Cereal in baby's bottles?

[charliesmommy]

Do/did you put cereal in your baby's bottles?
If so why?
If not why?
If so do/did you add cereal for every feeding? If not which feedings?

I'm very curious about this because my friends frown upon it and my mother, aunts and babysitter swear by it. Charlie gets cereal in his bedtime bottle. I was not going to do it but he had a bad case of the runs and the nurse told me to give him more rice cereal and said I could put it in his bottle (which I knew because that debate was already on). I did it for about a week to help him feel better and when I tried to stop I noticed that he didn't enjoy his bedtime bottle as much. So I stopped giving him cereal at dinner and put it in his bottle.

[kaiya23]

When I first introduced cereal (about 4 months) I did put it in her bottles. I only added cereal at times that would eventually become "meals"...breakfast, lunch and dinner. For us, her "breakfast" bottle was at 6 am, a non-cereal bottle at 9, "lunch" at 12, non-cereal at 3 and "dinner" at 6, a non-cereal at 9 pm before bed. I only put in a large teaspoon into a 4-6 oz. bottle. I did NOT alter the nipple. We used the Playtex DropIns and the Fast nipples allowed the cereal to get through. We did this mostly on the weekends, as the daycare can't allow cereal in the bottles due to choking according to the state regs. We put it in her dinner bottles during the week. I only did that for 2-4 weeks and then I started giving it to her out of a bowl. But I did limit it to her mealtime bottles, and the transition to adding solids was a breeze.

[luckymama2]

I never did it. It is a choking hazard and not recommended. Most people agree now days that cereal is better fed to baby with a spoon then in their bottles. But they did do it before which is why your mom and aunts say it. I heard it too and I just let them know that things have changed and that I am happy giving it to my baby on a spoon like recommended now days. Its the same with any debate like the tummy or back sleeping positions.......things change......luckily my family doesn't really "preach" methods at me and seem confident I know what I am doing which I appreciate the support as I've heard some horror stories on mothers and other family on these parenting boards!

[charliesmommy]

That's interesting. I've never heard it was a choking hazard. Charlie does just fine on it. My mother was told by her pediatrician to put cereal in my brother's bottle at 3 weeks old. That was in 1965 and he had no weight problems or anything like that.

Just to be fair, no one in my family or my sitter were pushing me to do it. And I feed him his breakfast cereal with a spoon. It's just his bedtime bottle that he seems to prefere cereal in. Not to mention, he has reflux and the cereal helps him keep the bottle down for the night. Prior to doing this he would wake up about an hour after putting him down and throw up all over us and then go right back to sleep. Putting cereal in his bottle has stopped that completely.

[ra11en]

Nope, never once put cereal in her bottle. My pediatrician recommended against it. We waited until exactly 6mo before introducing ANY food other than formula, and our pediatrician told me it would give her mixed signals by giving her food out of a bottle while introducing solids. So, cereal was only out of a bowl. My family and in laws also swore by it, and pushed heavily to give her some very young due to colic. I stood firm and waited until 6 mo. It turned out great; she's a great eater and quite the chunky little thing. :)

We didn't give cereal at every feeding. At first, it was just one solid meal a day - first meal and it was either rice cereal or infant oatmeal. After a week of that, we started introducing other veggies at lunch time while still giving her oatmeal in the morning. She was off the rice cereal within the first couple of weeks - stuff is so tasteless and she really didn't like it. We stuck with the infant oatmeal for a long time though - once we introduced fruits I would mush up fresh peaches or bananas and mix it into her breakfast. She is a really really good eater - she at least tries everything we put in front of her, and only dislikes a handful of things.

I think you do whatever works for you and your baby, regardless of what the status quo is. :)

[charliesmommy]

I don't understand what your doctor said about putting cereal in her bottle giving her mixed signals. How does a baby know that the extra thickness in her bottle is food?
Please don't take this the wrong way but why are you happy that you have a baby who is 'quite chunky'? My fear putting cereal in his bottle was that he was going to gain too much weight. He is in the 50th percentile for everything. His gastro doctor said his weight is perfect. Please, this is not coming from a bad place. I am truly courious about this.

I agree!!! Whatever works for you is what you should do. :D
Again, I was courious about how other mom's felt about this. I was not looking for advice.

