Giving Infant Rice Cereal in Bottle? What Age Is Too Early?

We started our daughter at 8 weeks. Not because of sleeping, but because she started getting off her eating every 3-4 hour schedule. The doctor, of course, did not approve, but we, like you consulted family and they all said they did it. She's 11 months now and we still give her cereal in her morning bottle. She's not overweight, she doesn't have food allergies, and she's an early walker, which are all the reasons our (former) doctor suggested we not do it. Good luck!!

I did the same thing when my son was that age. He is now 4 mos. old and has no problems. And let me tell you ever since I have done that, he has slept through the night. I gradually started giving him cereal in his bottles throughout the day. Just start out slow and see how your child does. The dr's don't recommend it, but I just told my dr. he was eating way too often, he just wasn't getting enough to satisfy him. HOpe everything works out.
My son has had a little problem with having poopy diapers, and I'm not really sure if it's cause of the cereal. That's why I would say start out slow and see how they do.

I don't think this is ever a good idea. That is why a doctor won't approve because it's not safe.
Don't worry..your infant will start to sleep longer when the time is right.

I hope I don't offend you with this, but if your pediatrician doesn't/won't approve then it might not be the best idea. Have you thoroughly researched the risks, etc. with doing this? I had been told on numerous occasions to do this as well and never gave in as I didn't think it was the best for my son. I also think you may be expecting just a tad too much from a six week old. I definitely understand the lack of sleep, but I think you should see if you can wait it out.

I saw someone else recommend Heathly Sleep Habits, Happy Child and that is a WONDERFUL book. I wish I had read it sooner! I would advise trying some other methods before resorting to the cereal thing.

Sometimes the old school is right. I started my babies on rice cereal in a bottle as early as three weeks. It simply helps them fill their tummys. It can't hurt them. He's obviously not satisfied and hungry or he wouldn't be eating so often. So, go with your gut instinct and give it a try. Start with between 1 and 4 tablespoons to a six ounce bottle and see how he does. You'll have to make the opening in the nipple a little larger. If he does okay and likes it after a few days you can mix it to the consistency of a milkshake. I'd give it to him at least three times a day.

Now, if his bowels tighten up too much and get dry or hard to move....either give him 4 ounces of warm water several times a day...you can add a couple of tablespoons of white karo syrup to it to flavor it if he doesn't like the water plain. Or, you can add 1 or 2 ounces of pear (first foods) to the cereal bottle too. He'll love it and it should keep his bowels moving. If not....there's always prunes in the first foods. Just take it easy with them because a little of them goes a long ways.

Always watch and be sure he doesn't have an allergic reaction to the cereal or fruit. It will show up in his diaper area. After three or four days if nothing has changed then he'll be just fine and dandy.

I've been a child care provider for over 20 years, raised two daughters of my own and have 4 grandchildren ranging in age from 2 years to 18 years of age. I'll soon be a great grandmother by osmosis....a VERY YOUNG great grandmother....I can assure you, LOL.

It sure won't hurt to try the cereal. This time your mom is right, LOL. Let me know if you have any problems. But I think you'll do fine....especially if you both can get some sleep.

Good luck and God Bless.

Hi,

My mom is a pediatric nurse and according to her, putting cereal in the bottle is always a no no. And there are lots of articles published about this and they say giving cereal before three months can damage your baby's digestive system because it's not developed enough to handle cereal yet. I know the "old school" have their ways and it's hard being pressured but the research says don't do it and so i would strongly advise waiting until 4months and also, don't put it in the bottle. It can cause more harm than good. I know you're sleep deprived and having the baby sleep a little longer would help, but it's not worth the risk and it's just a phase, all of us moms go through it and it will end soon.. i promise.

