Alternative to 'Rice Cereal'?

[Michimum]

G'Day,

my precious buba is nearly four months and I plan on starting solids around six months. She is breastfed only and I am wondering if there is a more nutritious alternative to Rice Cereal for her first few meals? I just wonder about her going from being nourished wih all the things breastmilk offers to filling up on rice. Some other things I have considered are porrige and Amaranth cereal. I just wanted to see if this would suit my little ones tum or if there is a specific reason why rice cereal is recommended??

Also, is there any reason that I couldn't use expressed breastmilk to make up these foods?

Thanks for any advice.:D :D

[dormouse]

You can definitely use breast milk to mix with rice cereal. It keeps the taste familiar to baby & they are more likely to accept it. It is actually recommended

[Shazbutt]

I think they recommend rice cereal as its pretty plain, and not full of potentially allergen causing ingredients? Don't quote me on that though....:o

I would definitely recommend mixing it with your breastmilk too, i did it with formula (as DD's were bottlefed), and i've noticed that if you do it with water it goes really gluggy and sticky, looks much nicer with milk added instead (if thats possible:D ).

Good luck!:)

[Rell]

rice cereal is recomended because babies tend to be less alergic to rice than wheat, oats, corn etc.
Deffenatly mix the rice cerial up with BM if breast feeding or formula if bottle feeding.
As for the nutritional side of things your bub will still be getting most of its nutiants from BM in those early days.

[wattle]

Ds hated rice cereal so we went straight to mashed avocado mixed with breast milk. Worked a treat........ execpt for the green poos :eek:

[jembelina]

I know what yopu mean about the rice cereal. You can mix it with breast milk, but I have heard taht it doesn't mix all that well (i just used water-yummo:rolleyes: ). There is an organic baby porridge you can get that should be fine from 6 months - it's called Bellamy's and it you can get it from coles just with all the other baby foods. although the rice cereal is recommended as it is so plain, bub got bored of it really quickly and I didn't like the idea of using it to mix with other foods (just me) so the porrige was a great substitute. There is also no reason you cant start with stewed apple or pear. golden delicious apples are good to start with as they area bit blander than others when cooked.

Have fun experimenting!!!

[reAllytee]

Bubs will still be getting everything it needs from your bm its not like you start solids & stop bf all their nutrition comes from that & the rice cereal will just be their first start into the solids world of feeding & its just experimenting for those first few months anyways.
As a few others have said rice cereal is used due to it having less of a chance of causing an allergy so just mix it with your bm & if all goes fine after a few weeks add some pureed pear or even apple to mix into it just to add a little more flavour.
Good Luck :)

[Goosie22]

You could use Oats, it is a 'supper food'. Both my children wouldn't have a bar of rice ceral and just went strainght onto Porridge and then later Weetbix both mixed with breastmilk of course;)

[Michimum]

Thanks everyone for their advice. I am looking foward to experimenting with different foods...and the 'green poos':D

This was my first post and I have enjoyed and learnt a lot from these forums,

thanks again.

[Mum2Lucas]

I read an article a few weeks ago (dont remember where) that said that it doesnt matter whether you give your baby rice cereal as their first food. I started DS on fruit at 8 weeks and hes been fine actually he loves it.you could try mashing up some avocado or banana with some breastmilk and giving that to your daughter. good luck

[jacks mum]

my chn recommends starting on pumpkin then adding potato then various other vegies - spaced out of course. She says this because she prefers to keep it natural, ie: no preservatives. They do also sell organic rice cereal in health food shops. Just another idea for you