I know peanut butter is a no no because it's hard to swallow, and because they could have a peanut allergy. My mom and her sister did until they were older, and my grandparent's weren't allergic.
I was told to give my babies karo syrup in their bottles to help with constipation... They said the botulism was more of a concern with honey.
okay see i knew it wasnt okay, but unfortunatly she is stuck in her ways and wont take my advice
That is a BIG HUGE NO-NO!
First- the risk of botulism. It's a low risk but still there.
Second- they can't handle the thick, syrupy texture. It's too hard to swallow!
I doubt very highly that a doctor would say it was ok. The reason you are not supposed to give a baby honey is because it may contain spores that can cause infant botulism. The same may be true for maple syrup, corn syrup and others according to some sources. This would only be a risk if it were real maple syrup. Most of the stuff in the grocery store is sugar with other colorings and flavorings. Babies do not need that sugar!
Rice cereal has no real nutritional value, so it isn't something a 4 month old would need to begin with. As long as baby is getting enough breastmilk or formula, it wouldn't even matter that the baby won't eat the cereal. Maybe her baby isn't ready for solids, and that is why she won't eat it. Food is really only ment for baby to practice eating, and to start getting used to textures and flavors.
At 4 months I wouldn't do that. My son had never tasted syrup until a year old and rarely gets it even if he has a waffle or pancakes. He is almost 16 months and has never even had honey yet, and has only tasted peanut butter, maybe once. Just because of how much sugar is in the syrup is reason enough for me not to give it to a baby, their little bodies are not meant to digest or handle that yet.
They will end up only wanting sweet things and that's not something you want to start them on this early. I had my son start around 4 months on raw yogurt, no sugar, and bland baby food (mostly homemade). If you start off with the sweet stuff first, they will never want to eat healthy. But at that age, it's too young to risk it, in my opinion. I would wait until closer to a year.