Why no rice cereal in bottle?

[babymama]

Trying to reconcile conflicting advice. My mom and sisters say that I should put rice cereal in my son's bottle to get him to keep a fuller stomach (and maybe sleep through the night - my husband and I are very tired).

I have been advised by trusted friends not to put rice cereal in my son's bottle. Also called the Gerber 1-800 number to ask why spoon feeding is better. The woman didn't know, she just knew that Gerber recommends spoon feeding. Still haven't heard yet WHY the bottle is not ideal.
Anyone here know?

I've tried giving 4 1/2 mo. old son rice cereal on a spoon (prepared with lots of formula). Tried it 3 days in a row, skipped a day and tried it again. Each time he didn't seem interested, although he watches me eat and stares at food on my plate. If DS isn't ready then I'm prepared to wait, but I may have to rent a hotel room for my husband who is desperately hoping DS will sleep through the night soon! =)

[tinkerbell1217]

I have to admit when my kids were babies(around 5 months) I gave them thinner rice cereal in a specially made bottle specifically for feeding cereal. They had been eating from spoons already though, and were doing great. My ped never told me not to give the cereal in the bottle. I can't really explain this bottle either! It wasn't a traditional bottle. It never hurt my kids or encouraged them to stop taking food from a spoon. Maybe I was just lucky. This was over 10 years ago too. Times have changed with sooo many things! Hope you get a clear answer soon! :)


Kelly
9/22/04

[deborah_r]

I've heard it is a choking hazard.

Also, if your baby is not taking the cereal from a spoon, his digestive system probably isn't ready for the cereal anyway. There are not many calories in the cereal, much less than in BM or formula, so there is no logical reason it would help your baby sleep through the night. It is a myth.

Many babies do not sleep through the night at that age (heck, mine still doesn't). I don't think there is much you can do to get him to, but you can read some sleep books for ideas on routines and earlier bedtimes that might help.

Good luck!

[COElizabeth]

I think the formal studies have shown that it doesn't help babies sleep through the night. Of course, there are a lot of people like your mom and sisters who swear it works, so maybe it does for some kids, but in general I think the rice in the bottle routine is considered outdated advice. For one thing, rice has fewer calories than BM or formula, so while it may fill your child up because it's bulky, it won't actually provide as much energy as the straight milk and so might actually make him hungry sooner.

More importantly, if your son doesn't seem interested in eating solids, and it sounds like he isn't, then he probably isn't ready. Personally, I would wait a while longer to introduce the solids.

I would also keep the solids and bottles separate, because introducing solids to babies is as much about the experience as anything, and I would rather my child start out eating solids they way he will later on. Ellyn Satter (a nutritionist) points out that many kids will drink their meals if you let them, and that can be a hard habit to break.

Elizabeth, Mom to James, 9-20-02

[amp]

Cereal in the bottle is a choking hazard. Also, recent info indicates that cereal does *not* help a baby to sleep, and in fact, their immature digestive tracts might not tolerate cereal very well at an early age. It may backfire on you if baby's digestive tract is in turmoil! Also, it is *NORMAL* for babies at 4.5 mths to wake during the night to feed. I promise, it will get better, but not overnight. And take it from many moms on these boards whose kids are on solids at a year or more and are still up in the night....it's not the solution! Hang in there!

[signsing]

Rice cereal in a bottle is a choking and aspiration hazard. He can aspirate the cereal into his lungs.
Its an old myth that has been proven wrong that solids help a baby sleep through the night.
When my son was that age I found that feeding him more often during the day helped him get the calories he needed so he slept more at night.
The AAP recomends waiting until 6 mos to start solids. I would also rec that since its been linked to fewer allergies, asthma and obesity later in life.
I know you are tired. I remember.

the indications for starting solids are:

-the ability to sit up
-a fading of the tongue-thrusting reflex so that the baby does not automatically push solids out of his mouth with his tongue
-readiness to chew
-the ability to pick up food and put it in his mouth
-an increased demand to nurse(or bottle feed) that is unrelated to illness, teething pain, or a change in routine.

HTH
Betsey
Buddy's Mamma 6-10-2003

[miki]

All of the above. Plus my ped specifically said no cereal in a bottle because by the time your baby is ready for cereal, the eating of it from a spoon is meant for practicing to eat real food. Eating from a bottle does not accomplish the goal of teaching how to eat.

Have you asked your ped about it?

[lizajane]

please don't. i tried solids too soon with my son (because the ped said he needed it because he was so big) and it was a disaster. his tummy hurt so bad. he had trouble sleeping. it was awful. please wait. if he won't eat it, he isn't ready for it. we tried THREE TIMES and finally he was ready at EIGHT months. try adding a feeding during the day if you think he needs more to eat. but his stomach is only so big. it can only hold so much. so he won't be able to sleep all night until it is big enough to hold all the food he needs for the night.

i am sorry you are so tired!!!!! but cereal isn't the answer.

[babymama]

Hello all -
Thank you all so much for your thoughtful input! I plan on waiting another month or so, and I will not put the cereal in a bottle.
Thanks again!