bottle or spoon???

Emily - posted on 07/19/2009

The neonatologist suggested that we add cereal to one of my twins bottles of breastmilk when she was still in the NICU. She was there for 11 days and once she got home I practically killed myself getting her off the bottle and there went the cereal. She had very serious reflux and as a result had a few apnea episodes...they were unable to convince me that formula or bm with cereal would be better since bm is easier to digest. I wish she never got cereal in her bottle and I would worry like crazy that it would cause a problem. So I say SPOON! :)

Sara - posted on 07/15/2009

But have you seen some of those threads on the main page about this where people respond by saying that you're killing your baby by putting cereal in the bottle? I don't agree with it, but geez...

Nichole - posted on 07/15/2009

I started my son on rice cereal at 6 weeks and it was off a spoon, never in a bottle.

Anastasia - posted on 07/15/2009

Spoon for me...

Sarah - posted on 07/15/2009

Until i'd joined COM's i had never even heard of putting cereal in a bottle before!
So i say SPOON!!!!!

LOL at Christa! See we all do agree sometimes! :)

Erin - posted on 07/14/2009

Definitely spoon!!! Unless it's for reflux or some other GI problem. Putting cereal in a bottle tricks a baby to eat solids before they may be ready. It also defeats the purpose of teaching them how to move the food to the back of their mouth and swallow. I'm not convinced on it being a choking hazard, as if that were the case those babies that genuinely do need it for medical problems would be choking all the time, but I think there are enough other reasons not to do it.

Traci - posted on 07/14/2009

Yeah, I never put cereal in a bottle. Many women do it to help their baby to sleep during the night, but I don't think that's a good enough reason. Only spoons, here! :)

Christa - posted on 07/14/2009

I think you should put it in a bottle! HaHa just kidding, but it feels weird to agree with you all. LOL I absolutely agree you wouldn't drink your cereal so why should your baby?!?

JL - posted on 07/14/2009

SPOON..SPOON...SPOON! Did I say spoon enough?

Lindsay - posted on 07/14/2009

Despite my mom and all of my aunts telling me putting it in the bottle was the only way to go, I never did. We started cereal on a spoon at 3 months and stayed with that until veggies at 5 months and fruits at 6. They always did really well with the spoon.

Abby - posted on 07/14/2009

joy, i think we've all tried things to make it so we get some sleep! i tried putting him onto thicker milk but it didnt work! never does, they're still gonna wake up when they're hungry!

but i remember being so truly exhausted that i couldve slept anywhere! x

Joy - posted on 07/14/2009

We introduced cereal on a spoon when Jacob was 3 months old. He still had the tongue thrust reflex going on, so we waited and tried it again a few weeks later. I think he was 4, maybe 4 and a half months old before he was finally ready. I will admit though, that I tried cereal in the bottle when he was maybe 2 months old. I was told by just about everyone I knew that it would help Jacob sleep through the night or at least for longer periods of time. In exhausted desperation, I tried it and it had no effect whatsoever on his sleeping pattern. It also didn't have any effect on his bowels either, so I'm pretty sure it didn't harm him in any way. But I did feel bad for trying it. I don't know why I felt bad, maybe because I figured out that I was doing it for MY benefit and not for my baby's. I tried it so that I could sleep.....and then I figured out that I gave up my "right" to sleep the second I brought him home from the hospital lol God, I felt so guilty and selfish! Oh well, all's well that ends well. These are the things that teach us what is right for us individually as mothers. It's all about "on the job training" and it never ends....

Sara - posted on 07/14/2009

September, your little one is CUTE!

September - posted on 07/14/2009

I totally agree with the both of you! Pick up a spoon and feed your child!

Abby - posted on 07/14/2009

My thoughts precisely, i just think why not teach them to use a spoon!!! ok we did wean him early(medical advice) but still i would NEVER put it in hsi bottle!!! xx

Sara - posted on 07/14/2009

No cereal in the bottle unless for medical reasons!!!! I find it lazy (sorry!) and think that it defeats the purpose of TEACHING your child how to eat solids.