Rice Cereal

My pediatrician had me start putting rice cereal in Nolan's night time bottle at 2 months old. I put one tbsp cereal per ounce of formula. I use the fat Vent-aire bottles and cut an x into the nipple so he could get the cereal out.  He never had constipation or anything and has slept through the night since! He has always had a healthy appetite which is why we started them. Good luck!

Hey Rachel your from Noblesville? I live in Zionsville!  ( Actually I think we have talked about this before, I think we have the same OB office!)

 

I am moving to Anderson next month. We just bought a house there!! Very close to Noblesville!!
Jessica

My sister live in Anderson! Small world.

My pedi always discouraged adding anything to my baby's milk.  She told me to start giving her a little cereal via spoon around 4 - 5 months.  My baby girl really started eating well from the spoon around 6 months.  I also agree that the rice cereal tends to constipate or make hard stools.

I started it at 6 months. She didn't care for it to much. She liked the oatmeal one. She is BF and the oatmeal accually helped her poop not be so runny. The we started adding baby food shortly after. Honestly everyone has there own opinion about this. My gma and mom said I was like 2 weeks old when I started it and my sisters where 2 months. So jus do what you and the Pedi think is best!!!
Jessica

shes always had it in their bottles for reflux... i skipped spoon feeding it to her.. its pretty low on nutritional value ( exepct if your breast feeding... the iron in there is essential)... i went right to veggies.

Actually it is a myth that breastfed babies need iron from cereal, they get everything they need from mom and do not require any kind of supplements (including vitamins) while breastfeeding.

ohhh then i wonder why so many people say that? even the ped said it.. ohh well.. interesting.. ty

It's one of those things that used to be taught as fact and so it just keeps going even though it has been proven false, like the myth about breastfed babies needing formula to cure jaundice. The truth is, most pedi's are woefully undereducated about breastfeeding since it is not something that they have to really take a class on, or keep up to date on to keep practicing. If you want true and accurate information, the best bet is to always ask a lactaction consultant, since it is their job to stay up to date on breastfeeding topics.

Anemia is uncommon in breastfed babies for several reasons

• Healthy, full-term babies have enough iron stores in their bodies to last for at least the first six months. The current research indicates that a baby's iron stores should last between six and twelve months, depending upon the baby.

   

• The iron in breastmilk is better absorbed than that from other sources. The vitamin C and high lactose levels in breastmilk aid in iron absorption.
  
  

  Iron Source	Percentage of Iron Absorbed
  breastmilk	~50 - 70%
  iron-fortified cow milk formula	~3 - 12%
  iron-fortified soy formula	less than 1% - 7%
  iron-fortified cereals	4 - 10%
  cow's milk	~10%
  Note: The amount of iron absorbed from any food depends greatly upon the milk source of iron (eg, human vs cow), type of iron compound in the food, the body's need for iron, and the other foods eaten at the same meal.

   

• Breastfed babies don't lose iron through their bowels; cow's milk can irritate the intestinal lining (resulting in a tiny amount of bleeding and the loss of iron).

The original iron stores of a full-term healthy baby, combined
with the better-absorbed iron in breastmilk, are usually enough
to keep baby's hemoglobin levels within the normal range
well into the second six months.