3 Month Old Baby Girl

I did a lot of research on this when I had my first child. I was in a similar situation as you an older mom with a new baby. I was also getting a ton of pressure from both grandmas to put cereal in his bottle to help him sleep and because my son was on the smaller side. In all the research I found there was no benefit to giving them cereal earlier than 4 months. When you do give cereal you are to only give it to them on a spoon and never in a bottle. So I would just wait and follow your doctors instructions.

As for gas and fussiness I am dealing with this with my newborn. I switched to Similac Sensitive and it has worked great. So maybe experiment with the types of formula you are using.

It sounds like you are taking good care of the cradle cap, just be careful not to overdo it. It is normal and will run its course.

I put a burp rag under my son's chin to catch the formula. The bibs just don't seem to get up under the neck sometimes. I also tend to change his diaper after I feed him so I will just take a wipe and run it over his neck at that time too.

Good luck and you are doing a great job. Enjoy the time you get with her when she is little, they grow up very quickly.

I would say no to cereal in the bottle - its supposed to be a no-no. Also, unless there is some reason that your doctor wants her to have cereal, i would hold off on solids until 6 months. A new study came out linking obesity with formula babies who started food at 4 months.

I breastfed and fed on demand with my second (on a schedule with my first) and just decided, when they are hungry, they will tell you, and so feed them. If they are not hungry, don't feed them. Sounds silly saying it, but I agonized with a schedule with my son, and things were so much easier with my daughter and not worrying about a schedule. They both ended up growing and gaining weight at about the same rate.

I think all babies are gassy and fussy. She will get better in the next few months.

The oil on her hair is good, and then use a fine comb to gentrly brush.

Ditto the dish towel suggestions - you can also get dishtowel bibs.

Congratulations! Baby girls are sweet!

I always found the pre-mixed formula resulted in less gas/fussiness with my son. We used to slightly microwave a handtowel and put it on his tummy while walking/rocking/swinging him.
Cradle cap--the oil will help them gently comb with baby comb.
You might find that a good old fashioned dish towel works more effectively than a bib! LOL
As for the cereal--I wouldn't put it in a bottle. At 6 mos you can start cereal w/ a spoon.
Good luck!

THere are many reasons why cereal in a bottle is a bad idea:
-baby gets more (cereal) in the bottle but less of what they actually need-breastmilk or formula. Therefore you are disrupting baby's natural system to feed on demand because you have bogged down the system with something they don't need.
-it does not necessarily help baby sleep better. It bogs down their little system wiht something they don't need and can't even process/digest at her age. Sleep is a neurological milestone. Cereal won't help that.
-Baby has what is called an open gut until around 6 months old. Meaning what goes into the tummy enters the blood stream.
-If you are having problems with fussiness and gas now don't add more stress to her system by adding cereal that she can't digest.

Wait until at least 6 months old to try solids *off a spoon* Here is a great site with lots of info on infant nutrition:

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/early-solid-food-feeding...

Cereal in a bottle should only be given under the direct supervision of a pediatrician for severe reflux.

For the dribbling-make sure you are using slow flow nipples.

Congrats! I am an older mom too. Such a blessing to have them older. I would suggest you try "gripe water" for gas. Mylicon did not work all that well for us, but gripe water did. Look for it at WalMart.

I 2nd using burp cloth, not bib for bottle feeding. Gerber has some pretty ones and plain cloth diapers are nice too.

I know you have already heard it, but no cereal in the bottle and no rush to try solids. Try between 5 and 6 months if she seems ready and needs more. Only 1 of my 5 took cereal like a champ from a spoon at 4 months. The other 4 were more ready and needed it between 5 and 6 months.

Message me if you need support! :)

It sounds like you are doing great so far. I started with about a half tsp full at bed time (cereal) you might have to get larger hole nipples or cut a small "x" in the ones you have now.

Cradle cap will go away eventually just keep doing what you are doing, dont pick at it though.

Dripping formula will happen. I use cloth diapers as a burp rag. I just hold it right underneith where the nipple attaches to the bottle, kind of cupping it. Just make sure you are cleaning it out of her neck if it does drip.

Cereal may get you another hour or two of sleep at night. Make sure to not change the cereal for a couple of days to make sure there are no allergies. Same will go for baby food own the road.

My advice is to not out cereal in a bottle. I have a home day care and it is a no no. They can choke. Most doctors and our schedules say breast milk or formula until they are 7 mos. But all babies gag a little when they are first eating solids. I have a schedule of feeding and how much if you send me a fax I can fax it to you. My pc broke down so unable to do things with my granddaughters Mac. When the baby can use their tongue to shove food back then they are ready for food. Yrs ago we fed then early but now they want us to wait. I had one girl at 16 mos only eat baby food for a short time when right into table food eating everything. By the time they are 1 should be on table food. I make all my baby food so much easier. Baby deserts are not good as they do not have fruits and veggies they need. I will take table food we have at night or cook slightly carrots or peas and put formula and cereal in it until it is the consistancy for baby. That way they already are eating table foods and more into those tastes not baby food that is expensive and some of the organics are like water. One of my customers took baby applesauce and ended up drinking it in a bottle. Applesauce is a good one easy on the stomach and easy to eat. Good luck and God Bless. G. W