https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 26 Apr 2026 16:11:14 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice/page/2#post-2311988 Tue, 06 Oct 2015 16:06:31 +0000 Raindrop 2311988@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We get the oatmeal cereal only because we make rice porridge at home (boiling normal rice with lots of water till it's super soft) to feed him. We are Asian and I grew up on rice porridge as a baby. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice/page/2#post-2311979 Tue, 06 Oct 2015 15:55:11 +0000 daniellemybelle 2311979@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We started with sweet potato puree. I think oatmeal was next. We did feed her rice a little bit at one point. I'm not against it and I think it's overly vilified but there are a lot of other purees that are more nutritious than rice cereal. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice/page/2#post-2311978 Tue, 06 Oct 2015 15:54:35 +0000 SweetiePie 2311978@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Things like this that are so polarizing and no "right or wrong" answer, I honestly just follow my ped's lead. She said we should introduce at 4-5 months (based on his existing "eating" habits, weight, interest in our food, head control, etc) and really said we could do anything in terms of cereal vs fruit vs veggies.<br /> I think cereals are more to get them used to the idea, it's bland, gentle, etc. If I remember correctly we did try oatmeal or a multigrain cereal at first. He didn't care for it. I tried squash the next time and he gobbled it. He was never into oatmeal or cereals but I think that's because he just loves food and flavor and said "gimme the good stuff, mama!" ;-)<br /> You really can't go wrong. When something has so many answers and opinions, I take comfort in knowing I can't really mess it up :-) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice/page/2#post-2311969 Tue, 06 Oct 2015 15:38:03 +0000 littlejoy 2311969@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Pickles: Your plan of oatmeal sounds good! We skipped cereals, since we didn't introduce food until 7 months, and did BLW. BUT, if we had done it, we would have done the oatmeal, as it has nutritional value. </p> <p>If your doctor is supportive, you could also mix veggies with the oatmeal. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice/page/2#post-2311734 Tue, 06 Oct 2015 12:02:19 +0000 ElbieKay 2311734@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We skipped baby cereals. Started with purees at 5mos. And bread. My 5mo would maul an entire piece of multigrain bread while my husband cheered and I nervously hoped he didn't choke.</p> <p>He turned 19mo today, and this morning he asked for bread and butter for breakfast. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice/page/2#post-2311711 Tue, 06 Oct 2015 11:29:11 +0000 Mrs. Pickles 2311711@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks everyone for your insight! </p> <p>With DS 1 we started rice at 4months and he did very well so I'm just seeing what the options will be for DS 2,<br /> I totally agree about arsenic in rice it's so scary that's why i'll probably go the oatmeal route if our ped says ok but I'm interested in starting with veggies first so I'll speak with him about that<br /> DS 2 definitely watches us when we eat and has a lot of interest in what we are doing, he has great head control and likes to sit up with less tongue thrusting going on </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2311036 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 17:48:15 +0000 Mrs.KMM 2311036@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am also going to go against the grain. Our pediatrician was absolutely fine with DD getting puréed food, rice cereal, and/or oatmeal starting at 4 months. Personally, we started with puréed veggies and DD LOVES them and is super interested in eating! We also tried oatmeal for the first time this morning, but she was not nearly as into that. I'll try it a few more times but we may just be on the veggie train. But I definitely did not feel the need to wait until six months. </p> <p>ETA: DD is 89% for weight and averaging 34+ oz of formula a day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2311035 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 17:44:03 +0000 Torchwood 2311035@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We won't do cereals at all, and won't do solids till 6 months. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2311000 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 16:00:42 +0000 kick641 2311000@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ha I guess I'm going against the grain here but our pediatrician said DD was definitely ready for solids at her 4 month appointment and gave us a plan and eating goals she wants us to achieve by six months. She recommended three weeks of cereals, one week of three different kinds starting with rice, and then five weeks of veggies, one new veggie each week. I'm guessing from replies on here that that's a little outdated, but I trust our pediatrician, that's why I picked her. Our baby loves cereal mixed with breastmilk right now. She'd been reaching for our food and utensils for weeks before the appointment so I wasn't surprised. Haven't experienced any constipation yet. I like the idea of BLW and probably won't introduce the veggies as purees. If you have a four month appointment scheduled I would just wait and discuss with your pediatrician then.</p> <p>Edited to add: my daughter is small for her age and her size didn't factor into whether she was ready to eat. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2310997 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 15:54:30 +0000 QBbride 2310997@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Team no rice. It has no nutritional value and their guts are still too immature at 4 months. Is he showing any other signs of readiness? Interested in food, sitting up unassisted etc?</p> <p>I did BLW with #1 and skipped cereal all together. Started with iron rich foods (meat, leafy greens) and other fruits/veggies. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2310989 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 15:39:45 +0000 gingerbebe 2310989@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son had terrible constipation on rice cereal so we switched to oatmeal and he did fine on that, except he didn't actually care for the taste of any powdered baby cereal (the iron fortification is bitter and BLECH). He did like the little Gerber tubs of cereal mixed with fruit purees and happily ate that for breakfast. BLW did not work for us and we needed him to gain weight so we started solids early - between 4-5 months, but only really a few spoonfuls here and there. I think some babies are just metabolically hungrier than others so if you think you baby would enjoy solids, then go for it. No harm in trying. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2310921 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 13:55:52 +0000 Anagram 2310921@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think we tried butternut squash at 5 months, but LO 1 had 0 interest. In fact, she didn't eat solids until closer to 7 months and didn't REALLY get into food until 1 year old.</p> <p>However, we did (and still do!) use oat cereal quite a bit because of the added iron. LO was exclusively on breastmilk till 13 months and her iron was slightly low. Still to this day, when I make her steel cut oatmeal, I mix in some baby oat cereal for the iron (2-3 times a week). I also still make pancakes and breakfast muffins using baby oat cereal, also for the iron.</p> <p>I think with food, you have to look at a baby's readiness rather than their size. They have to sit up independently, their tongue thrust should have lessened, they should be eager to eat. Babies are ready at different ages. