True or False: Question about cereal

Did you find that your DC slept better at night if adding cereal in the bottle?

Did you wait for the ped to give you the ok to start cereal or did you do it on your own?

Which did you start with?

Thanks!

Re: True or False: Question about cereal

Unless DC has reflux, it is not recommended to add cereal to the bottle.

Cereal and other first foods are just for practice. Formula and BM are an infant's main source of nutrition for the first 12 months.

It is an old wives tale. My DS was on cereal (on a spoon) at 4 months and didn't sleep through the night til we did CIO at 12 months

Re: True or False: Question about cereal

As the PP said... don't put cereal in the bottle unless your DC has reflux.

Yes, I waited to get the ok from the Ped to start cereal. She said to start at 4 months. I tried for a week and DS hated every minute of it. He wanted nothing to do with it so the Ped said to wait another month to try since he wasn't ready.
BTW... he started sleeping throught the night around 5 months and started really eating cereal around 5.5 - 6 months.

Ped recommended to start with oatmeal b/c the rice can cause constipation.

Re: True or False: Question about cereal

The ped started my DS on cereal in the bottle for reflux. He did not sleep any longer as a result. I would not start it without the doctor's ok.

Re: True or False: Question about cereal

Everybody will tell you something different. My pediatrician did say that they don't recommend cereal until 4 months, that it doesn't help them sleep, and that starting it too early may cause food allergies.

However, at the risk of getting flamed, both my DS and DD slept through the night (well...6 or 7 hours straight) for the first time the very first night I put cereal in their bottle. Coincidence? Maybe. But before that they were up every 3 hours so I have to believe the cereal filled up their stomachs more. With my DS I did it because of reflux and it really helped him. I started at 2 months with him. With my DD I did it because she was constantly starving and was drinking way too much formula and I needed to fill her up more. I started at 6 weeks with her.

Re: True or False: Question about cereal

DD does have reflux and I've been told by family to start putting cereal in the bottle to help her sleep. We just switched peds so I'll ask him tomorrow. Just curious though if it really helps to fill them up and make them sleep.

Re: True or False: Question about cereal

we didnt give cereal in the bottle but actually on a spoon in a bowl at 6 weeks.. he would eat 4 ounces of rice cereal 3x a day... my ped gave us the ok with ds because he was drinking such a massive quantity.. i plan on starting ds #2 with in the next three weeks (he is 5 weeks now) with or without the ped approval... but he literally nurses hourly from 4 am until 8 pm....

Re: True or False: Question about cereal

DS has been taking rice in his bottles since December for reflux. I gave it to him on a spoon right after the new year and he did great with it. I only give it to him when his reflux flares up. When I give it to him on a spoon he DOES sleep better. Doesn't help much when it is in his bottle. For the last few days he was doing good with his reflux so I didn't give it to him. Then yesterday he had a flare up, so I gave him some on a spoon last evening and he slept from 8pm-2am, then drank a 5 oz bottle and then slept until 8am this morning. He has never done that before. It is hit and miss for babies. Some will sleep better if their belly is full and others won't no matter what...DS is 16 weeks old...

Re: True or False: Question about cereal

We didn't try cereal in the bottle but when we started cereal at just before 4 months she didn't sleep any better. She didn't sleep through the night until we did CIO at 8 months.

Re: True or False: Question about cereal

DD spit up a lot when she was little - it was never diagnosed as reflux because she gained weight and didn't seem bothered by it, but the ped told us we could try adding cereal to her bottles to help with the spitting up. Didn't help one bit, and didn't help her sleep any longer.

We started cereal at 5.5 months. DD started STTN when we did CIO at 6 months.

Re: True or False: Question about cereal

we just started DS on cereal in the bottle b/c he was drinking so much the ped thinks he may fill him up better. the first night (last night) we gave it to him he gave us 2 back to back 4 hour stretches. very exciting for us! tonight is the second night and so far he is sleeping 2 hours.

Re: True or False: Question about cereal

We didn't do it in the bottle but, we did start it at 4 months. It didn't help sleeping at all. He only starting STTN on a more consistant basis at 9 months.