Rice Cereal In A Bottle

Patricia - posted on 11/30/2012

Please do not put cereal in your baby's bottle. Cereal is crap food anyways. Start by feeding him more organic veggies and fruits.

Marie - posted on 11/29/2012

My boyfriends aunt and I have babies that are 3 months apart mine being the youngest I started giving my son rice at 3.5 weeks in his bottles and also started giving him stage 1 bananas in a bottle thinned with a little water he's now a 5 weeks old and healthy as can be me and my bf aunt have the same ped and he said he's never seen healthier babies than our sons if your babies are eating right not spitting up puking or getting sick with the foods they are eating then don't worry also what helps a lot with our sons is put 2 teaspoons of karo syrup in every 3 bottles it does not hurt them

Mel - posted on 08/09/2009

Quoting Donna:

Quoting Melissa:

Donna - if your bubba was under weight or FTT you should have started solids early. they need it for weight gain. they put my LO on them at 3 months along with lots of fattening foods.

Well, he was diagnosed as being underweight at his 6 month checkup. Our GP said to make the changes to my diet and since he was going to start solids, we would give it a month and see how he was doing.

If there is no good reason for introducing solids early, my GP would not recommend it. She and our ped have told me that an infant's digestive tract is still maturing (it's not fully mature until 12 months) and introducing solids is more for taste, texture and getting them used to eating more than anything else. It has helped in him gaining weight, but breastmilk and formula are still main sources of nutrition. Which is why it was imperitive that I improve my diet if I was to continue breastfeeding.

He is now back on track and on his way to walking. Like his brother, he will be a slight build.

thats fair enough i had to formula feed for weight gain and she needed solids at 3 months for weight gain too but of course formula was still the main nutrition that was just extra. its still her main nutrition now at 16 months except now she can use high calorie. doing well now. but in most babies yes its just for them to get used to tastes and textures after 6 months its necessary for growth and development thought. glad your son is doing well now

Georgia - posted on 08/09/2009

Quoting Melissa:

Donna - if your bubba was under weight or FTT you should have started solids early. they need it for weight gain. they put my LO on them at 3 months along with lots of fattening foods.

Well, he was diagnosed as being underweight at his 6 month checkup. Our GP said to make the changes to my diet and since he was going to start solids, we would give it a month and see how he was doing.

If there is no good reason for introducing solids early, my GP would not recommend it. She and our ped have told me that an infant's digestive tract is still maturing (it's not fully mature until 12 months) and introducing solids is more for taste, texture and getting them used to eating more than anything else. It has helped in him gaining weight, but breastmilk and formula are still main sources of nutrition. Which is why it was imperitive that I improve my diet if I was to continue breastfeeding.

He is now back on track and on his way to walking. Like his brother, he will be a slight build.

SHEREEN - posted on 08/08/2009

i have a six month old and ive been feeding rice cereal in his bottle since he was two months old. and he is just fine. i got a stage two or a fast nipple for the bottle and i put two scoops of rice cereal in an 8 or 9oz bottle. i used the same scoop that came with the formila

Kimberly - posted on 08/07/2009

All of my kids had cereal starting from a few weeks old, but it was always off of a spoon they dont have to sit up to eat off of a spoon. If it was bad for them then they would not give it to premature babies. Use what is best for your baby, my children were eating cereal with fruit in it by the time they were 2 mos old. I have 3 healthty children 7,4,&8mos.

Stephanie - posted on 08/07/2009

I started my daughter with rice cereal in her bottle when she was about 4.5 weeks old...she did excellant on it and slept alot longer!! By the time she was 6.5 weeks old she was sleeping through the night too :) We used to put about 1-2 teaspoons of cereal in a 4-5oz bottle for her. She's been on solids now since she was 4 months old (veggies first & the fruits) and is also doing great with them...there's nothing she wont eat!!

Cortnie - posted on 08/07/2009

A lot of people and pediatricians will tell you to never put rice ceral in the bottle.... That is a load of crap. My son was eating every 2 hours on the dot, when he started his growth spurts, he was eating every hour. I went right back to work after my 6 weeks of leave and working a full day and not sleeping at night was killing me. I finally stated adding a teaspoon of ceral to the bottle before bed and wouldn't you know it... I actually got a little more sleep. Oh and by the way, my son is as healthy as any baby.

