looking for an article on putting cornflour in babies' feed to help them sleep?

Question

Has anyone else heard about this? I believe it's widely used in Europe, particularly France, I think. I read an article a few months ago, but I can't remember where, it may have been in the 'Daily Mail'.

Answer 1

Hi there, I live in France and I havent heard of putting cornflour to make babies sleep longer - but they do put baby cereal in bottles here. That is the accepted method, and I dont believe there is a single parent who would offer cereal with a spoon as they dont make it that way here. The instructions are specifically for adding it into bottles, and when using the proper amt it doesnt make it too thick for the bottle when using the proper nipple. The proper age is a minimum of 4mths (although waiting longer, till 6mths, is recommended).

All that said, there have been many studies showing that adding things such as cereal, flour, etc into baby's bottles does not help them to sleep longer. I've read this in almost all of my baby books, and numerous times online from various different sources. Add this to the detrimental effects on giving cereal or other foods too early to babies, and there just isnt any reason to even try. In fact, a lot of parents see a reverse effect on their child's sleep pattern when adding things such as cereal (myself included). Likely due to a tummy ache, your baby wakes up actually more often then before having cereal introduced. Just want to add I started giving my girl cereal just before her 6mth mark, and she almost always slept better when it was just a normal nursing and not nursing + cereal as well. You will soon be getting more sleep, promise. My girl is a great sleeper now at 12mths, it just takes a little bit of time is all.

Excerpt from the article referenced below:
Several controlled research studies have shown that babies really don't sleep longer as a result of being given cereal at bedtime. Instead, the studies traced the apparent "sleep aid" to a normal, age-related developmental change in infant sleeping patterns, which whether by coincidence or mother nature's design, occurs right about the time many new parents feel they're at the end of their rope.

Although early cereal feeding is probably not harmful, there is good scientific data to support the American Association of Pediatrics' recommendation that no solid foods be given until about 6 months of age. Several studies have shown that babies given anything other than breast milk before 6 months of age have an increased risk for ear infections, wheezing and coughing.When it comes to kids' health, what seems like cause-and-affect can sometimes just be an amazing coincidence.

Another article by Dr Greene speaking on this:
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.

By starting with a spoon, resting between bites, and stopping when your child lets you know he’s full, you will be laying an excellent foundation for good eating habits throughout his life.

A major study looking for the causes of obesity found that short-circuiting young children’s self-regulation of how much they eat is a major cause of later obesity.1 Cereal in the bottle does just that.

Babies that are fed this way may appear to be unaffected – but those few weeks of added convenience may result in a lifetime of struggles with weight. This common practice may have contributed to our being the most obese generation in history.

And it doesn’t even work. Scientists at the Cleveland Clinic studied the effect of cereal on sleep and found that adding the cereal did nothing at all to speed up the age of sleeping through the night. That first uninterrupted 6-hour stretch of sleep came no earlier in those who took cereal early.2

People swear otherwise. I suspect the reason is that kids do fall asleep a bit more quickly, and some babies may even go a bit longer between feedings. There is no scientific evidence, though, to support the claim that cereal in the bottle will help an infant increase total sleep or decrease crying.3

Drawing on the wisdom of experience and the latest scientific knowledge, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against adding cereal to the bottle. It may be tempting after your 16th straight sleep-deprived night to cut a bigger hole in the feeding nipple to add rice cereal. But it won’t offer lasting help, and it may be giving your baby a lasting gift that both of you will regret.

Answer 2

Your baby has some adjusting to do and it is going to take awhile. It took our daughter about 4 weeks to learn the difference between day and night. My doctor suggested turning off the lights when the sun went down so that she'd get use to night time. This really did help a lot. Now, at 11 weeks old she does get the difference, and is able to sleep 9 hours straight. We've been told that she is an awesome baby for this, so not all babies sleep through the night this early. Naps are not predictable for us yet. I don't worry about it and just let her sleep when she wants to. Anyway, we always go to bed at 11 pm and she now is so tired at that time! Good luck, your baby will know when she is ready for a schedule. Until then just sleep when she sleeps!

Answer 3

I'm forever reading on here about people adding cereal to their babies bottles to help them sleep, I'm not sure which country they are from but here in the UK it's not a great idea to add anything like cereal to babies' bottles due to the increased risk of baby choking! Any health visitor/health professional will tell you that a baby will not sleep longer just because he/she has had a bigger feed. In the book that all new mums get from their health visitors it clearly states in the weaning section that just because the baby is on solids it does not mean your baby will sleep through the night!

If it was in the daily mail check out their website & search for cornflour, if it's there you'll find it!

Answer 4

The only cornflour feed i know of was given to us by my gran as children. Don't know how old your baby is but we were about 2 and three years old.
She used to take a cup of milk and added a 2 or more teaspoons of cornflour to it stirred it and then microwaved it for a few minutes until it was smooth and thick. Then she would add cinnaman and sugar on top and we found it delicious. A lovely treat on the cold Winter days for when the kids get home cold and hungry. I have heard that somewhere in Hungary they sell similar product that they cook on the side of the roads in huge pots. Really really tasty, we as kids loved it.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

Corn is highly allergenic and not an appropriate first food for any baby. The only thing that will help a baby sleep is time. Everyone sleeps through the night eventually.

Answer 7

I've never heard of it, but it's always best to consult with your baby's physician before doing anything that might alter how your baby sleeps. Sleeping at night is one of the most dangerous time for a baby.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

Sorry, never heard of this one. The only thing i ever do with cornflour is add it to my gravy.

Answer 10

I wouldnt do this as a formula should be made up as per the instructions on the tin and using extra formula or any other powder will unbalance it and cause digestion problems.