Feeding Baby Cereal - When is it the Right Time?

If you are like most parents, feeding baby cereal at the appropriate time can seem a bit confusing to you. You want to do what is right, but there are a lot of mixed suggestions on this. What is a parent to do? Do you go by your instinct, your baby's appetite or by what the peditrician recommends? How can a parent tell when their baby is ready for cereal? Lets explore some signs that might indicate that your baby is ready.

One of the most obvious signs that your baby might be ready for cereal is if there is an increased hunger in them. If your baby is over 4 months old and seems to want to eat more than usually, then they might just be telling you something. Talk about this with the pediatrician and see if maybe it is time to start your baby on cereal. Try to hold off if you can until your baby is at least 6 months old, but if he or she seems ready at 4 months and the pediatrician says it is okay, then by all means go for it.

Feeding baby cereal is dependent on your baby's tongue control. Babies have what is called extrusion reflex. This is basically an instinctive tongue motion where the baby actually pushes out foreign substances from their mouth with their tongue. This reflex does go away in time, usually after the baby's third or fourth month. Once this reflex has disappeared, it might be time to introduce cereal to your baby's diet.

If your baby can sit or has good control of his or her head, then they should be able to handle eating cereal.

Although this is not a reliable sign of readiness for cereal, but if your baby seems to wake up more often during the night, he or she might be telling you that they need a bigger diet. Waking up during the night can be due to a number of things. It could also mean that your baby is ready for cereal.

Remember, feeding baby cereal is dependant on your baby. Each baby is different and just because your friend's baby started eating cereal at the age of 4 months, does not mean that yours will be ready at this age. Your baby might not be ready until he or she is 6 months. Just watch for the most common signs and always consult with the pedatrician first before starting your baby on solid foods.