Why can't I use water?

[KrisM]

I've read that I'm supposed to mix baby cereal with breastmilk, as using water adds no nutrients. Well, it's a bit of a pain to get the pump out for a measily tablespoon of breastmilk. If he's still nursing 7-8 times a day and night, what difference in nutrition will one tablespoon make?? As my husband pointed out, we thought solids were just for practice at this point and not nutrition so much anyway. So, why can't we just use water??

[Momof3Labs]

You can. You can also use fruits or veggies or formula. I think that it makes more of a difference when baby is eating a larger amount of solids.

Though you can also pump every few days and just use what you need each day, refrigerating the rest for the next day. It doesn't have to be fresh breastmilk.

[nitaghei]

You can absolutely use water. Or applesauce. Or other veggies/fruit. Or formula. Our ped actually suggested using tap water as a way of getting floride. I *think* (can't vouch for this, because I don't remember where I saw this), mixing cereal with fruit enhances the iron absorption. So there are benefits to either method.

I did use EBM some, but switched to water or applesauce, and then to yogurt at the appropriate time. I totally agree that it isn't worth pumping for a tablespoon. But EBM keeps for at least 5 days in the refrigerator, so you could do one pump session and use it over several days, if you chose that route.

HTH

Nita
mom to Neel, January 2003
dog mom to a cocker and a PWD

[KrisM]

Thanks! I know that iron absorbs better when taken with vitamin C, because I always eat an orange when I take my iron pills. Our water doesn't have flouride though. I have to remember to ask about that at our appointment later this month.

If you use EBM, do you warm it up first? I'll probably just use water for now, but might do BM later. I don't want to freak him out with cold, cold food!

[missmelis01]

My ped said you definitely can use water, but most babies prefer BM. Also, using BM makes the cereal a little more appetizing!

[nitaghei]

I'm trying to remember - I think I didn't warm up the EBM for cereal (though EBM bottles were always warmed). DS never complained - though he would not drink cold EBM in a bottle. Maybe because the cereal itself is room temp, the mix isn't as cold as a bottle right out of the refrigerator?

Nita
mom to Neel, January 2003
dog mom to a cocker and a PWD

[ainwonderland]

Hi,

I'm in agreement with all the other PP that water is fine, but BM does make it taste a little better and more familiar in my opinion.

With DD we started with a high ratio of BM to cereal in a spoon. The goal was to get her to start eating from a spoon and I always thought it'd be easier if it was already a taste I knew she'd like versus a new flavor+new delivery method. We then increased the amount of cereal in the BM as she caught on. Once she got the hang of it we did switch to other liquids to make it since it just broke my poor working-full-time-barely-pumping-enough-to-keep-up-with-her heart to have to throw away cereal+BM she didnt' eat :-)

HTH!

[hez]

We use(d) EBM, and did warm it up, if only to take the chill off from the fridge :)

[ellies mom]

Kris-
It kind of takes the Bessy experience of pumping to a whole new level, but I hand express milk to make cereal. It takes a bit of practice, but is much easier than cleaning the pump, and the milk doesn't have to be warmed up. I wouldn't want to do a whole bottle that way but for cereal it's great.

[hellosmiletoday]

I just started solids a few weeks ago. I used cold EBM with rice cereal, used a high ratio of milk to rice. Now I use less EBM, and am starting to add a little water. I think a little milk helps it tastes better. I pump out about 2 oz which lasts me several days. I use cold EBM, and DD doesnt mind. She also eats cold bananas and pears, right out of the refrigerator. No need to warm it up. And when frantically hungry, she'll drink cold EBM too.

After introducing bananas, DD is pretty eager to eat anything...and gained a new appreciation for rice cereal. Also, I switched to giving solids before rather than after a nursing session.

I'm also just giving solids in small amounts for "practice".

[alkagift]

I used formula even though otherwise DS was breastfed only--just for the reason you described--I had problems pumping enough for DS at daycare as it was, I couldn't spare any EBM. The DHA/ARA formulas had a bit of a smell that DS would not tolerate, so I used Good Start without DHA.

Allison
Mommy to Matthew Clayton, 5/03

[Vajrastorm]

I've done that!

[new_mommy25]

I did what Veronica wrote. Call me crude, but I'll just hand express some milk into the cup. I did this all the time when he was first starting solids and I was mixing it with cereal, bananas, avodao etc. It's really not a big deal.

[essnce629]

Conner was/is ebf and I always mixed his cereal with hot water first and then added pureed fruits or vegetables to it. Later, I would warm up his pureed fruits or vegetables and then mix in cereal to thicken it up without adding any water. Now, at 14 months old, he still gets about a 1/4 cup of cereal mixed in his daily yogurt or applesauce. The yogurt is runny without it and gets nice and thick once I mix in the cereal. It also keeps him cleaner since it's not dripping off the spoon constantly. I probably only used bm with his cereal 2 or 3 times. After I became a SAHM I stopped pumping and whenever I tried again I'd get only a few drops. But my son didn't always finish his food so I'd feel bad throwing it away if it had been mixed with my precious "liquid gold!" But I agree with the previous posters-- manually expressing milk is quite easy and way quicker than dealing with getting the pump out. I can't get any milk out with my pump anymore but I can still express it manually just fine.

***Latia
Conner 8/19/03
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/aug2003angel
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif One year and counting!
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/9870.gif

[sntm]

I've done this too, when I didn't have leftover from daycare bottles.
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shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif[/img][/url]
Breastfeeding 16 months and counting

[houseof3boys]

Of course you can use water. I would use pumped bm from the fridge but when I ran out for that day, I used water. I have also used prune juice when he would get constipated. When he was a little older, we used apple sauce and water in his barley cereal everyday for months!

Flouride was our reason for starting water since he didn't take to sippies or bottles of water very well when he was 7 months and started cereal.