[luckymama2]

I guess I never did it bc I was just scared of the choking hazard precautions so just steered away from it. And both my babies did fine in their high chairs and after awhile got the hang of the spoon...it was just a fun new experience for us too! And I don't think your baby will get too chunky/fat if you give him the right amount and not overfeed him.....let him guide you....if he's had enough he'll let you know and vice versa. Even with the spoon my son will push it away if he is done and I just take that cue to stop feeding time.......on the opposite if he wants more he'll kick and make sounds at me (yell at me) if I am done but he's still hungry. Unless you have reflux issues or your pediatrician recommends it I would just stick to putting it in a bowl with a spoon. Its much safer and a fun milestone all in one. You can give him some cereal in the morning and some in the evening. And some babies are just chunky....I don't see it as bad...it is baby fat...and all babies have those cheeks....my Isabel was a little chunky (she was born 8lbs!) and she never ate more than other babies it was just the way she was...now she is 3 and super skinny....she burned it all off the minute she started walking then running. And my son is 10th percent in weight but eats EVERYTHING and A LOT!!! LOL. So, they all have their own body types and they change frequently as they grow and develop. :)

[luckymama2]

Found this on the WIC webpage (just a thought) ....maybe do some other research and talk to your doctor before making the final decision:

Why shouldn't cereal be put in your baby's bottle?

It is an old wives' tale that putting cereal in the bottle will help your baby sleep better at night. Babies should not go more than 4-6 hours without being fed because their stomachs are so small.

Around 4-6 months, your baby will be ready to eat cereal from a spoon. This is a very important learning step for your baby. Putting cereal in a bottle may prevent your baby from learning this new skill.

Cereal in the bottle can increase the risk of choking because you have to increase the size of the hole in the nipple to allow the cereal through. If too much comes through the nipple, your baby could choke.

Putting cereal in the bottle may cause you to overfeed your baby.


**In the end, do whats best for you and your baby. For me we had no medical reasons to do it ever and honestly I never even considered it as an option.**

[MamaT]

I started my son on cereal at a month old. and yes it was in his bottle. this is because he wasnt getting full. I couldnt figure out why until one night i went to bed at 10 pm.. and didnt get up until 8 am.. and when i pumped i only made four ounces of milk. i wasnt producing enough to get him full. sooooo i talked to my doctor and she said formula feeding was fine, at least i had tried it and i did my best. I followed the directions on the formula during the day, but at night he was still cranky and hungry.. so as i made the formula i started putting a little bit of cereal in his bottle at night and he did sleep a bit better as he wasn't going to bed too too hungry. by 2 months old he got it by spoon.This made it easier for me anyway, to introduce him to other foods.

[ra11en]

Yup, love my chunky DD. :) She was born at 6.5 lbs, and is still only in the 25th percentile for weight and height - she is very petite like I am. However, when I say chunky I mean roly poly!! Her belly is like a cantaloupe, and her thighs roll on and on. :) I love it!! She is the picture of health. At 22mo, she still wears 18mo clothes, but even our ped laughs at my DDs chunky little build.

Babies are supposed to be 'chunky'.

Yes, it gives them mixed signals. Don't underestimate how much your little one understands - even in the first few months they would understand that the bottle is different once you put cereal in it. I wanted a very good eater and worked very hard to keep her from being picky. One of the areas I made sure never to backslide was solids go on a spoon / fork, in a high chair at the table, just like we do. There was a lot more I did to ensure she is NOT picky at all, but our ped recommended never to put it in the bottle. It worked for us, very well, but I know other moms that did put it in bottles and that worked for them. Due to her allergies, I couldn't introduce any food before 6 mo, so we toughed out her early months of waking every few hours. No big deal to me, she was sleeping 12 hrs by 8 weeks.

[Jordyn]

My Pediatrician and WIC both told me no. They said the whole reason for the cereal is to start them on eating solid foods, with a spoon. They also mentioned the choking hazard. My uncle who is an OBGYN said the same thing.

So I never have. I also don't want to ruin my bottles.

I have relatives that do it and I just don't say anything. if you want to that's fine I've just heard more against it than for it.

As for how much they should get of course it's up to you to judge, but I usually feed him a bit of cereal in the morning (mixed with his formula) with a spoon and then give him a 5 once bottle. How much he drinks from the bottle varies from day to day.

During the day I feed him his bottle when he's hungry.

Then in the evening I feed him a packet of veggies. he hasn't started on the friuts yet. My baby is 5 and a half months.

The thing that they need the most is breastmilk or formula if you don't breast feed. The baby food gives them a bit of nurishment but not as much as breast milk or formula. (WIC told me that)



Cereal is really just for getting them prepard to eat solid food. a mom could just breastfeed for the first year if she wanted to. But I'd at least try the cereal with a spoon so they can learn how to eat like us.

