Start feeding baby rice cereal

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.

When Can You Start Feeding a Baby Rice Cereal? Safety and More

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The first step of complementary foods is baby rice porridge. Your baby week after week. From birth to 6 months

The first step of complementary feeding - baby rice porridge

You can buy dry baby rice porridge in boxes at a grocery store or pharmacy. It is diluted with breast milk, formula or water. The soft milky taste of porridge will be familiar to the baby, and baby porridge is unlikely to cause allergies, which is why it is good to start complementary foods. Start by making just one scoop of rice and follow the instructions on the package to determine the right amount of milk. The consistency of porridge should be quite liquid, like a thick soup, it is not necessary to warm it up.

IS YOUR BABY STILL awake all night?

Be aware that many parents tend to exaggerate when it comes to how "well" their child sleeps at night. You can also embellish your story a little. After all, friends and relatives constantly ask you how the baby sleeps, and if you admit that he still does not sleep like “according to the textbook”, then a flurry of advice will fall upon you, often contradicting each other. Meanwhile, your child's sleep is not a competition or a race, so a little exaggeration doesn't hurt.

IS YOUR BABY READY TO WEALTHFOODS?

If your baby is starting to show some of the above signs, such as becoming hungry quickly, he is probably almost ready to start solid foods. But before you start, go through the following list. This will give you confidence that he is physically able to take solid food.

• Your baby has doubled his weight since birth. This is important because once he starts eating solid food, he won't put on weight as quickly. It is easier and faster for him to get enough of carrot puree and baby rice porridge than milk, but he gets more calories from milk.

• He can hold his head well and sit confidently with support.

• No family history of food allergy. If there is, it is best to wait until the child is six months old before introducing complementary foods.

• He has already lost the ejection reflex, which prevents him from swallowing anything that enters his mouth. This is a defense mechanism, and you won't know if it's still there or not until you start spoon-feeding your baby. Be prepared to delay the introduction of complementary foods for a few weeks if the baby still has this reflex even after several feedings.

If you've checked the first three items on this list, you might want to consider starting complementary foods. If you decide not to introduce it yet, then you can be sure that milk or formula will be quite enough for the child until he is six months old.

Complementary foods start with one meal a day, so choose any time - breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea. Offer solid foods about 10 minutes before your usual feeding time, when your baby is alert but not too hungry or cranky. Of course, if he gets irritable, give him half or even all of the milk before offering porridge again.

Use a plastic baby spoon - it is softer than a metal spoon and is unlikely to hurt your baby's gums. Sit your child in a highchair or on your lap and put a spoonful of porridge in his mouth. He will probably be very surprised and will almost certainly spit it out. But still, try giving him a few more spoonfuls and don't worry if the child doesn't eat anything: your goal is just to get him to taste the harder food in his mouth. Be aware that it will be quite messy and a lot of porridge will end up on the baby's face and on the floor. By the end of the week, your baby may finally be able to swallow a spoonful of porridge as he gets used to moving food from his lips to the back of his mouth. But you need to keep feeding times short, fun and casual, so don't worry about how much he will actually eat.

If your child is "telling" you that he doesn't want to eat by holding his mouth and turning his head away, skip that meal. He may want to try again the next day. Or maybe it's too early to introduce complementary foods this week. If he still does not understand how and why he needs to eat, and he is not at all interested in it, then just follow his desires and do not hesitate: pack a box of porridge and postpone the introduction of complementary foods for another couple of weeks.

HYGIENE

Ideally, you should sterilize the baby's bowl and spoon, but since they are much easier to clean than bottles, you don't have to be as diligent. It is enough to wash children's dishes in the dishwasher or pour boiling water over them after you have washed them.

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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.

Table of complementary foods for a child on breastfeeding and artificial

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.

· Mashed vegetables 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.