To feed cereal, or not to feed cereal...

There is something about the event of feeding a child cereal that seems to create a discussion no matter who one is talking to. After becoming a mother, I have found that the opinions of those mothers more experienced than myself can be extremely helpful when overcoming an obstacle your child puts before you. However, never did I realize that the majority of discussions would lead to the question, "Have you started feeding him cereal yet?" Realizing this topic has been debated for years by doctors and parents, and will probably continue to be for many years to come, I found it easiest to answer simply, "No, not yet." Thinking this answer would be sufficient enough for most, I would somehow be caught off guard when many would respond with, "You should really think about starting him on cereal." This advice I have heard from week two of Jacob's life.
I realize thoughts and opinions on whether to feed an infant cereal or not have changed numerous times throughout the years. Today, doctors strongly urge you to avoid feeding cereal until at least four months of age. Most prefer you to wait even longer if you can. I asked Jacob's doctor about feeding him cereal and I was comforted with her response. She explained that we, as adults, get in a hurry to feed babies food. It seems like that's what they should be doing, right...eating like we do. However, most don't need to. She agreed that too many people automatically think a fussy baby is hungry and that something is wrong if their baby is not sleeping through the night. Some babies need a little extra food earlier because milk or formula just doesn't give them enough. I told her I didn't think Jacob seemed hungry. He is satisfied after he eats. She reassured me that I was not depriving my son by waiting to feed him cereal, which was what I was starting to wonder.
Last week, we did decide to start introducing cereal to Jacob. We figured if we wanted this kid to be able to eat baby food around six months of age, we'd better start working on him now since he takes so long to adapt to new things. Jacob went for two or three days having to be fed every 2 - 2 1/2 hours instead of his usual 3 - 4 hours. We decided this would be a good time to introduce cereal. Come to find out, there's never a good time to introduce new things to Jacob. What do you think Jacob did the first two days? That's right....screamed, screamed, and screamed! He clinched his mouth after the first two bits and arched his back trying to get away from the spoon. We were persistent though, as we've found we have to be, and Jacob has eaten two entire servings (1 Tablespoon each) of cereal. He has to sit in my lap while he's eating, but none the less, he's eating it.
As with most issues that come up with a newborn or infant, there are so many different point of views and everybody seems to have had a different experience with their children. I have to give this topic some credit. It kept nine women busy talking during an entire coffee hour at church one Sunday. Everybody shared and laughed about their experiences with cereal with me and in the end, we came to the conclusion that whether Jacob eats cereal now or not until he's six or seven months old, he'll be just fine. You can guarantee, though, that every new mother from now until eternity will hear that same question just as I did and the discussion will continue.