how do you know your babies are ready for cereal?

at my 4 month appt, im assuming bc my boys are 4 mos, the doc might broach the subject of cereal.
how do they determine if babies are ready for it or not.

 

they can tell you if they recommend starting cereal at 4 months but only you will know if they are ready or not. i got the green light at 4 mos but didn't think they were ready until 5 months and even then it was hit or miss. some of the cues that your babies are ready are them taking an interest in watching you eat, reaching for your plate, that kind of thing.. you can always try it but a lot of 4 month olds still have a strong tongue thrust reflex which pushes out anything that isn't a bottle, it is to protect them from choking on things before they are ready for them from what i understand.

 

wow, ok! they definitely dont grab for anything on my plate.
they cook with me in the kitchen all the time and love it thought, lol! their new thing is they are ALWAYS putting their hands in their mouths!

eta: they seem to be interested in what i'm eating but i think its bc they are interested in anything i do, really.

 

I started at 4 months, on my pedi's recommendation. Mine did not reach for my plate yet at the time but they were definitely interested in what we were eating. It took them a couple of days to get used to eating off the spoon, but they did. PP is correct, only you know when the right time will be for your babies. You can always give it go and if they don't seem ready, try again at 5 months.

 

At our 4 month appt, my bb were not ready at all. Then at 5 months, they all of the sudden we not sleeping through night, things changed. I am so glad that I waited because they do not have the toungue thrust reflex and are eating just fine...for the 3rd day!

Jenn

 

Mine were not anywhere near ready at 4 months. They showed no interest in food. Plus, the current recommendations (despite what most doctors say) are that breastmilk or formula are still all the babies need and provide the best nutrition until 6 months. Also, I had no interest in starting solids any sooner than I had to, because it seemed like a huge hassle to me (although as it turned out, it wasn't that bad).

So, we started at 6 months and they still weren't quite ready. They gagged and chewed on the spoon and didn't really swallow anything. We tried again a couple of weeks later and it went much better.

 

Here they recommend you start cereals at 6 months. I know everyone does things differently. With my first boy I started a little earlier but with my twins I waited till they were almost 7 months corrected. our pedi told us that they should be able to hold their heads up well and be able to sit up some. Also babies don't have the reflexes early on to swallow solids properly, here they recommend that most babies have developed these reflexes by 6 months that's is why the late recommendation for us(as far as I have been told) each baby is different. Go with what you are comfortable with. Keep in mind that feeding babies cereal doesn't mean they will sleep longer. lots of people have this idea but for alot of people this is not the case.

 

I plan to start my boys at four months. I had originally planned to wait until 6 months, but they really want to eat. They stare when ever anyone eats in front of them and try to grab for food if it's near. They also both have great head control and can just about sit up unassisted. Once we move, I'll have enough space for their high chairs and I'll see how they do. If it doesn't work, then I'll just stop and try again in a month.

 

I think it's best to wait until close to 6 months. This is when babies' digestive systems are designed to start digesting solid foods and can extract nutrients from the food. Most health and government agencies recommend 6 months for starting cereal or other solids. Also, many experts are now saying that you don't have to start with cereal, since it doesn't have a lot of nutritional benefits (other than iron, which you can get from other sources).

That being said, we started at 5.5 months. DS was ready and was a big eater. DD was not ready. She still had the tongue thrust reflex. She wasn't really ready until well over 6 months. We started with rice cereal and added a little applesauce to it for flavor. If I had to do it again, I might start with something other than cereal. Even now, I rarely use cereal. If I do, I use oatmeal. I mainly use it as a thickening agent for baby food that I've made too watery.

You will know when they are ready! If they don't do well, try again in a couple of weeks. Also, they may not be ready at the same time.

Here is a great article on this topic:

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-when.html

 

they cant sit up yet and i wasn't liking the cereal idea anyway bc of its lack of nutritional value.
can i skip it altogether and go to pureed foods? (not at 4 mos obviously)

 

We got the go ahead at our 4 month apt i think they were just over 4 months. We didn't really go at it real heavy, or every day til about 5 - 5.5 months then... It was all of a sudden they would open their mouths and go for the spoon. Before then it was more of a trial and error thing..

Cereal isn't all bad, it does have some nutrition, not like fruits or veggies, but it does have iron fortified that is good for babies and for BF babies most because around that time iron starts to get depleated. But there are plenty of BF babies that do more of a babylead solid feedings.

 

public health nurse told me we could just go straight to meats and veggies since the iron in the meat is easier to digest then the iron fortified cereals. I still give my boys cereal for breakfast though. I think it depends on personal preference.

 

I started them shortly after 4 months on cereal, which they hated (all my kids have hated it), so I switched to mashed up arrowroot cookies and formula. All my kids loved them!

From there we went straight into fruits and veggies, now we're eating all the stage 2's and I'm about to start them on some stage 3 foods.

You just have to follow their cues. If they gag or choke, or just seem completely disinterested in opening their mouths, then wait a few more weeks. All 4 of my kids have been very good/enthusiastic eaters and seem to want more than I give them!

 

It's recommended to wait until 6 months. They really need the nutrients from formula and giving cereal fills them up on empty calories, plus often before 6 months they can't even properly swallow and digest it anyway.

We waited until 6 months and even then it took them a month to really get used to it.

 

I'm waiting until 6 months adjusted (today!). Here's an excellent chapter on how to know when to start from the book Super Baby Foods -- http://www.superbabyfood.com/

 

GREAT ARTICLE! THANKS!!