Mom to Mom

[Villagesbabe]

Toss The Rice Creal article in a local FL magazine: 

A common first food for babies, rice cereal may actually cause more harm than it's worth. Many parents introduce their infants to solid food starting with rice cereal.  There's a growing amount of evidence, however, that points to a connection between harm to children's immune systems and neurodevelopment and inorganic arsenic found on rice.  Arcenic is a carcinogen and can influence the risk of immune and cardiovascular  diseases and has also been associated with severe infection in infants who had high concentration levels.  Pediatricians recommend getting rid of rice cereal completely.  It has little nutritional benefit and too many risks for your child's health.  Instead, good first foods for babies are pureed friut and vegetables, oatmeal, and salmon.  Meat is a better source of iron and zinc than rice cereal, so it's best to hold off on giving your child rice for the first several years.  

I find this very interesting as I'm sure I fed rice cereal and probably rice to my own boys when they were infants. Wish I had known then! 

[wvumountiefan]

I fed my son rice cereal when he was an infant. That is an interesting article. Thank goodness my son is okay. It's amazing what new baby food and even gadgets they have in the store these days. 

[tedEbear]

  I fed my babies and grandbabies the oatmeal.  The rice was just yucky.  I still have the oatmeal. I will have it as a comfort food. It is the only oatmeal I like.  Gkids still will have it, just because, when they come over. 12, 10 and 4, I'll have a bowl along with them.--------tedEbear

[ROMARY]

'Could be' that the rice cereal of yester-year was more natural, and didn't contain arsenic.  You know, our foods of today really aren't that 'natural',  more or less, and allegedly.  They'll probably come out with an arsenic-free rice cereal if and when they hear this news. 

[Nuttmeg]

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@Villagesbabe wrote:

Toss The Rice Creal article in a local FL magazine: 

A common first food for babies, rice cereal may actually cause more harm than it's worth. Many parents introduce their infants to solid food starting with rice cereal.  There's a growing amount of evidence, however, that points to a connection between harm to children's immune systems and neurodevelopment and inorganic arsenic found on rice.  Arcenic is a carcinogen and can influence the risk of immune and cardiovascular  diseases and has also been associated with severe infection in infants who had high concentration levels.  Pediatricians recommend getting rid of rice cereal completely.  It has little nutritional benefit and too many risks for your child's health.  Instead, good first foods for babies are pureed friut and vegetables, oatmeal, and salmon.  Meat is a better source of iron and zinc than rice cereal, so it's best to hold off on giving your child rice for the first several years.  

I find this very interesting as I'm sure I fed rice cereal and probably rice to my own boys when they were infants. Wish I had known then! 

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It would be best to ask your child's doctor about any food changes. I would not trust a strangers advice about something so important.

[chrystaltree]

 Whatever.  In 10 years, they'll probably do another about face.  My babies are both having  babies now, it will be interesting to see what their pediatricians advise.

[Mominohio]

Things change every generation with child rearing, some of it for the better, and much of it recanted later anyway.

It seems one needs a degree in early childhood development to raise kids today! 

This is good to know, that there is at least some discussion and new ideas with this. Something so outside my current life and I wouldn't have known but for this post, so thanks!