Marci - posted on 08/07/2009

don't put it in the bottle wait until he's 3 months to feed him by a spoon!

Amanda - posted on 08/07/2009

From what I hear and have read, DON'T DO IT. My son's physician said the same. It can create all kinds of food allergies for your little one not to mention the fact that the baby won't be able to know when enough is enough.

Ramona - posted on 08/07/2009

1teaspoon to oz

Shona - posted on 08/07/2009

no dont put rice into their food just up the amount you give them

Jennifer - posted on 08/06/2009

Quoting Charlene:

Rice Cereal In A Bottle

My baby is a hungry little man and he is currently going through a growth spurt, I believe, which makes things worse. When he was born he ate every hour during the day but only woke up twice during the night, once at 1:00 and once at 4:00. Now he still eats every hour during the day but he wakes up 4+ times during the night and the lack of sleep is not doing well for me and my husband. One of my MIL six kids was like this and to solve the problem she added rice cereal to his bottle right before bed and he slept so much longer and so much better. How much rice cereal should I add to my baby's bottle? How much is too much but how much is too little to make a difference?

I feel for you!

My son has been on rice cereal in bottles for the past 2 months now. He only gets about one teaspoon in each bottle, simply because he will not be sustained by just milk. Yes, he is on solid foods now as well, it wasn't the lack of sleep that got to me, but it was the fact that he would scream every 1 1/2 hours for more food, 6 ounces at a time! That is alot for a baby! His diapers were always soaked through as well, almost like he was just drinking the milk and going right through him. Now, he is almost eight months and he gets about 4-5 6 oz. milk bottles, 2 juice botles (1oz. juice and 3 oz. water), and two meals per day (homemade baby food, either fruit or veggies) He is a big guy, but my pediatrician states that if that is what he needs, then, keep on!  

Tara - posted on 08/06/2009

It is strongly recommended NOT to add cereal to your baby's bottle. The can choke on it, and yes some people do and say their kids where fine, but do you really want to take that chance. I'm sure you would feel horrible if something happened and it could have been prevented! Take the little bit of extra time and just feed your baby the cereal by spoon. It doesn't take long!

Ciera - posted on 08/06/2009

NO NO NO please dont put it in a bottle they can choke just spoon feed it to them just wait for your baby to sleep through the night. and the rice cereal does not actually help them sleep through the night its designed to disolve and digest just like every other food and formula.

Rachel - posted on 08/06/2009

I always fed rice cereal by spoon. They have to learn eventually, so start early. With both of my kids, I started at about 6 weeks, or when they started holding their head a little. I only gave about 2 tablespoons, and only at night before bed. By 3 months, I started vegetables, and they wer eating off of a spoon very well by then. I would then give cereal in the morning and vegetable at dinner. At about 5 months, I added a fruit for lunch, still giving a bottle every 3 hours.

Kristine - posted on 08/06/2009

Lots of pediatricians say no cereal in the bottle. However my pediatrician said go ahead at 1 month. She said it dont hurt anything. I see lots of posts saying no. But lots of people do it and there kids are ok.

Tanya - posted on 08/06/2009

Hey,

You can add cereal to the bottle if you wish, just about 2 teaspoons, nothing too much, but I started feeding my baby a couple table spoons of cereal on its own when he was about 2-3 months old!!! Your baby will get more full if you just give it right from a spoon rather than in the bottle!!

Good Luck

Carrie - posted on 08/06/2009

I had a hungry little man, too... and at about 3 months, I put a little rice cereal in his bottle (just the bedtime bottle). For me, it wasn't just my sleep deprivation that was the issue... He would wake up SO much hungrier and crankier! It worked for us. I only did a tiny bit (maybe half a teaspoon) at first, and it did the trick! Happy baby, happy mama. He's over a year old now and doing great.

Mel - posted on 08/06/2009

Donna - if your bubba was under weight or FTT you should have started solids early. they need it for weight gain. they put my LO on them at 3 months along with lots of fattening foods.

