How Long Should I Feed My Baby Gerber Cereal for Babies?

When your baby is about 4 to 6 months old, your pediatrician will tell you to start giving your baby cereal. Working cereals, such as Gerber cereal for babies, into your baby's diet can be a frustrating experience. One common question parents have is when to stop feeding Gerber cereal to their babies.

Prior to Cereal

When your baby is born, he starts drinking formula or breastmilk immediately. From that point on, every meal he has comes from the breast or the bottle. After about 4 months of drinking exclusively, he should be ready for solid foods, the first of which is cereal.

Benefits of Gerber Cereal

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While your baby's main source of nutrition during her first year is breastmilk or formula, she can still benefit a great deal from eating cereal. Gerber cereals are fortified with iron and are made with gentle grains, which are easy for her to digest. The minerals she gets from Gerber cereal make it an important part of her diet.

Introducing Gerber Cereal

Once you get the green light from your pediatrician, purchase some Gerber rice cereal. You can introduce the cereal by putting a little bit into some breastmilk or formula, creating a runny mixture. He's likely to reject the cereal at first, but as he comes to enjoy it, you can start giving him varieties like barley and oatmeal, gradually making the mixture thicker. Once he's used to cereal, you can also start giving him pureed fruits and vegetables.

Introducing Table Foods

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After your baby has been eating Gerber cereal and pureed foods for about 4 months, your baby is ready for the next step, which is table foods. From now on, your baby will begin to eat the same foods you eat, albeit in smaller and less seasoned forms. This will help teach her how to chew and handle larger pieces of foods, even if she doesn't have any teeth yet.

When to Stop

Shortly after you start giving your baby table foods, you'll notice that he's getting comfortable with chewing food. When you feel confident that he can handle real cereal, try giving him some Cheerios. If he can handle the Cheerios without problem, you don't have to give him cereal anymore. However, if you notice that he's not eating the Cheerios or any other table foods you may give him, feel free to give him some cereal to make sure his nutritional needs are met.