Calandra,

I can tell you both from experience and from the medical side, you don't want to do that at 6 weeks. He is still very young and will grow into a longer sleeping pattern over the next 4 weeks or so...the best thing to do is start a routine that he will grow used to. Start off each night...give him a bath then take him in and give him a large bottle...8oz or more. This will get him nice and full. Make sure too that he stays awake for the three or four hours before you do this. You will need to do this in the beginning around 10PM...After three or four weeks, he will get used to this routine and you can start slowly getting earlier and earlier...getting him on a bedtime of 7:30PM or so and he'll sleep through the night. This worked for us and our 15 month old has been sleeping through the night since he was about 10 weeks old. It's all about routine...feed him extra formula (NO CEREAL) right at bedtime, and he'll be fine. In the beginning he may awake...just go in and hold him or pat his back until he goes back...don't feed him again...he'll get used to it.
As for the cereal thing...kids develop allergies very easily and the earlier you introduce real foods, when their stomachs are not ready for it, the more likely they are to develop allergies later on. Any doc will tell you this if they are any good. Also, it is just too hard on their stomachs to eat normal stuff. If you want to try the cereal thing...wait until he is at least four months old. Most will tell you longer...but if you do it too early, he may get stomach pains, etc. HOpe this helps a bit!

From what I understand, giving cereal is not recommended before 3 months because the baby's system is unable to handle/process it. It doesn't have as much to do with his size as it does with his age and the maturity of his digestive system. Neither of my kids (daughter age 3 and son age 13mo) had it before then. Instead, you might look at his feeding/awake time and napping routine. Also, you must remember that he's still a newborn -- sleeplessness is normal to some extent! Here are a few things from my memory banks (thank God we forget these days -- it's the only reason we have more children!)
He should be eating every 2-3 hours during the day on a sleep, eat, awake routine. Be sure you measure the time between feedings from the beginning of one feeding to the beginning of the next. At least one of his sleep, eat, awake cycles may stretch longer than 2-3 hours. Also, napping during the day is important. You might try focusing on the length of his awake time rather than the length of his sleeping time. If he's awake too long, he'll be over-tired and unable to sleep as well. He really shouldn't be awake more than an hour or so at a time. There might be one time during the day that he could stay up for closer to two hours, but not every time. A book called Babywise has good information about a baby's sleep and feeding needs at different ages, and their suggested routine is a good one. The authors seem a bit militant on their "crying it out" approach to sleeping, but many people say it worked for them. We never had to let ours cry it out because we made it a habit from the beginning (or as early as we could...about 2 weeks with my daughter, but not until 6 or 8 weeks with my son) to put them to bed while they were drowsy, but not completely asleep. This helps them learn to fall asleep on their own. This is good because a baby's natural sleep pattern involves a lot of lighter sleep and semi-wakeful times throughout the night. If they know how to fall asleep on their own, they don't need you to stumble in there and rock or nurse them back to sleep. Both of my kids still have these "wakefulness" times. Every night around 11:00 we hear my son cry for a few seconds. He does it again around 3am, which is why we eventually turned off the baby monitor. No need to wake us up if he didn't need us! My daughter no longer cries, but she'll stir in her bed, or sometimes talk in her sleep at these times.
A different approach to sleeping might be found in a book by Kim Wise called "Good Night, Sleep Tight." If you're too tired to read these books, maybe your mom or a girlfriend could scan the appropriate chapter and give you some tips.
Also, there's another Mamasource mom who raves about a product called the Miracle Blanket. It keeps babies swaddled really well so they stay asleep longer. Check it out at www.miracleblanket.com. It's got rave reviews, and it's not that expensive. It's even on sale now!
Good luck! and congratulations!

I personally do not recommend adding cereal to your baby's bottle. I have read studies that associate this practice with future diabetes and overweight children. It is NOT necessary to help them sleep, believe me. My daughter is 11 months old and still doesn't sleep through the night. You have no idea how many people tried to convince me that cereal in her bottle would help. I finally tried it when she was 3.5 months and it didn't make a bit of difference. Granted, Im sure you will get emails claiming it's a miracle worker but I'd encourage you to stick it out. A baby really should never get cereal in their bottle...it should be spoon fed the cereal at around 4 months.
I hope this helps as Im positive you will get emails with both pros and cons. Good luck with your decision.
R. L.

