Which baby rice cereal brand

[firsttimer08]

I want to start ds on rice cereal as he enters his 5th month. Are all of them the same or is there any difference?

I was debating between HIPP and Organix.

Thanks

Ugh don't bother, it's vile. Better suited for putting up wallpaper

Give your baby real food if you really want to start on food (avoiding gluten, salt and sugar of course). And remember there are far more nutrients in milk (breast or formula) than a carrot or baby rice!

tiktok - ok, you were right, it was quite easy to find, but only once I knew the names of the researchers involved! Many thanks for that.
But I was looking for the 'sound immunological reasons', and I can't find them in Kramer & Kakuma's paper. There's a reduced risk of gastrointestinal infections (is this more to do with the way formula or other foods are prepared?)but "No reduced risks of other infections or of allergic diseases have been demonstrated."
Reading the research has reassured me, actually, because it's allergic diseases that I'm most concerned about.

minkersmum there are many countries that are still doing BLW today (although they wouldn't call it that) having never started to wean so early it became impossible to allow a baby to self feed. CMOT has parenting manuals going back a long time and those from only 100 years ago describe BLW. I'd love to see old parenting manuals either uploaded onto the Internet or republished so that we can see how things have changed. People post about BLW because they don't know that the OP knows that rice isn't necessary and they're telling them that there are options. I've never seen anyone say that puree feeding is wrong, unnecessary maybe but not wrong. We've been doing it for 60(?) years, it can hardly be called wrong.

fluffyanimal for a breastfed baby there is no such thing as a familiar taste as the milk tastes of what the mother eats so if the baby is weaned on the same foods the family eat it's already getting familiar tastes.

The 'sound immunological reasons' show up in the reduced incidence of gastro infection, Jacwc - not sure what else you're looking for.

I don't know why the issue of allergies keeps being put forward as a reason for exlc bf to 6 mths - the research on this is very thin indeed, mainly because sufficiently large studies of truly excl bf (rather than predominantly bf) have not been done.

I didn't wait untill a magical 6 months I waited untill they seemed ready.

DD1 was much later. Probably about 6.5/7 months when she started weaning properly. My mum tried her on babyrice when she was about four months, because it said on the packet that it was allowed and dd1 screamed the shouse down. Which according to my mum is a normal reaction, untill they get used to it . We waited after that, untill she was actually ready.

She had purees for quite a while and bland stuff like baby rice, because she had v little interest in most foods.

Dd2 started showing an interest in food at about 5.5 months. DH insisted that she be started on baby rice because MIL told him that was what you are meant to do. She grabbed the spoon out of our hands and shoved it her own mouth. She polished off two bowls of baby rice.

After about two weeks we had no choice to BLW as she wouldn't allow us to feed her. She had to do it herself.

Follow babies cues. A baby ready to wean will be able to sit upright relatively unaided, will have lost the tongue thrust and will have the motor skills to assist in feeding. Watching you eat is not a sign, she just thinks you are interesting, nor is waking at night. It could just be a growth spurt.

If you think baby is ready try a taste of baby rice, if you want and if she rejects it leave it a bit. Though I do agree with others. Baby rice is not neccessary. A bit of mashed banana, or even whole if you wait untill closer to 6 months, is cheaper and just as good.

Tiktok - To me, reduced gastrointestinal infections doesn't necessarily mean there's an improved immunity, which is what I would regard as 'sound immunological reasons'. While a reduced infection rate could be because of improved immunity, it could also be because of reduced exposure to pathogens. So maybe those babies who were exclusively breastfed did not consume food which may have borne pathogens and that's why they didn't get the infections, whereas those who mixed fed or took solids may have been exposed to the pathogens in their food or on feeding utensils. Am I wrong?

Jacwac, I understand your point. But it simply does not fit with what we already know about breastfeeding and immunity. Of course part of the reason why bf babies do not get as many infections as ff babies is reduced exposure...common sense. But gastro pathogens can be airborne, and picked up via contact with other people, and we know that bf specifically protects against them (because we know there are both broad spectrum antibodies and specific antibodies in breastmilk). This doesn't stop being the case at 4 mths.

here you go - a "few" to start off with lol (doing phd in this area)

References

Chantry, C., Howard, C. & Auinger, P. (2006) ?Full breastfeeding duration and associated decrease in respiratory tract infection in US children? Pediatrics 117, 425 - 432

Cohen, R., Rivera, L., Canahuati, J., Brown, K. & Dewey, K. (1995) ?Delaying the introduction of complementary food until six months does not affect appetite or mothers report of food acceptance of breast fed infants from six to twelve months in a low incoe, Honduran population? J Nutr 125, 2782 - 92

