When Can Babies Eat Cheerios? All You Need To Know

Has your baby started craving solid foods? Are you wondering when the right time to feed her Cheerios is? Well, it is good to know when babies can eat cheerios since cereals contain a lot of nutrients that are good for the baby.

Usually when babies are ready to graduate from breast milk to other new foods, the first solid foods that are easy to try out are cereals.

Therefore the first thing you can do as a parent is to ensure that your baby is ready for solid foods.

How can I Tell if She is Ready?

Your baby should be able to grasp small objects on her own. Ensure that she can sit upright on her own too. This is because chocking is possible in babies that cannot sit upright on their own.

She should also be able to chew on her own. You will know if she is ready to chew if she starts making chewing motions. Since Cheerios are usually soft, your baby doesn’t need to have grown teeth to be able to chew. She can do this with her gums.

Other signs of readiness to look out for

Pediatricians recommend that children below the age of six months should never be given any solid food at all. This is because they are not able to chew on their own. Their digestive systems are also not yet ready to digest solid food hence any intake of solid food may lead to constipation.

Now that she is ready, how do I get started?

When getting started, you can give your baby little cheerios and then breast milk. This is because she needs to get used to solid foods first before you can start feeding on them full time.

Before you start the feeding, ensure that you sit her upright on her baby chair. You can also sit her on your laps.

You can soak the cheerios in milk to soften them so she could chew them with her gums easily. It is recommended to mix the cheerios with breast milk. Use a baby spoon to feed her.

Feeding should be done at her own pace hence you have to ensure that you face her while feeding her to see how she responds. Don’t get worried if she causes a mess with her food. She would want to touch or play with her food.

Care must also be taken not to overfeed your baby. You must observe her closely for signs that she has had enough, signs such as turning away from the spoon or pushing away the spoon while you are trying to feed her.

Importance of cheerios to a baby’s nutritional requirements

Cereals come loaded with iron. Since babies experience rapid growth, breast milk alone is not enough to supply all the required nutrients and minerals for proper growth. Research shows that 1/3 of breastfed babies are likely to be iron deficient. Therefore, cereal foods like cheerios will help fortify your baby’s iron levels.

Lack of iron will lead to delayed body developments and cognitive deficits that will be permanent.

Cheerios also contain other minerals like zinc that will boost your baby’s immune system and help to synthesize DNA.

Cheerios will also be a source of fiber and vitamins to your baby.

There are about 12 different cheerios flavors to choose from. It is important that you check the ingredients list of cheerio flavor to make sure that your baby is not allergic to any of the ingredients.

Conclude

In recap, as your baby grows, her nutritional requirements will grow with her. Babies grow at different rates hence there is no fixed age when a baby will be ready for some cheerios.

At first, she will start by eating a few ounces a day, but with time she will eat a little more, maybe at least three cheerios meals a day. With time you will also choose to upgrade to other solid foods like fruits.

Therefore it will be important to look at the signs that will show that she is ready. Usually, most babies will be ready to try out some solid foods by the time they hit eight months.