[elfington]

i started adding like 1 formula scoop of rice cereal to my sons bottle when he was almost 2 weeks old because he wasnt getting full off regular formula. the cereal did not thicken enough to need a larger opening and he seemed more satisfied. he was born at 9lbs 5oz and i think he was just a big boy and needed more to eat than what i was giving him. when i introduced the cereal in a thicker form from a spoon he took to it well as he was already familar with the taste of it.

[mommybarker]

I just had my second child may 5 she started rice cereal in her bottle when she was 6 weeks old because of a weight issue. She gets a half of tablespoon for every ounce of water. She wasnt gaining weight like she should have been. At 2 month check up i was told to keep her on it. She is so used to it that one night I tried a bottle w/out cereal and she got choked because she was used to the bottle with cereal. I didint put any cereal in it because i found a tiny worm in her cereal when i poured it out to measure. I was terrified so i waited til in the morning when i could consult my doctor. If u use cereal pour it out completely into an airtight container so that u can check for worms. My first child was also on cereal at three weeks old to help him sleep longer than 10 - 15 minutes at a time.

[pilard]

I had my doubts did my research and this is what I found, to put cereal in the bottle is only advisable if the child has reflux. This link has a very thorough explanation: www.wholesomebabyfood.com/tipcerealinbottle.htm
It is serious and quotes each study or doctor that was researched about this topic.

[mommybarker]

My little one was diagnosed with acid reflux we had to stay overnight at pediatrics in the hospital overnight until she was diagnosed with it she takes zantac in the morning and then again at night and she is on similac alimentum

[nathaliehanna]

I started my son on cereal at a month old. and yes it was in his bottle. this is because he wasnt getting full. I couldnt figure out why until one night i went to bed at 10 pm.. and didnt get up until 8 am.. and when i pumped i only made four ounces of milk. i wasnt producing enough to get him full.

I just wanted to say in response to this post that the pump will NEVER be as efficient as the baby is. Just because you pumped only 4 ounces doesn't mean that's all your son would have gotten - some moms can only pump 1 ounce max but their infants are able to get MUCH more out. It's just a general rule of thumb that you'll never, ever get as much with the pump as with the baby.

Your son may likely have been getting 5 or 6 ounces from you, and at 1 month that would have been plenty.

Also, your son probably was going through a growth spurt at that age - fussing because he wanted to nurse more in order to help you make more milk for him. That's totally normal.

I find it sad that your pediatrician had no knowledge of either of these issues (pumping and growth spurts in the bf baby) and just encouraged formula supplementation in spite of the fact that you were likely making plenty of milk.

[craftyashley]

I had premature twins, but I needed them to sleep overnight at some point- I think they were 6-8 mos. old when I did the cereal in the bottle just for the last night time feeding. They were (and still are) very small and need as much nutrition as they can get. But the cereal kept them full longer so I could get some much needed zzzz's. This also helped to shape they're awesome sleep schedule. They have been great sleepers!

[lena241]

I used cereal in my DD nightime bottle, by recommendation of her pediatrician at 3 months old. My daughter was born at 5lbs and 3 oz and never followed the normal growth chart. The doctor was trying to use this as a way to help add calories to her diet. It didnt help and at 4 she is 26lbs. She is still below the 3rd percentile. There is nothing medically wrong with her, she is just small.

One thing you do have to watch for is constipation, especially when using rice. Because this was an issue for my daughter, the doctor also had me put a teaspoon of Karo Syrup in with the cereal, added calories and natural laxative to babies.

My sister used Rice cereal in her (She has 3) sons bottles at night. She was convinced this helped them sleep through the night.

Good Luck

[nathaliehanna]

I used cereal in my DD nightime bottle, by recommendation of her pediatrician at 3 months old. My daughter was born at 5lbs and 3 oz and never followed the normal growth chart. The doctor was trying to use this as a way to help add calories to her diet. It didnt help and at 4 she is 26lbs. She is still below the 3rd percentile. There is nothing medically wrong with her, she is just small.

One thing you do have to watch for is constipation, especially when using rice. Because this was an issue for my daughter, the doctor also had me put a teaspoon of Karo Syrup in with the cereal, added calories and natural laxative to babies.

My sister used Rice cereal in her (She has 3) sons bottles at night. She was convinced this helped them sleep through the night.

Good Luck

I just never will understand this. Why would a ped recommend adding EMPTY calories to a baby's diet? There is nothing beneficial in rice cereal or Karo Syrup. Calories, sure, but it's junk calories.

If your doc was concerned about weight gain, more breastmilk or formula is the answer - with about 4 g of fat. Rice cereal has an amazing 1/4 gram of fat in it - nothing that's going to fatten a baby up if fat is what's needed.

