How to Introduce Cereals in Your Baby’s Diet?

You must start feeding your baby solid foods when he is around 4-7 months old. Usually, the pediatricians suggest feeding your baby with rice cereal meant for the infants. This option is preferred as this cereal type is thin and can be digested easily by the babies. Below we have discussed the steps of introducing cereals to your baby’s diet:

Step 1:

Visit the office of the child’s pediatrician before including solids in your child’s diet. The doctor will tell you whether it is the right time of feeding you baby with cereals. The signs that reveal that the baby is ready for eating solids include: ability of holding the head up, decreased tongue-thrust reflexes and showing interest in the food you eat. A baby, who does not show up these symptoms, is not ready to eat cereals or any other solid food.

Step 2:

Introduce cereals to your baby’s diet at a time when your baby is a good mood. The baby must find the experience of eating solids a happy one. If the baby loves to drink from a bottle or is addicted to breast milk, offer him those as soon as he finishes eating cereals. This will attract him more towards the cereals.

Step 3:

How you prepare the cereal plays a big role in the way the baby will react to it. Take infant cereal in small amount and add generous amount of baby formula or breast milk to it. The thin paste thus prepared will be a healthy option for the baby.

Step 4:

While feeding the baby, you must usea small spoon meant for the infants. Take small amount of the cereal mix and bring the spoon in front of the baby’s mouth. Wait and watch how the baby reacts to it. There are some, who will instantly open their mouth; some on the other hand will not show any interest to the food offered by you. If you see that your baby is not interested to taste the cereal, don’t force him to eat it; you should try to feed him with cereals again after a gap of 3 to 4 days or a week.

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