8 month old refuses cereal & oatmeal

[Anonymous]

Is this ok ? He is not ready for bigger foods, ie, toast, cubed food etc...only has 2 teeth but he just wants MORE pureed fruits or veges. We are currently on Gerber #2 foods, he LOVES sweet potatoes and bananas...if i give him this for dinner with a few puffs is this enough ? he seems ok with it but is there a downside to no cereal ???

[Anonymous]

The cereal and oatmeal are just a bland way to test their readiness for other "solids." I don't think there is any nutritional value to them so I don't think he is missing out.

[Anonymous]

There is a very real value to them- babies need tons of iron and they are fortified. If your baby drinks formula you are okay, but if breastfed and not eating cereals then make sure you are doing a supplement. And by the way, teeth have NOTHING to do with readiness for food. They don't chew with teeth, they use their back gums for mashing and they are very effective. Both of my kids ate everything (even chopped up steak, whatever) long before they had much in the way of teeth.

[Anonymous]

cereal is all about FIBER

they do need it.

if your baby eats something else he/she will be ok.

[Anonymous]

My DD Was on bits by then. They don't need teeth to grind soft foods. Have you tried? Just asking. My DD had no interest in purees by then.

[Anonymous]

Have you tried mixing the fruit/veg with some cereal? That's what we always did (about 2 Tbs cereal per jar of stage 2). At 8 months, DS was not on much other than cereal, purees, and O's. Our ped told us that cereal should be the cornerstone of his solid diet, due to the iron/vitamin fortification. I exclusively BF, though, so if you're using formula, which is also fortified, the need for cereal might not be as great.

[Anonymous]

Have you tried regular oatmeal or other hot cereals? I am not at that point yet but a friend of mine makes regular oatmeal and raisins and puts it though a food mill and her daughter loves it. Or maybe cream of wheat with some pureed fruit mixed in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The cereal and oatmeal are just a bland way to test their readiness for other "solids." I don't think there is any nutritional value to them so I don't think he is missing out.

Yep. Both of mine refused the oatmeal and rice no matter how often/different times I introduced it.

So, I moved on and offered up both fresh (over ripe bananas, cheerios cut in half, etc.) and jarred food.

[Anonymous]

If he eats other fortified foods with iron and fiber (formula & fruit), then I wouldn't particularly worry about the cereals.

But, I would use them as thickener and mix them in with other things. Maybe buy or make some fresh cereals yourself, which have more flavor and which he might like better. Mixing is a good way to get them in there without making it something he despises.

[Anonymous]

It's bland - no wonder so many babies don't like it. It's not necessary, and you can supplement the iron with drops - ask your pediatrician if they think that it is necessary.

[Anonymous]

Your child is not even a year yet, so the nutritional value is a mute point. He should be getting all his needs met from breast milk or formula. Everything else just helps to get him accustomed to different flavors and textures. After 12-months cereal is a good source of iron. I feed it to my son every day for breakfast mixed with pureed bananas. He just turned 13-months old. I really had to work hard to increase the quantity from just a few bites at a time to finally a full serving (4 TBS). He used to reject it regularly. I think you're doing GREAT if your son is readily eating a range of purees. Keep at it, since the more variety you can get him to eat now, the easier it will be to transition him off milk as his primary food source. Just don't force it if he doesn't like something. Back off for a while and try again later. IMO of course.