My son is six weeks old and cries all the time, particularly at night. My mother-in-law says that I should put rice cereal in his bottle before bed and that this will make him sleep better. My pediatrician says it's best not to start solid food for some time, and advises against putting rice cereal in his bottle. My mother-in-law says this is crazy. She says that this is the way my husband was raised and he turned out fine. What do you recommend?

If you’re like most parents, you probably have a lot of questions about what you should be feeding your baby, especially if you’re new to this parenting business. Parents of the previous generation have a wealth of experience to offer us. They have been through this stage of life before, and have seen many things that worked and many that didn't. Their input is valuable and worth considering carefully. Still, their input is typically from one or two generations of history.

Parents of the previous generation have a wealth of experience to offer us. They have been through this stage of life before, and have seen many things that worked and many that didn't. Their input is valuable and worth considering carefully. Still, their input is typically from one or two generations of history. Since the time they were raising their children, many new facts have come to light. Listening carefully to the wisdom and insights of the previous generation and weighing them against the latest findings of science will often lead you to the best course of action.

Throughout most of human history and in most cultures, children were exclusively breast fed at least for the first year of life and often even longer than that. During the previous generation or two, when bottle feeding became very popular, solid foods were introduced at quite an early age. When babies were as young as a few weeks old, processed rice cereal was put into the bottle with formula. Most children were able to tolerate this rather well. A number of children did not tolerate this well, because their sucking and swallowing actions were not yet fully coordinated. As a result, many infants aspirated the rice cereal into their lungs which led to pulmonary problems.

Drawing on the wisdom of many, many generations, experience, and the latest scientific knowledge, The Academy of Pediatrics recommends that solid foods be introduced, no earlier than four months of age. Typically, if a child is at least 4 months, weighs at least thirteen pounds and has good head control, solid foods can be started.

Four months old isn't the magical date to start solid foods, it is fine to start later than that. At about this age the caloric needs of a baby increase. At this age most babies need 24 to 32 ounces of breast milk (which is impossible to measure, but babies do an excellent job getting just the right amount) or formula, plus as much solid food as they want. The best way to tell the right timing to start solid food is when your son seems to be asking for it. He is not likely to say, "Mom can I please have solid foods?" It is more likely that when you are eating he will look at you as if to say, "How come you aren't giving me some of what you are having?" This communication will likely be in the form of fussiness when you are eating. This is a good time to begin solid foods, or you can begin anytime you want using the guidelines stated above.

The Academy of Pediatrics recommends starting with rice cereal. We do not recommend putting it in a bottle, but feeding it to a baby from a spoon. Rice cereal can be purchased in jars, as a dry mix, or you can prepare your own by cooking rice without salt or seasoning and pureeing it in a food processor or blender.