cereal in the bottle?

Question

What are your thoughts about putting rice cereal in the baby's bottle?

Me, I am against it, but my bf is getting mad cause I won't do it. He says he wants a say in what his son eats, but he does eat it from a spoon. He also wanted to give it to him when he was 2 weeks old, and I said no, he got mad. He said his mom did it.

Answer 1

First of all, putting rice cereal in the bottle may cause serious problem, such as choking.
You should read the direction on the cereal box more carefully, as they clearly state you should NOT put it in the milk bottle......

Although your boyfriends mother did that to him, you don't have to do the same thing to your baby at all. Tell him how dangerous it could be.....

Answer 2

A lot of things our moms did aren't done today because doctors know more about the digestive system than they did then. They say not to give food nowadays until at least 4 months old.

If your baby is eating from a spoon, then I would have your boyfriend feed him from the spoon. He is having a say in what his son eats, however, doing it the way mom wants. :) I am also against feeding food from a bottle. I did do it however, a couple times when my kids were fussy and wouldn't take the spoon. Hope this helps. :)

Answer 3

I had to put cereal in my sons bottle at only a couple weeks old but I only did it because the Dr. said to because he had acid reflux really bad and couldn't keep the formula down without it in to thicken it. I don't think having cereal in the bottle will harm him but I also think that if he doesn't need it in for any reason and is eating it from a spoon then there's really no need for it. But everyone has a different opinion and you should do what you feel is best

Answer 4

If your son needs it to sustain more nutritional value during the night or sleep longer for you I could see, but doctors do not recommend cereal to babies this young. Do some research together and go to doctor appointments together. My favorite analogy to compare to his mother did it is -- my mom goes to the doctor too, but I go to a doctor for a second opinion, someone with a PHD in the medical field who studies, practices, and specializes in babies today to advise me on what is best for children today. Making him a part of your decisions means having him do research on what is healthiest for your child at the age appropriate time. Parenting magazine is a good resource. Confession - I did use cereal starting at 4 months just to get more than 3 hours of sleep at a time but I would not do it at two weeks (My daughter is 13). My mom did with my brother bringing him home from the hospital because of his appetite at the direction of her doctor (he is 30 now and healthy).

Answer 5

It can lead to health problems and it is a choking hazard. Should only be done if needed for weight gain or acid reflux.

I began feeding my boys cereal around 2 months because of severe acid reflux but I didn't like doing it. I put it in their bottles until 3 months then they started doing good with the spoon. I talked over the pros/cons with the Dr first and we both agreed the boys needed it to keep something down to gain weight but I wouldn't have done it if the Dr didn't say it was a good idea and necessary. (the Zantac wasn't helping).

Your boyfriend needs to go with you to the Dr's appt and have the Dr talk to him about why it is a bad idea to put cereal in a baby bottle.

Answer 6

Cereal is meant to be eaten with a spoon out of a bowl !

Never put cereal in you babys bottle!

You’ve heard about it from friends, parents, and in-laws. You’ve seen it in Internet chat rooms and discussion boards:

“You’re so tired! You should put some cereal in your daughter’s bottle – then she’ll sleep through the night.”

“He’ll nap better.”

“Your son looks too skinny. You’re not feeding him enough. Add some cereal to the bottle – that’ll do the trick.”

“He still acts hungry? Try putting some cereal in the bottle. He’ll be much less fussy.”

“Spoon feeding is a hassle. Put it off as long as you can. Cereal in the bottle is quick, convenient, makes them sleep longer and cry less – what more could you want?”

Your pediatrician says this is not wise (except as a treatment for reflux). Dietitians and nutritionists concur. Introducing solids before 4 months might cause food allergies. Your well-wishers discount these recommendations because cereal in the bottle worked wonders for their children!

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 7

my baby is 3 months and 1 week old i give her rice cereal in her bottle but i'm seeing what other people are saying about rice cereal and i did not know that rice cereal is bad for my baby so now i'm going to ask my baby's doc. more about it. you should ask your baby's doc. about rice cereal to with your bf so he can see why your not giving him the cereal.

Answer 8

ceral at 2 weeks is way too young
in a bottle once old enough they actually make bottle nipples specifically for that. I don't have a problem with it like maybe in a bottle right before bedtime to keep the child full longer. I did it to my daughter and she is just fine but she did not get any cereal till about 3 months old because that is when her dr. said was o.k.

Answer 9

I've never heard of putting rice in the bottle myself...

Being a mother has a lot to do with your instincts, and if you think it's wrong, then tell your bf to back off (in nicer words of course).

So what if his mother did it? Every baby is different, and if your little one isn't than your bf should realize it.

Also, I might try to find a good parenting book. If he won't believe what you say, show him what the experts say.

I hope everything works out!!

Answer 10

Yeah you know what our mums USED to do it when they didnt know it was BAD for us.
I will not do it ever!! My son is 5 months old and eats solids three times a day OFF a spoon and very happily. He has farex (rice cereal) with fruit for breakfast we started feeding him at 3 months due to doctor and health nurse suggestions as my boy was drinking a litre of formula and was a hungry baby.
Good girl tho for standing your ground!! You know whats best for your baby and thats not it.