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She seems hungry all the time and i am constantly nursing her and i have also started giving her bottles of formula...i have heard both ways. it's okay to give a tsp of cereal and that it's not. what do you think?

2007-03-19 04:42:01 · 13 answers · asked by MelNoelle 3 in Pregnancy & Parenting Newborn & Baby

13 answers

Yes, I started my daughter on RICE cereal in her bottle of formula when she was about 6 weeks old because she had acid reflux.

This was under the direction of my family doctor last year. My baby is now over a year old, and is very very healthy

You can use up to 1tablespoon of single grain rice cereal per every 2oz of prepared formula/breastmilk...you will have to use faster nipples, or the rice will get clogged in the holes.

Have you seen a lactation specialist? Are you have problems nursing your baby? (acid reflux babies don't nurse well either).

Your baby should be fed whenever she is hungry. Formula is nutritionally balanced, so she won't get "fat" if she drinks more formula.

I would try just feeding her every time she is hungry to begin with, then add some rice if there is some SPECIFIC reason why she needs it.

I think that some of the people who have advised against it are a little misinformed: First, that small amount of rice won't cause choking....the formula is still very very liquid.

The reason why one of the mothers above had her child vomit every time she gave her son formula was because the child was full. That is why her child would play around with her breast and not actually drink. He wasn't hungry, but wanted extra private time with his mommy. It is sad that she got "ticked off" about it. Feeding a baby when they are full is the main cause of vomiting. Nothing more.

Don't let these people worry you. Of course, formula alone is what the baby needs, but obviously, the baby is still drinking the same amount of formula...just with some added rice now.

2007-03-19 06:11:23 · answer #1 · answered by gg 7 · 0 0

It's not recommended to do this unless directed by the dr because of reflux or something like that. My baby has had cereal in every bottle since she was 3 months old because of reflux, 1 tsp per ounce of formula. And let me tell you...she does't eat any less or sleep any better than when she didn't have it. And we've actually developed a problem where she doesn't want to take solids because she's getting the cereal. She won't take cereal on a spoon, but if we don't put it in the bottle she screams and spits up. Talk to your dr and see what they suggest, she might just need more formula.

2007-03-19 04:47:24 · answer #2 · answered by reflux mommy 3 · 1 0

No no and no!


There are sooo many dangers, its just way too risky!

There is the first (and most obvious) choking hazzard. Then there is the increased chance of diabetes and obesity later in life associated with giving cereal this early. Don't forget the allergies and digestion issues! She has what is called an 'open gut' right now. Food passes directly from her stomach into her bloodstreamLastly is her iron. Because she is a breastfed baby, the way she obsorbs iron is unique. There isnt very much iron in your milk, but he body is able to obsorb a large chunk of it. Introducing anything other than breastmilk changes the way she absorbs iron and the may be at risk for anemia.

How long has this been going on? It is probably a growth spurt. Giving her supplemental bottles with only elongate the problem because she won't stimulate your breasts to up your supply to make enough milk.

Drop the formula and nurse her on demand... i know how frusterating it can be, but it will pass once shes gotten your supply to where it needs to be. How are her wet diapers? You could even jump in bed with her for a couple days and just nurse nurse nurse nurse nurse. That will boost your supply.

Please check out the links i have posted below. Theyre all from the same site, but topics that may be of interest to you.

And please PLEASE, for the health of your child, don't give her cereal!

2007-03-19 05:34:56 · answer #3 · answered by Mommy to David 4 · 1 1

Contrary to what your mother would say, it is advisable to NEVER EVER KANEVER add infant cereal to your child's bottle. Your child will not sleep longer, that is an old wive's tale. Wait until he or she is 4 months old, and then spoon feed about a table spoon of very liquidy cereal to your baby until they become accustomed to the texture. Rice is the best to begin with. The most compeling reasons for you to wait is that babies who are allowed to drink their cereal are often slow to learn how to spoon feed later, children who are offered solids before the age of 4 months, or not until after the age of 7 months are at an increases risk of developing diabetes, as well as food allergies. If this is a sleep issue, start a bedtime ritual and invest in some really good black out shades for your child's sleeping area. Good Luck Momma.

