Is 3 1/2 months too early to feed a baby rice cereal?

A baby gets all of the nutrition and food from its mom's milk. It is not necessary to give extra food until 6 months age.

I would never start my children on solid foods with out the okay of my pediatrician. They are the experts, and should know what questions to ask to be able to make that decision. My children were both started on solid food at three months at the recommendation of their pediatrician.

On the other end of the spectrum, I had a friend who couldn't start her son on solids until 6 months because of the family history of allergies. So, yes, each child is different, I suggest utilizing your well baby check ups to ask these kind of questions of your peditrician.

It's something you really should ask your own pediatrician, because sometimes it depends on the baby's weight and/or how hungry s/he seems to be. Having said that, I've known lots of people who feed their babies baby rice cereal at 3 months or even before. The other cereals for babies may be too "strong" for a small baby's digestive system.

Something to know about rice cereal is that it's binding. People I've known who fed rice cereal also fed their babies a small amount of a "mild" strained fruit, like applesauce. Formula fed babies who have iron in their formula may have a tendency to get "irregular" and/or have "belly problems", so adding a binding cereal might not be particularly "great" in that way.

You probably know that any foods should be introduced one at a time, with a few days between each new one, in order to be able to determine whether it seems to disagree with the baby. Introducing foods too early can place the baby at a higher risk for food allergies, so that's something to keep in mind too. This is why you should ask your doctor about it.

Whether your baby is breast or bottle fed, whether there's iron in formula, whether your milk may not be quite enough for the baby, whether your baby seems to require more calories, etc. Etc. - all part of the picture, and all things best addressed by your doctor.

My youngest was on solids at 3 months...I would say if baby is ready to experience the taste of rice cereal try him / her with it ...use your own mothers instinct ,thats best. If baby is not getting enough nourishment from milk alone ie,always hungry or crying then I would try something more substantial like rusk or rice cereal mixed with a little milk from the daily quota ....good luck!

I gave my baby very watered down rice cerial at 3 1/2 months as she was a big baby and I thought it would help fill her up more than milk (she was on formula then). I gave it to her once per day to start with, she loved it, took it from a spoon first go, and I found giving it to her before bed time it helped her sleep longer (tummy full for longer than formula). Go with your insincts, if you think your baby is ready for it then you're probably right.

I wasn't able to breastfeed. She wouldn't latch on and I could not get anything from pumping so she is on formula but never seems completely satisfied.

I agree with asking the pediatrician first. After that I would say wait. Pretty much every study shows it is not beneficial for most children before 4 months (at the absolute earliest).

It's not just about how hungry they are, it's about if they're digestive system is mature enough to handle the difference. Most babies before 4 months are not ready, many are not ready at 4 months. I used this guide with "cues" to see if my kids were ready for solids or not lactating101.tripod.com/id49.html - things like lifts and supports head, doubled birth weight and weighs at least 13 lbs, follows objects 6' away, turns head away from spoon when full, etc.Hope that helps!

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