Baby questions....Can this hurt him?

Question

I have a 21/2 month old boy. For his first 6 wks he got breast milk, and a month ago I switched to formula (I dried up completely) I asked the Doctor and she said to feed him between 3-4 oz at his age. My mom and friends, and even mother in-law are telling me to put cereal, or dry rice in his bottle to make sure that he is getting full. They also tell me to give him a couple of oz of juice everyday. I asked the doctor and she said no! But she would not explain why. I have been told by another doctor to give him apple and prune juice to help with constipation. My doc is also against this, Should I switch Doctors, Should I take everyones advice, with giving him rice or juice? Can this hurt him, and How?

Answer 1

Is he sleeping OK now? If so you don't need to add anything. You need to be comfortable with your doctors advise if not yes by all means change doctors. Your doctor needs to spend the time necessary with you to answer your questions and you need to be forceful enough to demand these answers if she is not answering you questions to your satisfaction then change doctors NOW because when your baby gets sick then would be a bad time to feel like you aren't getting the care or attention both of you need. As far as others pressuring you to add this or that to his diet you need to say that you will take that into consideration and make your own decision. I never put cereal in my boys bottles i took that time to start spoon training them and would put a little bit of cereal mixed with formula/breastmilk in their mouth with a spoon and the wash it down with the bottle. It gave them an opportunity to get a feel for the spoon while making it easy for them to get it down. Good Luck you are doing fine.

Answer 2

Every baby is different... However, due to physical reasons I was unable to breast feed any of my kids, so they were are formula almost right away. At about 6 wks or so, I added some rice cereal to their bottle. It was very thin so that with a little bit bigger hole they would be able to take the formula. This was many yrs ago, and the Dr. said the same thing, NO. However, babies need food, and the thought of only having milk, water, and juice for 6months just didn't sit right with me, or my instincts. I followed suit with all my kids and now they are adults with families of their own and never any problems.
I have to warn you a bit about the juice thing though. Apple juice would be the only one to use, and even then the sugar content is a bit high and the unsweetened, and natural juice is just not as digestible for babies. Giving juice is fine, but use filtered water to water it down, at least for awhile. Don't give a baby prune juice that could be damaging, too much potential for diarrhea.
In some babies, Dr believe that feeding them cereals or juices too soon can cause stomach and digestive problems, and I have to listen to that as I am NOT A DR... However, I am a parent, and I believe that the instincts I have been gifted with by God, far outweight this particular issue.
If you do decide to give the baby some cereal in his formula, only do it once a day, and make it thin and warm. Give it to him about 1-2 hrs before you put him down for the night, ensuring a better nights sleep on a full tummy... This way you will have ample time to see that he does not spit up or choke and that time enough has passed for him to go poop, so he does not sleep in a messy diaper.
Trust your instinct, and your mom... At least on this issue

Answer 3

Your baby doesn't need cereal yet. (the bottle will get NASTY too) If the baby wants more then give more formula, not cereal, I don't think he's ready for that. A couple of ounces of juice? I'd have to say no to that too. What if all he wants is juice and no longer wants formula? Seen too many kids who always had juice in their bottles and never formula. I didn't give my kids anything other than breastmilk or formula til about 4 months. Some people don't even feed their baby anything until a year old or more. He may be more prone to allergies, too much weight gain or tummy troubles if you give him foods too soon.

If you are happy with his doctor, then there is no need to switch. You do not have to take advice that is give whether it is someone on here, or your own mother. Do what you feel is right.

Answer 4

Never put cereal or anything else in your son's bottle. His digestive tract won't be ready for that until he's at least 4 months. It was once thought that if a baby was full, he'd sleep better. That has been recently disproved. Juice should also be avoided until 4 months and citrus juice until 12 months. If you do have a problem with constipation occassionally, I'd dissolve one or two teaspoons of prune juice in the formula or with a small amount of water. I would always take the advice of a pediatrician over a family member, especially if there's a generation gap.