No offense intended, of course, I'm mostly amazed at the "old school" advice of so many peds today.

[oftheatlantic]

My son has been on rice cereal since he was 3 days old. I know that sounds weird.. but, when he was born he had jaundice, so he was in the NICU for a while for that. While he was in there, he couldn't keep his formula down. They changed it 7 times! Well, come to find out, he had stage 3 acid reflux. So the only way he can keep his formula down is this cereal in it. I have to make it as thick as oatmeal. I have to put it in every bottle. Everyone told me that he was going to get fat. He's 7 months old and weighs 20 pounds and is 26 inches long. He's so skinny! So cereal in their bottle is not always a bad thing.

[oftheatlantic]

My son has the same problem and he's on the same formula! Do you put rice cereal in the bottle?

[jess_cecchini]

its really great that this topic was brought up...my son is now alittle over 4 mos old and i was wondering when would be a good time to start cereals/solids? my ped says 5-6mos but my son currently takes 8 0z of formula (similac alimentum) every four hours and i feel like he simply isnt complet. sat. after his feedings...any ideas?

[cay8099]

I put cereal in a bottle. I did it for my 5 yr old when he was a baby. Now I do it for my 5 month old. neither of them would take it from a spoon. both of them did totally fine with baby food from spoon, but cereal they both would spit out and turn their heads. babies stop eating when they are no longer hungry so I don't think you will over feed your baby. Your baby will let you know what is right for him/her.

[mommy2boftwins]

I have twins and they both have a protein intolerance and reflux. Their Gastrointologist had me add rice cereal to their bottles at 3 months old. They are on Pregestimil Lipil and we started them with 1/2 tsp per oz. At 4 months we went to 1 tsp per oz. This made their formula thicker so they wouldn't reflux as bad and also kept them from getting so hungry before the next feeding. I put it in every bottle and it also helps them sleep all night. They never choked because it just makes the formula thick, not chunky. As cay8099 said, babies will stop eating when they are full.
My babies are now almost 6 months and weigh 11.5 lbs each. I know this sounds small but they were preemies born 11 weeks early so they weigh right where they should for their size. I even mix their formula so it is high calorie (24 compared to 20) and they are not fat so don't worry too much about the cereal making your baby fat.

[northernva.mommy]

I had to put cereal in my son’s bottle because he had reflux and I started cereal at 5 weeks at the suggested of a GI doctor. I was only putting in a tablespoon of very running cereal and it was with a big hole in the nipple.

Eventually, I realized it was easier to give him the amount on a tiny spoon instead. He had no problem taking it on the spoon and he was less than 2 months old.

[mammawazz]

My daughters doc suggested that I start her on rice cereal around 2 months because she wasn't getting full off of her bottles he suggested putting it in her bottles at first (she is in the top 75th percentile and was born 8lbs 6oz) so increasing the amount of formula was not an option I was scared because of ann the bad things I had heard about choking so I made sure to try it first in the morning that at bed time she had no problem with it and infact began sleeping through the night within a month I started giving it to her off a spoon and she took right to it. the only problem was she had a lot of constipation sh they told me to start mixing it with fruit especailly the p fruits she loved all of them now we have moved on to veggies and has had no real problems I think that people should follow their gut feeling and go by how their children respond.

[BlackVelvetSky]

Our ped. told us to start cereal between 4 and 6 months, and to NEVER put it in the bottle, as it is a major choking hazard, and to start it kinda runny until he got used to spoon feeding and could swallow it thicker. He washes it down with a small bottle afterward. He gets it twice a day. He sleeps for about 12 hours a night, gets just formula when he wakes up at 8, cereal and formula at noon, just formula at 4, and cereal and formula at 8 before bed. His favorite cereal was the oatmeal, I'm guessing because it is better tasting and more filling than the other grain types. This next week, when he turns 6 months old, we'll be starting him on veggies.

[lena241]

I just never will understand this. Why would a ped recommend adding EMPTY calories to a baby's diet? There is nothing beneficial in rice cereal or Karo Syrup. Calories, sure, but it's junk calories.

If your doc was concerned about weight gain, more breastmilk or formula is the answer - with about 4 g of fat. Rice cereal has an amazing 1/4 gram of fat in it - nothing that's going to fatten a baby up if fat is what's needed.

No offense intended, of course, I'm mostly amazed at the "old school" advice of so many peds today.

