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Cereal about 4-6 months when starting solids. I asked about juice to help introduce a sippy cup at the 6month appointment and my pedi said up to 1 cup of water a day, no juice.
The AAP guidelines are now 6 months for anything other than breastmilk or formula. It used to be 4-6 months but was changed to 6+ months. My pediatrician said it has to do with the development of the stomach and that breastmilk (or formula, we just happen to be bfing) is the most complete source of nutrition and they don't need anything else at that age.
We started purees a few days before 6 months. Actually we did cereal for the first week, then went to purees. We started with a few spoonfuls gradually increasing to a 2.5 ounce jar after about 3-4 weeks and now at 7.5 months he eats a 4 ounce jar at lunch (or similar amount of ground up/pureed table food) and two 4 ounce jars at dinner.
We are not giving DS juice at all. DH and I disagree a bit, but I'm not letting him have juice. It's a lesser form of nutrition and if he needs more liquid, he can have a bottle of breastmilk or water in a sippy. I don't plan to start juice at all until he's 3-4 and then it will only be at breakfast. DS doesn't need the extra calories from a lesser nutritional source. Obviously if he has weight gain/digestive/medical issues in the future that could change, but he's in the 90% for height and weight and eats like a champ, so he just doesn't need it.
I've actually cut out juice from my diet because I don't like drinking calories. I'd rather eat a piece of fruit than drink juice.
Also whole grain rice cereal, brown rice cereal or another single grain cereal (like oatmeal) are healthier options to your typical fortified white rice cereal. We went with oatmeal cereal and DS liked it.
ETA: I found some info aout cereal here at the WhiteOut campaign. I think they take it a it too far, and talked with my pediatrician about what cereal to use since I trust him, but there are some facts in there and they make a good point. If I eat multigrain or whole wheat bread instead of white bread for health benefits, why would I give my child white rice? I don't even eat white rice myself, I choose brown rice when I have a choice.
I don't have kids yet, but I have been doing some reading.
It seems an increasing number of pediatricias now are recommending skipping the cereal/juice and starting with vegetable purees or meat purees as the first solid foods (mixed with breastmilk if need to be thinned). Cereal and juice are just essentially sugar in the body.
Edit to add: I didn't mention the age to start, not that I have any experience with that anyway, but I agree with the others, I have read breastmilk/formula only until around 6 months. 2-3 months sounds REALLY early.
@abbyful: It seems an increasing number of pediatricias now are recommending skipping the cereal/juice and starting with vegetable purees or meat purees as the first solid foods (mixed with breastmilk if need to be thinned). Cereal and juice are just essentially sugar in the body.
Exactly!
We used cereal for the first week because DH insisted (he felt DS needed to start with something bland and it was what DH started out eating) and it wasn't worth an argument, but I didn't think it was necessary. DS liked it well enough, but he hasn't had much at all since that first week, maybe 2-3 servings.
That seems really young and isn't in line with what the AAP recommends. I go to the big office of pediatricians and all of the have said wait till 6 months if you're breastfeeding. The last time I asked the ped said it won't hurt them but it's not the same nutrional value so it's one feeding that they're getting less good stuff. Juice I don't really plan to give her for awhile. She's 5-1/2 months and tastes fruit and has a few bites sometimes but I think juice would just fill her up without necessarily being good brain food right now
My pediatrician said that signs to look for that our baby was ready to begin solids was: 1) no longer tongue thrusting, 2) can sit up with minimal assistance, 3) was reaching for our food. He said this would be close to 6 months. I do think it also depends on what type of weaning program you want to follow. We are doing some montessori methods with our son and I know they recommend giving the baby a small tase of fruit juice on a spoon starting at about 10 weeks. If you want to do baby led weaning you probably need to wait until 6 months. I was EBF until a few months after I went back to work and I wasn't able to pump enough during my only pumping session a day and we started him on formula. He's had a lot of problems with constipation and our ped recommended giving him a little prune or apple juice to help with that. We give him about an oz a day.
Mine recommended starting really early, too (3 months). That, combined with some other issues, was one of the big reasons we ended up switching our daughter to our family practitioner at 6 months instead of continuing with the pedi.
There is a girl on my FB feeding her baby cereal and whole jars of squash at 3 months which I think is way too early. I started on cereal, just a tiny bit around 5.5 months then introduced veggies and fruit one at a time over the course of the next 2 months. I introduced water in the sippy cup about 6 months but no juice until probably close to her 1st bday. This was a combination of my pedi's guidelines and my own research, what I felt was right for my baby.
Thank you all for helping to reassure me that I'm not crazy. I also agree with many of you on the juice thing. When I did give my older daughter juice, which was not regularly, I always did it half and half with water so it was super diluted. More and more I am thinking that I will need to switch pediatricians to feel comfortable.
It sounds like different doctors have different opinions, personally I would skip juice and go right to veggie purees but I would consider homemade blended oatmeal mixed with breast milk.
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At what age did your baby's pediatrician recommend giving them cereal and juice? When I took my daughter to the Dr. the last time he handed me a sheet (as we were leaving) that said you can start rice cereal at 2-3 months and juice at 3-4 months. He did not address this information in our visit and I only read the informational sheet when I got home. I was a little dismayed at this, as I think this is way too early, but I would like the experiences of the other bees. My older daughter went to a different pediatrician as a baby and I started her on rice cereal at apx. 5 months and didnt give her any juice till she was maybe 9 months old. I looked on the rice cereal box in the grocery store and it said it was recommended for babies that can sit with minimal assistance- which my 3 month old certainly cannot (don't think many 2-3 month olds can). I am choosing to ignore his guidelines and am considering changing pediatricians (several other things have rubbed me the wrong way). But I really wanted to know what you other bees thought.