Feeding baby rice cereal too early
When Can You Start Feeding a Baby Rice Cereal? Safety and More
If you ask for advice on the best time to start feeding your baby rice cereal, the responses may be all over the place. Some people might suggest feeding a baby rice cereal starting at 6 months, whereas others might suggest as young as only 2 or 3 months old.
But just because someone else gives their baby rice cereal early doesn’t mean that you should do the same. For advice, the best place to go is to your own pediatrician — they’re the authority on your baby’s health. In the meantime, here’s what other experts recommend.
Updated recommendations
New guidelines caution that rice cereal shouldn’t be the only solid given. So the old practice of starting only iron-fortified rice cereal at about 6 months is no longer recommended.
For the first few months of life, you’ll feed your baby exclusively with breast milk or formula. Anything other than breast milk or formula is considered a solid food. So when deciding the right time to start your baby on rice cereal, you should follow the same guidelines for starting a baby on solid foods.
Some people argue that rice cereal is an exception to the guidelines — perhaps because of the ability of rice cereal to dissolve in (and “thicken”) breast milk or formula when added in small quantities.
Yet, rice cereal is a solid food. Babies aren’t ready for solid foods until they’re about 6 months old.
Since every baby is different, it’s important to look for signs that your baby is actually ready to start eating rice cereal before serving it.
You should hold off feeding a baby solid food until they have control of their neck and head. Your little one will need to be upright while eating, so they should be able to sit in a highchair.
Most importantly, don’t give a baby rice cereal until they have the oral skills to move solid food from the front of their mouth to the back. This skill doesn’t typically develop until at least 4 months old.
Until then, your baby’s tongue will push out any food that enters their mouth.
Another telltale sign that your baby may be ready for solid food is when they express an interest in your food. If you’re eating in their presence, they might try to grab your food — or lean in toward food with their open mouth (have your camera ready!).
For the most part, you shouldn’t give a baby rice cereal before the recommended guidelines. Even though the extrusion reflex — that automatic reflex that causes a baby’s tongue to push food forward — can provide some protection before they’re ready, offering solid food too early can still pose a choking or aspiration risk.
Giving a baby rice cereal — or other solid foods — too early may also increase a baby’s risk of having obesity.
But when they’re ready, rice cereal can be a great starter food, among others.
After several months of only consuming breast milk or formula, some babies have difficulty adjusting to solid foods.
To start the introduction process, mix 1 to 2 tablespoons of iron-fortified rice cereal with 4 to 6 tablespoons of formula, breast milk, or water. Some people mix rice cereal with fruit juice, too. But this isn’t recommended because fruit juice doesn’t offer health benefits and is very high in sugar.
Spoon feed an iron-fortified rice cereal to your baby. (It’s important that babies get enough iron once they start solid foods.) But don’t be surprised if it takes a couple of feedings for your baby to get the hang of eating this way. You can nurse or bottle feed first, and then end feedings with rice cereal.
Doctors used to recommend rice cereal as a “first food.” But now we know that age-appropriate foods can be introduced in any order, and rice cereal shouldn’t be the only solid given for very long due to arsenic exposure, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
You can introduce other jar or puréed foods like fruits and vegetables before or after you introduce rice cereal.
And do include other iron-fortified, single-grain cereals besides rice. Variety is the spice of life — even for baby!
When introducing new solid foods to your baby, do so one at a time. This way, you can detect any potential food allergies or sensitivities early. For example, after you feed your baby peas for the first time, wait 3 to 5 days before introducing carrots.
You might have heard of adding rice cereal to a bottle to thicken breast milk or formula. This, however, isn’t recommended unless your pediatrician says it’s OK.
If your baby has episodes of acid reflux, your doctor might advise this method to thicken the milk and try to prevent regurgitation. But this is rare.
Starting a baby on solid food is a major milestone, but you shouldn’t introduce rice cereal too early. Doing so poses a few different risks. So wait until your baby is about 6 months, and look specifically for signs that they’re ready for solids.
When in doubt, talk it out — with your pediatrician.
They’re a goldmine of information, and best of all, they know your baby’s health better than anyone else, including Dr. Google.
Four in 10 Babies Given Solid Foods Too Early, Study Finds – WebMD
Hunger, inability to sleep through the night often cited as reasons
By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- Child development experts advise parents not to introduce solid foods, such as baby cereal, into an infant's diet until the infant is at least 4 to 6 months old. However, new research suggests that about 40 percent of parents aren't heeding this advice and are giving their babies solid food much sooner.
