When To Start Cereal
The question of when you start feeding a baby cereal has come up within my circle of friends recently. One friend has a baby who is four months old and has not yet been introduced to cereal, another friend started her son when he was 3 months old. I have yet another friend who intyroduced cereal in her child's bottles to help him sleep through the night. I started my own kids on cereal when they were almost five months.
So who is right?
There is no perfect time to start your infant on solid foods, although putting cereal in a baby bottle is a choking hazard for your baby.
The optimum time to start a child on cereal is between 4-6 months.
How will you know your child is ready? You will know if you follow these guidelines:
-nurses or drinks eagerly and is looking for more when s/he is done
-Has she lost her tongue-thrusting reflex? This reflex -- which prevents her from choking on formula -- could cause her to push solid food from her mouth with her tongue.
-has control of her head and neck muscles
Remember, if you or any family member has any food allergies check with your doctor before starting cereals.
Start with rice cereal, then oatmeal and finish with barley. (remember ROB)
Feed each diluted cereal in addition to his formula or breastmilk for a couple of days to a week before trying a new one.
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