{"id":4290,"date":"2022-03-23T00:12:10","date_gmt":"2022-03-23T00:12:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mommyinstinct.com\/?p=4290"},"modified":"2022-05-07T13:41:28","modified_gmt":"2022-05-07T13:41:28","slug":"how-soon-can-baby-eat-cereal-what-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mommyinstinct.com\/how-soon-can-baby-eat-cereal-what-you-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"How Soon Can Baby Eat Cereal: What You Need To Know"},"content":{"rendered":"
Cereal is one of the most common first foods that many people give their children, especially when they do spoon-feeding. It\u2019s like puree but much easier to do, and much faster. <\/p>\n
What\u2019s more, many grandmothers may advise you to put some cereal directly into your newborn\u2019s milk bottle as it makes your baby fuller and therefore sleep better. <\/p>\n
However, that goes against the American Academy of Pediatrics\u2019 advice. They do not recommend any form of solid foods until your child is 4 to 6 months old. <\/p>\n
So how soon can baby eat cereal? Is there anything you need to worry about when giving your child cereal?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s find out.<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n Cereal is one of the solid foods. Before your child is between 4 to 6 months old, his digestive system is not ready for solid foods. <\/p>\n 4 to 6 months old is the generally right time to start solids, including cereal.<\/p>\n Not only cereal, but this is the time you might want to apply the 3-day waiting before introducing any form of new food. It means you give your baby some new food and wait for 3 days before introducing another type of food. As some babies can have allergic reactions to eggs, beans, etc., 3 days\u2019 time is a good period to wait and watch if any allergic reactions appear.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Single-grain and plain cereals like oatmeal are friendly to your baby\u2019s developing digestive system. Once your baby starts on solid, aka, when your baby is around 4 to 6 months old, your baby can eat cereal. <\/p>\n Try giving your baby single-grain cereal at first, and once he is used to it, you can introduce multigrain cereal to him.<\/p>\n Pay attention to the cereal\u2019s size and texture, too. When your child just starts solids, cereal pieces should be small, and can dissolve fairly easily. Some brands like Gerber<\/a> and Happy Baby<\/a> are some of the best choices. <\/p>\n Every baby is different and the common norm might not apply to your baby. Therefore, look for signs that your baby is ready to start eating cereal before introducing it.<\/p>\n Some signs your baby is ready for solids are that your baby can hold his neck and head up and be able to sit upright. What\u2019s more, he needs to have the skill to move food from the front to the back of his mouth instead of pushing out any solid food that goes into his mouth.<\/p>\n Even though rice cereal is a safe food itself, giving it to your baby before he is ready might not be a good choice. Since before your child is ready, his digestive system might not be able to consume food. And there are 2 consequences if you force his digestive system to work extra before it\u2019s ready. Either what comes in, comes out or diarrhea. <\/p>\n Some doctors even say that giving cereal too early can increase the risk of obesity to your child.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Fortified cereal is loved by parents as it is fast and easy to make. Just combine a tablespoon or two of cereal with formula or breast milk until it becomes a thin, soup-like texture.<\/p>\n Do not mix too much cereal at the beginning as your baby will need time to get comfortable transitioning from milk to solid. Once your baby is ok with the new texture, gradually reduce the amount of liquid to make the cereal thicker.<\/p>\nHow soon can baby eat cereal<\/h2>\n
Signs that your baby is ready for cereal<\/h2>\n
Is it safe to give baby rice cereal before they\u2019re ready?<\/h2>\n
How to prepare cereal for your baby<\/h2>\n