I have a 5 week old baby that is not satisfied after feeding time and is constantly hungry!?

Question

everyone I talk to says to put a tiny bit of cereal in her bottle and it will help her to sleep better. Although I have read at this age it is not safe. Is there anyone out there that has done it and are your kids ok?

Answer 1

Are you sure she is hungry? Not everytime a baby cries means its hungry.

"Your pediatrician says this is not wise (except as a treatment for reflux). Dietitians and nutritionists concur. Introducing solids before 4 months might cause food allergies. Your well-wishers discount these recommendations because cereal in the bottle worked wonders for their children!

Throughout most of human history children were exclusively breast fed for the early months. During the previous generation or two, when bottle-feeding became very popular, rice cereal was often put into the bottle at a very early age. What were the results?

Most children seemed to thrive. A small number of children, though, did not tolerate the addition, because their sucking and swallowing actions were not yet fully coordinated. They inhaled small amounts of the rice cereal into their lungs, which led to pulmonary problems.

I’m much more concerned about a subtler issue. Babies are born with a wonderful mechanism for knowing how much food they need. During the early months, they take their cues from the volume of what they drink. Adding cereal derails this mechanism. It forces them to take in deceptively large amounts of calories. It teaches them to overeat."

"Apart from that, anything other than milk is not suitable for a baby until they are around six months old as their kidneys and immune system are too immature to cope with the extra protein. Government feeding guidelines suggest that breastmilk or formula milk is sufficient for a baby's needs up to six months and anything else before that time is unnecessary."

And just because someone else's kid turned out fine doesn't mean your's will. They used to have lead paint in nurseries and make toys out of mercury. What I mean is there is new data all the time on the best way to make your child healthy.

If she seems more hungry just feed her more formula.

Answer 2

my son is 2 weeks today and he's been doing the same thing. i ended up giving him a bottle 2 nights b/c i needed the sleep badly. i also had an emergency c-section 3 weeks early and am trying to heal. his feedings are slowly starting to improve although we go backwards to. he's been waking up 3 time a night for a couple nights. the first week i was literally up feeding him for 4 and 5 hour stretches. he was born early and consequently pretty little, so i think my son is indeed that hungry. i honestly am working on him gaining as much weight as possible, so i'm feeding him on demand; which i would anyways. hang in there, i'm sure a schedule will evolve. i wanted to add that i've started pumping to build up a supply for night feeding that i'll start in another week or so. i have to go back to work and want to make sure he'll take a bottle, but i still want it to be breast milk. and i have given him this in a bottle one time and formula two times. and i felt like crying that i gave him formula and have no intention of doing it again for a few months... it was a last resort when i was in tears.

Answer 3

Take it from a Grandma who raised 4 kids, and helped with 9 grandbabies....this baby is still hungry.

Mixing a LITTLE cereal with her formula will NOT hurt her, and will help her sleep thru the night. Can YOU sleep if you're hungry ?

Just make sure to make the nipple in the bottle a little bigger with a hot, Sterilized needle ( a big Yarn needle, or a hot icepick ) so the cereal can come out easier.
I started all the kids and grandkids on cereal when they were 2-3 weeks old...and never had a problem. Doctors sometimes DON'T know EVERYTHING.

Answer 4

You should not put cereal in your baby's bottle unless instructed to by their pediatrician. I had to do it with both my kids because they had acid reflux and couldn't hold down thin formula.

What is your baby eating? Breast milk or Formula? How much at a time? Maybe you need to increase the amount of time you are nursing or the ounces of formula you are giving them.

There is no "limit" you are allowed to feed them. Most new borns will drink 1-3oz at a feeding! My daughter was a little piggy and drank about 2-3oz every feeding from get go!

Also they hit growth spurts frequently when they are new. These will cause them to eat a lot more and more often and sleep more as well.

Just somethings to think about! I hope things settled down with him soon!

Answer 5

Do *not* give anything other than breastfeeding or pumped milk (or formula); your baby *cannot* digest it. In fact, that's actually the idea. If you give a baby something she can't digest, it just sits in her stomach and *fools* her body into thinking she is full. This means that she doesn't feel hungry for the nutrition she actually needs. It is *not* good for her in any way!!

And it won't help to hear "My kids started eating whole hot dogs at 2 weeks old and are all healthier than all their friends" either. The effects of introducing food too early is *life-long*. Your child could die of cancer at age 36, and you'll never be able to figure out if it was because of what you fed her when she was 2 months old. Giving *anything* other than human milk can have *fatal* consequences at any time during the child's life. And, since you can't go back and raise this same child again differently and compare, you'll never be able to tell if "this" or "that" was because of something you did or didn't do.

Answer 6

My daughter had cereal real young. RIght about the end of her 1st month cuz she just wouldnt stop eating. Use just a little bit though. Not even enough to make it thicker. My girl is fine. She is almost 3 now & she has never had so much as an ear infection. She is the most healthy baby I've ever seen. Go with your instincts. If she is hungry, feed her what ever fills that tummy up (within reason of course). Good luck!

Answer 7

Do not put cereal in her bottle. It could be that's she's just wanting to suck, as this comforts a baby. My daughter would nurse every hour and a half the first 6 weeks, and her doctor said this was normal. Babies can not handle rice cereal well until at least 4 months old.Their stomach's are not ready for it yet. Also, when you do start her on the cereal, do not put it in a bottle, use a spoon to feed it to her. I know many out there will tell you they gave it to their child in a bottle at a young age, but pediatricians, and others in my field do not recommend this. Ask you baby's doctor and he/she will tell you the same.

Answer 8

Don't do it. Even if she sleeps better tonight, tomorrow you will have a sick baby which is worse than a hungry one. Her system is way too immature to handle it. If she is not eating but is still crying it could be gas or collick. My daughter fussed for HOURS during the middle of the night and even after she ate still fussed. She was collicky for about a month were this happened every night! But she grew out of it. I tried the cereal when I was desperate and she got constipated and extra cranky! It was worse! As long as she is growing ok, and eating enough, her fussing may be from something else. And if she wants to eat more, then give her more. Or a pacifier if all she wants is the sucking soothing motion. Good Luck!

Answer 9

I did it with my daughter ( a preemie) and she has done just fine.I suggested it to another new mother here on YA and she gave me best answer because it was the only thing that helped her baby.The reason it is not suggested is because if people make it too thick there is a choking hazard.Just mix a little bit and as she gets older add more. I had to snip a tiny hole in the nipple of her bottle for it to come out. Then about 4-5 months when you start giving her baby food stop putting the cereal in her bottles.Don't worry she will be just fine.Good luck to you and congratulations on your wonderful bundle of joy!!!

Answer 10

I was in the same situation and I indeed gave my daughter cereal at 1 month, she was never satisfied, and the cereal helped keep her from constantly drinking a bottle. She is just fine and it did not effect her weight she is perfectly normal, and happy. Give it a try if your baby has trouble keeping the cereal down I would stop Have you asked your pediatrician for any suggestions on what to do.