When, if at all, did you start your baby on cereal?

[JamiMac]

My DD is 4.5 months old. She is EFB with an occasional bottle, around once a week. When I took her to her 4 month appointment she was in the 25% in weight and 85% in height, so I think pretty normal. The Dr. told me (before he checked her weight or did the percentiles) to go ahead and start cereal. He said do that for a month and then at 5 months introduce a veggie, and so forth. He even told me that I could feed her cereal 3 times a day if I wanted to. He said that she would do this in addition to all the breastfeeding, not cut back at all on that.

I was very unsure about the cereal starting at 4 months so I held off. My first DD I didn't give anything but bottles (she was ff after 3 months) until she was 6 months.

Anyway, I broke down and tried the cereal mixed with some breastmilk yesterday and she LOVED it! She would bend her head towards the spoon and open her mouth for it. She didn't seem to push any back out with her tongue.

So my question is, is this too early to introduce solids? How many times a day would you give them? It's not that I don't trust my Dr., I was just not sure about doing it so early from things I've read--but they never say why not to. My doctor is a younger Dr. in a very progressive clinic, that fully supports breastfeeding, definently not in the back woods! LOL

I would really appreciate opinions or personal experiences anyone has!
Thanks!

[brittone2]

You might want to try the feeding forum, but in the meantime look at the information on kellymom.com and also the new position statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics that states babies should be exclusively BF for the first 6 months, and BF until at least a year total.

Beginning solids before the age of 6 months has been linked to increased food allergies, and I believe (don't quote me on this) increased risk of obesity and diabetes. Also, for a BF babe, adding solids makes it harder for their body to use the iron in mom's breastmilk. There is more info on that specifically on kellymom.com though. Cereal is iron fortified, but babies can only process a very very small percentage of that iron. In contrast, mom's milk is not super high in iron, but the iron it contains is very bio available (which means the body processes it and uses it very very effectively). Also, introducing solids tampers with the natural flora of the gut (do a search for "virgin gut" related to breastfeeding.

I certainly would question my doctor and reiterate the new AAP position statement to him (you can find it on CNN.com under health and then there is an article entitled Women Urged to Breastfeed at Least Six Months or something along those lines. Many docs continue to push solids even if they are supposedly BFing friendly. Some are just not up to date on the new recommendations, and some just aren't ready to change what they have been doing for years. IMHO that doesn't make it right to hand out outdated advice though :(

If you post in the feeding forum you'll get more info....they are very knowledgable. I'm just giving you what I know off the top of my head as I am getting ready to put DS to bed and can't research it more for you or I would.

[SAHMommie]

It is reccomended not to start any type of solids till 6 months. Even then it is just for practice. Solids should not replace any breastmilk feedings till after 9 months. I found when we went to 3 solid meals a day it started cutting into my ds' nursings. That is good that she liked it. When the time comes you know she will enjoy it.

Has she always been around the 25% mark on the weight charts?

SAHMommie

[SJ mom]

The AAP recently changed their recommendations, based on a study about feeding, ocesity and the risk for diabetes. Based on that study, the recemmendation was to start feeding babies on "solids" at 6 months. But I have to say that the teaching WAS and still is for many docs that you can start solids at 4 months as a solid feed. Do whatever makes youfeel comfortable.

[staceywj]

I also just asked my dr. and she said it is "Ok" to start feeding 2 tablespoons of only rice cereal once a day until she is 6 months. Then introduce the different cereals, etc. But, she would prefer me to wait until she was 6 months.

Stacey