Timetable To Introduce Infant Cereal

Are you wondering when infant cereal should be added into your little one's diet? Although many people may tell you that a tiny bit of cereal added to bottles helped their newborn sleep better, it is not recommended. In fact, the trusted American Academy of Pediatricians suggests that neither infant cereal or any other solid food should be introduced until the baby is between four and six months old. Prior to that, your newborn only needs formula or breast milk.

During the first few months, newborns usually feed approximately every two hours. If you happen to be breastfeeding, you should offer each breast for 10 to 15 minutes. For formula feeding, two to three ounces should be given at each feeding. Your newborn will tend to eat a bit more gradually at every feeding. Also, if your infant produces at least six wet diapers per day and is regularly gaining weight, he or she is getting a sufficient amount of calories. You should always be sure to discuss feeding schedule as well as growth with your infant's pediatrician at every check-up.

Between four and six months old, your infant may begin showing definite signs of readiness to be given solid food. These signs often include:

Having the ability to hold their own head up.
Having a strong tongue thrust to be able to push food out of the mouth.
Showing an interest in any food that you happen to be eating.

When you feel the time has come, you can start offering rice infant cereal. You will simply mix the flakes of cereal with the formula or breast milk. This familiar taste of the breast milk or formula will help your infant accept the food. Rice cereal is ideal because it tends to be much less allergy-provoking than other foods.

Rejection

Your infant needs to get used to different textures and tastes so if your infant cereal is rejected for the few attempts, do not be surprised, or worried. Simply try again in a few minutes. Once the small additions of rice cereal have been accepted, very slowly go ahead and increase the quantity. Always introduce foods one at a time and be on the look out for any presented food allergies and wait a few days to introduce a new food. By doing this, you are able to watch for bloating, diarrhea, rashes or any other signs of allergic reactions.

Why Wait?

So, why wait to offer infant cereal until at least four months old? Research suggests that infants under four months old that are offered cereal are four times as likely to develop diabetes autoimmunity or precursor antibodies to type 1 diabetes. This does not say that every single baby that has these precursor antibodies will necessarily develop diabetes but the risk is there.

The timing relationship of cereal introduction and diabetes in unknown but some believe that there may be a specific time line of the infant's immune system development. Additionally, research also shows that breastfed babies are at less risk to develop diabetes.

Homemade Cereal

Your infant cereal does not have to commercially bought. You can easily make your own cereal with whole rice.

1 cup water
½ cup brown, basmati or jasmine rice

Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Add in the rice and stir. Simmer the rice for approximately 20 minutes or according to directions on the package, be sure to stir at least halfway through. When the rice is done cooking and has cooled a bit, add one half cup of water, breast milk or formula and puree. Be careful that your puree does not end up like paste. You can freeze this cereal also but it may have a rubbery consistency when thawed so you might need to add more liquid and puree again.