cereal?

Lisa - posted on 01/08/2013

I would not base starting cereal on their sleep. They should show signs of interest in food first, be able to hold their head up with assistance which by 16 weeks I am assuming your daughter would. I would try a tablespoon of rice cereal mixed with about 4 tbs of milk or formula. Feed her a little milk first then try the cereal. I always tell patients to just try to feed with the spoon, but I know lots of people prefer the bottle or slit bigger holes in the nipples of their bottles. You can thicken after a while but I would not feed more than twice a day of cereal in the beginning. Their bellies are still adjusting. When you start to introduce other foods, start with the veggies (green ones first) because once they start with the fruit and sweeter stuff, they won't want to go back to the veggies.

Char - posted on 01/07/2013

I know this is an old post but I feel sad that so many people come here for this kind of advice without first going to their ped or even reading guidelines on the tins or packets. All babies are different but unless advised for med reasons, putting food in bottles other than breast milk or formula is dangerous and does not in any way insure a good nights sleep. The old school way of thinking gives credence to doing such things but nowadays we have the benefit of hindsight and research that shows us the short and long term ramifications of such ludicrous practices. Four to six months old is the who recommendation for starting solids. The bowel is not really ready until 6months to properly digest food. If trying food rice veges or fruit should always be given on a spoon. There are so many people without obvious medical problems in the world who have significant eating problems or digestive problems. It is possible that a lot of them stem from them being given solids too early and from a bottle.
Telltale signs that your child is ready for solids may include, their intensive interest in your eating, grabbing at your food, mimicking you eat, opening their mouths when you eat and being hungry after consuming their normal feeds. Also they must be sitting up on their own and their tongue protrusion reflex should have disappeared making it posßible for them to move the food to the back of their throat and swallow. Be aware that rice does expand so in a bottle can choke or suffocate and can full your baby up without giving sufficient nutrition. Also your own puréed food is best because a lot of bought stuff is cooked at very high temps destroying alot of goodness. They are really only helpful for getting your baby used to the sensation of moving food around their mouths with little nutritional value.
Remember sleep deprivation is all part of being a new mum. Nap when your baby naps for the first few months and they will tend to fall into a good pattern of sleeping and eating.

Mel - posted on 04/22/2009

have read all other posts it seems some are telling you to wait til 6 months - this is untrue these days they reccomend solids earlier just to clear that up. my daughters dieticians and pedi wanted her to start some baby at 3 mnths so you dont have to start with rice cereal (it causes constipation as well) you can try pureed apple or vegies i started mine on sweet potato. i cant give you alot of help on consistancy as i never used it alot with my daughter just put two spoons in add a little water and get it to the consistency you'd like also if you like try putting some in her bottle before bed helps them to sleep longer good luck :)

Christina - posted on 04/22/2009

Quoting Erica:

cereal?

i want to give my 16 week old daughter cereal but im not sure how much or what time to give it to her. she's been waking up in the middle of the night this past week! help!

I started mine on rice cereal  mixed with a little formula.They start with a tiny bit and will let you know when they dont want anymore.If shes pushing it out with her tongue shes prob not ready.

Kelly - posted on 04/22/2009

It's probably a growth spurt - she will likely go back to normal in a week or two. Just feed her more formula or breastmilk. Cereal this early may not stop her from waking. My 6 month old just started cereal but still wakes up 2x a night. Yet my 2 yr old was sleeping 12 hours through the night at 5 months and only breastfed. It may or may not help and you do run the risk of exposing her to excema and/or allergies.

Abbey - posted on 04/22/2009

I agree with, and highly recommend, speaking to your pediatrician first. Our ped says "3 months or 13 lbs, whichever comes first." We started her on (brown) rice cereal at 3 1/2 months, 1x a day for a week, then up to 2x a day. I make it myself. I mix it with a little BM before giving it to her. We only give her a couple teaspoons (of cereal) at each feeding though. I more or less give it to her for INTRODUCTION purposes only, as well as SOCIAL. She eats (cereal) at the same times we do (lunch and dinner), at the table, in her high chair. Her primary nutrition comes from BM. We were told NOT to add it to her bottles (she doesn't get) that solid foods should be given with a spoon. As with Samantha, we didn't see much of a difference in her sleep either.
But like I (and a few others) said, you should speak to your ped first. A lot of negative repercussions can come from feeding/introducing solids too soon, too much, and/or too often.

Shalondra - posted on 04/22/2009

I can't speak from a medical perspective, but I did it when my daughter was three months old and it helped tremendously. I only put about a teaspoon in for every four ounces, but it helped her to stay full longer, which in turn helped her sleep longer.

Samantha - posted on 04/22/2009

I started my son on cereal at 4 months. I started with just one feeding a day (in the evening). Then after two weeks or so I added a second feeding. By 5 1/2 months he was eating 3 times a day (two of them were cereal feedings). I started with the spoon, but it took several weeks for him to get good at eating from the spoon. Also, it did not change his sleeping patterns that much at night.

Melissa - posted on 04/22/2009

Q. My daughter is five weeks old and very fussy. My mom says to add a little cereal to her bottle. Does this help and will it help her sleep through the night?

A. While many well-mean ing family members, and sometimes even doctors, recommend this practice, it is a really poor habit that can have health consequences for your baby .

