Cereal at 6 weeks at night?

Nikki - posted on 04/20/2013

I gave my now 5 yr old daughter single grain rice cereal at around 6 weeks per doc orders due to colic and reflux she was eating 6-7 ounces at almost 2 weeks old because i was told to feed her on demand, now with my 4 th daughter who is 6 almost 7 weeks i give 1/2 teaspoon of single grain rice cereal in the evening with 4-5 ounces of formula- none of my kids have had health problems i do agree not to give it to 1-3 week olds because their swallowing reflex is immature and they could aspirate, but as a mom you know your kid best just consult with ped. about it- being a nurse myself i don't know everything but I do have quite a bit of knowledge about certain things! good luck!

Cassie - posted on 11/23/2009

I would advise against it since she is just going through a growth spurt. She was sleeping for long periods at night, she will get back into doing that again. Just that right now she needs more formula. Cereal does not have all of the nutrients that formula or breast milk does, so she needs those nutrients. I have a son who is 8 weeks and has gotten back to eating and sleeping regularly. He slept about 7 hrs a night then he went to needing to be fed every 2. Now he is back to the 7-8 hour sleeping. Just be patient....it does get easier.

Marie - posted on 11/23/2009

definitely. the more full their tummy, the longer they will sleep. most of the time babies need that little extra to keep them satisfied longer. and definitely if they eat frequently, you find that you are using too much formula, do what you feel is right.

Taylor - posted on 11/22/2009

Your welcome. All babies are different. Like I said, I was eating cereal at 3 weeks and I turned out fine. LOL. A friend of mine was feeding her baby regular baby food to her son when he was about a month or 2 and he is just fine as well. I hope things are working out for you now.

Sarah - posted on 11/19/2009

I honestly don't think there is a right or wrong way of doing things on this. My daughter is just about 4 months old and we are almost to the point where her peditrition recommends introducing cereal and other solid foods so that by the time she is 6 months she will hopefully be eating well. Personally my first reaction would be wow 6 weeks that quite young just due to the fact as it was stated before thats normally when a growth spurt happens, and at that age I noticed with my daughter did a change on her sleeping patterns as well. The thing is though, you know what your baby is like more then anyone of us who are offering out opinions. As long as he/she is growing, and gaining weight like they should be and of course are healthy, its completely up to you how to handle it. If the bit of cereal helps and isn't hurting the child then all the power to you. Everyone is different but the most important thing is that your little one is healthy. Do what your comfortable with, you'll figure it out, its a learning process for all of us.

Laura - posted on 11/19/2009

do it.. you know ur baby better than any of us :).. my boys were big eaters esp right before bed.. they had a good sleep schedule at that age, and still do.. i gave a tsp to tbs depending on their age and hunger before bed and how long i had seen they would sleep, dont worry

Ashley - posted on 11/19/2009

I know that many moms will disagree and tell you that this is a bad idea however I did it. My daughter is just under 5 months and by 6 weeks I began adding baby cereal to her last bottle before bedtime because it seemed to fill her up and make her more content. I was advised not to do this by most friends that I consulted with but I believe all babies are different and so are their needs. My daughter is a big girl for her age and was already eating some baby foods by 3 to 3 and a half months. She is already wearing 9 month clothes and is developing quickly. however she is a happy healthy baby and for some reason it just takes more to fill her up. Without the cereal she was drinking a 5 oz bottle and then starting a second one the same size and would be about half way thorugh it atleast before she was content and happy to doze off. This took lots of pumping to leave that amount of milk with her dad every night to give her! Do whatever you believe is right for your child..but it did not harm my daughter what so ever. Good Luck!

Mildrida - posted on 11/18/2009

i have been giving my son cereal with his milk since he was like 3 or 4 weeks. he is now 9nweeks. he does really good on it. i was worried about him being constipated but it all seemed to work out fine.

Brittany - posted on 11/17/2009

I am and my baby same deal you up the milk and she spits it up so i add a little cereal to her milk at night works good!! good luck

Kathy - posted on 11/17/2009

At 6 weeks your child is going through a growth spurt. I am not sure with formula fed babies but, I believe you would increase the amount of formula not add something to it. With breastfed babies we have to feed 5 x as much during the 6th week growth spurt. There is a lot of researching showing that babies digestive systems are not able to tolerate anything besides formula or breastmilk until they are at least 4 months old. I hope this helps. Good luck on your decision.

Amy - posted on 11/17/2009

6 weeks is generally a growth spurt, and so babies will want to eat a lot more and not sleep as soundly during that time. Part of the reasons babies sleep so well when they are started on cereal is because their bodies are not quite ready to handle digesting something like that. My personal feelings are to delay any and all solids until your child shows the signs of readiness as there has been evidence to support starting early possibly contributing to food allergies, future obesity, etc, not to mention the potential choking hazard. This said, you know your child best and if you feel she is ready than it's ultimately your decision.

Chris - posted on 11/17/2009

I don't think anyone was looking at you as a bad mother, i'm sure I wasn't! :)

Christine - posted on 11/17/2009

Thanks Taylor for not loking at me like a bad mother for asking a simple question. :)

Taylor - posted on 11/17/2009

I also have a 6 week old and he is now at 6 ozs about every 3-4 hours during the day. I give him baby cereal at night and in the morning. It usually use 4ozs of formula and put enough cereal in it to make it a little thick but not too thick. I give it to him in a cereal feeding bottle. He sleeps about 6-7 hours through the night. My mom was once telling me that when I was 3 weeks old I was at 8ozs of formula every 2 hours and an 8oz bottle of cereal three times a day and I turned out fine. I'm average weight for my age and height and no diabeties. So honestly I don't see an issue with it.