Georgia - posted on 08/06/2009

Just because our mothers/grandmothers did it doesn't mean we should or would. My mother smoked while pregnant with me (and obviously after I was born). I have a photo of her sitting on a couch smoking while holding me. I seem to be okay and intact.

Hands up who would smoke while pregnant or with a baby. Not many of us would, knowing what we know now about smoking and babies.

Why not go to the pediatrician to rule out any ailments (with the baby or you if you're brestfeeding) before starting cereal?

I have an underweight baby and my doctor had me look at my diet (since I was breastfeeding) and ruled out anything being wrong with my son. The doctor was actually talking about my son being borderline FTT because he'd fallen so far off the chart. I made some changes to my diet and that helped, but to get back on track I added a bottle of formula. He started solids at 6 months and that, along with breastfeeding and his 1 bottle of formula has him almost completely back on track. One more check up in a month's time should put him back to where he should be.

Good luck with your baby and getting some sleep. (I'm waiting to be able to sleep a full night myself)

Deanna - posted on 08/05/2009

Check the age limit on the packet of rice cereal.



Mine wakes 3 hourlyuntill he was 3 months

Katarzyna - posted on 08/05/2009

I think it depends on the baby and what he or she likes. My little one woke up 2 or 3 times during the night when she was only on formula. When she turned was at the end of her 3rd month I slowly started to add rice cereal to her formula. For the first week I would put in only a teaspoon, then when I saw that she was doing good with it I added more. Now shes 6 months old and eats 8oz (4 scoops of formual) and 4 scoops of rice cereal each night.. She pulls 10- 12 hours each night of sleep.

Leigh - posted on 08/05/2009

My 4 month old has never been able to eat rice cereal so when he was 2.5 months old we started giving him stage 1 applesauce and bananas right before bed and he started sleeping through the night... I only gave him 1-2 tablespoonsuntil he seemed full and he has been sleeping all night every night since then....

Tracy - posted on 08/05/2009

my baby started getting super fussy around 3 months. My aunt told me her grandson was the same the Doc recommended putting a tablespoon of cereal in her formula a few times a day. He stopped being fussy after that. So I followed suit. Now I give her cereal in her bottle regularly. We are both happier for it.

Christine - posted on 08/05/2009

My son has reflux, my pediatrician said 1 teas. of rice cereal per ounce of fluid. it just makes it thicker. he will be fuller longer. I add it to every bottle to help his reflux and have no problems. rice cereal when you make it thick should always be fed by spoon, but this is not so thick. you will need nipples for thicker fluids though dont try to put it through a normal nipple he will suck to hard to get it and it will create the ear infections that everyone talks about!

Krystal - posted on 08/05/2009

Just hearing that cereal in the bottle has caused constipation for so many babies should tell you something. These babies are more than likely dehydrated. It sounds like you are using formula? Remember that formula (and breastmilk) is made to satisfy both hunger and thirst. Are you sure the problem is hunger? If your baby is eating that often without satisfaction something else could be wrong. Speak to your pediatrician about other possible problems and if he/she is unhelpful. Find a new one.

Kelly - posted on 08/05/2009

My baby had reflux and therefore the doc told me to add 1 tsp. of cereal to a 4 oz bottle. she is now 6 1/2 mos and i still do it. it also helps her sleep better for naps and bedtime. the thing i would suggest is askin the doc what is best for ur baby as all babies are different. =)

Alichia - posted on 08/05/2009

I'm not sure how old he is, but I wanted to let you know from my experience with my son that it is better to use a bowl. Also I would only give him small amounts, not to thick, but creamy. Sometimes wanting the baby to be full by giving him cereal or rice in other words can also make the baby drasticly constipated, and uncomfortable. I would ask your peditrician to recommend the amount and type of cereal to avoid any temperments from over feeding or not feeding enough? I hope this helps you some

Misty - posted on 08/05/2009

I am a RN and I have a 5 week old. I have been putting rice in his bottle since he was 2 weeks old. I also did this with my 2 year old when he was small. Neither of them had any issues with this. Also a friend of mine had a baby with reflux and her pedi told her to put cereal in bottle. Recently I went through some stuff of my mother's and found her discharge papers from when she had me. I thought it was cute that they said at 2 weeks start putting rice in bottle.

