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View Full Version : Infant Cereals: How long and how often?



lmariana
02-25-2004, 04:05 PM
Hello! We started Gabriel on cereal at 4 mo., per our ped's advisement. Well, now he's 6.5 mo. and eating like a horse, enjoying a wide variety of homemade and jarred fruits 'n veggies in addition to rice cereal and infant oatmeal.

Here's my question. How long do you continue the cereal and how many times a day should you offer it? I know it's important because of the iron content, I just don't know if he should be getting it at all the feedings.

Currently, he gets oatmeal mixed with fruit at breakfast + bottle and then oatmeal mixed with fruit + one veggie (straight) + bottle at dinner time. He also has 2 additional liquid feedings a day, averaging a total of 30 oz/day of formula.

We had to post-pone his 6-mo check up because of a procedure he had done, so we won't get to ask the ped. these questions until next month! So, thank you for your help!

Mariana
Mother of Gabriel, 08/14/2003

deborah_r
02-25-2004, 05:12 PM
I'm still doing two cereal feedings per day, just as you are now doing, for my 9 month old. Then there are some people who do not do the cereal at all. And I think I've seen people who still include it in their toddler's diets. So I don't think there is a right way.

If I could get my DS onto more finger foods or "real" food, I would cut down on the cereal, but he's pretty resistant to the stuff I've tried, like potatoes, rice, etc. So I've been sticking with the cereal for now, since he'll eat it. Maybe when I introduce wheat, that will help, because then maybe he will eat pasta and bread. I'm pretty bored with the cereals, but he seems to like them! Oh, and I just added yogurt, so sometimes I give him yogurt and fruit instead of cereal.

I haven't added a 3rd meal because I just don't see him acting hungry enough to eat lunch. I've seen a lot of people have added lunch at about 10-11 months. He should be fine as long as he is getting plenty of formula, as formula or BM should be the majority of their diet for the first year.

Just my thoughts...I certainly think you can keep going as you are until his next check up as long as he seems to be doing well.