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2310917 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 13:52:52 +0000 LuLu Mom 2310917@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>second time around I skipped rice and at just over 6 months we are starting veggies (doing purees and some BLW.) I will eventually do some oatmeal in the mornings mixed with fruit, but need to slowly introduce stuff. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2310906 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 13:44:38 +0000 Mrs. Sunshine 2310906@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We started with fruits and veggies right off the bat, never cereal for both girls. Both started around 5 months. I tried introducing something around 4 months for both of them but they werent ready. It won't hurt to try giving him something other than BM! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2310884 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 13:10:33 +0000 gentlelunette 2310884@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We did oat cereal when babe was 2 weeks shy of 6 months. She loves it! I mix it into fruit purée now to thicken them now that's she's eating a greater variety. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2310863 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 12:38:47 +0000 peachykeen 2310863@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We did oatmeal starting at 6-7 months for the iron, but also quickly added in other iron-rich foods like sweet potato, black beans, etc. We did mostly baby-led weaning, only sending purees to daycare. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2310819 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 11:58:34 +0000 LilSprinkles 2310819@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We never did rice cereal or oatmeal. We started BLW at 6 months, so DS ate whatever we ate. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2310815 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 11:57:18 +0000 blackbird 2310815@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We skipped rice cereal because it has zero nutritional value and can cause constipation. We were advised to go with oatmeal first, if we wanted to introduce solids soon--our ped didn't give us a time minimum, but said to look out for the 3 signs that he's ready and to follow his lead. </p> <p>For the record, T is 4.5 months old and in 9 month clothing, too! He's a very long boy. He's interested and grabby, but is still wobbly in his high chair. He's propped up and sits with us at the table, though, so he can see what's going on :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2310800 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 11:49:27 +0000 Tanjowen 2310800@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I tried iron fortified oatmeal at 5 months. He didn't want anything to do with it so we tried again at 6 months. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2310799 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 11:48:40 +0000 snowjewelz 2310799@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We skipped all rice cereals. Went straight to veggie puree 2 weeks before she turned 6 months. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2310772 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 11:22:08 +0000 KT326 2310772@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our pediatrician told us to skip rice cereal since he was breastfed. It can make breastfed babies super constipated. Instead we went with an iron fortified oatmeal at 5.5 months (recommended by our pediatrician). DS was showing signs of being ready- interested in our food, following the food to our mouth, sitting up on his own, grabbing for our food. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2310771 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 11:21:27 +0000 lisa1783 2310771@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>#teamnorice here also. I feel like it has so little nutritional value - whereas formula and breastmilk are stocked with the good stuff. If your LO seems ready for solids, I'd start with pureed veggies - that way you know they're getting vitamins. But don't base how much formula/breastmilk as an indicator of whether they're ready for food or not. KellyMom has a great article about that. <a href="http://kellymom.com/nutrition/starting-solids/solids-when/" rel="nofollow">http://kellymom.com/nutrition/starting-solids/solids-when/</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2310767 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 11:13:37 +0000 Banana330 2310767@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The dietitian told us that you should add the iron fortified foods (like the cereals) because its hard for infants to eat the iron rich foods (or enough of them) and their iron requirements double around 6 months and they don't get that much iron from breastmilk. </p> <p>That being said we're starting solids next week around 6 months and will likely do a combination of purees and BLW. We'll try the baby cereals (rice, oatmeal, Ancient Grain Blend) as part of that process. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2310744 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 10:55:58 +0000 Jess1483 2310744@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>With DS1, we waited until 6 months and started with vegetables. And then he hated all purees and feeding solids was awful and he started losing weight. I know the problem is unique to DS, but I'm a bit traumatized by it. So with DS2, we're likely to try a bit sooner, and I believe the evidence is starting to point to a bit earlier for allergy prevention. He's 3.5 months and seems pretty interested, so I'll probably give it a bit of a try in the 4-month range, and then if he's not interested, stop and try again in a week, etc, until he shows interest. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2310740 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 10:51:23 +0000 ms.line 2310740@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: lol </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2310739 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 10:51:01 +0000 catomd00 2310739@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't think rice cereal is necessary at all, but I personally don't introduce solids before 6 months (and when baby is showing signs of readiness after that.) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2310738 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 10:50:26 +0000 psw27 2310738@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm also #teamnorice but we did baby led weaning too. LO started with squash at about 6 1/2 months (he was a preemie though so we started a bit later). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2310735 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 10:50:19 +0000 Jess1483 2310735@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I might be crossing a line over to shill for this blog, but I think she does a great job reviewing evidence:</p> <p><a href="http://scienceofmom.com/2014/10/14/the-whole-truth-about-infant-cereals-7-science-based-tips/" rel="nofollow">http://scienceofmom.com/2014/10/14/the-whole-truth-about-infant-cereals-7-science-based-tips/</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2310731 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 10:46:36 +0000 Mamasig 2310731@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I did oatmeal with both boys at 4 months. Worked for us! Honestly, you need to follow your child's lead. If you feel like he's ready, try it. If it doesn't work, wait a bit and try again. There is no wrong way! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/to-rice-or-not-to-rice#post-2310730 Mon, 05 Oct 2015 10:46:00 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2310730@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ms.line: modified my team #TeamNoArsenicRice </p>