The researchers also found that formula-fed infants were much more likely to be given solid foods too early than were breast-fed infants.
"Health authorities do advise parents to wait until after 4 months because infants aren't developmentally ready to eat solid foods before then," explained the study's senior author, Kelley Scanlon, an epidemiologist at the division of nutrition, physical activity and obesity at the U.
S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta.
Scanlon said there are a number of other reasons why experts don't recommend early feeding. One is that the early introduction of solid foods has been linked to a shorter duration of breast-feeding. Early solid food consumption has also been linked to the development of chronic conditions, such as childhood obesity, celiac disease, diabetes and eczema, according to background information in the study.
To see how often the expert recommendations on solid foods are followed, Scanlon and her colleagues reviewed data provided by more than 1,300 mothers with infants.
The investigators found that 40 percent of mothers introduced solid foods before their infants were 4 months old. About 24 percent of exclusively breast-feeding moms introduced early solid food, while close to 53 percent of formula-fed babies were given solid foods early on. Slightly more than 50 percent of babies that were fed both breast milk and formula were introduced to solid foods before 4 months.
Reasons cited by the moms included, "My baby was old enough," "My baby seemed hungry," "I wanted to feed my baby something in addition to breast milk or formula," "My baby wanted the food I ate," "A doctor or other health care professional said my baby should begin eating solid food," or "It would help my baby sleep longer at night," according to the study.
Scanlon said that mothers who formula-fed their babies were more likely to report having a health care provider tell them that solid foods before 4 months were OK.
That suggests that there's a real need for doctors and other health care providers "to provide accurate and clear information," Scanlon said. These experts "can help parents better understand their babies' cues for feeding," she said. "A baby who's crying a lot isn't always hungry."
The researchers also found that mothers who introduced solid foods earlier were more likely to be younger, unmarried, have less education and be participating in government food programs for women, infants and children.
Dr. Ruby Roy, an attending physician at La Rabida Children's Hospital in Chicago, said she wasn't surprised by the study's findings. "A lot of these parents say that at 3 months, their children are more hungry. And, that's true. There's usually a growth spurt at 3 months, so increasing breast-feeding or the amount of formula is appropriate," said Roy.
Roy said she doesn't tell parents to wait for a specific age, but rather to look for signs that the baby is ready for solid foods. "Some children will be ready at 6 months, while others are fine at 5 months and 2 weeks, so instead of an absolute rule, I explain that they're waiting for the baby to be ready," she said.
According to Roy, babies aren't ready for solids until they can sit up by themselves when they're well-supported and when they've lost what's known as the "tongue thrust" reflex. If you try to feed your baby solid foods on a spoon and your baby pushes the food out with his or her tongue, your baby isn't ready for solids yet, Roy said.
Roy and Scanlon agreed that parents shouldn't try to work around this reflex by adding baby cereal to bottles.
"Solid foods are not intrinsically better or more calorically dense than breast milk or formula," said Roy. And she added, "Solid foods can harm kids when started too early."
Results of the study were released online March 25 in advance of publication in the April print issue of Pediatrics.
When is it safe to feed a baby rice porridge?
If you ask for advice on when is the best time to start feeding your baby rice porridge, the answers will vary. Some people may suggest feeding the baby rice porridge starting at 6 months, while others may suggest starting at 2 or 3 months.
But just because someone else gives the baby rice porridge early doesn't mean you should do the same. For advice, it is best to contact your pediatrician - he is an authority on the health of your child. In the meantime, here's what other experts recommend.
Updated Guidelines
Create Guidelines Caution: Rice flakes should not be the only solid.
Thus, the old practice of starting iron-fortified rice cereal at around 6 months is no longer recommended.
What are the recommendations for starting complementary foods?
For the first few months of life, you will exclusively breastfeed or formula feed your baby. Anything other than breast milk or formula is considered solid food. Therefore, when deciding when it is right to start feeding your baby with rice porridge, you should follow the same recommendations as when switching to solid foods.
Some people argue that rice cereal is an exception to the recommendation, perhaps because of the ability of rice cereal to dissolve (and "thicken") in breast milk or formula when added in small amounts.
However, rice porridge is a solid food. Babies are not ready for solid food until they are about 6 months old.
Signs that your child is ready for rice porridge
Since each child is different, it is important to look for signs that your child is really ready to start eating rice porridge before giving it.
You should refrain from feeding your baby solid foods until he can control his neck and head. Your little one will need to stand upright while eating so they can sit on the high chair.
