Cereal Questions

CandD8-8-08

1. My EBF son is still up one to two times at night.  Which I know is not too terrible but I'm tired and ready for him to STTN!   My pedi recommends starting rice cereal a week before our 6 month appt but also explained if "I think" he is ready for solids I could start sooner.  To be honest I have no idea what "I think".  My DH seems to think that giving him cereal will get him to STTN.  Did or does rice cereal help your LO STTN?

2. Can you please recommend your rice cereal? 

Thanks!  

melody921

Both my kids slept through the night before they ever started solids, so it wasn't an issue for us. But from everything I've heard, it's not going to help a kid STTN unless he's ready.

I use Gerber cereals, but we do baby oatmeal instead of rice.

watercolor5

My pedi said it may or may not help a baby STTN... for us it didn't, though we transitioned her into her nursery and crib around the same time, so that may have had an effect.

We just use the Earth's Best organic whole grain rice cereal- it's made with whole grain brown rice.  It doesn't smell too bad and she seems to like the taste.  I gave it because she showed signs of being ready to eat solids (watching us eat like a hawk, reaching for our food, lost her tongue thrust, etc.) and because I wanted to add in sources of iron and vitamin d since she's EBF and I'm horrible about giving her vitamin drops. 

I see no reason to not try it out- if he likes it and tolerates it well, keep it up.  If not, stop using it. 

LoveMyA

I starting giving DD rice cereal and it had no effect on her night time sleep habits. 

Flamingemu

I wish it helped her STTN. Cereal has had no effect whatsoever. She may be sleeping worse because of it.

That being said, I make my own. I just mill some Quaker rolled oats and cook on a 1:4 ratio. 1/8c of oats and 1/2c of water, mix in some BM to thin it out once cooked and cooled. I mash up some banana for it as well and she loves it.

mystrana

I can relate to the cereal "quandary." DH seems certain that if we just put cereal into a bottle before bedtime, DS will sleep through the night. Never mind that means I'd have to pump to make a bottle, and then pump to replace the feeding (meaning crap to wash and a pain in the butt), but I doubt it will have an effect. Some babies take longer to sleep through the night and I just wanted to let you know that my EBF little buddy still wakes up two-ish times a night on average so I feel for you. 

 

rivieramaya

We started cereal on Monday and LO has been STTN ever since. He has been sleeping from 8 to 8 for several weeks now with one feeding at 4 or 5am. He is FF and was eating about 36 ounces so I was pretty confident that he didn't really need the MOTN bottle.

We used the Gerber brand rice cereal.