cereal in a bottle

Irma - posted on 01/18/2010

What a smart idea!!

Kari - posted on 01/18/2010

Every time I went to my doctor's office and watched the channel they have on the TV, they said that you can introduce solids even at FOUR months of age to six months. It depends on the baby, because every situation is different. Each child grows up to different needs and developments. Introducing solids help with their digestive system and getting the proper nutrients they need. I wouldn't see the harm in putting just a little bit of cereal in the formula because A LOT of women did that years ago and their kids turned out fine. Mostly it's just whether the baby can handle it or not.

Ashley - posted on 01/18/2010

I use to give my oldest son cereal in his bottle when he was a baby. I have a 4 year old and 1 month old. The cereal wouldnt work in the bottle for my son because it would clod up the bottle and he wouldnt get anything out anyways so I stopped doing it and i refuse to do it for my youngest son when hes old enough.

Michelle - posted on 01/18/2010

Yes 30-40 yrs ago a lot of people did this, but there also weren't car seats 40 yrs ago either. Things change for a reason. Just because you survived w/o a car seat and turned out fine, does that mean you aren't going to get one for your child? For those of you who say there's nothing wrong with cereal in a bottle why don't you ask your ped and see if s/he concurs. Sure do what works for you but don't go around saying there's nothing wrong with it to make yourself feel better. I'm assuming you are doing this because your mother or grandmother did it. Things change for a reason - more research, studies, progress, common sense. The question is WHY are you giving your child cereal in a bottle? If they are 4-6m they don't need it in a bottle they need to learn how to take it from a spoon. Are you just being lazy? Formula and breast milk should be enough until they are ready to start solids and even then milk is the most important.

Yolanda - posted on 01/17/2010

I wouldn't recommend giving a child cereal in a bottle spoon works best no matter how old they are. I gave my children cereal at a very early age which is not recommended by doctors but I have three children now and if I had it to do all over again I would still give them cereal but with a spoon.

Amber - posted on 01/17/2010

My little boy is 9 months old and we still put cereal in his bottle. It was a life saver for us. I was breastfeeding and he was still hungry, I would pump and mix cereal with it, He also started baby food at 4 months old. He is a healthy happy baby. Every child is different and every mothers advice is different. I was raise in the south and my grandmother suggested that I give him regular food at 2 months old. I didn't take that advice but that is how a great deal of older people believe.I do however belive that giving him food a little early has helped in his development. He has done everything a bit early. He was crawling by 3 1/2 months, he was standing by 5 months, took his first steps at 7 months and his trying to run at 9 months. He can also say 3 words we are working on the 4th, now. I'm not saying if you feed your child cereal in a bottle they will do thing early I am just saying do whats right for your child no matter what anyone else says. Also if you do give your child cereal in their milk and they become consipated you can add a tablespoon of Karo syrup to the bottle and that will help. That is just a bit of wisdom from the old timers in my life.

Erika - posted on 01/16/2010

problem with that is baby isnt old enough to digest baby food yet. there is special formula that just has the thickness in it (the starch)...its called enfamil A.R. lipil (A.R added rice) try this first before you cause consipation and other un needed problems for baby

Delia - posted on 01/15/2010

There's nothing wrong with cereal in a bottle, just as long as it's not before 4 months of age and only for the first bottle in the morning as breakfast (unless otherwise recommended by your doctor), then you'll move on to giving you baby solid cereal in the morning and then veggies in the afternoon and so on. This is what my baby's doc. told us to do, and he's an amazing Pediatrician.

Gail - posted on 01/14/2010

I had 5 children,I never use ceral,just breastmilk,gave them table food later.They never took a bottle of formula.I was blessed with alot of milk.They were hardly ever sick.

Elizabeth - posted on 01/14/2010

I think that every parent is entitled to there own ideals in parenting and no one should judge or complain about about others. I gave all three of my boys cereal inan infant feeder when they where little, it never botherd them or caused them any harm (But it did help them sleep better).

PHYLLIS - posted on 01/14/2010

i have really enjoyed all the answers. very educational. now i will call my daughter with her two smaller children and ask her what she is doing, if anything, with regards to this. i am curious.

