But as I read about introducing food and talked to friends, I started to develop a little worry. They all say the baby will cue you, showing an interest in your foods, perhaps watching intently as you put the fork in your mouth or reaching out for your plate. Our son is very cute with his bottle, starting to reach out for it and even mouthing the bottle cap as I take him upstairs for his final feeding. But he couldn't care less about our foods.
Still, we broke out the high chair and bought plastic bibs and spoons. And it has been… a disaster. Little man looks like he's eating prison gruel, screwing up his face even though it's mixed to dilution with the same formula he loves. By the fifth bite, he's turning his head and showing tears.
What to do?
Much of what I read noted that at first, babies may ignore or wear most of their cereal. But there does seem to be a line. As Dr. Greene, a holistic pediatrician with a popular website, Dr.Greene.com, advises, "If baby gets upset or doesn't seem interested, go back to bottle feeding or nursing exclusively for a week or two, and then try again. There's certainly no rush before at least six months old."
If baby still doesn't like rice cereal, some parenting websites, like SheKnows.com, suggest trying barley or oat-based cereal.
Or you can talk to your pediatrician about cutting the cereal altogether. The most winning aspect of cereal is its iron fortification. But babies can get iron from meats, beans and tofu, much of which they can have in pureed form around six months. And in that form, babies may be less likely to experience an unpleasant side effect of the iron-fortified cereals - constipation.
So back to the bottle we go, hoping in a few weeks we'll be ready for applesauce, bananas and carrots!
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