I think I tried it at the same age with my son. He didn't sleep any longer and actually got up more because it gave him such horrible gas. I know the "old shoolers" would say to do it but he is gonna sleep when he's ready. Mine didn't sleep through the night til he was about 6 mos old, and still will get up sometimes.(He's 8 mos.) Try it if you want to but if it doesn't work for you try something else... like a nice bath and a warm bottle 30 mins. before bed. It works really well for me. You'll eventually feel human again!

It's just an old wives tale from what my doc has said. It's not proven. Plus, my doc said that if babies are put on solids before the 4 to 6 month window they have a higher chance for diabetes and some other stuff. My mom gave me a lot of old advice when my son was born. I listened to my doctor and read a lot on baby websites. I wouldn't do it. He knows his body better, and he may need a feeding every 2 hours. Hopefully as he grows older, you and him can space it out a bit more. Don't expect too much from an infant. If he needs to eat every 2 hours, then feed him. It'll get better. We've all been thru those first few months of sleep deprevation. Hang in there!

I tried this when my daughter was 6 weeks old, and she didn't take it very well. Even with a little bit of cereal in it, the formula is too thick for them. It can also cause a choking hazard, I later learned because of the thickness. It is best to wait and give them cereal only with a spoon. I stopped trying after 3 nights, and in 2 weeks, by 8 weeks old, my daughter was sleeping through the night on just formula alone.

I gave my daughter rice cereal at 4wks old. She is doing great and survived. And we also didn't tell the pediatrician! I like old school, just think, we survived! I agree with your mom, I would do the cereal thing.

Calandre,
I have six childern...23year down to 10 months.....I gave ALL of my children cereal at the ripe old age of 4-6 weeks....My Dr's (and with 6 children I have had several Dr's) had no problem with this, however....you need to feed him with a spoon early on....for 2 reasons
1. He will learn to eat with a spoon...it's messy but he will learn very fast.
2. His little body can't break down the enzimes(sp) in the cereal with out saliva...He won't produce enough saliva by sucking through a bottle!!
He will most likley eat about a tablespoon at first. Make sure it is not to thick. You should stick with rice cereal for the 1st month or so...before you begin fruits.
Hope this helps!

My best friend just asked her pediatrician and I researched this alot on the internet. It shouldn't be sooner than 4 mos. because they say it is like drinking sand for an infant younger than that.

I breast fed my little girl, so I didn't have that luxury!! I say go for whatever lets your house get more sleep!!! You are probably going to hear different but every other mom I know that bottle fed did the same thing you're asking about. Once again, if you can get a little sleep of your own, do it. My little girl NEVER slept over 3 hours until the day she turned 18 months old. You do not want that!! Good luck!!

You should be asking your pediatrician's advice on this matter.
Giving rice cereal is NOT recommended at such a young age & NEVER in a bottle either.

It has always been my experience if the baby is still hungry after drinking milk give the baby something else to fill him/her up.

calandra i am the mother of three and i breast feed all three for one year each, so i know you are not sleeping good at nigt but let me just say it will get better. but in reguards to your question 6 weeks is a little too soon, but wait about 2 more weeks that what i did with my 14 week old but never put the cereal in a bottle it can choke the baby feed it to the baby at age 8 weeks by putting two table spoons in a bowl and 3oz of milk and feed with a baby spoon(infant) if baby stool get had put in a 3 drops of karo syrup to help the baby go this will be normal when baby first starts to take the cereal. i am a breast feeding and infant care consultant if i can help with anything please let me know good luck and enjoy your gift. ____@____.com

I do not believe in putting cereal in a bottle at all. If you read almost anywhere, it says not to do that. It can be a choking hazard. And if the pediatritian says not to do it, that should tell you something.

My pediatrician recommended waiting until four months before any cereal due to the fact that a baby's digestive tract is not mature enough yet to properly digest the food. She said adding in cereal to the diet too early could make reflux worse, and studies have been done that have shown children who were given cereals too early are more likely to be obese adults. She also said that at 11 pounds a child should be able to make it through the night without being fed. He may wake up and if you are feeding him to get him to go back to sleep more quickly it becomes a habit for him to wake up in the middle of the night to be fed. You just have to take a little more time at first to soothe him back to sleep for a few nights then he will get used to it. My doctor also said never to put cereal in a bottle because it becomes more difficult for the child to learn to eat it from a spoon later on because they are used to just drinking it down. For these reasons, I waited until four months to give cereal to my son, and at that time I mixed it really runny at first and fed it with a spoon. Hope this helps.