Eileen - posted on 01/14/2010

When I put the cereal in my daughter's bottle it was never thick enough to be a choking hazaard... it was just slightly thicker than formula... and to be frank when my kids were babies they didn't have all these specialty formulas and you had to be careful what formula you picked because they weren't as safe and high quality as they are now.

Mel - posted on 01/14/2010

I cant replyh quote but Sharon just wantd to correct you solids are a necessity from at least 6 months preferably 4, I actually have a booklet right in front of me I got out thats from the hospital. They need it not only for experimentation and learning to eat but for growth and development. A child who is not eating at 6 months is not getting everything they need for growth and development. As before stated its best to introduce small amoounts of almost everything to help avoid allergy

Sarah - posted on 01/14/2010

Personally, i would never add cereal to a babies bottle. It's a choking hazard, and on the tin of formula, it clearly states that NOTHING should be added to it.
If baby seems more hungry as they get bigger, why not try special 'hungry baby' formula instead??? Much safer!!
:)

Eileen - posted on 01/13/2010

Quoting Angie:

I've rarely seen an instance of a mom wanting to put a child on cereal early that wasn't prompted by mom not wanting to get up and night to feed their child. I know there are some exceptions to this but very few. Ladies, once we become mothers we have to put our needs on the back burner. In my mind, it's just a way to make babies sleep through the night so mom isn't "bothered" by a middle of the night feeding.

I have a lot of issues with this statement.  First of all you have NO idea why other people are doing things - you need to be a lot less judgemental about them.  Second of all just because we become moms doesn't mean we LOSE ourselves.  We are still individuals with individual needs.  If we don't see to those needs how can we be good parents? 

As I said in my previous post, I did the same thing for my daughter because she was HUNGRY... yes it helped her sleep through the night - there is nothing wrong with that.  But the only reason I did it for her was so she wasn't hungry.

Eileen - posted on 01/13/2010

My first daughter was bottle fed (she's 28 now) ... the nurses at the hospital were not breast feeding positive. When we got her home she would suck down a 8 oz bottle of food and cry for more. I too enlarged the nipple on a bottle and disolved some rice cereal in her formula. She slept through the night. At six weeks she was eating apple sauce and by three months she had an entire array of foods. We always introduced one at a time and waited a few days to make sure there were no allergies or problems. Waiting until a child is six months old until you give them solids is CRAZY if they are showing signs of needing more. My 2nd daughter didn't eat a lot of food early but she was also breast fed for the first five weeks (had to stop due to major surgery). Once she started showing signs she wanted more we introduced the other foods. My 3rd daughter was somewhere in between the two.



It is great to say oh I did this for my kids... but in reality what works for one kid may or may not work for another kid... that is because they are all individuals. You have to pay attention and follow your instincts. Trust yourself and trust your kid...

Sharon - posted on 01/13/2010

Babies aren't ready for solids until around the middle of their first year. Signs of readiness include being able to sit up on their own, no more gag reflex, usually one (or more) tooth has erupted, baby is able reach for food. Some babies are fine on breastmilk for 9 months or more. They are getting all of the nutrients they need from the milk until about 12 months old, so introducing solids is all about experiementing and having some fun not trying to pack on the calories or to help them sleep more. By the time babies are ready for solids, most don't need to be spoon fed pureed foods, mashed bananas or sweet potatoes, avocados, etc in small peices are excellent first foods. Cereal mixed with breastmilk is fine too but should be delivered by the spoon. Introducing solids too early increasing the risk for food allergies (which are rampant nowadays) and solids in a bottle can lead to gastrointestinal problems. It's also more difficult for babies to tell when they've had enough to eat, we are all born with the ability to regulate and only eat what we need but well-meaning parents can screw this up by encouraging the baby to finish a bottle or by loading a bottle with food so by the time baby's brain catches up they are over-full. This can set them for problems with weight later in life. If your doctor recommends cereal in the bottle, don't be afraid to ask why they think it's necessary and see if you can find another method that sits right with your or ask for another opinion. Dr. Sears has some really terrific advice in "The Baby Book" or another of his large parenting series.