Dewey, K., Cohen, R., Landa Rivera, L. & Brown, K. (1998) ?Effects of age of introduction of complementary foods on iron status of breastfed infants in Honduras? Am J Clin Nutr 67, 878 - 84

Dewey, K., Cohen, R., Brown, K. & Landa Rivera, L. (1999) ?Age of introduction of complementary foods and growth of term, low birth weight breast fed infants: a randomised intervention study in Honduras? Am J Clin Nutr 69, 679 - 86

Dewey, K., Cohen, R., Brown, K. & Landa Rivera, L. (2001) ?Effects of exclusive breastfeeding for four versus six months on maternal nutritional status and infant motor development: results of two randomised trials in Honduras? The Journal of Nutrition 131m 262 - 267

Dewey, K., Peerson, J., Brown, K. (1995) ?Growth of breastfed infants deviates from current reference data: a pooled analysis of US, Canadian and European data sets. World Health Organisation Working Group on Infant Growth.? Paediatrics 96, 495 ? 503

Fergusson, D., Horwood., L. & Shannon, F. (1990) ?Early solid feeding and recurrent childhood eczema: a 10 year longitudinal study? Paediatrics 86, 541 - 546

Fewtrell, M., Lucas, A., & Morgan, J. (2003) ?Factors associated with weaning in full term and preterm infants? Arch Dis Child 88, 296 ? 301

Fleisher, K., Weaver, L., Branca F. et al ?Feeding and nutrition of infants and young children. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Publications, European Series, No 87.

Ford, R., Schluter, P., & Mitchell, E. (1995) ?Factors associated with the age of introduction of solids into the diet of New Zealand infants. New Zealand Cot Death Study Group.? J Paediatr Child Health 31, 469 - 72

Heinig, M., Nommsen, L., Peerson, J., Lonnerdal, B. & Dewey, K. (1993) ?Intake and growth of breast fed and formula fed infants in relation to the timing of introduction of complementary foods: The DARLING Study? Acta Pardiatr 82, 999 - 1006

Khadivzadeh, T. & Parsai, S. (2004) ?Effect of exclusive breastfeeding and complementary feeding on infant growth and morbidity? East Mediterr Health J 10, 289 - 94

Kramer, M. & Kakuma, R. (2004) ?The optimal duration of exclusive breastfeeding: a systematic review? Adv Exp Med Biol 554, 63 - 77

Kramer, M., Guo, T., Platt, R., Sevkovskaya, Z., Dzikovich, I., Collet, J., Shapiro, S., Chalmers, B., Hodnett, E., Vanilovich, I., Mezen, I., Ducruet, T., Shishko, G. & Bogdanovich, N. (2003) ?Infant growth and health outcomes associated with 3 compared with 6 mo of exclusive breastfeeding? Am J Clin Nutr 78, 291 - 5

Morgan, J., Lucas, A., & Fewtrell, M. (2004) ?Does weaning influence growth and health up to 18 months?? Arch Dis Child 89, 728 - 733

Naylor, A. & Morrow, A. (2001) ?Developmental readiness of normal full term nfants to progress from exclusive to breastfeeding to the introduction of complementary foods? Linkages/Wellstart International 2001

Northstone, K., Emmett, P., Nethersole, F. & ALSPAC Team, Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (2001) ?The effect of age of introduction to lumpy solids on foods eaten and reported feeding difficulties at 6 and 15 months? Hum Nutr Diet 14, 43 - 54

Onayade, A., Abiona, T., Abayomi, I. & Makanjuola, R. (2004) ?The first six month growth and illness of exclusively and non exclusively breast fed infants in Nigeria? East Afr Med J. 81, 146 - 53

Savage, S., Reilly, J., Edwards, C. & Durnin, J. (1998) ?Weaning practice in the Glasgow Longitudinal infant growth study? Arch Dis Child 79, 153 ? 156

Tarini, B., Carroll, A., Sox, C. & Christakis, D. (2006) ?Systematic review of the relationship between early introduction of solid foods to infants and the development of allergic disease? Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 160, 552 - 554

WHO/UNICEF (1998) Complementary feeding of young children in developing countries: a review of current scientific knowledge. Geneva: World Health Organisation, WHO/NUT/98.1

Wright, C., Parkinson, K. & Drewett, R. (2004) ?Why are babies weaned early? Data from a prospective population based cohort study? Arch Dis Child 89, 813 - 816

badly written a long time ago whilst up hourly feeding a 12 week old lol (and not finished by any means but hopefully understandable)

In 2003 the World Health Organisation published a new set of guidelines for the complementary feeding of the breastfed child, changing its recommendations for the introduction of any complementary foods until at least six months of age with the guideline to ?Practice exclusive breastfeeding from birth to 6 months of age and introduce complementary foods at 6 months of age (180 days) while continuing to breastfeed?.