Most importantly, do not give your child rice porridge until he has developed the ability to move solid food from the front to the back of his mouth. This skill usually does not develop until at least 4 months of age. Until then, your baby's tongue will push out any food that enters his mouth.
Another clear sign that your child may be ready for solid foods is when he or she shows interest in food. If you are eating in their presence, they may try to grab your food or lean into your food with their mouths open (camera ready!).
Is it safe to give rice porridge to a child before it is ready?
For the most part, you should not give your child rice porridge until recommended. While the extrusion reflex—that automatic reflex that causes a baby's tongue to push food forward—may provide some protection before it's ready, offering solid food too early can still pose a risk of choking or aspiration.
Feeding rice porridge or other solid foods too early can also increase the child's risk of obesity.
But when they're done, rice cereal can be a great starter food, among other things.
How to introduce rice porridge for the first time
After several months of only breast milk or formula, some babies have difficulty adjusting to solid foods.
To begin the insertion process, mix 1 to 2 tablespoons of iron-fortified rice porridge with 4 to 6 tablespoons of formula, breast milk, or water. Some people also mix rice cereal with fruit juice. But this is not recommended because fruit juice has no health benefits and is very high in sugar.
Spoon iron-fortified rice porridge to your child. (It's important that babies get enough iron once they start eating solid foods.) But don't be surprised if it takes your baby a couple of feeds to learn to eat this way. You can breastfeed or bottle feed first and then finish with rice porridge.
Doctors used to recommend rice porridge as a "first meal".
But we now know that age-appropriate foods can be introduced in any order, and rice cereal should not be the only solid food that can be given for a long time due to arsenic exposure. Food and Drug Administration.
You can introduce other jarred or pureed foods such as fruits and vegetables before or after you introduce cereal. Include other iron-fortified whole grains in your diet besides rice. Variety is the seasoning for life—even for a child!
When introducing a new solid food to your child, do it one at a time. This way you can detect any potential food allergies or sensitivities early on. For example, after you feed your baby peas for the first time, wait 3-5 days before introducing carrots.
Can rice flakes be used to thicken breast milk or formula?
You may have heard of adding rice porridge to the bottle to thicken breast milk or formula. This, however, is not recommended unless your pediatrician allows it.
If your child has episodes of acid reflux, the doctor may recommend this method to thicken milk and prevent spitting up.
But this is rare.
Conclusion
Getting your baby on solid foods is an important milestone, but rice porridge should not be introduced too early. This creates several different risks. So wait until your baby is about 6 months old and watch closely for signs that he's ready for solid foods.
If in doubt, talk to your pediatrician. They are a treasure trove of information, and most importantly, they know your child's health better than anyone, including Dr. Google.
rice porridge for babies - 25 recommendations on Babyblog.ru
How to introduce complementary foods to a child - a table of complementary foods for children up to a year by months
A single rule for the introduction of complementary foods for each type of food - any new product is introduced from 5 grams per day. Gradually, the volume increases to 100-150 grams per day. The increase in volume should be gradual over the course of a week.
Complementary feeding table for a breastfed and formula-fed child
6 months Vegetables: zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, pumpkin, carrots
7 months Porridges: rice, corn, buckwheat.
Dairy-free!
8 months Meat (turkey, rabbit, veal, beef, chicken, lamb), egg yolk, potatoes.
9 months Cottage cheese, kefir.
10 months Fruits: apple, pear, prunes.
What and how is introduced as a complementary food for a child at 6 months.
· Monthly complementary foods are introduced.
· Only one new food is introduced per month.
· The vegetable is usually added first.
· With the exception of underweight children, for them cereals are introduced first, then vegetables.
· Vegetable puree for lunch.
Best order of introduction of vegetables:
squash
cauliflower
broccoli
pumpkin
carrot
Vegetables that are least likely to cause an allergic reaction are introduced first. Pumpkin and carrots are introduced last, as children often have allergies to them. Carrots should not be given more than 2-3 times a week and should be given along with other vegetables.
Otherwise, you may notice deposits of yellow-orange pigment on the feet, palms of the baby.
The puree must always be one-component puree first. You can mix different types of vegetables only when the baby tries them separately and he will not have a reaction to any of them. A new kind of food is always offered to a hungry child.
