Rice Cereal Made with Breastmilk

I breastfed exclusively (meaning no formula) and would just use water with baby cereal. I just didn't want to waste the milk when my baby wouldn't eat the cereal. Plus, my daughters didn't like the consistency with breastmilk. The cereal thinned out within minutes - before I was even done feeding with it. With water I was able to create a thicker cereal. Good luck. Either way, you're doing a great job!

Send them separate and have the daycare mix it together right before feeding.

I always sent mine seperate and had daycare mix when the baby needed it. Much easier.

It will become watery within an hour most likely less. I cannot believe your daycare won't mix it for you. What do they do with the babies who eat cereal? Because it will do the same thing with formula. You may not want to but I would find a new daycare if you can. This is ridiculous unless they just don't want to feed him a meal and would rather give him a bottle. If that's the case then just feed him cereal in the morning before you go and then again when you get home. They probably just want you to send jarred food to make it easier on themselves.

Another suggestion...mix the rice cereal with some apple or pear juice instead.....my pediatrician recommended this (and she was/is my biggest advocate when it came to breastfeeding!). I didn't want to "waste" my extra pumped breastmilk on rice cereal...that he mostly pushed out of his mouth in the beginning! Good luck!

I don't really remember, but I think I noticed it happening pretty quickly actually. I didn't realize that was what was happening for a long time til I looked it up. And I believe it happened with his mixed grain cereal too.

Since they won't mix for you (how frustrating!) I would test it at home on the weekend. Mix it up at the time you would on work days, and then pull it out of the fridge at the daycare feeding time and check it. If it seems too watery, what about using formula instead?

I breastfed exclusively except for one very short period where I had to supplement at nine months. So I am not dissing breastfeeding. But I remember one day at the end of our cereal stage when I was thinking how glad I was to be done with cereal because it was a pain to pump just for cereal some days, all of a sudden it hit me. Duh, why didn't I just get a tiny thing of formula and use that to mix with? It would have been so much easier! And mine wouldn't eat cereal with water, so that wasn't an option. I just thought I'd mention it because I am sure it would be much easier for you.

Our daycare wouldn't mix it either (nor would they mix formula unless it was an emergency) because of both state regulations and their own policies.

Is it necessary for your baby to have the rice cereal at day care? In our case, we sent the formula (I was in chemo so I couldn't breastfeed) and baby food. We served her the rice cereal, oatmeal, etc. at home instead.

Good luck! I don't know if there's a good alternative with your breast milk, unfortunately.

I tried to take pre-mixed cereal with us once and it turned to pure liquid in about 45 minutes. If your daycare won't work with you on this, you might want to consider another daycare. Any place that is that inflexible about something as important as your child's food isn't a place I would my child to be. To me, it reads as they don't trust their staff to prepare foods correctly and don't want to take responsibility for it either. Your only other choice is to change your child's food schedule so you give your baby cereal for breakfast before daycare and for dinner after daycare when the baby is old enough to be getting 2 cereal feedings daily.
Good luck!