Christi - posted on 08/05/2009

we started to do that with my 1 month old, we used 1 teaspoon, he wld still wake up int he middle of the night on occasion... and started to do it more frequent so we decided to add just a lil more, and he became very very constipated... but never was with just the 1 teaspoon, so i wld suggest to start with that... rice cereal will constipate a baby very easy so its better to use less than more...

Mary Lynn - posted on 08/05/2009

We put oatmeal in our son's bottle per doctor's orders for reflux. If you are trying to help the child sleep, I've read that the rice in the cereal is a myth, but if you they have reflux, then it will help it stay on their stomach.

Genn - posted on 08/05/2009

I gave cereal in bottles to my eldest and she never had a problem. In fact she loved it. She was so hungry all the time and never had a problem with choking, no matter how thick I made the mixture, she also does not have a problem figuring out when she should stop eating as she is now 2 1/2 and about the skinniest thing ever! I ended up spoon feeding the cereal to my second, mostly because she had choking problems right from the start and I didn't want to risk it. My pediatrician is very against the cereal in the bottle thing but my Mom did it for all four of her daughters and we are all just fine. I really think that if you are going to do it you just have to be responsible about it is all.

Ashlee - posted on 08/05/2009

I was worried about the stomach sleeping too, but was then informed that using bumper pads in the crib created more of a sids risk. like we all know every baby and mommy is different good luck

Christina - posted on 08/05/2009

They don't have to sit up on there owe , But u have to sit them up to eat it. If they can move there tounge around and you make it like water 2 small spoon to start them off you can see for your self whatu want to do . Every baby is differnt and you can see how yours act of itYou can go look at gerber .com to see what they say for self but just try it and see. good luck

mommy of 4 . 8y.3y.20 months and a 5 month old

Mel - posted on 08/05/2009

i guess my most didnt work earlier but i just wrote i hope it goes well tonight with the cereal again

Patti - posted on 08/05/2009

Buy one of the cereal bottles specially created for this. It was a wider hole in the nipple to accomodate slightly thicker formula. Add just enough to make the milk the consistency of a thin gravy. I used this with my four daughters and they loved it and were just fine. Watch very very closely to make sure baby is not drinking too fast. Start slowly, and go with an ounce, maybe two, and follow up with regular formula for rest of feeding til you know baby is tolerating it well.

Christina - posted on 08/04/2009

My nurse practitioner (and everyone I new over 50) suggested rice in the bottle although all the books say no. I tried it and two hours later my son was screaming to be fed. Normally he'll last about three hours in the day and all night long. I'm not sure why she even suggested it except she thought we were feeding him too often during the day and he's such a big baby. We have been using enfamil AR which is already thickened and works great. I suggest trying that.

Charlene - posted on 08/04/2009

Well we've tried the cereal in the bottle thing for two nights now, tonight being night three. The first night I put in just a little and it seemed to work (down to waking up twice instead of 4 times) but the second night he woke up the normal 4 times again so I wonder if the first night wasn't just a fluke. Tonight I added some more cereal to his bottle and we'll see if he does any better. If tonight doesn't make a difference then I'm going to scrap the cereal in a bottle idea. But I really hope it works. And for those who suggested I up his bottle amounts, he's already drinking 6-8 ounce bottles ever night right before bed (and most of his day feedings are about that much too, be it breast milk or formula) so that wouldn't really work. I'm down to either the cereal thing or just wait for him to outgrow it. I figured it was worth a try, since so many other babies sleep through the night once cereal is added. I might try the stomach thing like Ashlee suggested if tonight doesn't go well. That one still makes me a tiny bit nervous though, because of the SIDS thing. If I do get a SIDS baby, I'd like to know there was at least nothing I could have done to prevent it. I think if I had a SIDS baby who slept on his stomach, I'd feel horribly guilty. But that's just me. I'm paranoid like that. :-)

I'll let you know how tonight's sleeping goes! And don't worry, I made sure it was still thin enough of a liquid that he won't choke and I held him and watched him real close for about half an hour after he was done to make sure he didn't choke. So no worries there. I'll let you know how the sleeping thing goes!

