baby cereal question

suomynona ↓

Thu, Mar 23 2006, 5:10 am

I'm thinking of starting my baby on baby cereal.
Is there any else I can use to mix with cereal besdies formula or breastmilk? How about water?

One of the reasons I wanted to go straight to cereal is because I didn't want to bother with formula, but after I bought a package, I see that you need to mix it with formula. I didn't realize that.

Mama Bear ↓

Thu, Mar 23 2006, 7:51 am

cereal should not be replacing formula! Until their first year they need formula for their main source of nutrition. Cereal is an 'in between' food for between feedings, not to replace a feeding, at first. By about 9 months it can take the place of a feeding.

supermommy ↓

Thu, Mar 23 2006, 9:40 am

You can mix cereal with water no problem. I do. They suggest formula or bm to help baby adjust to the taste, but it's not a requirement. My ds ate cereal mixed with water all the time and seems to still enjoy it. Good luck.

Hashem_Yaazor ↓

Thu, Mar 23 2006, 11:11 am

Or you can skip cereal all together...I forgot how old your baby is. If past 6 months, I would say skip it, but I don't think that's the case. I personally would not start a few weeks before pesach -- what are you going to do when pesach comes?

↑ suomynona

Fri, Mar 24 2006, 2:47 am

I heard that Rice cereal is fine on pesach because it's kitnios.

So my 4 1/2 month old will not be missing nutrition if he has rice cereal with water once a day? (assuming he agrees to eat it. I haven't tried yet)

↑ Hashem_Yaazor ↓

Fri, Mar 24 2006, 11:24 am

suomynona wrote:

Ok, whatever your rav says, follow Smile

Would the creal replace a feeding or be in addition to regular feedings? If the latter, I would not worry at all, if the former, I would try to give some milk as well.

Mommy3.5 ↓

Sun, Mar 26 2006, 5:29 pm

suomynona wrote:

I use kitniyot on peasach, just to note the beehnut cerals are considered chometz, because they are made on the machines that produce other grain cereals. I don't know about other brands, but you probably shouldn't use any on peasach. Formula, you can use even though it is kitniyot. Most Ashkenazim will not allow rice cereal even if it is NOT made on the same machines as the barley and the oat. Many of the beechnut jars are kosher l'pesach, but if you are just starting rice, he is most likely not ready for fruit. Holding off till after peasach is not a bad Idea.

MommyLuv

Sun, Mar 26 2006, 6:20 pm

Just curious, why would a 41/2 month old infant need cereal at all? the AAP recommends feeding a baby only breast milk or formula til at least 6 mos old. they dont need it before then (unless there are other feeding problems where the baby needs supplementation with cereal).
all the nutrition that a baby needs he gets from nursing or from formula at that age...

↑ Hashem_Yaazor ↓

Tue, Mar 28 2006, 3:08 pm

suomynona wrote:

I heard that Rice cereal is fine on pesach because it's kitnios.

BTW, I just heard at a shiur last night that you should refrain from giving kids kitniyos unless it's formula they are dependent on, etc. Rice cereal, in most cases, is not crucial to a baby's diet, but if you think it is, you should ask a shailoh. There is also a serious issue of it being manufactured on equipment used for chometz (barley cereal, etc.) -- so I would not just rely on what you heard, but actually ask. It doesn't sound like your baby is dependent on it, and since chometz is such a serious issur, I would err on the side of caution.
Also, if you get a heter to give your baby, be careful to use separate keilim than what you eat from.

LoveMy2Kids

Tue, Mar 28 2006, 3:13 pm

MommyLuv wrote:

I would have liked to have kept my kids on only breast milk until 6 months, but at 5 months they were not gaining well and did not tolerate formula well, so we introduced cereal etc..

↑ Mama Bear ↓

Tue, Mar 28 2006, 3:49 pm

I think there is kosher lpesach cereals available. Tastes awful but is out there.

My 7 month old is used to having his daily cereal - he's pretty fussy without it. I hope I can find pesachdige cereal. otherwise maybe I'll mash some ladyfingers and mix it with formula...

realeez

Tue, Mar 28 2006, 4:12 pm

The benefit of rice cereal or any baby cereal is that it has a lot of iron added to it and it is an easy way of giving your child more iron, if they like it. I forgot exactly but something about nursing not giving enough iron after 6 months and rice cereal is good for that...

With my older kids, they were pretty "attached" to their cereal and I asked a shailah about rice cereal on pesach and I was told to find out which cereal doesn't have wheat in it - believe it or not, some rice cereals have actual wheat. The main kashrus organization in my city usually will say which brand is OK. As for this year, my 6 month old is not so attached to her cereal and I asked my ped if she really needs it on pesach. He took one look at her chubby cheeks, kah, and said that she will definitely not starve! Smile

For my older kids, I would mix it with formula but with #3, just with water or even 100% apple juice. If the child is nursing/drinking enough bottles a day they don't necessarily need the extra in their food.

↑ supermommy

Wed, Mar 29 2006, 12:31 am

well, just like someone mentioned earlier. Why not skip cereal altogether in the begining? sweet potatoes are just as good. As long as you introduce each one seperately to rule out allergies, there shouldn't be a problem. I started feeding solids to my first baby a little before pesach and she didn't really like cereal so it was no problem to give just veggies and fruit.

↑ Hashem_Yaazor ↓

Wed, Mar 29 2006, 10:54 am

supermommy wrote:

I couldn't agree more!
I just don't know if there are foods that are ok at 6 months, that are better to avoid at 4.5 months. I started my 6 month old directly on "real" food like sweet potatoes, applesacue, bananas, I give him squash now (he loves it!), carrots, etc....and I really have t ostart giving him more meat: a great source of iron and zinc. I have never given him cereal (though the sitter has Sad

-- I didn't buy it or ask for him to be given it), and I was told there was no need to.

↑ Mama Bear ↓

Wed, Mar 29 2006, 5:15 pm

my baby eats chicken and veggies for supper. Sweet potato isnt exactly breakfast food. He'll be having cereal for breakfast until he's allowed to have yogurs or eggs . He's 7 months now.

↑ Hashem_Yaazor ↓

Thu, Mar 30 2006, 10:57 am

Mindy wrote:

my baby eats chicken and veggies for supper. Sweet potato isnt exactly breakfast food. He'll be having cereal for breakfast until he's allowed to have yogurs or eggs . He's 7 months now.

What about banana? That's what my son eats for breakfast. (I'm just talking about for Pesach -- so you won't have to feed him who knows what that he might not like!)

BTW, when is yogurt allowed for babies? My pedi told my neighbor to give her 10 month old daughter yogurt to give her more calcium; that it doesn't fit into the category of avoiding cow's milk. If it's really ok under a year, my son will be 9 months by Pesach, and maybe I should give him...Mindy, did your pedi tell you?

queen

Thu, Mar 30 2006, 11:03 am

mommyabc123 wrote:

The benefit of rice cereal or any baby cereal is that it has a lot of iron added to it and it is an easy way of giving your child more iron,

THANK YOU mommyabc- you're reminding me to give baby her iron drops!!! I've totally forgot about them these past few weeks embarrassed

(I know it's not horrible, but none the less...)