Rice cereal in my 9 week old sons bottle at night?

Question

II want to put some rice cereal in my sons bottle at night to help him sleep but my only problem is I dont know how much. Im still using the 4 ounce bottle but I fill them to the top so its almost 5 I think. Ive tried just putting it in his bottle and it gets clogged. Ive tried just feeding it to him on a spoon but I cant monitor his intake since so much dribbles out. I tried to cut the end of the nipple but ended up making it to big and it just poured out. Help!

Answer 1

OH for cryin' out loud will everyone just CHILL out! Babies have been having cereal before 4 months for AGES and they all turned out just fine. It's not life and death, geesh.

All you need to do is buy a faster flow nipple for ages 6 mos + or a Y cut nipple. If it still doesn't flow properly take a push pin and clean it in rubbing alcohol and stick it in the nipple and wiggle it around to open the hole more. As for the amount of cereal to put in, start with one tablespoon in 4-5 oz of formula/breast milk. This should do the trick.

Good luck :)

Answer 2

I don't know why people keep asking this question. Everything I've ever read, and what my pediatrician told me, is that it's very bad to do that. Baby's are not meant to have rice cereal until they are between 4 and 6 months of age. Their digestive systems are not capable of digesting that correctly at such a young age. I know lots of people do it, but it's more for the parent's convenience so they can get more sleep. Baby's need nourishment every 3 - 4 hours to keep them going, it doesn't last forever, he'll be sleeping more and more hours each month before needing a feeding, so as parents we just have to accept that. And cutting a baby's bottle nipple is a really bad idea. The nipple is sized so the baby gets the correct flow for his age, messing with that can cause your baby to eat too quickly which can cause him to choke or will cause his stomach to get upset. It was your choice to create this beautiful life, don't do anything to jeopardize his health. I'm not trying to judge you or be mean, I just hope you do the right thing. Good Luck!

Answer 3

Cereal is a solid and therefore should not be fed to a baby below 6 months of age (some say 4 months but as more research comes out, 6 months is becoming the minimum) as their stomachs are not ready to handle it. Cereal in bottles becomes a choking hazard and is a major no-no.

It also will not really help him sleep, but will increase his risks of obesity, allergies, diabetes, and other health problems when he is older.

Answer 4

Firstly, expecting a 9 week old baby to sleep thru the night is simply for the parents. It's not practical. They wake up for a reason, and at this age trying to get them to stop is not right. Secondly, doctors say don't feed your baby anything but formula or breastmilk until they are 4-6 months. 9 weeks is way too early to feed them anything. Finally, from everything I've heard from the Dr.s is that putting cereal in a bottle is a big no no whatever the age.

Answer 5

Its so funny to me how people have made it almost illegal to give your child food before age 6 mos. I'm just reading the comments on here. I am a mother of 6 and this cereal works. I put about an ounce in and then add formula,water etc.. This will not hurt your baby.I just take a steak knife and slice across th top of the nipple so that you can pinch it and see that its cut a little,then all will work fine,your lil ones tummy will be full,and you can get some well deserved rest.Good luck.

Answer 6

Did your doctor say this was okay? generally they don;t want little ones starting cereal so soon, if I recall correctly.

anyway, i would put just a little bit like let's say a table spoon . then just make the hole a bit bigger. It should not be thick at all.
and you shouldn't just prop him with the bottle and go.

also don;t change brands or types of cereals as you need to monitor in case he has some allergies.

At six weeks my son had his bottle at about 10-11 pm and slept until 6 am. Don;t expect a full night's sleep and you mayneed to start using the larger bottle

Answer 7

Seriously people you can give your baby rice cereal if needed. My mum gave me and my brother rice cereal from one month old and I know another lady who has given her baby rice cereal from 1 week old and guess what?? We have all grown up to be healthy happy babies. Just because you as a individual has decided that it's not for you and your baby does not mean it won't suit another mum and her baby. I have my own 9 week old baby who I am giving rice cereal and she loves it. It has helped with her spitting up all the time as well. Every mum should do what feels right for her and her baby :-)

Answer 8

Don't do it!!!! He is only 9 weeks old for crying out loud! He is suppose to wake up and eat often. His stomach is too small to handle a lot of food, that is why they need to eat more frequently. He is also growing at a rapid pace. This is what babies do. They wake up to eat at night. Welcome to parenthood and get used to it. Please don't do this to your baby. His tummy can't handle anything but breast milk or formula. This can also lead to diabetes and obesity. It can also cause problems with allergies. As parents, we always want to do the best for our children. Do not take the easy road, your baby will be the one to pay for it later.

And for all those people on here saying that babies have been on cereal since birth forever. You are right. They have been. Have you noticed how fat our children have become? There is an epidemic with obesit in this nation. If you aren't one of them, then be thankful. Why risk it with the next generation. Use your brains people!

Answer 9

With my first daughter, I wanted to do everything by the book. No solids till she was a certain age, etc. And she was waking up every two hours like clockwork. My grandma got the baby, dropped a spoonful of rice into her bottle, made a tiny slit in her bottle nipple, fed her, birped her, changed her pamper, put her to sleep @ around 9pm, and the child slept til about 4 the next morning. I kept checking on her to make sure she was ok, and she was. Grandmas know best. I did it from then on, and did not have to worry about wee hour feedings. She is now 5 years old and IS NOT overweight. Neither is my 2 year old, for that matter. Parents have to do what they have to in order to keep baby and themselves satisfied. It won't hurt the baby. It didn't hurt my dad (Grandma's son). Good luck!!

Answer 10

I babysit a 5 month old boy and his parents just started with the rice cereal. What you have to do is just put a few flakes in and let them dissolve, not too many though. Just a few at a time, also becareful with the rice cereal because it can cause really, really, bad gas that can hurt your baby's tummy... Trust me, this just happened last night...
Just a few flakes.. not too much...Nine weeks might be a bit early too, depends on the size of your baby also.