Why does this have to be "old school" advice? One of the pediatricians that recommended this was actually rather young and had only been in practice 3 years. Of course, as I always did I sought the more experienced doctor who stated that this would be a great way to add calories and empty calories or not, that is what was thought was needed at the time to help increase her weight. Your opinions are very negative towards the advice from our pediatricians. Are you in the medical field? Just curious

[Olbiad]

Unless otherwise directed by a pediatrician (for acid reflux, to gain weight, etc.) I wouldn't offer an infant rice cereal until they were at least 6 months. Infants younger than 6 months only produce small amounts of the enzyme amylase, which is responsible for the digestion of grains (rice cereal) in their tummy's . Essentially, they don't have the enzymes in their tummy's to digest the cereal.

If offering your infant rice cereal, most definitely offer it with a spoon and not in a bottle. By offering it in a bottle, the infant cannot tell you if he/she is full. An infant who cannot move the food around in his/her mouth with their tongue or cannot turn his/her head away from a spoon, is not ready for rice cereal. A positive to offering your infant cereal with a spoon, is that you are teaching your infant to use his/her jaw muscles :)

Also, infants are not supposed to sleep through the night. Their tummy's are small, they need to eat every 2 hours if breastfed or every 4 hours if they are formula fed.

Ultimately it is your decision on when you will offer your infant rice cereal/solids. Be sure to research and ask your pediatrician any and all questions you may have :)

[wright1212]

Well I know this post is older but still HOT! So I am going to fuel the fire...
I train infant caregivers and attend regular training on safe practice!

It is not safe to feed an infant under 6 mos any food. I agree with the extreme tummy problems of acid reflux ect (but only extreme). The SIDS foundation has numerous reports stating it is a huge choking hazard to put food in a babys bottle. Other problems include like others stated the tummy is not mature enough to break down the complex makeup of cereal. No one mentioned ALLERGIES. Starting that young can cause allergies (i know for many it didnt) and if they do have that allergy it will be more severe at that age. FOR EXAMPLE many kids with autism are allergic to gluetin main component of cereal!
Also children at 6 months need to learn to open mouth, pull food off spoon with mouth, chew, and swallow. This is training them to eat. If they cant and only spit it out they are not ready, try again in a week or two. ALSO this is a speech skill. They are working mouth muscles that will help them learn to talk. AND its a good time to start teaching words they will say early and early sign language like more and all done, YES at 6 months.
I really really feel the need to comment on two other comments. 1. They are not full, then you give them more formula/breastmilk. Its that easy. Ive been on liquid diets as an adult in the hospital, if I was starving I didnt get food, i got more broth. 2. Sleeping through the night! Alot of babies dont sleep through the night! My son 6, didnt until last year, my daughter, 4, still rarely does. Once you have a baby you never really sleep again.
I really dont want to offend anyone. But I have to stress this info to infant caregivers daily.

[parentcircle]

We received sopme great feeding advice from a speech therapist. Who knew that feeding developed speech!?!!?

Here is the advice:
http://parentcircle.ning.com/forum/categories/7-month-old-milestones/listForCategory

[JennJenn739@hotmail.com]

I have been putting cereal in my daughter's bottle since she was about 5 weeks old (so it's been about a month now). The Ped. suggested it because at night she was wanting to eat every 2 hours instead of her normal 3.5 to 4. We only ass a teaspoon or so to the last bottle she eats at night (normally about 10pm) she slept much better after that because she was full. For the past 3 weeks shes even been sleeping through the night 10pm to 5am or 6am. I haven't had any problems with her chocking on it but I do watch her more closely when she is eating it. She is still very healthy and it really didn't make her gain much weight. Shes 9 weeks now and just under 11 lbs. I personally was very happy with the decision to put the cereal in her bottle and wouldn't change it.

[mom2aboy]

I put cereal in my son's bottle at 3 months old. as soon as he was sitting up and could keep his head up, i introduced solids. it was about 4-5 months. little by little. never had a confussion, never chocked, has never been chunky. at 21 months, eats everything i put in front of him. last week we went to a seafood restaurant and he had a good portion of a lobster pizza. has zero allergies, and has been very, very healthy. I mostly do things "old school" and so far so good. I respect what everybody does, I'm just posting my response to the question.

[Jacee'sMommy]

I never gave my daughter her cereal in her bottle. My mother always said it makes lazy eaters. Now I don't know if it does or doesn't, but I tend to listen to my mom since she raised 3 healthy kids... My daughter has always been in the 75th percentile since she was like 3 months, she is a big girl. Not overweight or anything she's just really long!! I just felt like feeding her with a spoon was better for us. As a mother you have to do whats best for your baby and not listen to everyone else. So I say do whatever you are comfortable with and what is good for your child.