Cereal

Leni410

DD is EBF and slept really well until about 10 weeks old. Now she wakes up twice a night which still isn't bad in comparison to some babies. Well my FIL told my DH that we should give her cereal before bed to get her to sleep longer stretches and now my DH won't let it go. The Pedi said nothing other then BM until we see him again in July so I'm following his orders but DH keeps saying that we should try it.. it worked when BIL was a baby.. blaa blaa blaa... but really I'm the only one who wakes up with her at night and if I'm not complaining about it then why should he?!?! Okay vent over.

tilsonc

I would ask your Dr. I know my friend started giving cereal to her LO way before 6 months. I started FF whe nI went back to work and LO sleeps at least 8-10+ hours a night. I love my sleep and know what you must be going through. I am with your DH and would be willing to try anything (even tho its odd he wants to try it as I doubt he is the one getting up!). My LO will wake up in the middle of the night if she does not have enough to eat during the day. I know its harder to manage when you are BF. My LO turned 3 months on the 7th.

PipSqueak0313

Did the cereal early thing with dd 21years ago....by spoon not bottle...and it did nothing to keep her fuller longer.

It is a waste of money as anything other than a thickener imo.

runningyogimama

Find some websites to show DH with current research and guidelines that solid food shouldn't be started before around 6 months, and that cereal has very little nutritional value. In the first year, babies get all of the nutrients they need from BM or formula. Solid food is just practice. You're right to follow your doctor's advice.

Devbo18

Lots of people are telling me that too, but I'm with you, I EBF and if its not bothering me, it shouldn't bother you! My ped said absolutely positively no food before 6 months and I'm a dorky rule follower, so I won't give him anything.

MrsWindyCity

Like others have said, listen to your pedi. There is a reason for the current recommendations - things change over 20-30 years from when your DH was young because we learn more stuff. Cereal will do nothing to keep your baby from waking. Some babies just wake up, period. My baby barely eats before bed and then he STTN. My other son ate constantly and didn't STTN even after we start solids. It's more a developmental thing than a food thing.

ETA: Also, a tbsp of rice cereal has like 10 calories. That's not going to keep your baby full for hours if hunger is the reason she is waking. And it has no nutritional value. 

emriley84

I put cereal in both of my kids bottles for severe reflux. My older son didn't STTN until he was 15 months. My little guy actually has MPSI, not reflux (my older one probably did too, just never diagnosed, kept writing it off as reflux). He has slept better since we stopped the cereal.

TMWarren85

There's some info on here about solid feeding and sleeping through the night- 

https://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/

If you don't want to read the whole thing, essentially it says that people claim that's the case because babies wake up at night between 3-4 months old and are hungry, so parents start feeding solids and they sleep through the night. But babies go through a growth spurt at this time that usually stops around four months- so parents attribute the hunger at night stopping to adding solids into the diet. (They make this claim because again around six months babies who used to sleep through the night (and are already eating solid foods) start to wake up again for night time feedings. This is yet again attributed to a growth spurt.)

On the flip side- re the comment about APA saying don't start solids until after 6 months, there are two thoughts on this from the APA, one saying just what the PP said (no solids prior to 6 months due to little nutritional value) but the other being that waiting until AFTER 6 months to start solids can increase the risk of food allergies. So the APA completely contradicts themselves and leaves most parents confused.   

Note- this is all information I have come across through my own research and everyone should find out what is best for their children through their own research and pediatricians recommendations. Just thought I would share something that isn't just my mother's sister's cousin's neighbor's friend.