Can I put cereal in my 3 month old's bottle?

Question

My second little one just turned 3 months and he has been drinking 6 oz in his bottle since he was 2 months. Prior to that he was drinking 5 oz and wanting to eat like every 2 hours. I upped it to 6 oz at 2 months per the doctor's advice and that worked for a bit. Now it seems he is again getting hungry at 2- 2 1/2 hours after his last feeding. I don't want to up his milk intake again because the doctor said he was gaining too much weight because he was eating too much too frequently. So, my question is: Is it okay to put about 1 tablespoon of cereal in a 6 oz bottle? Will it make a difference? Please let me know your experiences with this. Thanks!

PS I have tried giving him cereal on a spoon and he just got upset.

Uh, no, my feeding my child formula is not what is causing more weight gain. My first child was formula fed as well and he was 50/50 percentile all the way til he was 18mos old. Geez, there's always at least one self-righteous breastfeeder that shows up in these types of questions.

PS I am not calling all breastfeeders self-righteous, I am only calling those who need to put down non-breastfeeders in order to feel good.
PPS I didn't feed formula by choice, I CAN'T breastfeed.

Yes to all who asked, it is milk that he is wanting. I try everything else and he still wants food.

PS (Again) I am not new at this I have another child, so I already know to check other things.

Answer 1

It's okay to put a little cereal in his bottle. I did for my daughter (on the pediatricians advice) when she was 3 months old. Then I started her on regular spoon-feeding at 4 months, and by then she was ready for the spoon and handled it rather well. Despite what the American Academy of Pediatrics says, my baby's doctor wanted her to start cereal at 4 months and no later. I think the AAP is a little stricter these days than what is necessary. I know everyone is worried about childhood obesity these days, but I don't believe in applying those philosophies to be a baby. A baby just knows that he's hungry, and he won't understand why you're witholding food. And don't let the breastfeeders get you down. I didn't breastfeed my daughter and she's fine. She's smart, healthy, and she's at a healthy weight. I would be curious to know what your son weighs and where he falls on the growth chart. My little girl's doctor told me that they just like to see their weight and height percentiles close together. My daughter has always been big for her age all around--- at her last appointment she was in the 95th percentile for weight and 98th for height- so she's proportianate, just big. On the other hand, my friends daughter was always in the 95th for weight and 50th for height, and her doctor still said not to worry about it. (btw, she was breastfed; breastmilk can cause weight gain too). Bottom line, check the percentiles, do some of your own research, and if necessary, get a second doctor's opinion on your son's weight. It may pass, my friend's daughter is now 3 and at a healthy weight- plus a lot of babies thin out as they become more active. Just some thoughts.

Answer 2

Could there be a correlation between the ever increasing obesity rate and the fact that we are overfeeding our babies???? Studies show yes.
Your Dr is concerned he's eating too much. Listen to him! Are you sure that it is really milk your child is demanding? Perhaps a change of scenery, a hug, a song, something to suck on, etc. Perhaps there is a different type of formula you can try that is less calorie rich? Perhaps you could dilute the formula a little more if your Dr gives his Ok?
All advice now says waiting until 6mths to introduce solids (which includes cereal) is the best for your child. Lots will say to add cereal, and you are the parent and of course you are going to do what you want, but try everything you can think of first. It's better to wait.

Answer 3

Cereal in the bottle will clog it.

I know you said you tried feeding him the cereal with a spoon, but what consistancy was it? Cereal for 3 month old babies should be mixed up really runny...almost a pure liquid.

My oldest daughter, who was always a big eater, started on cereal at 6 weeks. I would give her a couple of tablespoons of rice cereal mixed up with formula and water to make it really runny, for her last meal before bedtime. It always helped her sleep through the night.

I agree that it should be rice cereal only. Don't try anything else until he's at least a month older, when you can start adding starter fruits, etc.

My daughter was born 6 lbs 4 oz, 23 inches long. Her first feeding was a full 8 ozs, and she continued to eat that every 4 hours. At her one month check-up she weighed 13 lbs. The doctor was startled, but he said that she was obviously not getting fat. At her two month check-up she weighed 18 lbs. But she had continued to grow longer as well as putting on weight. She was still not fat. The doctor said it was obvious she needed more food than normal babies, and as long as I was careful not to let her get fat, then she was fine

For what it's worth that daughter is now 31 years old. She has no allergy problems. And she continued to grow quite rapidly, and ended up being 6'3" tall.

Answer 4

Can you? Sure. They have special cereal nipples that you can use. Should you? No.

3 months is too little for cereal. Their tummies just can't take it. Formula fed babies gain weight fast. As long as he's staying on a fairly consistant curve for weight gain, it's not really that big of a deal.

