Baby rice?

[beckiebee04]

My little one is just over 3 months now, when would you introduce baby rice? The packets say 4 months plus but I'm unsure:-/

Pretty sure I was told 17 weeks is absolute earliest.. But someone who knows better will come along.

Is there a reason you want to? Milk is the most calorific thing the baby can have - baby rice and the like are just not as filling.Plus it tastes yack!

I never used baby rice because so many people said their babies wouldn't touch it. Didn't want to end up having to throw away a full packet.
If you follow the nhs advice about when to wean it's a bit unnecessary - they should be able to eat food that isn't like wallpaper paste

Don't go by the "advice" on the packets, they are trying to persuade you to buy it...

You should never wean before 17 weeks as their digestive system just isn't ready, and NHS advice is to wait till around 6 months (26 weeks). It is soo much easier to wean at 26 weeks as you can give all kinds of food, and your baby is much more likely to be able to sit up well and have finger food (or even to do full on baby lead weaning if that interests you).

Our HV and the under 1s group advised never! They suggeated real food at 6months just as we were eating (so perhaps real rice alongside veg and protein).

*baby led weaning

www.analyticalarmadillo.co.uk/2011/12/nine-good-reasons-not-to-use-baby-rice.html
Baby rice (especially at 4m) is a bit of an out-dated idea these days. You have lots if time to look into the subject, so maybe read the baby lead weaning book and a basic one from annabel karmel & chat with friends about what worked for them for the next couple of months then see what works for yout LO when they seem ready

Oops I did it too! Baby LED

We were given baby rice to try at a post natal mums group. It tasted like wallpaper paste! Honestly, I wouldn't bother offering it.

Never.

Sticking my head over the parapet here. My ds loved it. Gave him a small portion (recommended on packet) at 4 months and he lapped it up. He was a big baby and a good sleeper at that age and then increasingly woke up hungry. By 5 months I had to push his head out of the bowl to feed him, he would have dunked it right into the baby rice try it but as usual if they don't like it, give up. I also later used fruit puréed, Farley biscuits Etc to introduce flavours. Good luck!

Baby rice on its own is pretty grim, but a useful thickener to purees if you've got a bit enthusiastic with the pureeing or freezing then thawing has turned them runny

But three months is too soon anyway to worry about it - mine were younger than 6 months by about 2 months but the advice now is to wait until then

AFAIK most (all?) manufacturers in the UK say that baby rice is safe from 4 months. The NHS advise waiting until 6 months now, and although a lot of people choose to start earlier (the NHS used to say 4-6 months), I think it's a safe compromise to at least wait until 4 months if you're going to use it.
I have heard mixed things about it, I have heard some mums say their babies loved it and even that it helped them sleep for longer periods (I have heard others say this totally didn't work for them though!). However, what PP have told you about it being very inferior nutritionally to breast milk or formula is true - it's mostly empty carbs.