My 3 month old still wakes up every 3 hours to eat or just to get up and look around. He's already drinking 6 ounces of formula and I feel like he's just not getting full. I am a mother of 2 and I have a full time job and I need my sleep at night...What should I do?? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
2007-03-22 08:13:34 · 15 answers · asked by Amanda W 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
No it is a myth that infant cereal will make your baby sleep longer.
Plus its not good for them that young, at 3 months old infants do not have the stomach acids needed to digest starches. As well the added iron in these can cause constipation, and rice cereals are full of preservatives (which have been eliminated from jared baby foods because infants cannot rid them from their body as easily)
Really if you are formula feeding and you feel he is not getting full it is most likely because he really isn't getting full.
You are trting to feed an individual person who is a different sixe, different mental capacity, and growing at a different rate then every other baby an average set diet based on estimates of what is "avereage".
He may just be gowing through a growth spurt or be developing faster. Nursing babies get to eat as much as they want so if he's still hungry feed him! I doubt if he's hungry he will get fat, he probably needs the nutrition to grow. And even when infants do get fat they often grow out of it in their toddler years.
2007-03-22 08:25:33 · answer #1 · answered by slawsayssss 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Cereal in a Bottle for Baby Will Not Make Baby Sleep Longer - It may make baby over eat!
First let us state that adding cereal to the bottle for an infant who has reflux is entirely different than adding cereal just to try and gain a few more minutes of sleep!
We know that many parents are offered this advice and we know that many are probably tempted to try the old "cereal in the bottle" trick to gain an extra 1 hour (heck even an extra 20 minutes!) of sleep. We also know that this is one of the biggest and possibly one of the most dangerous practices you could engage in. It is not a good idea because you may throw the "I'm full" instinct off kilter but more importantly, babies have been known to aspirate cereal from the bottle. Babies who are younger than 4-6 months old seldom know how to properly swallow anything other than breast milk or formula. Inhaling a bottle with cereal in it may have deadly consequences.
2007-03-22 15:26:47 · answer #2 · answered by Miriam Z 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He's plenty full with 6 ounces of formula, a 3 month old will just wake. You can try keeping him stimulated for longer periods during the day, especially the period before bed.. then kick your bedtime routine into high gear, bath, bottle, book... and he'll be good and tired and ready to sleep.
I dont' suggest cereal as his digestive system is still so immature. The risk for allergies are so much higher with early introduction. I wouldn't do it.. but it's your baby.
2007-03-22 16:05:29 · answer #3 · answered by Gig 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
MY son was sleeping through the night at 2-1/2 weeks old. My Dr said that if he started waking up in the night to give him a tablespoon of rice cereal before his last nurse of the night. He did start waking up at about 3-1/2 to 4 months...I did give him cereal, and he started sleeping through the night again.
2007-03-22 18:39:17 · answer #4 · answered by mommy_2_liam 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Please, as a nurse I beg you not to give your baby anything other then formula, their little bodies can not handle it just yet. That giving them cereal to help them sleep through the night is just a myth. It is possible that your baby is waking because of habit. Let him get himself back to sleep. If you don't have one already start a nighttime routine and put him to bed when he is still awake. If he is still hungry then give him more formula. My daughter ate 6 oz all the feedings and 8 before bed time. She has been sleeping through the night since 3 months. If you are really concerned about it then you might want to call the Dr. and ask them.
Good luck and God bless
2007-03-22 15:32:46 · answer #5 · answered by Ama A 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My son is almost 8 months old and he has an 8oz bottle with a little cereal in it before bed and he still gets up in the middle of the night. So this little trick really just doesn't work.
2007-03-22 15:19:14 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Maybe you should call your pediatrician to find out how much your infant should be eating and if it's normal for him to be waking up every three hours (I think it is, but check to be sure).
I heard that if you put your child to sleep about the same time every night that the child quickly gets accustomed to sleeping and may start sleeping all night sooner.
Good luck!
2007-03-22 15:19:42 · answer #7 · answered by Denise 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I have had three babies and when they were babies I would give them baths before they went to sleep for the night. The baths would help them to have a more sound sleep for the night and they would usually sleep all night. If you want to give the baby food then you should talk to the ped.
2007-03-22 15:29:46 · answer #8 · answered by Nancy M 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
At 3 months old they're still gonna get up alot. But you can give him cereal if the ped gives the ok. I did it with my little one at that age (only once in a while though) and she would usually sleep 7 hours at a stretch when I gave it to her.
2007-03-22 15:17:43 · answer #9 · answered by Amanda 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Giving my little girl cereal right before bath and bed was what kept her sleeping through the night. But your child is still very young and really isn't at the age where they sleep through the night. Talk to your child's doctor to see what they recommend.
2007-03-22 15:18:30 · answer #10 · answered by ve 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