Pedi told us to start rice cereal?!

dmathis10

DS turned 4 mos old Dec 14. We saw a new doctor at a new practice on Monday for his wellness visit. The doctor told me that I need to start DS on rice cereal by the time he is 5 mos old because he needs the iron it it. He explained that a baby's iron levels start to drop around 4 months. I looked at him funny and asked if I HAVE to start cereal that early and whether or not I could do oatmeal instead. He said I could wait a few weeks but should start by 5 mos and should do cereal first. This doesn't fall in line with what most people on here have to say. I've only had to research a little, and I'm finding info about negative affects on children under 6 mos who get too much iron. I'm also finding info that says the trend of skipping rice cereal should be ignored. I'm not sure what to do. What are your reasons for starting/not starting anything before 6 mos and giving/not giving rice cereal at all?

Edit: DS is exclusively breastfed