Rice cereal?

So we started rice cereal on Friday and every day is getting better now that we have figured out how Max & Lily prefer to eat. The ped. told us to mix it as 1 tsp. with 3 tsp. of formula and work up to the serving size on the box. Well the box says a 1/4 cup rice cereal, so that got me wondering how quickly do you work up to that? Do I start next week with 2 tsp. of cereal to 6 tsp. of formula? How did you all transition to larger portion sizes? I'm confused on this one.

 

I never followed the box's instructions or measured out the cereal. I always measured out the amount of formula that I wanted them to be taking in and poured the formula into a bowl. Then I slowly mixed in the rice cereal until it was a good consistency.

Since it's really the formula they're getting the nutrition from I measured it that way.

 

I did the same as Aimee.

 

Never noticed the box had information on it. I just started with two to three oz of formula and mixed in the rice cereal until it was the consistency I wanted. Now I use a formula scooper for the rice and have a ratio of scoops to formula that I know makes the right consistency. Depending on what else I feed them I increase or decrease the amount of cereal I make.

In terms of increasing amounts I started with an ounce or two and fed them until they lost interest, started wearing more than they were eating, or until I couldn't imagine where they could possibly put anymore. If they consistantly ate it all, like formula, I made a little more next time.

 

I mixed 1 Tablespoon with enough breast milk to make it seem soupy. I fed them according to how much they ate. If yours seem hungry still after one tablespoon, I would continue to increase until they seem content. You can make the consitency thicker as you go along. HTH .

 

QUOTE(SweetGirl @ Oct 22 2008, 02:47 PM) [snapback]1037271[/snapback]
I mixed 1 Tablespoon with enough breast milk to make it seem soupy. I fed them according to how much they ate. If yours seem hungry still after one tablespoon, I would continue to increase until they seem content. You can make the consitency thicker as you go along. HTH .



I did this same thing! Good luck!

 

I would just let them take the lead. At first we started really soupy and then I made it much more thicker so that it would stay on the spoon.

 

When did you all start cereal, or any other solid??

My pedi said, yesterday, that I could start the rice cereal at 4 mos, but that they recommend it being a month or so later, before starting any veggies or fruit or anything. I feel like they should wait longer to start solids, 5-6mos, but I am unsure about the cereal. You say it doesn't really have any nutrition in it...besides the formula? I know it must be simply to prepare them for solids, then...but...should you treat it the same, as when to start it or what?

I didn't think to ask that yesterday, and we won't be seeing her again unless there is a reason to, ie colds or something, as we are moving at the end of next month.

 

QUOTE(MuchFaith22 @ Oct 23 2008, 09:56 AM) [snapback]1038505[/snapback]
When did you all start cereal, or any other solid??

My pedi said, yesterday, that I could start the rice cereal at 4 mos, but that they recommend it being a month or so later, before starting any veggies or fruit or anything. I feel like they should wait longer to start solids, 5-6mos, but I am unsure about the cereal. You say it doesn't really have any nutrition in it...besides the formula? I know it must be simply to prepare them for solids, then...but...should you treat it the same, as when to start it or what?

I didn't think to ask that yesterday, and we won't be seeing her again unless there is a reason to, ie colds or something, as we are moving at the end of next month.


Cereal are solids, so ideally it should be started at 6 months also, although some pediatricians say it's ok at 4. DS hated it so I'm glad I waited until 6 months, so I was able to move to veggies after just one week. They have some iron and a bit of vitamins but yeah they're pretty useless. I think most people use them to thicken food and for the iron.

I never even talked about solids to my pediatrician. I just said I hadn't started yet when we went to the 6 months appointment and he said now would be a good time to start, and I said I was planning on it. Nothing more. I guess he realized that I had done my research and probably knew what I was doing (which I do... kind of. Considering all the different recommendations out there).

So, I started cereal with putting some cereal in the bowl and adding formula until it was a bit thicker than apple sauce consistency. Apparently you're 'supposed to' start with more soupy consistency... Oh well. The first jar they got was stage 2 and they didn't seem to care either that it was a bit more lumpy. DD took to cereals right away, DS hated it, and ate better once I introduced veggies and fruit but it still took him over a month to get the hang of it.

 

Mine never even got close to eating that much cereal. I don't think they've ever eaten that much cereal together at one meal. Now mix in some fruit and we might hit that mark.

I tried cereal at 4 months and they just pushed it out. We waited a week or so and tried again. One of the boys was probably ready but the other wasn't. To save my sanity we just waited a little while longer. We probably started feeding them solids daily (at dinner) just after 5 months. I didn't do just cereal very long. We were giving a fruit and veggie or two already at our 6 month appt.

 

I never followed the box--I always just measured it out using the scoops in their formula. --I usually put 2 scoops per child

 

QUOTE(MuchFaith22 @ Oct 23 2008, 09:56 AM) [snapback]1038505[/snapback]
When did you all start cereal, or any other solid??

My pedi said, yesterday, that I could start the rice cereal at 4 mos, but that they recommend it being a month or so later, before starting any veggies or fruit or anything. I feel like they should wait longer to start solids, 5-6mos, but I am unsure about the cereal. You say it doesn't really have any nutrition in it...besides the formula? I know it must be simply to prepare them for solids, then...but...should you treat it the same, as when to start it or what?

I didn't think to ask that yesterday, and we won't be seeing her again unless there is a reason to, ie colds or something, as we are moving at the end of next month.


The APA recommends starting solids at 6 months.