How much baby cereal?
Almost all pieces of literature say NEVER to mix cereal into the bottle, unless it’s recommended by doctors to do so (sometimes done for very young babies with acid reflux)… you need to read on this topic before doing these things. Children need to learn to eat to the point of being full, then stop eating. When they are “drinking” their cereal instead of eating it, they will simply keep drinking and drinking until the bottle is done. VERY bad habit, and will contribute to a toddler/adult who never knows when to stop eating. If you are determined to give her cereal so young (many parents start closer to 6 months nowadays), make about a teaspoon of cereal separately and give it to her after (or in the middle of) a feeding….when she gets used to it, you can increase the quantity til she is having a few tablespoons.
I make my son’s rice cereal with a half a table spoon of cereal mix and two tablespoons of liquid {water or formula} take the formula out of her bottle so you aren’t over feeding her. {I found that making the amount from the directions on the side of the Gerber box was too much for him so I just cut it in half.}So make the bottle and then use a measuring spoon to put the right amount. Now he gets half a table spoon of rice cereal mix 1 tablespoon of water and one table spoon of fruit all mixed together – a culinary delight!
I was against giving my baby rice cereal until 6 mos, but ended up trying it because first of all I couldn’t get him to stop spitting up ALL the time and needed him to sleep in his crib on his back instead of in his swing because he was getting too big. Secondly, he would just stare at us when we ate. I tried first w/ spoon at 4 mos. and he did extremely well, he didn’t spit it back at me. You really want to water it down (or formula/breast milk it down). I do both with the spoon and bottle. When he’s too tired to eat from the spoon I give in the bottle. My Dr. said I can give up to 1 tsp per oz. I usually give a little less than that. I would suggest asking your Dr. first because everyone will give a different answer. It’s really a personal choice on what to feed and not feed your baby. Go with your instincts on this one. There is no definite answer, for every baby is different.
