the cereal question

Oh me oh my.  

So I have actually had more than a few people the last few days mention that we should consider starting Abby on cereal to help her gain weight.  It seems logical, right? Cereal being thicker than milk alone and all.  Most of the time, when I'm passing teachers in the hall or the conversation keeps running - I don't have time to really talk about it.  So, that's what blogs are for, right?  A chance to talk. 

So, here are a few reasons Kyle and I are holding off on starting cereal for Abby just yet.  

Some of the requirements for eating "solids" - cereal included are things she hasn't met yet.  For one, she can't yet sit up on her own, she's still pretty wobbly.  She hasn't yet shown interest in food, she can't yet make the chewing motion needed.  Another reason it is recommended to wait to start foods is so that the baby's digestive tract can fully develop.  Especially since Abby is still so small, there's a chance that her tract hasn't matured enough to adequately digest solid food...at least not without some discomfort. 

One teacher at school suggested that we start putting rice cereal in her bottle - to "thicken it up"  She is a very nice lady with good intentions.  But, rice cereal does not have near the nutrients that milk does.  By putting rice cereal in the milk - you are just replacing the milk and actually decreasing the number of calories and nutrients that she gets.  

Really, the thought that rice cereal helps babies gain weight is somewhat of a myth.  Rice cereal is not introduced for caloric benefit but just to teach the baby how to eat.  It gives them practice chewing, swallowing, eating off of a spoon etc.  When we do start cereal - it will in no way replace any of the milk Abby gets, but it will be more like an "exercise" in eating.  

Another thing I learned recently is that the longer a baby is fed only breastmilk, then the less likely they are to develop food allergies later.  Now, neither Kyle or I have any food allergies - but it's just another reason we're not in a hurry. 

As far as Abby's weight goes, the pediatrician thinks she is underweight because she is not eating enough - not because what she's eating isn't working. So our plan is to feed her every 2 hours whether she seems hungry or not.  Also, after she nurses, I will pump and feed her what ever is left right away.  I think Kyle and I both feel pretty confident that increased feedings will be enough to get her to gain weight.  Like I said earlier- she is otherwise a perfectly happy and healthy little girl.  Obviously, we'll follow our ped's advice and expertise in this area, but she seems to think that Abby will be fine on milk if we just give her more of it. 

Oh, and I'd also like to say that I have many many friends who have started their babies on cereal who are around Abby's age.  I am a big believer that everybody should do what they think is best for their baby and I just want to be clear that I think that people who start cereal early are just fine.  If it works for them, great!  Maybe if Abby were bigger or a little stronger or showing any signs of being interested then I'd be doing it too.  But for now, We are hoping to wait as long as we can before starting her on cereal or solids. 

I know a lot of the people who read this blog are mothers, so feel free to share your experiences - they are different for everyone.  Here is one of many links I found to be helpful.

Kellymom - First Foods