The process of adding rice grains to baby food or breast milk is a common transitional step that parents will have to go through if they want to introduce complementary foods into their baby's diet. Typically, babies can start eating rice cereal infant formula between 4 and 6 months of age, although these numbers may vary depending on the advice of a pediatrician or doctor. Continue reading to find out how to add rice cereal to your baby's formula or breast milk.
Steps
Step 1. Check with your baby's pediatrician or doctor before starting to feed your baby food with rice cereal to make sure your baby's body is strong enough to handle solid foods
- In some cases, the infant's intestinal tract is underdeveloped or the baby cannot show that he is full, leading to potential overfeeding.
- Some babies have difficulty swallowing solid food, which can cause choking.
Step 2. Make a Rice Flake Infant Formula
- Add 1 tablespoon (14.78 ml) of rice flakes for every 4 (59.14 ml) or 5 tablespoons (73.93 ml) of formula or breast milk. For example, if you are giving your child 8 tablespoons (118. 29 ml) of the mixture, add 2 tablespoons (29. 57 ml) of rice flakes.
- Stir the mixture with a spoon until it looks like diluted milk or a soup-like consistency.
- If you purchased rice flakes that already contain the mixture, prepare the cereals as directed on the package. In some cases, you may only need to add water.
Step 3. Use a bowl and spoon to serve and feed your child with rice cereal and infant formula
- Take half a spoonful of the cereal mixture and hold it almost 12 inches (30.48 cm) from the baby's face while grabbing attention.
- Start feeding your baby with small amounts of cereals, or apply small swabs of cereals on the baby's lips until the food becomes more familiar and he starts to open his mouth.
- Your child may occasionally spit out some oatmeal with their tongue, this is a natural reflex.
- If the baby is fidgeting with the meal, you can start feeding with small amounts of pure formula or breast milk before adding the cereal mixture.
Step 4. Look for allergy symptoms after feeding your baby the rice cereal mixture
- If your child is allergic to formula, you may experience coughing, vomiting or diarrhea, irritation, or a rash.
- Introduce new cereals every 4 or 5 days to determine specific food allergens.
- If you think your child is suffering from allergies, do not feed him grains and consult your doctor right away.