cereal in babys bottle?

Question

my son is just about 7 weeks old,he weighed 8lbs 7oz at birth and at his last appt when he was 6 weeks old he was already at 13 1/2 lbs,doctor said he is healthy but his weight is off the charts. he is a little fatty and seems to want to eat 4 oz's every 2-21/2 hours. sometimes i try to wait until 3 hours but he doesnt have that =(
for mothers who have put cereal in the bottle when did u first start and was your baby still healthy and happy?i just wanna keep him a little fuller for a little longer time periods. this question is not intended for people who advise against it. my mom did this with all 8 of us and i do have 2 other children,i just dont remember when i started. thanks in advance =)

Answer 1

With my nephew they had us put cereal in his bottles early like around 6 weeks because he had really bad Gerd and it helped him hold his formula down. We had to put more in then most people do with their babies. You should be fine but you might want to watch constipation from it add some kero syrup to the bottle with the cereal helps the baby stay regular. Sorry I couldn't be more help on this one.

Answer 2

I'm not objecting, but realize that when your mom did this, she was likely using regular whole cows milk, not formula. On the other hand, if he's gaining weight that fast, it may be a better idea to use some cereal.

That said, we had cereal from birth as did virtually every adult over the age of 25 born in the US. So, start with a teaspoon and see how that goes. No more than 1 tablespoon unless you speak with your ped!

You are likely going to get all sorts of theories and opposing advice. Read it all and then decide what works for you.

Answer 3

My son weighed 7'7 at birth and is 7 wks and weighs 12'9. He eats every 2 to 2 1/2 hrs, 4 to 5 oz at a time.It is perfectly normal. I know you don't want to hear this, but I am a nurse who worked for a pediatrician for a long time, and you NEVER give a baby under 6 mos cereal. My mom did it with us too and we had horrible allergies, both environmental and food.Our parents weren't aware of the risks and possible problems involved with introducing foods so early on.Just because they did it, doesn't make it right to try now. Gluten is a main component of cereals and it is a major and common allergy in babies esp since they have underdeveloped GI tracts.It can cause allergy symptoms such as rash, bloating, abdominal pain, vomiting,etc. Some symptoms can go unnoticed too because your baby can't tell you , "Hey, this stuff is making me feel like crap". Food sensitivity and allergies in kids can cause hyperactive behavior, agression and long term digestive problems. I know this answer is probably pissing you off but I do have a good suggestion. Enfamil makes a new formula called Enfamil AR. It has added rice starch which makes the formula thicker on the stomach. It is designed for babies who spit up, but it may help your baby feel fuller. I am in the same boat. My 7 wk old eats all the time and I have other kids, too. You may want to call your pediatrician or GP and see if they sample the Enfamil AR. It is gluten free, I believe and maybe it will satisfy your baby a little better.

Answer 4

Don't put it in the bottle! That will just help him pack on too much weight! Get him used to taking it from a spoon. My son was about the same age, and same weight, as yours when I started him on cereal. Usually at night he would try to drink two 8oz bottles of formula back to back! He didn't leave me any other choice LOL. It only took about 2 days for him to get used to taking it from a spoon. He really enjoyed it too! He would eat the cereal, and then wash it down with only one bottle of formula. Had I put the cereal IN the bottle, he would have still been guzzling two 8oz bottled PLUS cereal! He had reflux too, so this also helped him keep his food down!

Answer 5

4oz every 2-3 hours is very normal.

Dont put cereal in the bottle...its really not a good thing to do. I know I know...all of our parents did it..and everyone says...do it, but its not a good thing.

For one thing, you are introducing a grain they dont need until much later...could cause allergies. Another issue is the hunger reflex is fooled by putting cereal in the bottle. They dont know when enough is enough. When they eat 4oz every few hours, they are only eating when hungry...thats normal.

Try giving 5 oz and see if that will hold him til 3 hours. It takes some time, my son was exactly the same way. But he also slept thru the night around 13-14 weeks old on that schedule.

Hang in there...dont give into an old wives tale.

Answer 6

He's just outside the 95, which places him in the 99th percentile. I just looked at the chart myself. You dont give his length, what is it? And do you breastfeed or only formula?

He was 8.5 pounds at birth, thats not a small baby, plus he's not your first, you'll make bigger babies as you go.

I would tell the doctor to shove it and feed the baby only when he's hungry.

Adding cereal is only going to give him even more food intake, which only compounds the "problem" you're trying to avoid.

At seven weeks its pretty normal to still be feeding on demand every couple hours, even with formula. Asking a baby to go longer in my opinion is just cruel.

The issue is that he doesnt fit into the neatly pressed medical limits of average, and that gives your doctor a reason to freak out and find a new treatment for the baby, You watch, he'll keep it up the rest of the baby's life.

If it were me, I'd feed baby when he's hungry, and ignore the doctor. You've got two other kids, you obviously know what you're doing.

Answer 7

Both of my boys were on rice cereal from the day they were born due to severe gerd. I found that when compared to other babies they lasted longer during feeding times. For a 7-8 week baby i would use 4-5 oz milk with 4 table spoons of cereal. It will hold him off a little longer and he'll feel more content. It will also help if he has a mild case of gerd. If you are concerned about his weight you could just increase the amt of formula he gets and not add the cereal.
good luck....


dont add any kero to his formula. if the baby gets constipated consult your doctor about possilby starting on lactulose. its herbal and non habit forming

Answer 8

I put cereal in dd's bottle when she was a couple of months at nurses recommendation. Also nurse said to make sure she burped well cause gas would cause baby to feel hungry when they were not. Only thing about putting cereal (was not even a teaspoon full) is that it makes it harder for them suck the formula out of the bottle cause it stops up the nipple.

Answer 9

cereal babys bottle

Answer 10

I used cereal in my daughter's bottle at the age of 1 month because of acid reflux, but she seemed so much happier and was more full at every feeding