Last week, Leah asked some good questions about starting her sweet baby on cereal.  I had all of these questions, too, before I started Abigail on cereal, and it was hard to find answers.  So, now that I’ve gone through it, I want to help those who are wondering: How do I Introduce Cereal?

What type of cereal should I use?

You should use any kind of Rice cereal– meaning, don’t get the whole grains cereal quite yet.  As far as a specific brand, we use Beechnut and Gerber.

What amount?  1 tablespoon 2x a day?

When you first start, you mix 1 TBS of cereal with 4 TBS of breast milk (or formula).  It will be really, really soupy and thin and messy.  Use a spoon– not a bottle.  And don’t expect baby to eat it all; she might, but Abby never did in the beginning.

Can I use any formula to mix with it?

Yes.  Although, if you don’t normally give formula, your baby might not accept it in cereal either.  My Pedi told us to use formula to try to “fatten” up our daughter (and because I didn’t have enough expressed breast milk saved up because of my lipase issue).  But Abigail hated it.  So now, I pump in the morning and give her cereal with that milk for breakfast, and that works great.  Also, I warm it up.  She likes it better that way.

What times?

For the first week, only do it once a day.  If she’s doing okay with that, then, the next week, do it twice a day.  And gradually add less milk/formula, so that the consistency becomes thicker.  Many recommend giving cereal right after nursing.  You can experiment: see if baby likes it before nursing, or you can try to nurse, give cereal, and nurse again.  But the point is to have the cereal part of the meal– not as a snack.

What changes should I expect?

You’ll notice changes in baby’s poops.  Baby might get constipated; the poops will start to get solid, and once you do solid foods, the poops will stink!  For the first 6 months, we put Ab’s poopy diapers in the pail, but since she has started solids, those nasty things go outside right away.

Here are some links that helped me in the beginning:

• Dr Sears
• Kelly Mom
• Baby Center

Also, here’s a video of us giving Abby cereal for the first time:

Does anyone have other questions?

Related posts:

1. I Need a Tip
2. Sorry . . . but I Have a Video
3. Abigail’s Skills
4. Abigail’s First Year Video