How to Feed Cereal to an Infant
Starting solid foods with your baby is a major milestone. Feeding your baby that first spoonful of cereal is a sign that your infant is growing up. Solid foods can be started anywhere between four and six months of age, depending on your pediatrician's recommendation (some babies are simply not ready for solid foods as early as others). The idea is to introduce your baby to solid foods while still maintaining as much formula or breast milk as you had been giving him previously.
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Instructions
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Prepare your baby for solids when you start to see signs of readiness, which include good head control, loss of the tongue-thrust reflex and increasing appetite. Most babies can start solids between four and six months of age.
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Select a rice cereal for your baby's first cereal feeding. Talk with your pediatrician for a recommendation if you're unsure what to choose.
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Start your baby's first cereal feeding when your baby is hungry but not starving. Trying to feed your baby cereal when she is too hungry can lead to a frustrated baby who doesn't want to try something new. Try nursing for a few minutes or giving your baby a couple of ounces of formula before you try the cereal to take the edge off her hunger.
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Mix one to two tablespoons of cereal with enough formula or breast milk to make it thin but not watery.
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Give your baby a small amount of cereal on a spoon. For the first taste of cereal, you may find it easier to wash your hands and then give the baby a little bit of cereal on your finger first to let her taste it before introducing the spoon.
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Allow your baby three to four days with the cereal before introducing any new foods to allow your baby time to adjust to the flavor and to rule out any allergies. Only introduce new foods when your pediatrician says that it's OK. It's typically best to start with pureed soft fruits and vegetables after your baby adjusts to the cereal.
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