If you are planning to prepare vegetable purees yourself, then do not be afraid, in fact it is very simple. Vegetables are pre-washed in running water, if necessary, peeled and seeds. Chopped vegetables are placed either in a saucepan or in a double boiler. It is better, of course, to steam, so more useful substances are preserved. Ready vegetables are chopped with a blender with the addition of water or vegetable broth. The consistency should be liquid, similar to kefir. As the baby gets older, you can give him a thicker puree. Ready-made puree can not be stored. Every day you need to cook fresh. Do not add salt, sugar and other spices.
On the example of the introduction of vegetable puree, we will tell you the order of administration by day:
· 1 day - 5 grams (1 teaspoon) of zucchini puree, then supplement with breast milk when breastfeeding,
with artificial - a mixture.
Day 2 - 10 grams of zucchini puree, then supplement with breast milk or formula.
Day 3 - 20 grams of zucchini puree, then supplement with breast milk or formula.
Day 4 - 40 grams of zucchini puree, then supplement with breast milk or formula.
Day 5 - 80 grams of zucchini puree, then supplement with breast milk or formula.
Day 6 - 120 grams of zucchini puree, then supplement with breast milk or formula.
· Day 7 - 150 grams of zucchini puree, then supplement with breast milk or formula.
The next day, give 5 grams of mashed cauliflower and build up as you did the previous week. You can add zucchini to cauliflower if there was no reaction to it. And so on. This scheme will also apply to other complementary foods where no other scheme is described.
If the child does not eat the whole portion, it means that a smaller amount is enough for him, do not force him to finish eating. Remember that eating habits are formed in the first year of a child's life.
First month of complementary feeding completed, what to give at 7 months?
The next thing that is given to the baby is porridge. It is important that cereals are dairy-free and gluten-free. Cow and goat milk should not be given for at least a year. They negatively affect the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract, are not absorbed and increase the risk of gastric and intestinal bleeding. If the baby does not want to eat dairy-free porridge, then you can add some breast milk or formula to it, depending on the type of baby's nutrition.
Until the age of one, the child should only eat cereals that do not contain gluten. Gluten can provoke the development of celiac disease - a severe pathology of the small intestine. Gluten-free cereals include rice, corn and buckwheat. Such a variety is quite enough for a child in the first year of life. You can cook your own porridge, but you don't have to.
There are many baby cereals available in grocery stores. Many are afraid to buy them, but in vain.
These are the same cereals, crushed under industrial conditions, cooked and dried. Therefore, all that is needed for their preparation is to add water. No chemicals for instant cooking, they are not processed.
Porridges are introduced for breakfast according to the scheme indicated in the previous block.
During the introduction of complementary foods, it is necessary to monitor the child's condition, whether his tummy is bothering him, whether the nature of the stool has changed, whether there is an allergy. The reaction may not appear on the first day, but with an increase in the volume of the new product. Therefore, you should not give several different new products at the same time and should slowly increase the volume!
Complementary foods at 8 months
This month is very varied. During this period enter:
Meat
Yolk
Potato
Potato is introduced later than other vegetables, as it is considered a highly allergenic product.
It is introduced starting from 5 grams, at the end of the week it is necessary to reach a volume not of 150 grams, but only 50 grams. Potatoes should not make up more than a third of the total vegetable puree.
Quail or chicken yolk can be given. Preferably quail, as it rarely causes allergic reactions. The yolk is given 2 times a week. The first time a few grains are given. The second time - half a quail yolk or ¼ chicken. The next week, you can give one quail or half a chicken yolk. In this amount and continue to give 2 times a week. The yolk is given in the morning feeding. It is easier to rub it with breast milk or add it to porridge.
The first types of meat puree that are given to a child are turkey and rabbit, they are considered the least allergenic types of meat. Then you can give veal, closer to 9 months - beef, chicken and lamb. It is better not to give pork until 1-1.5 years. Meat is introduced for lunch with vegetables, weighing 5 grams. At the age of 8-9 months, the daily intake of meat is not more than 50 grams.
By the year you need to give about 100 grams of meat. If the child does not want meat puree in its pure form, it can be mixed with vegetables.
For those who want to prepare their own meat puree - a convenient cooking method:
Minced meat is made without any additives, small balls are formed from it - meatballs. Boil the balls immediately in boiling water for 4-5 minutes. Then you freeze. If necessary, take them out of the freezer, boil them for a couple along with vegetables. Grind with a blender with broth, like vegetables. These minced meat balls will not stick together when frozen. Grinding with a blender is not minced meat, but a piece of boiled meat is difficult and inefficient, mashed potatoes are sticky, and meatballs are easily crushed.
9 months - it's time to introduce the child to fermented milk products
· Cottage cheese and kefir are introduced very slowly! The slower the better. The first is cottage cheese.