Chris - posted on 11/16/2009

I have to agree w the moms that said no.... most docs say to wait til the baby is about 4m old before you offer cereal because its not really that great for them, it just starts them on eating something diff then milk. Your baby is probly just having a growth spurt, or because she is more alert then sometimes they wake up just because life is so interesting for them.... Try giving her more milk before bed, my little girl would drink 6oz sometimes and other nights not so much. And babies get up during the night at 6wks so there isn't a whole lot you can do about that. Each kid is different. Some will sleep, some won't. Unfortunately the best thing for mommy to do is go with the baby's schedule ... try letting her lay in bed a bit longer before going and picking her up... and cherish the moments because all too soon you will look back and wish your little girl was still tiny... it happens so fast, believe me...

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 11/16/2009

At 6 weeks she's probably going through a growth spurt. If she wakes up hungry then it's because she needs that extra feeding. Rice cereal offers no nutritional value and she's extremely young to introduce something like that. It's hard getting up in the middle of the night, but it's not worth the risk to your baby. Talk to your pediatrician first. Many will recommend NOT putting cereal in bottles. Also ask them before you give any additional water that some moms suggested because it can cause serious complications.

Tilly - posted on 11/16/2009

every child is different though!

6 weeks is a bit of a turning period, she might just be learning how to keep herself awake, you could try giving her water in the night when she used to sleep and give her more milk during the day, the water will satisfy the thirst component and will teach her there's nothing too exciting to wake up for!

Tilly - posted on 11/16/2009

I wouldn't, we gave our son Lachlan food early at 4 months and have had issues with his eating for the last 6 months, he is only just starting to get better with it, I have spoken with other mums who fed their kids early and have had problems further down the track, your baby shouldn't need solids until they are 6 months if they are breast fed, and between 4 and 6 months if they are bottle fed. Be careful, you could cause stomach problems.

Carly - posted on 11/16/2009

Remember that your daughter is growing faster now than she ever will again in her whole life. She needs all the nutrients you can feed her and cereal has almost no nutritional value whatsoever. All it does is fill up their tummies, making their digestive systems work far harder than they are designed to at this young age. You daughter may be waking more now because she's having a growth spurt and is hungry, or it may be because she is starting to "wake up" from the newborn stage and is going through developmental changes. Either way, she doesn't need cereal, she needs milk and cuddles. All the best to you and your family.

Emma - posted on 11/16/2009

also does she have a dummy, some times they just need a comforter x

Emma - posted on 11/16/2009

You'll know what your daughter needs ... if she has usually slept through the night it is a sign that she is hungry, my son slept through the night from being 2 weeks old until he was 14 weeks and he started waking for a feed so i upped he ounces from 6 to 7 and that did the trick for us ... ive just checked my sons formula milk which is Aptamil and it states that from 4 - 8 weeks they should be having 5, 5 oz bottles a day ... just check ur formulas guidelines ... also im sure around 6 - 8 weeks old they have growth spurt too and they do feed more.

Another note my mum gave me baby rice from being a few weeks old because i was such a hungry baby and i just wouldnt settle and im perfectly healthy, no food alergys and im not obease ... how ever just try upping ur ounces first, if that dont work u may want to try formula milk for hungrier babies which means u dont need to introduce any rice, it contains something that digests slower allowing them to feel fuller for longer x

x hope this helps x

Tabitha - posted on 11/15/2009

i think its a little to younge but some docters tell u its ok and some no so u really dont no what to do i am still learning and i got 2 kids

Ty - posted on 11/15/2009

I did and my daughter did well with it :)

Christine - posted on 11/15/2009

I never said I didnt want to get up and feed her, she went from sleeping 9 hours to 4 hours and she seems not satisfied with her usual 4-5 oz for her last feeding, thats why I was asking.

Kerri - posted on 11/15/2009

My son is about to be 6 mnths on Thursday but he has been having a tiny bit of ceral in his last bottle since he was abt a mnth old. So I don't see why you couldn't gve her a little bit!!! Good luck and congrats on th new baby!! =]

Kerri - posted on 11/15/2009

My son is about to be 6 mnths on Thursday but he has been having a tiny bit of ceral in his last bottle since he was abt a mnth old. So I don't see why you couldn't gve her a little bit!!! Good luck and congrats on th new baby!! =]

Renee - posted on 11/15/2009

6 weeks old is a little early to start cereal...now some peds will say it is alright to give a little cereal in the bottle at that age but normally because of acid reflux. I didn't start cereal with my son until he was 4 mos old. My son used to wake up every 4-6 hours at that age to eat but would only take 4oz at a time. I tried to give him 5oz but he would stop at 4oz every time.

Ashleigh - posted on 11/15/2009

Your daughter is only 6 weeks old. Babies are meant to wake up to eat at night, because their bodies and tummies and are so small. It is recommended that you do not give babies cereal or any kind of food until they are 6 months old. If given early it can cause obesity and diabetes. If she is sleeping 4 hours straight, why do you want to give her cereal? There really is no need for it. You have to remember she is ONLY 6 weeks old. Give her some time to grow. It wont hurt her or you to get up and feed :)