Hi beandoctor! It's been a while! Hope everything is well with you. Im back with some new questions. My son is now 4 months old and at his doctors appt. today she felt it is time to give him rice cereal. I just bought some and am a little confused on the directions to prepare for him. The directions say"mix 1 tbs. cereal with 4-5 tbspof formula." My son is eating about 6-7oz now. So how should I prepare it for him. Should I put it in his bottle or try to feed him with a spoon?
I'd love to help with your question. I'll never give you advice that I wouldn't give to my own patients or do for my own child.
Hi there!
It's always good to hear from you!
Hi!Thank you!
I'd probably start by adding 2 tablespoons of the rice cereal to his bottle.
This will help him get used to the taste.
If you make the bottles too "thick," he won't be able to get it out!
Once you've done that for a couple of days, I'd try offering him some on a spoon.
You can expect a BIG mess at first....
But he'll gradually get the hang of it.
Ok so make him a regular bottle and just add 2tbls of cereal? I have been using the Tommee tippee bottles and just moved him up to the #2 size nipple. Will this be ok to use for the cereal?
Yes - that's what I'd try.
That should work... although if the bottle gets clogged, you may have to add less or use a different nipple.
Personally, I like to add the cereal to the bottle for a few days to get the child used to the taste.
That way, it's only the way that they eat it (not the taste, too) that's surprising!\
After a few days, I'd try offering a little slurry of rice cereal on a spoon.
Don't be surprised if he can't do much with it at first...
ok. should I give it to him for every feeding or just at night before bed?
I'd start with just the bedtime feeding.
The nice thing about adding cereal is that it tends to be more filling...
...so it may help him sleep through the night a little better.
Over the next couple of months, as he gets the hang of feeding from a spoon, you can replace other meals with baby foods.
if that is the case where he cant do much with it should I put it aside and give him a regular bottle and then try again. (I doubt this will happen...but just in case)
But for now, I'd use formula for most of his calories, and try to do the rice cereal at night.
Well, keep in mind that many babies can't take solids until they're 6 months old...
ok good. I think he's ready for the cereal. At what point do you think he will be on baby food or is each baby different?
...so it wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't quite know what to do with the rice on a spoon!
oh...you just answered my question...
Young babies have a "tongue thrust" reflex...
if you put solids (or semi-solids) in their mouth, they push their tongue forward.
Over time, that reflex goes away, and they get used to taking foods into their mouth and actually swallowing them down.
Every baby is a little different.
Some are ready for solids at 4 months... others aren't really able to do much with it (other than make a mess!) until 6 months or so.
If he does well with the rice cereal, though, you can start adding other things.
Generally, oatmeal and rice cereal are very safe things to try - they are very UNLIKELY to cause allergies.
If those go well, you can start adding other stage 1 baby foods.
I usually recommend trying one new thing every 2-3 days or so...
...that way, if he should ever have an allergic reaction to something, you'll know what it was!
(That can get much tougher to tease out if you try a bunch of things all at once... you may not know what the culprit is.)
ok. when I was at the store they had different Gerber oatmeals some with apples, i think banana...are those ok for later or should I stay away from those?
The baby foods in the store should be labeled to help you know what to get...
For Gerber foods, they are labeled with "stages."
Stage 1 is for young babies - those are the softest, least allergenic foods.
Stage 2 and stage 3 are for babies that are used to solids, and have some mixed textures and more complex tastes.
Other brands may not call them "stages," but will have an age recommendation on the bottle.
You'll want the ones for 4-7 months.
Oh good idea, Im glad you told me that. Someone gave me a blender to make homemade baby food also.
ok good to know on the labels.
You can definitely make baby foods at home, too!
I'd start with the cereals first...
but in a few months, you can have some fun (and often save some money!) by making your baby food at home.
It's nice to start with the rice cereal or oatmeal to get babies used to taking food from a spoon.
It's a whole new skill for your son to learn!
What else can I tell you about?
Awesome! yeah...he's growing fast! Ok also he seems to have a slight case of eczema. Some dry scaly patches on his skin. She suggested "Aquaphor" healing ointment. So I bought it, but I also got him "Aveeno"oatmeal baby wash and lotion, it says for eczema also. Do you think thats ok?
Yes. Either one is very good.
The #1 key to eczema is MOISTURE.
If you keep his skin well hydrated - the eczema will go away.
I like both the Aquaphor and the Aveeno products.
What you want to do is put it on him as soon as he gets out of the bath - before his skin is even completely dry.
And you want to really slather him down.
If his skin is particularly dry, you may need to reapply lotion during the day.
But if you keep that moisture sealed in to his skin - the eczema will disappear.
ok. Im just suprised cause every time he comes out of the bath, I give him the full rub down on his damp skin with lotion, but its Johnson and Johnson. But now I'll reall lather him even better.
Babies often have sensitive skin.
I doubt it's anything you're doing wrong...
I think you just need to do more of it, and perhaps with a thicker lotion like the Aquaphor.
Do you think maybe laundry detergent has anything to do with it. I ran out of Dreft and used some regular "Purex" detergent...
It could...
Dreft is one of the better ones on the market.
There are others that are good, too. But the standard detergents like Purex do tend to be a little more irritating for babies with sensitive skin.
Ok...Im not sure if your familiar with the store Trader Joes? Thats where I work and we sell a dteregent with no dyes or perfumes. Would that be ok? or should I stick with Dreft?
There's a Trader Joe's near where I live... but I've only been once! I think that their product is probably fine.
Like I said, there are a few good hypoallergenic baby detergents out there.
Dreft is just the most famous.
It's just that the standard detergents don't wash out completely from most clothes - so the little bit of detergent that remains in the fabric can irritate a baby's sensitive skin.
I wouldn't hesitate to use the Trader Joe's product - at least give it a try.
Since I just did some of his laundry with Purex, do you think I should throw all those clothes back in the wash with no soap and hot water?
If you are worried about the detergent as the cause - it couldn't hurt.
Like I said, though, many babies will get dry skin with just the Johnson & Johnson lotion.
Aquaphor, Eucerin, Aveeno, etc. are a little thicker, and seal the moisture in a little better.
ok. got it! Well I've got a lot of new things to try tonight! I just like to double check with you! Thank you so much!
You are very welcome!
I always enjoy talking with you, too! Let me know if I can help with anything else!
I'm going to step out now... please remember to click accept if I've answered your question. And please don't hesitate to ask any other questions that you may have in the future!
Thanks again! Your the Best!