How Old Should Your Baby Be Before You Give Them Rice Cereal
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Remember when you registered for that deluxe loftier chair dorsum when you were pregnant? Perhaps it's been sitting in a corner of your kitchen or dining room, just waiting for the moment when your infant is finally fix to start taste-testing solid foods. That moment volition finally be here in one case they hit vi months of age or brandish solid food readiness signs,
Veggies and fruits are popular options to kickstart the solid nutrient train, just rice is also a filling option. Yep, you can feed babies who are half-dozen months of age or older rice. But there are some caveats, which we'll get into soon.
What Is Rice?
This might sound like a silly question at get-go. Equally an developed, yous likely swallow rice in ane form or some other often. Of course you know what it is! Simply let'south interruption it down a little more.
Rice is actually the seed of a blazon of grass called Oryza sativa and in that location are literally thousands of dissimilar types. You have your long-grain, medium-grain, short-grain varieties, plus whole grain or refined rice. It'south a source of cobweb, magnesium, manganese, Vitamins B1 and B6, selenium, and phosphorous. And your baby can reap all of these nutritional benefits once they are ready for the loftier chair.
Is Rice Safe For My Baby?
Rice is prophylactic for babies who are at least six months of age, as long equally it has been pureed to an easy-to-swallow consistency for the child. Tanya Roman, MD, principal of pediatrics at Community Health of South Florida, Inc., recommends starting a baby on rice cereal commencement. This can be liquified with breast milk or formula for piece of cake consumption.
"Some babies may be able to start eating rice cereal earlier; it depends on unlike factors," says Dr. Roman. "That's usually something you would discuss with your pediatrician. But for the most role, 6 to 8 months is when babies start eating solids."
If you're actually itching to get your piddling one on the real stuff, not rice cereal, Dr. Roman says it'southward fine to puree it with formula or breast milk.
"It depends on the babe's historic period," she explains. "At 6 months, they can just consume and then they need things in a pureed consistency. That's why people will use rice cereal instead. Usually, if you've given rice the way you cook it (the way older children or adults eat it), kids need to be a little bit older, so they're able to chew it well so they don't choke."
Benefits of Giving Baby Rice
Admittedly, rice cereal for babies has picayune to no nutritional value. Its benefits are by and large express to the fact that it is easy to digest and often fortified with atomic number 26. However, it is a expert selection for starting to introduce your lilliputian one to new foods and textures, and if you opt to serve pureed rice mixed with breastmilk, then might gain some of the nutritional benefits rice has to offer.
Risks of Giving Infant Rice Likewise Soon
The biggest risk of giving your baby rice besides shortly is that their digestive system may not yet be fix.
"It is recommended to avoid all solid foods before 4 months of age for this reason," says Emily Sylvester, MS, RD, LDN, IBCLC of NurtureTalk. "The beginning several months of feeding is really for learning and experimentation. If a babe is offered textures, such as cooked rice, too shortly, too often, or likewise forcefully, and they are not developmentally set up or are uncomfortable with information technology, this can pb to food aversions."
There is likewise concern about arsenic in rice. For this reason, monitoring how much rice cereal or rice puree your kid eats is prudent.
"Research suggests that there are elevated levels of arsenic and toxic metals in rice that come from the soil," says Sylvester. "However, rice consumed by babies in moderation and in coordination with a variety of new foods is considered safety."
When and How to Introduce Rice
Even though rice isn't 1 of the peak eight food allergies, Sylvester nonetheless recommends introducing information technology just equally you would any other food: spaced apart a few days from any other new food.
"Rice cereal can be offered lonely at commencement and then mixed with other purees and soft foods," she says. "Baby cereals largely do not have much nutritional value every bit a whole only if other high atomic number 26 foods are not yet being offered, rice cereal (and other babe cereals) have added iron in them to ensure babies are meeting their fe needs as they grow."
In the case of rice crackers and wafers marketed for babies, Sylvester says these can be offered as good practice finger foods because they practically melt in their mouths. Yet, these snacks have fiddling to no nutritional value, so they shouldn't exist considered a meal replacement.
What Amount of Rice Should I Requite My Baby?
Dr. Roman says in that location are whatsoever specified standard amounts of rice or rice cereal to give to your kid. This is one reason why she strongly encourages giving your baby a well-counterbalanced diet.
"What'southward recommended is alternating rice with other types of grains, like barley, oats, and other multigrain products forth with vegetables and fruits," she advises.
A Word From Verywell
If your baby is six months of age or older, get excited because you can start to share your love of rice with them. Start with either rice cereal or rice pureed with formula or breast milk to a smooth consistency. Brand sure to get in office of a well-balanced diet of other grains, as well equally fruits and vegetables.
It'south besides important to introduce new foods separately, spacing them out a few days between 1 another. This volition help you lot identify any potential food allergies. If you have any concerns about when, how, or what to start feeding your babe rice, have a chat with their pediatrician for guidance. Every child is unlike and their healthcare provider tin all-time speak to their nutritional needs.
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How Old Should Your Baby Be Before You Give Them Rice Cereal
Source: https://www.verywellfamily.com/can-my-baby-eat-rice-5216069