my mother in law thinks feeding my 2 month old cereal will help with gas?

Question

I have a 2 month old baby. She has a bit of colic but, she only gets bad in the evening. She has a lot of gas, and she has a hard time getting rid of it.

Now, my mother in law seems to think that giving her a teaspoon of cereal in her bottle will help with gas? I don't think this is true? But she will not let it go.

any comments would be greatly appreciated

Answer 1

No, adding cereal to her bottle won't help with colic. Babies lack certain digestive enzymes until they are closer to 4-6 months old, meaning early introduction of solids can have a negative impact on her future digestive health.

Think about it-- everyone from MIL's generation fed their 2-WEEK old babies cereal & such, and now about every other person you know these days has IBS, or Crohn's disease, or Celiac disease, to name just a few.... Early introduction of solids is being linked to many of these problems.

Ask your MIL if she really wants her granddaughter to suffer the same adult-onset problems *she's* probably having now, for the sake of following her advice.

Or, if you're trying to *avoid* conflict (LOL-- I'd never say the above to *my* MIL anyway, but it sounded good!), just tell her that your pediatrician has absolutely advised against it. Tell her it's like the back-sleeping thing-- back when she was a new mom, they just didn't *know* that certain things were safe or unsafe, better or worse, and LOTS more babies died back then, even though hers certainly turned out well enough.

As for dealing with the colic/gas, my suggestion to you is to try out Hyland's homeopathic colic tablets, they are like little miracle pills! You can usually find them at Walgreen's, Eckerd, CVS... the "corner" drugstores, ya know? Their teething tablets are equally miraculous. :) Best of luck!

Answer 2

Just tell her you tried and it didn't work. A baby should not be fed cereal until, at the very earliest, 4 months. They have a product in the baby aisle called "gripe water" I've never used it but many mothers swear by it and when I recently asked my kids pediatrician about it he said it works very well.

To the people who are saying "it can't hurt" studies have been done in recent years that prove your thinking wrong. Early introduction to solids can cause many gastrointestinal problems and can lead to food allergies and sensitivities. And don't give me that "momma raise us that way and we're fine" speech. The last generation was told to lay babies on their bellies to sleep and that is now a KNOWN cause of SIDS, just because it work out ok for them does not mean it is correct.

Answer 3

No early introduction to solids may cause increased stomach upset. It *may* help with reflux but may studies have shown though it reduces the amount of actual spit-up it increases silent reflux which can be even more painful for the baby.

To reduce gas you can try gripe water, oval drops, etc. However you should know that colic rarely responds to treatment. If it had a diagnosable cause and therefore treatment it wouldn't be called colic, colic really means "I don't know".

Also the temporary prevention of gas (if it even were to work) should be weighed against the risks of the risks of anemia, malnutrition, food allergies, future diabetes and obesity etc. Yes it is, as I said before, sometimes used as a treatment for GERD but even then it should only be used when GERD can't be managed by lifestyle changes and is causing pain that can't be managed or is causing failure to thrive. Even then the risks of rice cereal need to be weighed against the risks of prescription drugs.
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html

Now your mother-in-law will say she did it and her kids are fine. However her generation did do it and look at the skyrocketing rate of diabetes, obesity, and immune disorders (allergies, asthma, etc).

Some links in a minute.

Answer 4

nicely i would not do it.. I did at 5 months.. yet each and all of the wellbeing nurses/docs recommended me to attend until finally 6 months yet that's extra often than not a instruction manual.. i don't see any objective in feeding babies solids any quicker. Like why what's the factor. they're meant to have breast milk and if that would not artwork ,formulation.. my infant is two months previous this week and that i do exactly not understand why father and mom feed there babies rice cereal around this time.. yet in step with threat their babies are hungrier than time-honored yet to me meaning feed them extra.. Who is familiar with of what's certainly undesirable on your tummies or not, Dr's and nurses are not continuously suitable. although why rush the child technique.

Answer 5

Cereal in the bottle will not help the gas. But here is one thing you can try. I did this with my son when he was your baby's age, and the pediatrician said it's okay to do. Make a cup of peppermint tea (Celestial Seasonings is my favorite). Put 1 ounce in a bottle and dilute with one ounce water (basically half water, half tea). This worked really well for my son, and I helped myself to the remainder of the tea in the cup.

Answer 6

no it won't.

at 2 months of age a baby's digestive system is not ready to handle a complex meal such as cereal. don't give it to your baby. it might cause more problems down the line. A lot of newborns are colicky! it will pass. Talk to your Dr. about this.

Answer 7

i added rice cereal to both of my daughter's bottles and the only thing it did was make them sleep longer because their bellies were fuller. try putting her accross your lap with your legs crossed and rub her back, it may help her to release some of that gas trapped in her belly. also try frequent burp breaks while feeding her, that can also help with the gas. mylicon drops after every feeding along with burping will help her release the gas in her belly. having a colicky baby stinks, both my girls were colicky. and actually, cereal in her bottle at this age may make her gas worse. good luck!

Answer 8

I'm not sure if putting it in their bottle would have much affect, but cereal is a neutral food as far as production of gas. Typically babys eat a lot of foods like veggies, these are great for producing gas when they digest. To offset that you would want to introduce more cereal type foods that do not tend to produce gas during digestion.

Answer 9

When infants have some rice cereal mixed with formula for breakfast, lunch and dinner--they sleep all night!!! Baby bananas with each meal won't hurt them either.

Mom of 6, Grandma of 3

Answer 10

I gave my girls cereal at that age. It would not hurt to try. And if it doesn't work then your mother in law was wrong. So you win either way.