I started giving my son Rice in his bottle at 6-8 weeks because he was hungry all the time and the milk was not enough. I think it is okay and nothing wrong with it. I told his doctor and they did not say anything. I think 6 weeks is not too young specially if the baby is hungry...good luck.
K.

Hi Calandra,
get the book Healthy sleep habbits Happy child by Marc Weissbluth. My pediatrician recommended it and it worked. There are a lot of good tips in there. Basically you need to get your baby on a nap schedule. As per Dr Weissbluth giving Rice Cereal doesn't help. Even Premie tub feed babys wake up every so often and they shouldn't be hungry since they are feed all the time. Try it. It worked with us.
Here is a link where you can buy the book for $ 9.95
http://www.bookapex.com
Good luck !

K.

Hi. I am a childcare provider and actually gave a thickened formula to an infant who was 6 weeks per his parents request. It's a special formula you can buy at any store. It is thickened with rice starch and it stays with them for much longer. It is actually for babies who spit up, but many parents use it for their infants who are super hungry. It's called Enfamil A.R. Lipil. They do not advertise the formula for this use, but it is a common use for the formula.

Here is a link:

http://www.enfamil.com/products/formulas/i_1_1.html

If you are going to thicken a bottle, I would use 2-3tsp. One tsp. will not do the trick. You may have to make a bigger hole in your nipple.

I'm not saying that you should do this. I personally would do it with my own child and have done it for MANY of my daycare parents. This is an extremely common thing to do. Six-8 weeks is generally when this practice starts with parents.

Good luck :)

I had to give my first son rice cereal in his bottle at 4 weeks due to reflux but you also may want to make sure he is eating enough at one time. he should only need to eat every 3-4 hrs at 6 weeks if fed formula. but every baby is unique...

Good luck- A.

I started to mix a scoop of rice cereal with his formular after he was 2 months old.(example 1 scoop formular and 1 scoop of rice cereal=4oz) He was fine with it, but just keep an eye on him just incase he has alergic reaction.
But it did not help my son to sleep an longer, he was still on his regular sleep cycle! He started to sleep longer after he was 3 months old.
I know it's hard not getting enough sleep, it's just being a little more patience.

My son has reflux and is on Enfamil Lipil AR, that has rice in it. You can purchase that at any store, it's a little more expensive, because it's for babies that spit up a lot. It stays on their stomach longer. My son will sleep 4 hours at night now...

Hi Calandra,

I gave my oldest daughter cereal in her bottle right about 6 weeks to 2 months old. She did great with it, the only tricky part was finding or making the hole of the nipple big enough to drink the milk in with the cereal but not too big to have it come out way too much and fast :)

Your child will get used to eating or drinking what ever he is given. You just want to make sure you don't over stretch his stomach. He will end up always wanting more food. Giving him alittle rice in his bottle should be fine if you are doing it once a day and before going down for the night. I wouldn't do it more than that. Then start giving him rice from a spoon at about 3 months. At about 4 months you can start giving him veggies. Do the same veggie for about 4 days to make sure he does not have any reaction. Continue until you have tried all the beginner veggies then move to the fruits and do the same thing. They tend to like fruit better that's why you do it last. Once he has gotten past all of that, you can start mixing his fruit and veggie intake and begin giving more as he gets older. Continue giving him rice. What I did was give my daughter oatmeal with her fruit for breakfast and a veggie for lunch then a rice and veggie at night. This was at about 6mo. Start taking him off rice and introduce him to crackers, bread, pasta, anything with grain. And you can slowly introduce him to apple chunks and cut up grapes or carrots green beans. Meat comes last. Do jar food of meat for a few days to make sure he does not react to it. Around 8-9mo you can start giving him small pieces of chicken or ham, turkey.

