I would like to thank you for the case of hives my daughter got after eating your “single grain” infant oatmeal. You see, I assumed that “single grain” meant that there would be no other grains in it. Silly me, what an ass I’ve made of myself with that assumption! Because your single grain oatmeal contains wheat, something which I’ve found out is a top allergen and shouldn’t be given to babies until much later, preferably around 8-9 months old or older. Yet your box stated that the oatmeal was appropriate for children as young as 4 months old! I won’t even get started on how I feel about that, since the AAP (and many other health organizations) recommends feeding breastmilk or formula exclusively until 6 months of age.
Oh yes, I was drawn in by your fancy packaging, the “Easy to OPEN/POUR/CLOSE/STORE” spout. It looked a lot better than the boxes I’d bought with my other children that inevitably spilled mess everywhere. I was a little concerned that the packaging for all of your “single grain” cereals was pretty much identical, but figured I was a smart girl and could remember to double check the place where the type of cereal was written in small letters. Unfortunately I’m not the only person in this house who prepares meals and feeds the baby, because my husband nearly fed her the oatmeal again after we discovered the allergy. Luckily I have a very good friend who also has a baby and she was happy to take it off my hands so we wouldn’t make that mistake.
I ended up calling Gerber, trying to find out if their “single-grain” cereals truly were a single grain. The good news? YES! I was able to buy infant oatmeal without any wheat in it. I’ve now fed it to my baby several times with no bad reactions, no terrifying cases of hives all over my baby’s head, neck, and chest, and no digestive difficulties. Imagine that! Additionally, all of their cereal boxes are color coded and the name of the cereal is written in large letters across the front so it would be hard to mix them up in case one of them was unsafe for her.
Let’s just say I’ve learned a lot from this experience and for that I am grateful. I just wish it hadn’t come at the expense of my 6 month old daughter. For that reason, you will never receive another penny from me. I’m sticking to Gerber from now on.
