Pears or Rice cereal?? Which one first?

[Cari]

Hi,

My DD is 1 week shy of 6 months and I think she is ready for solids.  In Tracy's book, she recommends starting with pears because they are easier to digest and the baby cereals basically taste like paste (Nasty!  I couldn't agree more)  But all the doctors recommend starting with rice cereal.  I am a little concerned with her getting constipated with the rice cereal.........any thoughts??  Anyone mix the two to start?

[GabrielleD]

My pediatrician told me to start with rice cereal since it's the least allergenic food. That way, as you add new foods after that you can easily see if your baby has a reaction to any of it. I wouldn't mix the two, since if she does have a reaction you won't know if it's to the rice cereal or the pears.

[aisling]

Hi BaileysMom,

I followed Tracy's and other reliable sources advice and not my peds!  I started with the pears.  I peeled them, baked them and pureed them and froze them, easy peasy.  I felt that pears have enzymes that are all natural and digest and waste better than prepared rice cereals. My DS was just shy of 6 months when I started and was/is BF'ed.  I should note though, that he was also and still is above in height and weight for his age.  He has always been a great eater (well now he has a quirky toddler appetite!  ) and loved his milk, so I think that made the decision for me too, as I really didn't want to "bulk" him up with cereal, I felt.  I then moved on to sweet potatoes.  I also prepared them myself. DH and I are not fans of prepared foods, so I didn't feel comfortable offering my baby, jars or boxed foods.  I don't want to sound like a foodie snob and I am not looking down on anyone who chooses otherwise and I am no saint!  I love the odd can of soup, fishfingers, hamburgers from fastfood places and tinned beans etc... I always keep a jar of organic fruit puree in the cupboard for in a pinch as well for DS.  Sorry don't know why I feel inclined to be defensive at the moment....   Anywhooo...after sweet  potatoes, I bought organic brown rice and pulverised it myself in the blender and made my own "cereal" which was more like a porridge and very healthy and not constipating at all.  I should note, that cooking is a hobby for me, so that makes life easier I suppose.  2 books that were so helpful were:  Annabel Karmel and Superbaby Food Diet.  I also used the one website, I can't remember I think, wholesomebabyfood.com

HTH! 

Aisling x
ps.  I should also mention that we have zero food allergies in either of our families, so this also made things easier for us in our decison.

[binxyboo]

This site is a great resource about nutrition http://askdrsears.com/html/3/T030100.asp

[Samuel's mum]

I did start with rice cereal though with breastmilk it starts to digest with the enzymes and goes super runny so I didn't do it for long. Sam definitely preferred pears. They do mix together well.

[mich0902]

From what I've read, if your baby is BFed and around 6 months old, it makes absolutely no difference whatsoever.  Starting with fruit, vegetables or cereals is only up to you!

[daybyday]

I was told exactly what PP said (from ped, and health nurse)...Once LO is 6 months, it's your choice...Just introduce one thing at a time, so that if there is a reaction, you know what it's from!

[Pacified]

My ped advised me to not start with fruit as baby will get a sweet tooth from the start and may refuse veggies.... any truth to that?

[Freya'sMum]

My ped advised me to not start with fruit as baby will get a sweet tooth from the start and may refuse veggies.... any truth to that?

Not that I noticed! My girls both started on pears and will eat (literally) anything you give them!

Ax

[daybyday]

didn't notice anything...both my kids I bounced all over, fruit, veggies, cereals....My DS is a FABULOUS eater and my DD is coming along!

[aisling]

Not to mention, milk, especially breast is sweeter than nectar!  That is an old wives tale and guess what doc/ped, all kids and Mums too, love sweets!

Aisling x

[macdee]

I started my lo w/ rice cereal as it was probably the easiest to digest and very similar to milk anyway. I used formula to mix the cereal so that she'd be ok w/ the initial taste. She was 2wks shy of 6mths when I started... Then because I couldn't find any pears in the supermarket, I went onto apples next. But it is your choice on what you want to start w/, I don't think it makes a difference... In my case, I found it easier w/ rice cereal so that whenever I introduced something new and she didn't warm to it, I could always fall back on the rice cereal. I'm slowly introducing her now to veggies and other fruits.

[Samuel's mum]

Sam had a lot of pears and sweet fruits early on. Broccoli is now pretty much his favourite food. I think the sweet fruit thing is a bit of a myth - carrots, squash and sweet potato are also early foods which are very sweet. As someone else said milk is very very sweet so they are all ruined anyway if the advice was true.

[Aly Mac]

I also thought that the rice cereal is fortified with iron, and that babies need more iron at 6months (don't know which book I read this in....there have been so many...) Does anyone know if this istrue?

[Samuel's mum]

Rice cereal is fortified with iron as you say. Breastfed babies are born with enough iron to last them for a minimum of 6 months. The 6 months thing is often cited as some baby's own iron reserves from birth run out from 6 months but for some these stores last up until 12 months. Breast milk contains less iron than other baby milks but crucially it is very 'bio available' and easy to absorb so ends up being an excellent additional source. Babies on formula receive iron there too.
Babies receive iron stores from their mother in the last trimester of pregnancy so premature babies who have missed out will probably need additional sources of iron from 6 months for sure. Babies who were born light (less than 6 pounds or so) will also need iron in their diet from 6 months as it seems they receive less stores too.
So around 6 months is a good time to start other sources or iron to be extra safe but studies have shown babies delaying as long as 7-9 months have been fine.  Some parents who wish to delay solids for health reasons have blood tests for their babies to check on iron stores. Babies as old as 12 months with only breastmilk as a source have been shown to show no signs of anemia. However I'm not saying 'let's all wait 12 months' - these babies had a family history which suggested a longer delay before solids or health problems themselves. Sometime around 6 months is a good starting point but of course cereal is not the only source of iron.
Sweet potato and squash are also good natural sources of iron. Also prunes, spinach, brown rice, dried fruits, meats.
For iron absorption to be most efficient it is good to combine it with sources of vitamin c.

So after all that waffling 
I'd say if you're baby was light or premature you may want to pay particular attention to sources of iron from 6 months. But even that doesn't mean cereal for sure. Most babies who begin solids will be firmly established on a diet containing iron sources by the time it's an issue.