Ask (the other) Dr. Laura > 6 month old baby refuses cereals 

We began to give my daughter solid foods beginning at the 6th months. at the beginning my baby girl had cereals, vegetables and yoghurt, fruits but then she refuses to have especially yoghurt and cereals with milk. She still have fruit and vegetables.
October 20, 2007 | Unregistered Commenterasli koksal

Dear Asli,
You don't say what else your baby is eating but I assume that breastmilk or formula is still the major part of her diet, as is recommended by all pediatricians for a six month old. Solid food is really just an "extra" for babies this age.

I am a psychologist, not a pediatrician, and I advise you to check with your doctor. However, I can give you this advice, as a knowledgeable mom!

There is no reason that cereal needs to be the first or main solid that your daughter has. We like to give kids rice cereal as a first food because it has iron in it, and because rice allergies are rare. But since commercial cereals have all the bran and germ stripped out (so they will last for years on supermarket shelves) they are not all that great for babies nutritionally anyway.

Many doctors now recommend that vegetables and fruits are terrific first choices for babies. Avocados, for instance, are rich in beneficial oils and nutrients. Sweet potatoes are loaded with vitamin A and taste great. Most babies love bananas, which are rich in potassium.

Often, babies prefer sweet fruits to vegetables. To avoid this, I gave my babies vegetables first, rather than fruits. Once they develop a taste for sweet potatoes, carrots, avocado, peas, etc, you can introduce fruits.

As for yoghurt, there is no reason a six month old needs it since formula and breast milk have plenty of calcium. Once you introduce it at eight months, if your baby finds it too tart, you can mix it with peaches or another fruit your child likes.

Oh, and that cereal? You can always mix it with fruit!

The most important thing, which I assume you know, is that you need to introduce all new foods carefully to watch for food allergies. How?

1.Introduce new foods one at a time.

2. Follow the "four day wait" rule when introducing your baby to new solid foods. When you introduce a new food over the course of several days, you are better able to determine exactly how your baby is reacting to that food.

3. Introduce new foods during the morning or early afternoon, so that you can observe any negative reactions and easily reach your doctor if necessary.

Good luck!
Dr. Laura

October 21, 2007 | Registered CommenterLaura Markham, Ph.D.