At what point should I be feeding my 4 month old son rice or baby food?

My son is 4 months old, he drinks about 6-8oz every 3-4 hours and seems content with that. When I have tried adding rice to his bottle he seems to be fussy later (maybe he has problems digesting it?) So I have stopped giving him rice. Can I skip rice and go directly to feeding baby food soon, like bananna puree and such?

First of all, you don’t want to put rice in the bottle. It’s a choking hazard.

Have you spoken to your baby’s ped about solids? The doctor is the best one to ask if your child is ready since every baby is different. There are signs he will show when he’s ready. Formula not being enough, watching you eat, the tongue thrust reflex has stopped, sits well with a little assistance, ect. If his formula is keeping him content, it’s probably best to wait a little longer.

However, if you and the doc choose to go ahead with solids….Yes, the rice could very possibly be causing tummy pains. It’s an unneccessary "starter" food. You don’t have to start with it, it’s just a popular first solid. There are different kind of cereal such as barley or oatmeal which can be a little better and have less of a chance of causing constipation. You can also start with veggies. Either yellow or orange is the best. Sweet potatoes, carrots, ect. It’s best to start with veggies before fruits so the baby doesn’t just want sweet things. Be careful when you do give banana cause too much can cause constipation. Only do one baby food for a few days to watch for allergic reaction, and only do about a teaspoon a day until baby is used to it, then it can slowly be increased.

Again, I think if the formula is satisfying him that you should stick with that unless told by the ped. At least for another month or two. Hope I helped!

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9 Comments

  1. Mom of Aaliyah
    Posted December 9, 2009 at 5:32 am | Permalink

    You can do it now since he’s 4 months.
    References :

  2. Marilyn
    Posted December 9, 2009 at 6:09 am | Permalink

    i did my son never really like the rice so i skiped to banannas and green beans.
    References :

  3. dreamlover6094
    Posted December 9, 2009 at 6:17 am | Permalink

    i started my son on stage 1 bananas and sweet potatoes he loves it.. he turned 4 months on the 21 of feb
    References :
    me

  4. Jillian B
    Posted December 9, 2009 at 6:24 am | Permalink

    If he is content with formula then I would wait.

    I am one of "those" mom’s that doesn’t think it is necessary to feed solids before 6 months. If you decide you want to do it earlier then make sure you baby can sit up by himself unsupported. I think this is the first indicator that they might be ready for solids.

    I skipped cereal completely. Empty calories…if it were me I would prefer to give something more nutritious.
    References :

  5. scorpiochick17
    Posted December 9, 2009 at 7:07 am | Permalink

    4 months is when my pediatrician told me to start spoon feeding step 1 baby foods. He said it’s not soo important at that age, but my son was eating 8 oz of formula at each feeding at that age, and was spitting up constantly. so, just try it for lunch or dinner, don’t force it if he doesn’t want it yet, or try giving cereal with some bananas mixed in..for a little bit of a different taste.
    References :
    mommy of 4.

  6. Sarah T
    Posted December 9, 2009 at 7:39 am | Permalink

    Yes, you can skip rice all together, in fact our nurse recommended it.

    Not a lot of babies like rice cereal to begin with.

    But if he is having trouble digesting the rice cereal from a bottle, there is a good chance he might not be ready for solids yet, I know my son wasn’t ready at the 4.5 month old mark.
    References :

  7. I LOVE MY DAUGHTER!
    Posted December 9, 2009 at 8:26 am | Permalink

    As soon as now.
    References :

  8. Piper's Mommy
    Posted December 9, 2009 at 8:40 am | Permalink

    First of all, you don’t want to put rice in the bottle. It’s a choking hazard.

    Have you spoken to your baby’s ped about solids? The doctor is the best one to ask if your child is ready since every baby is different. There are signs he will show when he’s ready. Formula not being enough, watching you eat, the tongue thrust reflex has stopped, sits well with a little assistance, ect. If his formula is keeping him content, it’s probably best to wait a little longer.

    However, if you and the doc choose to go ahead with solids….Yes, the rice could very possibly be causing tummy pains. It’s an unneccessary "starter" food. You don’t have to start with it, it’s just a popular first solid. There are different kind of cereal such as barley or oatmeal which can be a little better and have less of a chance of causing constipation. You can also start with veggies. Either yellow or orange is the best. Sweet potatoes, carrots, ect. It’s best to start with veggies before fruits so the baby doesn’t just want sweet things. Be careful when you do give banana cause too much can cause constipation. Only do one baby food for a few days to watch for allergic reaction, and only do about a teaspoon a day until baby is used to it, then it can slowly be increased.

    Again, I think if the formula is satisfying him that you should stick with that unless told by the ped. At least for another month or two. Hope I helped!
    References :

  9. babygirlz3n2
    Posted December 9, 2009 at 9:12 am | Permalink

    Try giving him cereal by spoon, They really DONT recommend feeding them cereal through bottles..If hes fussy, he might not be ready for cereal yet..he could possibly be having a hard time digesting it, just because their digestive systems are still maturing at this age..My daughter is 4 months, but im waiting until shes a bit older to introduce cereal. she seems fine with just breast milk =]…But if you still continue to feed him the cereal, wait on the baby food…
    References :

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