Ali - posted on 08/04/2009

Hi! My son will be 5 months tomorrow and we have been giving him rice cereal for about a month. We started out with less than a teaspoon and now he gets 4 teaspoons to a 6 oz bottle.

Ashlee - posted on 08/04/2009

sorry as others have posted you should NOT put cereal into a bottle the main reason being the choking hazard, they can have cereal under normal circumstances around 4-6 months but not sooner as their bodies are not ready for it. I tried it even though I was told not too and it caused more problems (his stomach) he was not able to digest it properly BAD IDEA. Once they can sit up and take cereal off a spoon than go for it. Depending on your babies age I would recommend putting him on his stomach to sleep over cereal in his bottle (it worked for us)
Good Luck

Ann - posted on 08/04/2009

We started adding rice cereal to my son's bottles at around 2 months, but only because he has severe reflux, and it was the only way he could keep anything down! The ped had me start with 1tsp for every 2oz, in one or two bottles a day. Now that he's bigger, we were given the OK to give him rice cereal with every bottle, but hoping to start solids this month after his 4 month checkup.

Carla - posted on 08/04/2009

Well, every Mom and every baby is different. But I did the rice cereal in the bottle for both of my boys. Dylan starting at 5 weeks and Cayden at 6 weeks. My pediatrician was fine with it. He told us to start with 1/4 tsp for each 2 ounces. Do that for a few nights, make sure it's not messing with his bowels and go up from there. While it did help with both of my boys, it was not the miracle sure to sleeping through the night. Be sure you have a fast flow or stage 3 nipple on the bottle so the cereal can come out. Good Luck and keep us posted of your progress!

Mari - posted on 08/04/2009

I am assuming there are those that do everything a doctor tells them my sister is a pediatrician and YES it will NOT hurt the baby if simple rice cereal is added in small amounts. No one is saying feed them pizza or real milk. Over reaction and understanding that just because someone would not do what another would do does not make it wrong. My children are happy healthy at perfect weight and are hardly ever sick. I am proud to say none of my children have allergies or health problems and guess what I gave them rice cereal in small amounts at 3 months...GASP!!

Mel - posted on 08/04/2009

Rachel - early introduction of solids DOES NOT cause allergies. no matter when you introduce solids if the baby is going to have a reaction they will have a reaction. straight from a dieticians mouth and one of the best too

Rachel - posted on 08/04/2009

I cannot believe some of these responses! No wonder we have a problem with children and allergies! Does anyone read information from the health experts? Crazy, crazy, crazy! Are we still living in the 60's/70's???

Mari - posted on 08/04/2009

I put one tablespoon in the morning and evening before bedtime bottle @ 3 months and my daughter started sleeping through the night and that was 16 yrs ago and she is happy and healthy. I do not know why they say not to it does not hurt the baby and it does help if the baby has a larger appetite as mine did. It made her happy and we were able to sleep longer periods through the night. Of course you may have to open the bottle nipple a tad bit more so they cereal could get through but I think they may even sell some with bigger holes. Happy feeding.

Mel - posted on 08/04/2009

i have seen a few posts with people who seem to believe a child needs to be sitting up unassisted , holding thier head up well, and that solids should never be offered before 17 weeks. i would to correct these people so that the OP does not think this is fact. while it is good to have these things before solids it is NOT a necessity. the childrens hospital put my 3 month old on solids and rusks for weight gain and she was very behind developmentally didnt sit up til 11.5 months couldnt hold her head up without it being shaky til at least 6 months and just started crawling at 14.5 months. early solids is just fine. every baby is different as to when they need solids. mine was having rusks with peanut butter and cream cheese at 3 months as she needed them for weight gain to pls remember the ladies that say the early introduction of solids have clearly never had a hungry/underweight baby

Crystal - posted on 08/04/2009

i added rice cereal to my babies bottle when he was 2 months old, i had a extra formula scoop so i use 2 scoops of that to thicken it , and he started sleeping thru the night

Dawn - posted on 08/04/2009

I talked to my Dr. the other day about this and she doesn't recommend it unless you are feeding the cereal with a spoon. Reason is giving an infant rice cereal in a bottle may cause them to become overweight. Also, it's not safe to give them cereal unless they are sitting up on their own.