Answer 5

No, your baby is too young for this. Formula has most of the nutrients that a baby needs and if you give him juice then he will get full on that and is juice a bunch of empty calories and sugar. It's okay to give some prune juice or apple juice when he's constipated but otherwise you should save it until he's about a year old. The cereal should be saved until about 9 months.

Answer 6

Is he acting hungry? Forget what everybody says and go by him. If he is acting hungry after or soon after eating try giving him 5 ounces instead of 4. If that doesn't help, I would start cereal, but with a baby spoon, not in his bottle. My oldest started eating cereal at two months because I could not fill him up. I had a doctor to tell me to give him water and let him cry, crazy huh. I went by him and he need more. He is now nine years old and in perfect health. As for the juice I would wait until at least 4 months, just cause it can give them a belly ache . Hope this helps.

Answer 7

It is not that the cereal or juice will 'hurt' him perse, but the problem arrises when he is getting full on things that are not providing the nutrition that he needs at this age. Even though you think your child will feel more full with rice cereal, he is actually not getting the nutrients he needs.

Your doctor is absolutely right, and there is absolutely NO reason to give him cereal or juice at this point. In addition, giving him fruit juice this young could cause him to devolope an allergy to that particular juice later.

Also, the rice cereal takes longer to digest, and your child will not be getting the calories he needs, which can actually cause weight loss.

Answer 8

I would hold off on the cereal and juice...stick with the formula unless he is seriously constipated cherry juice or prunce juice about 2 oz will help only if neccesary. Formula is the best thing for him at this time if you cant produce breast milk....dont worry before you know it he will be old enough to try new foods :)

Answer 9

Solids
Most peds go along with the American Academy of Pediatrics who's guideline is 4-6 months old.
-Tummies are just too immature for food at this stage since they don't even have the proper enzymes to digest cereal. It will just end up in the diaper.
-Baby needs to be able to swallow food once their saliva glands developed and throat muscles are stronger.
-Needs to be able to turn head to refuse the food or will just eat and eat. With a breast or bottle they will just stop sucking or fall asleep.
Also, in the future, most peds reccommend not putting cereal in bottles due to choking hazards.

Constipation
-Could be because you switched to formula. Ask for a different brand if this continues. Maybe even one w/out iron if baby is having difficulties.
-Make sure he is truely constipated. If baby has less frequent bowel movements than his norm, especially if he hasn't had one in three or more days and is obviously uncomfortable when he does have one. And if he has hard, dry stools that are difficult for him to pass, no matter how frequently, he may be constipated.
-Juice should not be introduced until 7 months. You'll probably hear a ton of home-made recipes for ridding constipation but your Ped is probably the best source right now. Mom's mean well but SO much has changed since their day. I had to keep saying... "it is not recommended to ________ any longer".

Answer 10

I would definately not put cereal in his bottles. The cereal can clump up in the nipple of the bottle, blocking his intake. His little stomach is not ready for the more complex digestion of cereals. The juice is also a bad idea. It has lots of natural sugars in it. Yes normally that is good, but for a baby, yet again you have the digestive system not ready for them. The sugars can also (supposedly) interfere with teeth development. Something about it messing with the teeth thru the barrier of the gums. If it's a matter of filling up your boys tummy, just offer him bottles on a schedule of 2-3 hours, or as you would if you were still breastfeeding. He will find a schedule and you will eventually know how much, thru trial and error, he will need to consume. Until his next growth spurt anyway.

Answer 11

Listen to the doctor, give your baby nothing but milk and water, even though they are having milk they still get thirsty and not hungry so will drink water.

Babies tummys cant handle solids, when my son was 4 months i weaned him using baby rice, but its now gone to 6months. He will feed as much as needed, if he isnt full he'll be crying for more within an hour, if he can happily go three ours without a feed id say he was pretty satisfied, theres nothing wrong with giving him an extra ounce in his bottle, just dont add food, milk is a babies food.