giving baby food?

Question

The lady next door came over for a chat. she has a baby boy who is 2 1/2 mnths old. We got to talking about his sleeping habits. She told me that he woke up every two hrs and so she had began to put baby cereal in his bottle along with his formula in order to "fill" him up more and make his sleep longer. I think that is wrong to do. am i right?

I am by no means trying to say she is a "bad" mom and i did not say anything to her. I just though maybe its not good for a baby so young

Answer 1

Yes, that is wrong. A two month old doesn't have the stomache enzymes needed to digest solid foods yet. Cereal should never be fed in a bottle unless under doc's orders for a baby with reflux. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends starting solids around 6 months of age. Starting earlier increases the child's risk of allergies, diabetes and obesity. And adding cereal doesn't guarantee that a child will sleep through the night. A two month old REALLY still needs nighttime feedings. He is still working on doubling his birthweight. The first 6 months is a time of very fast growth and they are supposed to eat frequently. Plus, sleeping longer/deeper isn't necessarily good at this age.....it can increase the risk of SIDS.

Answer 2

I was told by my nutritionist to never do that. It can be a choking hazard if too much of the cereal goes through the nipple. It is better to feed the cereal separate from the bottle. Water down the cereal to a very runny consistency then feed it with a spoon or dropper. It will fill the baby the same as it would in the bottle. Although the chances a baby choking on it from a bottle is small, I wouldn't risk it.

Answer 3

Each baby is different really. Parenting doesn't come with a manual. I have 7 children and most of them were ok without cereal until 3 or 4 months of age. But I had 1 child that would go through 3 cans of formula a day. It was beyong absurd the amounts he was eating. So I had to add about 1/2 tsp of rice cereal to an 8 ounce bottle.
Its hard sometimes not to interfere with other people's kids and how they raise them and from a legal standpoint - there is nothing that can be done if the child isn't beaten or shaken or in some other way abused.
I think this is one of those opinion type situations where is no perfectly right answer.

Answer 4

The reason babies wake up so often to eat is because their stomachs are so small. Using the cereal won't help. They will eat till they are full every time, and then wake up for more. Most doctors don't recommend starting solids until at least 5 months, because babies just aren't capable of digesting solids properly until then. If her baby is waking up too often, she should try to just settle him back down without feeding so he can learn to stay asleep (as long as she is sure he isn't hungry). He may just be in the habit of waking that often.

Answer 5

That's the "old-school" method of child raising. My neighbor was the same way. She started giving her little girl Stage 1 baby food and rice cereal at 5 weeks! Many moons ago it was allowable to begin baby food almost immediately, however, nowaways it is not recommended because studies have shown it can lead to food allergies and may actually be the cause of many allergies. The baby is not necessarily going to suffer from the food she's giving him, but she's taking a risk that he'll develop allergies from early exposure.

Answer 6

If he were exclusively breast-fed, I'd have some issues with it, but not so much for formula-fed babies. A lot of babies who take formula become less satisfied with a liquid diet starting at three months and some pediatricians recommend starting them on rice cereal at that point. Then again, if the baby has ALWAYS only slept for two hours at a time, it may just be that she isn't feeding him frequently enough and with not enough formula when he IS eating. Sounds like he's waking up hungry.

Answer 7

not exactly wrong because she has to put her baby on a schedule that fit her and the baby and every 2 hours for a feeding should have already past about a month ago. the baby should be eat about every 3 to 4 hours on 4 to 5 ounces of milk or cerel with it there is a baby formula out there that has rice cereal in it enfamil lipil A.R. for babies that spit up frequently so no i don't think it's wrong

Answer 8

It's her baby so she can do whatever she wants but cereal does not make the baby sleep longer and it doesn't fill them up better. All 21/2 month old babies are going to wake up all through the night.

Answer 9

My doctor had me feed cereal to my son at 4 weeks old, and in stages add vegetables, than meat and than fruit. Never hurt him and he's 17 now. My oldest had cereal 10 days after being born, once again the doctor put him on it. He's now 25 and a nice healthy boy. My youngest is thin as a rail and tall. The oldest is tall and he is meatier not fat but muscles. My opinion it is her child and if it's not hurting the child leave her alone. You wouldn't appreciate her judging the way you raise your child. If my boys hadn't started the cereal, and by the way I spoon fed mine, I would have been giving them a bottle every 2 hours also. Which is why the dr recommended it.

Answer 10

The Dr always said to never do this, feed it to him out of a bowl with formula mixed in to the right consistency. He could choke on the cereal in the bottle like that!!