Naturally, it is necessary to give not the cottage cheese that is sold in packs, granular or with additives! For a child, you need to purchase children's cottage cheese - Agusha, Tema.
It should be without any additives, sugar and fruits! The first time is given 1 teaspoon. Every day, 1 teaspoon more is given until the serving is 25-30 grams. For a child aged 9-10 months is enough. By the year, a serving of cottage cheese can be increased to 50 grams.
· Fermented milk products are given in the evening, a couple of hours before dinner.
Kefir is given for the first time in a volume of 5-10 ml. Of course, it should also be for children and without any additives, fruit fillers and sugar. The volume gradually increases to 100-150 ml. By the year you can give 200 ml of kefir. Not all children love kefir, some may refuse to drink it. This is not a reason to "acquaint" the baby with sugar by adding it to kefir. It is better to offer the child yogurt in a couple of weeks or a month. It is not scary if he does not drink it for some time. There are children who never drink it at all, while growing and developing no worse than others.
10 months - it's time for desserts
At this age, you can treat your baby to fruits.
Only in this matter should be selective. It is recommended to give fruits that grow in our country. Tropical fruits are best left for later. You can give applesauce, pear or prunes. Most children already have teeth by this time and can chew on pieces of fruit. Begin the introduction of each of the fruits should be with 1 teaspoon or one small piece. About 100 grams of fruit can be given per day. Fruits are given as a snack.
Many may be wondering why fruits are so late, are they rich in vitamins? If a child is breastfed, then vitamins come with breast milk, if not artificial, then they are part of the mixture, so there is no need for fruits as a source of vitamins (besides, they are almost not absorbed from fruits in babies). The main thing that a baby needs up to a year for growth is proteins and fats. Fruit is a delicacy containing carbohydrates and an abundance of fruit acids, which greatly irritate the mucous membrane. Store-bought fruit juices are especially useless in this regard - this is essentially a squeeze of these acids, moreover, devoid of the beneficial properties of natural freshly squeezed juice.
Regarding drinks - from the age of 7 months you can try to give your baby herbal tea for children, and after the child tastes prunes, you can cook compotes from dried fruits (apples, prunes), dried apricots can be added after a year.
The child does not eat complementary foods, constipation, diarrhea, allergies are typical problems during the feeding period.
Sometimes there are problems after complementary foods have been introduced to the baby, such as constipation, diarrhea, an allergic reaction, tummy pains, causing the baby to become restless. If any of these problems occur, the product that caused the reaction should be discontinued. Re-introduction of the product is recommended not earlier than after 1-2 months with careful monitoring of the child's condition. It is reintroduced as slowly as the first time.
Another problem that mothers may face is that the child does not eat complementary foods. The child himself knows well when it is time for him to eat something, and from what he becomes uncomfortable due to the immaturity of the enzyme systems.
Therefore, in the case when a child does not want to eat complementary foods, refuses, do not force him to try to make the food tastier by adding salt and sugar. You just need to take a break for 1-2 weeks. Then offer the baby this food again.
· What should not be given before the age of one and how they mistakenly like to feed babies
ü Juices! Grandma's favorite recommendation. You can not give juices at all, even after a year. There is no benefit from them, but there are a lot of acids that irritate the mucous membrane (see store juices are not only not useful, but also harmful).
ü Semolina and other cereals with gluten.
ü Fresh vegetables - cause bloating and are difficult to digest.
ü Sweet, including biscuits.
ü Tropical fruits.
ü Cow and goat milk.
What a mother should remember about breastfeeding
ü Follow these recommendations and do not give your child too much, as it is very important to introduce complementary foods to the child correctly, the health of his digestive system in the future depends on this.
ü Complementary feeding up to a year is an introduction to new food, not a complete feeding.
ü Do not give a new product more than once a week.
ü Do not give several new foods at once.
ü Complementary foods are only the necessary macro- and microelements, and not pampering or delicacy. You should not treat it playfully, experimenting with products, the health of your child depends on it.
ü Salt, sugar and other spices should not be given at this age. To our “spoiled” taste buds, a simple zucchini on the water will seem disgusting, but for a child it is not only healthy, but also tasty. In addition, salt is contained in all products in the required amount, adding salt is an exorbitant burden on the baby's kidneys.
ü With the introduction of complementary foods, you should start giving your baby water if he is breastfeeding and has not drank it before.
ü If someone recommends giving a new food when the baby is 3 months old, complementary foods in the form of anything, explain that this should not be done.
