It is generally not recommended to give a 3-month-old baby rice cereal or any solid food. Pediatricians advise waiting until around 6 months of age—and no earlier than 4 months—when a baby's digestive system is mature enough and they can sit up with support. Breast milk or formula provides all necessary nutrition before this time.
Introducing solids like rice cereal too early may cause choking and aspiration, as well as increase baby's future risk of food allergies and obesity. You can begin to introduce solids, including rice cereal, when baby's developmentally ready (typically between 4 to 6 months of age).
At 5 months: A general rule for formula-fed infants is that when a baby is consuming greater than 32-35 ounces per day of formula and is beyond 16 weeks of life, it is time to consider cereal. It is best to wait with exclusively breast-fed infants until closer to 6 months. Start with pre-cooked rice or oatmeal cereal.
At 3 months old, the best and ONLY thing your baby needs to grow well is: Breastmilk or formula -- that's it. Here's why: Breastmilk (or formula) has ALL the nutrients your baby needs to grow: protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and immune support. At this stage, babies don't need water, solid foods, or herbal mixtures.
Adding cereal to the bottle is highly discouraged. If you want to give cereal then make some according to the instructions and feed it to him. The recommendation is to wait 6 mo but just a few years ago it was 4-6mo so use your discretion w/ the go ahead of your doctor.
Typically yes, babies can have cereal, especially cereals that are made specifically for infants. These include iron-fortified rice, oat, or other multigrain-based cereals that are widely available at most grocery stores.
Simple feeding changes may help reduce your baby's reflux:
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend introducing children to foods other than breast milk or infant formula at about 6 months.
Ideal age to start feeding Cerelac to your baby
Most paediatricians and experts believe babies can start having Cerelac when they turn 6 months old. This is because babies should be exclusively breastfed until they are 6 months of age.
When can babies have banana? Bananas may be introduced as soon as a baby is ready to start solids, which is generally around 6 months of age.
Offering cereal in a bottle (or even on a spoon) before babies are developmentally ready can increase the likelihood of gagging and/or inhaling the thickened mixture into their lungs. Unless there's a medical reason for giving it early, it's not worth jumping the gun.
Start with feeding your baby rice cereal once or twice a day, offering 1 to 2 teaspoons after bottle-feeding or breastfeeding. Gradually increase the amount as your little one becomes more accustomed to eating solids.
Start with one food at a time and select foods that are nutritious and easy to mash such as bananas, avocados, peaches, mangoes, plums, grapes, potatoes and butternut squash. If your baby responds well to these, advance to other nutritious foods such as asparagus, kale, ground chicken, or quinoa.
Doctors recommend waiting until a baby is about 6 months old to start solid foods. Starting before 4 months is not recommended. At about 6 months, babies need the added nutrition — such as iron and zinc — that solid foods provide.
Bottom line: Adding cereal to your baby's bottle is unlikely to fix their reflux. But as I tell my patients, however, it's worth a shot at 1 teaspoon per ounce of formula (any more than that they'll suck like the dickens to get the formula from the nipple and swallow lots of air).
Still Too Much Arsenic
Inorganic arsenic levels in Earth's Best Organic Infant Rice Cereal averaged 66.4 ppb. Gerber's Single-Grain Rice Baby Cereal averaged 62.9 ppb and its Organic Single-Grain Rice Baby Cereal averaged 61.1 ppb. These are lower than in previous tests for infant rice cereals made by both companies.
Some experts suggest introducing rice cereal as early as 2 or 3 months old, but the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends waiting until the baby is around 6 months old. This ensures that their digestive system and motor skills are developed enough to handle solid foods.
“The amount of sugar in one serving of Cerelac is too much, which is not at all required by a baby. Sugar is addictive, leading to babies demanding only sweet foods then. You can instead use fruits which are naturally sweet,” she says.
During your baby's first 3 months, breast milk or formula will provide all the nutrition needed. Doctors recommend waiting until your baby is about 6 months old to start solid foods. Some babies may be ready for solids sooner than 6 months, but wait until your baby is at least 4 months old.
It's important to prevent overfeeding for babies more than one month old. Practice responsive feeding by paying attention to your baby's cues and body language rather than only aiming for a specific number of ounces each day. Every baby is different and needs can vary, so it is important to consider these fluctuations.
Many health agencies and healthcare professionals recommend breastfeeding babies for the first 6 months. During this time, breast milk or formula is the only food your newborn needs. But by ages 4 months to 6 months, most babies are ready to have solid foods added to their diet of breast milk or formula.
waiting until around 6 months gives your baby time to develop so they can cope fully with solid foods – this includes solid foods made into purées, cereals and baby rice added to milk.
Pacifiers can provide several benefits when it comes to managing reflux: Sucking is a natural reflex for babies and can have a calming effect. Sucking without feeding can help stimulate saliva production, which can neutralize stomach acid and promote digestion.
Newborn reflux
Some babies will make gurgling or gulping sounds during or after feeds. Reflux can cause newborn fussiness, back arching and a lot of spit up.
Infant reflux usually begins at 2 to 3 weeks and peaks at 4 to 5 months. It should fully go away at 9 to 12 months. It's unusual for GER symptoms to start during the first week of a baby's life or after a baby turns 6 months. In these cases, the symptoms may point to GERD or another condition.