Sorry if you already know all this info. I run into so many new mothers that just don't know what they're are suppose to do. The doctors aren't always very helpful.
If you need any more help or info I would be glad to share with you. My daughter is 2 now and I take care of children in my home so I've got allot of experience with how to care for children. Call me if you need my help ###-###-####
M.

I started putting cereal in my son's bottles when he was two weeks old! He weighed 8 lbs 11 oz. when born so he wasn't exactly a huge baby, but just never seemed to get enough to eat. Once I added a little cereal to his bottle, he was a much happier baby, and, as a result, slept longer as well. I didn't ask permission from my pediatrician as I believe sometimes Mom's intuition is better...and it sounds like yours is speaking to you pretty strongly! Good luck!

My oldest son was always hungry and would not sleep more than an hour or two at night. He went through so many bottles of formula and gained so much weight. My pediatrician said not to give him any solid food before 6 months, but finally around 3 months I started giving him a little rice with his formula and he started sleeping a little longer, but not much. Boys just don't sleep as long as little girls. Be sure to nap throughout the day so that you can keep up the short nights. Maybe around 11 or 12 months he will start sleeping longer. Good luck.

I started at 6 weeks with my first and 8 weeks with my second. After you do it for the first time you will love it. You get more sleep and its not hurting the baby at all!! Listen to your mom it didn't hurt us!!!

I did this with both of my girls, but not starting until about 8 weeks or so (but I'm sure 6 weeks is fine, too). They both did perfectly fine, and contrary to what the "experts" will tell you, it did help them sleep longer and it did not trigger any food allergies or anything. I'd do it again if I decided to have a third. Just make sure you have a nipple that will let the thickened formula through. You can buy the next level nipple and see how he does, or use the level 1 and use a straight pin to widen it a bit. You'll just have to watch him and make sure the flow isn't too heavy for him, ot that he's not having to suck his face inside out trying to get it out!

This Pediatric RN wouldn't approve either.
Cereal in formula is too many calories for an infant. It can also lead to ear infections.

Just wait until he/she can take cereal from a spoon- ususally around 4-6 months.
D.

We started rice cereal in the bottle for our 9 month old back when she was 5-6 months. She is perfectly healthy. We did the same for my now 2 1/2 year old. Just put enough to make it slightly thicker in consistency. You may need to change to a slightly larger nipple so the milk will still flow. Good Luck. You need more than 2 hours of sleep at a time.

My daughter is 11 weeks old and we have been adding cereal since she was 3 weeks old, because she has acid reflux. (Per my physicians advice) When we add the cereal we shred it in a blender to make it heavier, and then add 1 tsp per oz. It does help her sleep as well as help her acid reflux, she sleeps everynight from 8:30pm to 5am.

I did it at 8 wks and he took it just fine and started sleeping all night from 8-6am and he had acid reflux and it really helped with that as well, they have nipples out there that are made specifically for cereal like Dr Brown, I think I still have one you can have. I still to this day @ 12 months on occassion still has a bottle w/cereal and loves it.
No matter if you feed them through a bottle or a spoon they will learn how to eat w/a spoon automatically.(a friend of mine has triplets and they were all fed through a bottle from early on and did just fine and learned on their own how to eat w/a spoon)
I am a childcare provider and have over 20 yrs experience w/children. I know there will be some dr's and rn's that tell you not to do certain things but there are some things that tells us mother's what we should and shouldn't do, i guess that is mother's intuition calling out.
If you ever have any question please feel free to ask. By the way I am the one that will watching your baby on Monday which I am looking forward to.

Good Luck:)
Michele

Hope this helps.

Please consider waiting and doing more research as to why. You get bombarded with old-school advice and it's tempting. But my child, who was already predisposed to allergies, developed tons of them.

I nursed for 9 1/2 months, and didn't give her any rice cereal until a few months old, but it was too soon! I learned later their stomachs can't handle the larger proteins of solids.
Six months is probably the earliest I would ever introduce solids. Better safe than sorry.

There are other medical reasons I wish I could give you, the allergies are just the most immediate reason for me.