This recommendation followed a detailed and comprehensive review of the effects of exclusive breastfeeding until four or six months upon the infant. Conducted by Kramer & Kakuma (2004), the results showed that whilst no deficit appeared to occur either in weight or length by exclusively breastfeeding until six months a significant reduction in risk of gastrointestinal tract infection was found. This finding thus prompted the World Health Organisation to recommend exclusive breastfeeding until six months.

Some questioned these guidelines suggesting that the infant would become deficient in certain vitamins and minerals, namely iron and zinc that breast milk alone could not provide. However, for the majority of healthy infants born full term with a well nourished mother breast milk alone should supply all the nutrients they need for the first six months (Fleisher, Weaver, Branca et al, 2000). Studies have shown that as long as mothers did not become deficient during pregnancy, iron stores in the infant are usually adequate for the first six months (Dewey, Cohen, Landa Rivera & Brown, 1998). Similarly the infant also appears to have sufficient stores of zinc for the first six months (Brown, Peerson, Rovera & Allen, 2002)

Others suggested that those infants delayed solids would become fussier and more difficult to feed. However Cohen, Rivera, Canahuati, Brown & Dewey (1995) compared breastfed infants who had been introduced to complimentary foods at either four or six months acceptance of foods at nine to twelve months. No difference in acceptance, amount or frequency of consumption of foods was seen between the two groups across the food groups of dairy, meats, eggs, grains, beans, fruits, vegetables and tubers)

Waiting until six months to introduce complementary foods has been shown to have additional benefits for the infant. Firstly, the infant is more developmentally ready for solid foods at six months (Naylor & Morrow, 2001). Infants are not developmentally ready for solids before approximately four months in two main areas. Firstly, they have poor head control which can place them in a poor position for swallowing and at risk of choking. Secondly they do not have the ability to manipulate food in their mouths until this age ? moving it around and chewing. Infants are born with a tongue reflex which naturally pushes food out of the mouth to prevent choking. This disappears at around three to four months meaning that before this time food is likely to be pushed or ?spat? out (Bentley, Aubrey & Bentley, 2004).

Waiting until past four months to wean the infant also ensures that their digestive system is more capable of dealing with foods that could cause potential allergies. Before this age the gut wall is designed naturally to accept ideally breast milk and is very porous, in order to allow antibodies easily into the infants system. However, this same system will accept if given, foodstuffs and toxins through more readily, which could cause potential illness. After approximately three to four months the gut wall matures however and is less porous to potential allergens and toxins. (Walker, 2001). Additionally, it is not until four to six months that the infant can produce certain enzymes to successfully aid food digestion (Naylor, 2001).

Other studies have also revealed additional possible health benefits in waiting until six months to introduce complementary foods.

Pneumonia (Chantry, Howard & Auinger, 2006)

Otitis Media (Chantry et al, 2006)

Khadivzadeh & Parsai (2004) compared breast fed infants who were either exclusively fed until six months or introduced to solids before this period. Between the ages of four and six months those infants who were exclusively breastfed had lower levels of diarrhoea and respiratory infections.

Gastrointestinal infection Kramer, Guo, Platt, Sevkovskaya, Dzikovich, Collett, Shapiro, Chalmers, Hodnett, Mezen, Ducruet, Shisko & Bogdanovich (2003)

Kalies, Heinrich, Borte, Schaaf, Von Berg von Kries, Wichmann, Bolte & LISA Study Group (2005) A lower risk of overweight at two years of age was seen in children exclusively breast fed for six months compared to four months

One study has also suggested a motor development benefit to extending exclusive breastfeeding until six months. Dewey, Cohen, Brown & Rivera (2001) randomly assigned infants who had been exclusively breast fed until four months to one of two categories ? continued exclusive breast feeding or introduction of solids in addition to breast milk. Those infants in the exclusive breast feeding group crawled sooner and were more likely to be walking by twelve months

Mine won't eat baby rice by itself anyway - it tastes of cardboard try mixing it with fruit?

My my! Many thanks, Tiktok and Peppapig, you certainly get what you ask for on mumsnet!

Lol Jacwac - most people learn just not to ask around me . Glad I could be of some use to someone - doubt anyone but my exminers will actually read my thesis (and probably not even them properly lol)

xxxx