When to introduce rice cereal?

Hey ladies!

My daughter will be 3 weeks old on Tuesday, and she has a voracious appetite. At my pediatrician appointment and also at the "healthy beginnings" breastfeeding clinic, they told me that a new baby should eat about 20 ounces by the time they're one month old.

Well, my daughter eats 20 ounces EASILY. I'm starting to freak out because she screams when she's not satisfied, and it seems like she's always hungry... but I don't want to overfeed her, either.

So, my mom, and my husband's mom, both told me that they started their kids on rice cereal around 2-3 weeks to help their babies sleep better. We all turned out fine, and I know other people who have given their kids rice cereal really early on, too. But, when I go online, there is so much conflicting information... they say that a baby doesn't need anything except breastmil****il 4 months of age, that rice cereal shouldn't be introduced until 4-6 months, etc.

What have YOU done? I'm at a loss, here... and my baby is hungry. LOL

Thanks!

Is she on formula? If so, it could be that the brand isn't satisfying her. Enfamil seemed to not fill up Harmony but Similac did. Just a thought. I have heard that the reason to give rice cereal earlier than 4 months is if there's reflux issues. But you'd think if it's ok for those babies that it probably would be ok for her too. I personally waited until the day they turned 4 months and then started. But it wouldn't hurt to call her doc and ask what he thought.

oops! Sorry Tami! Meant to reply to OP

my best peice of advice givin to me was "if they are hungry feed them".. at this point you cant over feed her.. and if you do she will puke. they dont have that mind set of "im bored so i will eat" yet. i had both my kids on rice cereal by 2 weeks... and conflicting info you will find.. the bottom line is.. your the mom and you and only you ( maybe dad too) knows whats best for your baby.

 I'm with Lexa.  I started Alex on cereal by the time he was 1 month old.  You are going to get a lot of mixed opinions on this.. and in the end you have to do what you feel is best for your child.  :)

I had Tristan on cereal around 2 or 3 months... I can't remember... but he did alot of what your daughter is. With Tristan I thinned his formula some and let him drink more. For instance if you add an extra ounce or so of water to each bottle and she is still consuming what would have been 20 ounces or so of formula... then she's just getting extra water.

I did this for a couple of reasons.
1. Tristan always wanted to eat/ drink. He still drinks constantly.
2. Breastmilk is SO much thinner than formula and is mostly water so since I knew he handled BM fine, thinner formula would be ok too.
3. He is a sweater. He gets really hot with very little covers and i worried about dehydration.
and lastly 4. We battled some constipation issues with Tristan and upping your water is a natural way to combat constipation.

Tristan did fine with the "thinned" formula. He grew steadily in the 90th percentiles for height and weight and never dropped. He is perfectly healthy and a voracious eater now too...

Just something to think about.

I would NOT start her this early.  3-4 months is a good time for cereal.  Keep feeding her formula, but really that's too early..

The same pediatrictian I had told my mom to start me at a month, then told me to start my daughter at no earlier than 4 months. I know they have conflicting studies. I believe there is a formula that is thicker for feeding before bedtime, to help babies sleep longer. You will get a million different replies to this question. But I would still wait, 3 weeks is very early.

It could also be that she is not really hungry but she may have gas. My son will think he needs to nurse if he has gas. I myself would try some Mylicon or little tummy's and see if that makes her less hungry. If she is on formula, you can mix it into the bottle. If you are talking about mixing the rice cereal into the bottle to make it a little heavier, then that should be OK. I would not recommend the thicker cereal at this age. I started my first on it at 3 months, and the second at 2 1/2 months (he had a hearty appetite too).

Having 5 kids...6th on the way..I honestly think you should try to hold off giving rice cereal until 4 months if possible.  BUT, I do think every child is different and have different requirements.  My 7 month old was tiny at birth and never seemed satisfied with her feedings and very fussy all the time, so I kept trying different formulas until I found one that actually worked.  Similac sensitive with rice starch added (called for spit-up) is the only thing that worked for her.  I has a tiny bit of the extra rice starch that thickens it so she was satisfied, and the soy helped her be less gassy and fussy.  

It was like night and day with the different formula...maybe the added rice starch is something you could try without having to go the route of starting in cereal so early.

-Jennifer