There is no proof that early introduction of solids helps babies sleep. This misconception may stem from the fact that adults often feel a little sleepy or drowsy after a large, high carbohydrate meal, but the same has not been shown to hold true for infants .

We must remember that a baby's stomach is not ready to digest starches until age 4-6 months. Breast milk and formula contain milk sugar, which is easily digested, but infant cereal contains starch, which is not easily digested by infants until later on. Therefore, giving cereal can cause intestinal distress, including cramping, bloating, diarrhea or excessive gas.

In addition, some evidence suggests that babies given cereal in the bottle tend to over-eat, the reason being this: cereal cannot pass through the normal size opening in a nursing bottle nipple, and so the parent often cuts a wider hole in the bottle. Now, too much can be easily sucked through. In addition, young infants are not able to manipulate thicker consistencies of food in their mouths, (it flows differently then milk) and it may cause choking.

ADVERTISEMENTYour browser does not support the IFRAME tag.There is also a good deal of evidence that early introduction of inappropriate foods may produce allergies that could be avoided by waiting for the correct age for introduction.

Of course, these negative consequences do not happen to *every* baby, but it is not worth risking it, when the "benefit" is largely a myth.

Even when babies are old enough to digest and absorb different types of solid food, it is still not a good idea to add cereal to the bottle. Eating off of a spoon is an important step in oral-motor development, which is also involved in language skills. Giving the cereal in a bottle instead of off the spoon deprives the baby of much needed practice and exercise of the muscle control and development that is so important at this stage.

Cereal in a Bottle?

By Jennifer J. Francis, MPH, RD/LD

Melissa - posted on 04/22/2009

Starting your baby on solids too early can increase risk in

Celiac Disease

Diabeties 1

Allergies

Obesity

Pediatrics are now linking alot of the childhood obesity to giving baby cereal to early

We are told to wait till 6 months.

And please please do NOT put thecereal in your babies bottle if you do ignore my advice

Jayme - posted on 04/22/2009

Children this young do not have the digestive system required to break down anything other than breatmilk or formula. You should really speak with your doctor. Also giving foods to your child too young could cause gas or other tummy problems that will end up keeping them up even more at night. Hope this helps

Stephanie - posted on 04/22/2009

I started all three of my girls on cereal at 4 months. I fed them cereal once in the morning and once around dinnertime. When you first start out you wont need too much. I just gradually increased the amount as they got older. I didn't really feed them the cereal to help with sleeping, I was just advised to start them on cereal at 4 months.

Trina - posted on 04/22/2009

Do some research into signs that she's ready as each child will be different. My daughter was eating rice cereal enthusiastically at about 3 months, my son is 4 1/2 months and has no interest. I know that your goal is to prevent her from waking in the middle of the night, but be prepared for the possibility that it may not do that. While often hunger is a reason for a baby's waking, it's not the ONLY reason.

Also, I've always started new foods in the morning - that way I have all day to watch for signs of allergies instead of worrying about it all night. And if your going to start, its recommended that you start with rice cereal (not wheat or oatmeal) as it is the least allergenic

Tammy - posted on 04/22/2009

I startedMy daughter at 3 months on cereal. I started by putting a tespoon in her formula at night. It kept her belly full longer. But all babies are different. It depends on if the baby wants and likes it.

Kerry - posted on 04/22/2009

I started my son on baby rice at 7 weeks as he wasnt satified with the milk alone and was waking throughout the night. You barely need any at all, a little bit in the morning and one with their evening feed - I found that this helped immensely and our son was much mroe settled! Hope that this helps!!! Kerry, www.southwestmummies.co.uk

Cherry - posted on 04/22/2009

I think the best thing to do is discuss it with your prediatrician, because I think she is way to little for cereal they usually tell you to start at six months.

Angela - posted on 04/22/2009

I was advised against doing this by me Pediatrician because a babies ability to sleep longer or through the night has to do with neuro/brain developement. I would ask your pediatrician. My 15 month child still wakes up and she is on table food. I waited and tried the cereal at 6 month and it didn't help. I think it depends upon the child. My first child was completely different and started sleeping 6 hrs strait at 4 wks and then 8hrs at 3 months. Go figure???

Carra - posted on 04/22/2009

start once a day around dinner or a couple hours before she usually goes to bed. only start with a couple tablespoons with some formula/breastmilk in it. good fruits and veggies to start with after a week or 2 of plain rice cereal is bananas, sweet potatoes and apples. good luck!! around now is also a good time to start "sleep training" but that is a whole other topic :)

Renee - posted on 04/22/2009

Quoting Renee:

I've had 4 kids all started eating farex cereal around the 4 month mark. Some kids aren't interested at this stage but others take to it really well early. Instructions are on the farex cereal pkt as to how to start. Every child is different. Be prepared that they will look as if the are spitting it out at first because solids are a different feel and new experience for them. Good luck

oops forgot to say, start at your own dinner time.

Renee - posted on 04/22/2009

I've had 4 kids all started eating farex cereal around the 4 month mark. Some kids aren't interested at this stage but others take to it really well early. Instructions are on the farex cereal pkt as to how to start. Every child is different. Be prepared that they will look as if the are spitting it out at first because solids are a different feel and new experience for them. Good luck