2007-03-19 04:51:08 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0 1

I was advised by my pediatrician to use one to two teaspoons of rice cereal in the bed time bottle for all three of my children, as early as four weeks of age. It DID NOT keep them from learning to eat off of a spoon. As long as you do not mix the cereal too thick. My philosophy is if you feel comfortable doing it, then do so. My children survived, and they are happy and healthy.

2007-03-19 05:27:35 · answer #5 · answered by lpnwannabe2001 2 · 1 0

First off, I would not recommend you put cereal in your baby's bottle at 10 weeks. Baby's need time for the digestive system to develop and 10 weeks is too soon. It will do more harm if you do this now. I made a similar mistake w/ my second son, and today I'm paying the consecuences. (I;ll explain later)
It's important that you identify whether your baby wants to "eat" more or just suckle. If she has nursed on both breasts and is still HUNGRY you may want to check your diet. Make sure you're having plenty of water and healthy balanced meals and snacks... no junk food or crash diets right now. Neither will give you enough nutrients to satisfy your baby, and that may make her stay hungry.
Now, if she's not hungry and just wants to suckle, remember nursing has 2 purposes, food and comfort. And at 2 and a half months babies do need to be able to suckle on their mom's breast to help them deal with the stress of not being in the comfort of mom's womb. This may be a taboo for some people, because breasts are also of a sexual nature (but remember they are primarily to feed and comfort a baby). Up until 6 months, your baby may need the comfort of suckling. If you feel uncomfortable with this you can try a pacifier. And solids (like cereal) are best left until about 4 months.
W/ my son, he wanted to keep suckling & I felt very uncomfortable w/ him sucking on my boob just cuz he liked it. So I would give him the bottle WITH CEREAL after he nursed. Then he would throw up, cuz he wasn't ready for that and it was too much food. And he felt uncomfortable from throwing up so in order to comfort himself he wanted to suckle on mom's boob. That would tick me off even more, and he would sense something wasn't right and he'd start crying again. So I'd finally give him another bottle and he'd finally go to sleep. This routine continued for months and at 11 months he would STILL wake up 2 times at night, and wanted a bottle (I stopped breast feeding him at 5 months cuz I got so fed up) Today 9 years later, he still stuffs himself when he's under stress. Needless to say he has weight issues, and eats out of anxiety. I have 3 other children, the youngest is 2. All of which I allowed to suckle even if they weren't hungry. And I also tried to relax more, drink more fluids and eat beter. They were all happy campers, slept all through the night at 4 months. Were easy to wean at 6 months. And none of them have weight issues. That's what worked for me, I hope you find something that works for you but I don't recommend the cereal in the bottle unil 4 months. Check w/ your pediatritian.

2007-03-19 06:04:13 · answer #6 · answered by chulis75 2 · 0 1

If she simply isn't satisfied, I see no harm in doing so once or twice a day (mostly before bed). The main concern is that she should be getting most of her nutrients from the formula, and the cereal would be a "filler".

I did it for all three of my children at young ages because they weren't satisfied after their formula. No harm came from them.

2007-03-19 04:51:12 · answer #7 · answered by rouschkateer 5 · 1 0

I did with my son because he seem to be hungry all the time. He would nurse every 1hr to 1hr and 15 mins. My doc said that is was ok to do that for his night time bottle. It didn't lead to any problems with him taking it off the spoon either. He does just fine now that we have started eating solids.

2007-03-19 04:48:42 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

my doctor told me that introducing solids before six months does nothing for a child nutrionally. all they need is either breast milk or formula. and he said never to put it in the bottle. i would wait. i just now started my son on cereal and he is 5 months. i have fed him a bottle every 2-3 hours (more like 2) since he was born. unless he is sleeping.

2007-03-19 06:18:05 · answer #9 · answered by momma0506 2 · 0 1

You may want to ask her doctor about that. I never put cereal in my daughters bottle I didnt think it was right, they should eat cereal with a spoon not a bottle, but my friend gave her son cereal through a bottle he NEVER ate it with a spoon thats one reason I am against it that was wrong what she did.

2007-03-19 04:46:58 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0 1

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