Angie - posted on 01/13/2010

I've rarely seen an instance of a mom wanting to put a child on cereal early that wasn't prompted by mom not wanting to get up and night to feed their child. I know there are some exceptions to this but very few. Ladies, once we become mothers we have to put our needs on the back burner. In my mind, it's just a way to make babies sleep through the night so mom isn't "bothered" by a middle of the night feeding.

Jodi - posted on 01/13/2010

Melissa, with all due respect, your daughter was not in a usual situation, so I don't think your advice on solid foods to the average mother is necessarily "accurate" information - it was information meant only for Brianna's circumstances. You were under the care of a pediatrician when doing all these things, which is exactly what people are saying here. Unless there is some reason for anyone to add rice cereal to a bottle, or to feed solids, with the advice of a pediatrician, they should not be fed until around 6 months (although guidelines were 4-6 months when my daughter was a baby 5 years ago).

Mel - posted on 01/12/2010

But of course start small when introducing solids and same food for 3 days to make sure there is no reaction

Mel - posted on 01/12/2010

I was just correcting your information Im not going to go looking for a site and I have nothing my ped has written I just know what I get told. This is coming from a mother who sees the best pediatricians, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, and dieticians on a weekly to 2 weekly basis for the past 19 months :) At the end of the day what a mother chooses to do is her choice. I am just giving people the info because I would have waited til around 5 months and been worried about what to feed her had she not had so much close attention from the childrens hospital. I will say it is best to start a child on pureed fruits and vegies rather then rice cereal, but if it is for reflux and helping them sleep longer/fill thier tummies up then I am all for it. Our daughter was started on pureed fruit/veg not by our choice but the speech path orignally. We tried therice cereal but she just screamed because of the taste. Perhaps it is different in your country Hannah. Our ped said our next will most likely be eating at 3 months and dont think he would say it if it was dangerous =)

Hannah - posted on 01/12/2010

Quoting Melissa:

Actually Hannah early introduction of solids prevents allergies. You can find a link to back up anything on the internet. We had the best dieticians, speechys and best pediatrician in our state who also travels to other countries and has written books, and our daughter was put on solids at 3.5 months for extra weight gain including peanut butter on rusks because of the fat content. The longer you wait the more likely your child is to have an allergic reaction.

That is not accurate. Find me one legitimate source of information, even something your ped wrote,you know that advises that the introduction solid foods before even 4 months is advisable. I know a link can be found on anything. But there are databases that have the studies available.

Waiting until 6-7 months to introduce solids allows for the digestive system to mature.

"Baby's intestines need to mature. The intestines are the body's filtering system, screening out potentially harmful substances and letting in healthy nutrients. In the early months, this filtering system is immature. Between four and seven months a baby's intestinal lining goes through a developmental growth spurt called closure, meaning the intestinal lining becomes more selective about what to let through. To prevent potentially-allergenic foods from entering the bloodstream, the maturing intestines secrete IgA , a protein immunoglobulin that acts like a protective paint, coating the intestines and preventing the passage of harmful allergens. In the early months, infant IgA production is low (although there is lots of IgA in human milk), and it is easier for potentially-allergenic food molecules to enter the baby's system. Once food molecules are in the blood, the immune system may produce antibodies to that food, creating a food allergy . By six to seven months of age the intestines are more mature and able to filter out more of the offending allergens. This is why it's particularly important to delay solids if there is a family history of food allergy, and especially to delay the introduction of foods to which other family members are allergic."

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T032000...

Based on 52 studies:

 Pediatricians and allergists should cautiously individualize the introduction of solids into the infants' diet. With assessed risk of allergy, the optimal age for the introduction of selected supplemental foods should be 6 months, dairy products 12 months, hen's egg 24 months, and peanut, tree nuts, fish, and seafood at least 36 months. For all infants, complementary feeding can be introduced from the sixth month, and egg, peanut, tree nuts, fish, and seafood introduction require caution. Foods should be introduced one at a time in small amounts. Mixed foods containing various food allergens should not be given unless tolerance to every ingredient has been assessed.

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ac...

Just another link because it is interesting:

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cg...

