3 months on the 30th...and is almost 13lbs....not sleeping through the night...and barely making it to 3hrs...

I gave it to him w/ a spoon....it was so funny to watch him "try" to eat it...hes not gonna know what to do @ 1st...but he'll learn...

I will say Ryans had no change in sleep or eating habits...so i think im gonna stop until his 3 month visit @ the end of the month, and see what my ped. says...

Good luck

Re: Cereal @ 3 months?

Re: Cereal @ 3 months?

My doctor said it was best to start them with food at 4 months. Thats what I did for Julia and I gave it to her in a bowl with a little applesauce.

Re: Cereal @ 3 months?

I have actually been thinking about making a post like this because EMily doesn't seem to be satisfied with her bottles anymore. She'll eat a good 7 oz every 3-4 hrs and then act so hungry afterwards -- sucking on her hands furiously, etc. so we'll give her a little more formula and she'll take another 3 oz or so after that. That would be 10 oz per feeding!!!!! I really think she needs some cereal.

She'll be 3 months on Jan 6th which is really only 2 weeks away and is 14 lbs. I am going to see if we can wait until the 3 month checkup but if it gets worse I might just try it.

Re: Cereal @ 3 months?

My dr's office said 14lbs or 4 months for cereal is generally the rule.. I tried last night but we only have slow nipples and that just didn't cut it so I'm off to buy bigger ones and try again tonight

Re: Cereal @ 3 months?

I am one of those moms that does not believe in early food.

www.kellymom.com has a ton of info as to why it can actually hurt a baby to begin to eat early.

As a rule of thumb IMO if your baby cannot eat the food off of a spoon I would not give it to him/her, unless for a MEDICAL reason. IMO a medical reason has nothing to do with not sleeping well (since I believe it is a total myth that cereal helps them sleep longer) or because they are 3-4 months old. Medical would be a stomach problem or like when a friend had to give her baby medicine that required a bit of cereal to help it digest properly.

Molly started cereal 1 week before her 6 month birthday. And I am glad I waited. She has never had any stomach issues or allergies to food, which is known to be caused by early food introduction.

JMO, of course. Each mom should do what they want to.

Message edited 12/19/2005 9:29:54 AM.

Re: Cereal @ 3 months?

I started Gabriella at 12 weeks on cereal, but she showed signs of being ready to eat and also was not satisfied on BM alone. At that point she was sleeping through the night anyhow, so it wasn't for that fact and she surpassed 14 lbs by 3 months. I, personally, wouldn't use weight or sleeping through (or not) as a guidance for beginning food, IMHO. She already had good head support, she was interested in what we were eating (opening mouth at our every bite and such) and when I did give her the cereal she didn't spit it out and moved it to the back of her mouth to swallow, very easily.

I intend on waiting as long as I can with Gianni even though he certainly is a big boy and currently drinks more than even Gabriella did.

Another important point is that typically babies go through growth spurts around certain ages and the extra formula/BM is needed by them and could start waking during the night to get the extra need calories.

Re: Cereal @ 3 months?

Those of you who did start the cereal early was it strictly by spoon or in the bottle???

Re: Cereal @ 3 months?

Re: Cereal @ 3 months?

I started my DD on it right before she was 3 months and I did it strickly from the spoon it did make a difference in her sleeping

Message edited 12/19/2005 12:57:22 PM.

Re: Cereal @ 3 months?