Advice needed ... Baby having problems with cereal

[angel_2011]

So I started my 5mth old DD on Heinz Oat cereal. I have been giving it to her on and off for about 3 weeks now. The reason I don't give it to her daily is because I noticed she develops severe gas problems after eating it. She keeps passing gas like crazy and needs to be burped frequently. Does this mean she's allergic to the cereal? should I try another brand? or should I wait until she's 6mths and start her on regular food (peas, carrots, etc - and skip cereal)

Any advice would be greatly appreciated - thanks!

[slayer_glade]

Have you had your baby tested for allergies? Specially to gluten and wheat?

It might not be the cereal itself, but what's in it.

I suggest bringing her to see a doctor.

[CouponNinja]

I skipped cereal and just waited for real food at 6 months.

[poppleton]

A couple of things...
1. Is the cereal you are using to mixed with breastmilk/formula or with water? The latter contains milk ingredients, and baby could be reacting to that.
2. Oatmeal is very high in fibre, and for a wee one who has never eaten "real food" before, it may take some time to get used to it. Rice cereal might be a better bet to try out, and start with very little bits at a time. That being said, rice can be constipating, so we always paired it with pears
3. It is totally fine to not give baby cereal at all, but you do need to find an alternate iron source. Check with your doctor or public health nurse for age appropriate options.

Hope that helps!

[angel_2011]

thanks so much for ur responses.

I am using the cereal with water. That's a good idea to try the rice a bit at a time (I was trying to avoid it altogether because of the constipation issue).

No, I haven't had her tested for allergies - I'll talk to her doc about it this weekend.

[mpbabes]

Hi there....my first thoughts were:

1) maybe she's not ready for cereal yet and it's best to wait
2) Try rice cereal instead
3) give her gripe water (I gave my little one this every day for most of her first year of life...it was a life saver)

If you decide to stop the cereal altogether....wait until 6 months and then you can try avocado as a first food....

[ChickyMamma]

We also had problems with Heinz and Nestle cereal. My daughter would vomit after eating it. Sometimes right away and other times a few hours later however we tried the My organic baby cereal and no problems she loves it. She is 1 now and still eats it for breakfast.

[Citiva]

My best suggestion, Look up baby led weaning. It's all real food. It's worth a quick research at least!

[marstec]

When I had babies, I was told to start them on rice cereal first, then the others, one at a time, so you would know if they had allergies or other issues with it.

[juniperjune]

We started with Rice first as well. Speak with your doctor, and go with your instinct.

[RSAS]

My best suggestion, Look up baby led weaning. It's all real food. It's worth a quick research at least!

It could be that baby is not ready for solids. They are ready when:

Signs that indicate baby is developmentally ready for solids include:

• Baby can sit up well without support.
• Baby has lost the tongue-thrust reflex and does not automatically push solids out of his mouth with his tongue.
• Baby is ready and willing to chew.
• Baby is developing a “pincer” grasp, where he picks up food or other objects between thumb and forefinger. Using the fingers and scraping the food into the palm of the hand (palmar grasp) does not substitute for pincer grasp development.
• Baby is eager to participate in mealtime and may try to grab food and put it in his mouth.

http://kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-when.html
If you wait until baby shows all these signs of readiness, she is less likely to have tummy problems.

[sweetproserpina]

My best suggestion, Look up baby led weaning. It's all real food. It's worth a quick research at least!

I third this!

We skipped cereal all together. My DD's first foods were cooked egg yolk, avocado, and banana. If you are worried about choking etc. try one of those munchkin mesh feeder. My DD loved gumming everything in it; fruit, meat, veg- and she could hold it all by herself.

[lovelikewinter3]

I third this!

We skipped cereal all together. My DD's first foods were cooked egg yolk, avocado, and banana. If you are worried about choking etc. try one of those munchkin mesh feeder. My DD loved gumming everything in it; fruit, meat, veg- and she could hold it all by herself.

Fourth-ing the baby-led-weaning suggestion It is a great way to bring food into their life slowly and at their lead. My daughter would always stare at my food, made it easy to know which ones to try her with first! Good luck!

[angel_2011]

ok so she hates nestle cereal - refuses to eat it at all - tried both rice and oats.

I researched baby-led weaning - amazing. I never knew it was possible to feed them that way - i was always under the impression that you had to start them on pureed foods. I remember with my son, when i started him on chunkier foods after the purees, he would gag and almost throw up - if only i knew then about baby-led weaning.

[MommyMelanie2007]

my daughter loved milupa cereal. I would try rice first. you could also try a organic rice cereal that you add formula/breast milk. If you are using the water it could be the milk ingredients that are already in it