I realize every baby is different and some develop much faster than others and really are ready for solids at 4-5 months but any earlier than that has been proven to be the culprit of obesity and allergies. I have found studies that say otherwise but they are flawed in the way of consistency. I truly believe that some children just need more but most of the time it is just this stupid system of percentiles and charts. Either way, giving a newborn cereal to drink is just unjustifiable.

Hanna - posted on 01/12/2010

I think because every child is different and peads recommend things for each child individually, it's very difficult to decide what's best for your child, based on someone else's situation. I also believe that if a baby is thriving, solids should wait until 6 months. However, there's no one-size-fits-all solution, so your pead probably had a good reason to recommend cereal in the bottle. I don't believe in that either, but if it was recommended by your doc for your child, then follow their advice!

Nikki - posted on 01/12/2010

my son started solids ( veggies and rice cereal) at 4 months and it was the best decision we ever made he was driniking 12 ounces of milk every two hours and still wasnt enough, it was too much liquid for him to consume.... every baby is different and will let you know when they are ready, my son was sitting up at 3 months and totally interested in food, he has no allergies is a very healthy and now very happy baby boy, who eats just about anything now at 7 months, I don's believe waiting til six months is something that should be said straight across the board, every child is different and should based on their needs have them fulfilled when the time is right for them not what the books say

Ayanna - posted on 01/12/2010

It worked for me and I turned out just fine, and I'm 34. The cereal that they are talking about is as fine as saw dust it is not going to hurt. It's not Cheerios. You only need a little.

Mel - posted on 01/12/2010

Actually Hannah early introduction of solids prevents allergies. You can find a link to back up anything on the internet. We had the best dieticians, speechys and best pediatrician in our state who also travels to other countries and has written books, and our daughter was put on solids at 3.5 months for extra weight gain including peanut butter on rusks because of the fat content. The longer you wait the more likely your child is to have an allergic reaction.

Hannah - posted on 01/12/2010

left one out. :)



http://www.babycenter.com/404_will-my-ba...

Hannah - posted on 01/12/2010

No baby is ready for anything solid, even cereal until about 6 month's of age. I agree with Krista. Solids before six months sets them up for allergies and obesity among other things.



Links to back me up. I have many more where if needed.



http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T032000...

http://www.parents.com/baby/sleep/basics...

Krista - posted on 01/12/2010

No offense intended, Phyllis, but the experts have discovered a few things about cereal in bottles that they were unaware of before. I've looked it up on various parenting web sites and books, and all of the pediatricians who were asked about it said that adding cereal to the bottle is not advised -- the baby can choke on the thicker consistency, and it makes it difficult for him to differentiate between solids and liquids later on. Plus, babies' digestive systems do much better if solids aren't introduced until at least four months old, and preferably six months old.

Now, if the baby has such severe reflux that he isn't putting on weight, then sometimes the pediatrician will recommend adding a bit of cereal to the bottle to help keep the milk or formula down. But in an otherwise healthy baby, milk or formula is all that's needed until they're 6 months old.

Melissa, I really wouldn't add cereal to your new baby's bottle unless the pediatrician really recommends it. Otherwise you're just complicating the baby's digestive system for no good reason.

Mel - posted on 01/12/2010

thanks a bunch Susan. My last daughter was FTT and I didnt know about putting cereal in a bottle because its not used in australia. Since joining circle of moms Ive known and now am greatful to have that knowledge for my next baby

Susan - posted on 01/12/2010

And by the way, they have always been trim young men and kids, so it did Not start bad eating habits for them/

Susan - posted on 01/12/2010

All I can say to that is that it worked wonders for my boys and was suggested by my pediatrician at the time. I suggest Always asking the pediatrician. It is a long time suggestion for colic and for those babies who are "lazy eaters" and need it to gain weight as per the doctor's advice. But ask your doctor.

Cassie - posted on 01/12/2010

Cereal should only be given to a child on a spoon. Nothing but formula or breastmilk should be going in a bottle.

Susan - posted on 01/12/2010

Saved my life with my 2 boys, now 24 and 22 yrs. old.

Mel - posted on 01/12/2010

Thanks. Im scared I will forget to fix the teet when I give birth. Hopefully I remember as I want my baby to be able to get the formula out