Daughter will be 4 months, want to give her baby cereal, how much and when?

[jessyboy007]

my baby will be 4 months in a few days ..and im not sure how much to give her of that powder (baby cereal) in her milk bottle? is it one spoon in every bottle ? she drinks on average 5 bottles a day ...do i only give her one spoon morning and night ??

i tried to give it to her  on a spoon before feeding her ,  her bottle and , she would spit it all, and would make a weird face?!? funny!! so im thinking of putting the cereals in her milk...

i tried for the first time this morning..when she sucked , i think cause the milk was  thicker , she started crying...so it was challenging to say the least!!

any suggestions on how much to give her and how many times a day and should i pierce her bottle and make a bigger whole??

[LauraB78]

My son is only 8.5 weeks old and we have been giving him rice cereal in his bottles for the past week. He has bad reflux, so his pediatrician recommended doing this. It has helped tremendously! We were advised to add 1 tablespoon of rice cereal to every four ounces of formula in his bottle. I see many people say not until 6 months..Everyone I know with children, introduced rice cereal at 4 months. We had to do it at 2 months b.c of reflux issues, but it is always best to consult your pediatrician! Good luck!

[spade22]

Do not give your daughter rice cereal until her pediatrician has confirmed this is ok.  

Many doctors recommend that you do not introduce solids until baby is at least 6 months old - this is because some studies have shown that doing so before this time can result in an increased risk for the development of allergies.  All doctors are different, of course, but will take into account family history etc. when making this decision.

[houseofgirls]

I think you should back off on the cereal and try again in a few weeks.  Personally, I would wait until she is closer to 6 months, but if you want to do it sooner, then at least give it a couple weeks before trying again.  I think she is clearly giving signs that she is not ready.  She honestly doesn't need cereal as far as nutrition goes.  Maybe she just needs more formula?

[babyscience]

I have heard never to give them cereal in their bottle.  Although some people do it is not suggested.  

I started ds at about 5months.  I added a ton of milk to it and almost made it really liquidy, which is key in first introducing it.  If it is too thick it cant go down.  Only make an ounce or so of it, and start with once a day, then 2 x, then 3 x.  Gradually increase the consistency of it, until it is thicker, but still not too thick.  Just like no one really likes extremely thick oatmeal.

[worriedbabe]

why do you want to feed her? the idea is to hold off until she's 6 months if at all possible. As it happens, that didn't work with any of my 3 boys. They simply were not satisfied by milk feeds alone before they reached 6 months, so i started weaning early, as advised by my health visitor. But, you're only to do that if there really is no alternative. No food should be given in a bottle. The cereal should be given on a spoon. I'd seek advice from a professional before commencing weaning now.