By rejecting the cereal on the spoon, he was basically saying he wasn't ready. Putting it in his bottle and making him take it is going to trick his body into shutting off his "full sensor". He'll gain weight quicker.

My oldest was always in the 95th%. My youngest was when she was born, then dropped to 90%. My ped only got concerned when she dipped to 85%. That's where she is now and it's been consistent for at least 2 years.

Answer 5

It is not recommended that you give your baby rice cereal before he/she is 4 months because their digestive tracks are not ready for it yet, and definitely not in a bottle because it can cause gagging. He doesn't want it from a spoon now because he's too young. It's actually recommended that you wait until 6 months, but 4 months is okay. The only times it is to be given earlier, and by bottle is when the child has acid reflux. Ask your pediatrician and he/she will tell you the same thing.

Answer 6

Please do not feed your baby until at least 6 months old!! Their digestive system that is mature enough to handle solids. American and Canadian Pediatric Society recommend that you only feed them breastmilk and/or formula until then. You are putting them at higher risk of allergies when you start them on food too early.
And you don’t need to give them water or juice or anything else until they are one years old. And they recommend giving WATER before Juice and juice should be watered down.

Remember you have to feed this kid for the rest of your life…..so what’s the rush?

Also if he's formula fed it should be every 3-4 hours.. and breastfedding should be 2-3 hours....
Jus because he's crying doesn't mean he's hungry...and of course he's gonna suck on everything you give him......that's the only reflex they know....
And they should be gaining 1/2lb to 1lb a month for a healthy baby.


maybe he's got gas..............??

have you checked with your doctor?

Here’s what to feed your child:
http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/babyfeeding/1400680.html

Age: Birth to 4 months------------
Feeding behavior
• Rooting reflex helps your baby turn toward a nipple to find nourishment
What to feed
• Breast milk or formula ONLY •
Your baby's digestive tract is still developing, which is why solid food is off limits for now.

From 4-6 months------------
Signs of readiness for solid food
Your baby probably won't do all these things — they're just clues to watch for.
• Can hold head up
• Sits well in highchair
• Makes chewing motions
• Shows significant weight gain (birth weight has doubled)
• Shows interest in food
• Can close mouth around a spoon
• Can move food from front to back of mouth
• Can move tongue back and forth, but is losing tendency to push food out with tongue
• Seems hungry after 8 to 10 feedings of breast milk or 40 oz. of formula in a day
• Is teething
What to feed
• Breast milk or formula, PLUS
• Semi-liquid iron-fortified rice cereal, THEN
• Other grain cereals like oats or barley

And foods to avoid for your baby
http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/babyfeeding/9195.html

Answer 7

Every child is different and requires more/less food and solid foods at different times in their life. When my ds was 2 months old, his ped told me to start giving him some cereal mixed in his bottle once a day because he was getting 6 oz or more of formula every 2 hours all day and night and was still hungry. She told me that he was needing more than formula. My friend's baby was the same way at 3 months. I think that you should discuss it with your ped and see what he/she thinks. Different drs think differently as well. You are his/her mom and you should do what you feel is right.

Answer 8

At three months, your son is probably going through a growth spurt. When children go though growth spurths, they tend to be eating, sleeping machines. It's normal for him to be more hungry right now.

However, giving him cereal at this point, unless under the direction and supervision of his pediatrician, could be dangerous for him. Until they are about 5-6 months, babies' digestive systems aren't mature enough to handle solids. Early solids can lead to pain for the child, and allergies down the road.

It's best, again, unless your son's doctor has said otherwise, to wait until he is almost 6 months old to introduce any sort of solids in any form. Just give him his milk (formula or breastmilk) as he seems to be wanting it.

Good luck.

Answer 9

It's not a good idea to put cereal in a baby's bottle, they can choke. I would give your baby a pacifier if the doctor thinks he's gaining too much weight. I breast fed all my children so weight gain wasn't a problem. I know that giving babies food too soon can lead to food allergies which are not a good thing at all. If you think he's hungry go ahead and give him more milk.

Answer 10

Don't give it to him in a bottle. Cereal is designed to get them used to semi-solid foods. If you give it to him in a bottle, it defeats the purpose. If he's hungry you can give him more milk, he gets all the nutrients he needs from that. But basically you shouldn't put any kind of heavy food into a bottle.

Also semi-solid foods such as cereal are a very new and weird sensation for them. He's going to fuss, it just means to try, try again. And 1 tbs isn't going to do anything. It's not going to benefit him at all, because it's too little all it might do it gunk up his bottle. It's not going to hurt him either, though because he won't even know it's there. So there's no point in it.