Adding cereal

vbrown4640 · April 2010

I am considering adding a little bit of rice cereal to breast milk to try and get LO to sleep longer. I have had lots of moms tell me they started cereal at 4 wks and others who say 6 months. Anyone had luck starting cereal early to get LO a full tummy? My DH calls breast milk Chinese food b/c it does not keep LO full for long. lol.

sbevmc09 · April 2010

I think it's frowned upon to put cereal in a bottle unless it's for medical reasons, like reflux.

ToBeMrsT · April 2010

IMO that's way too young. their digestive system is not ready for cereal. the ONLY time I would do something like that would be if my pedi recommended it for reflux or something.

aocain02@yahoo.com · April 2010

He is way too young for cereal and at his age you just have to deal with LO waking up a lot to eat. We joke my milk is like eating cream with the amount of weight DS has gained, but at 4 weeks he was still waking up every 3 hours at night to eat and every 2 during the day.

The advice I was given when DS was around 7 weeks was to feed him every 2 to 2.5 hours during the day and that would result in about 4 hour stretches at night time. It worked for us.

Chelle0112 · April 2010

sbevmc09:
I think it's frowned upon to put cereal in a bottle unless it's for medical reasons, like reflux.

This. Your LO is way to young for cereal unless the pedi tells you its ok.

NiniJ55 · April 2010

You will probably get flamed on here for asking about this. My mom has been pressuring me to add cereal to DS's bottle as well - I decided to wait. Solids are not recommended until 4-6 months of age.

Just hang in there. Your LO will sleep through the night when he is good and ready ust be patient.

MrsRebecca · April 2010

Way too early to start cereal. It's a common myth that cereal will help your baby sleep longer. Their digestive systems are not ready for it and it just fills them with empty calories. They need the fat/nutrients in BM and formula.

KristinKD · April 2010

ALG29:
The advice I was given when DS was around 7 weeks was to feed him every 2 to 2.5 hours during the day and that would result in about 4 hour stretches at night time. It worked for us.

This is what we do too, along with keeping her awake as much as possible during the day. It helps her sleep much better; she's already given us seven-hour stretches a couple nights.

As others have said, four weeks is way too young to start cereal, and it's a myth that it will help newborns sleep better at night.

sbevmc09 · April 2010

No flaming though! It's okay to ask. That's how we learn things

WonderWoman27 · April 2010

I wouldn't do it, but it's your kid.

liza0828 · April 2010

Negative, ghostrider.

adriennevla · April 2010

That's a horribly selfish thing to do. It doesn't work half the time and it's not good for a young baby's digestive system...all for your own convenience.

The only time I've heard of a doctor actually saying it's okay to give such a young baby cereal is to help the stomach contents stay down, and that's only in the case of EXCESSIVE spit-up/reflux.

Sorry if that sounded harsh, but I have a very strong opinion on it.

Breastmilk isn't SUPPOSED to keep them full for long because it's such a perfect food for babies that it is digested easily and quickly. No need to shock your child's system with useless cereal.

Not flaming, and it's a good thing you asked before just deciding to do it...it's just really not recommended.

vbrown4640 · April 2010

Thanks for the advice from those who understand/remember the challenges of being a new mom. Thousands of people telling you what you should or should not do, from your own family to total strangers. It is hard enough trying to process all the knowledge from internet, books, people, etc.

For those who made me feel like a terrible selfish mother, I think you should reconsider posting your views. New mom's have enough to deal with from depression/baby blues to sleep deprivation without someone making them feel worse.

grapeape73 · April 2010

roxstarrgirl:
BM is digested quickly, but your LO's tummy is very small, too, so either way, LO will be waking up frequently to refill the tank. Also, I read that it's very important for brain development for young babies to eat as frequently as they do; as well as protecting them from SIDS (babies that rouse and wake more frequently are less likely to stop breathing during sleep).

This exactly.

MrsRebecca · April 2010

vbrown4640:
For those who made me feel like a terrible selfish mother, I think you should reconsider posting your views. New mom's have enough to deal with from depression/baby blues to sleep deprivation without someone making them feel worse.

I don't know how long you've been around, but this is a hot button topic which gets posted on here almost every day. There are constant posts about trying to fake LO into feeling full so they sleep longer. The truth of it is that your baby will sleep longer when they are ready. Formula feeding at night won't make them sleep longer (another common myth) and neither will adding cereal. If your baby wakes during the night it's because they NEED something- usually food. Waking several times during the night doesn't last forever and it's best for your baby to just get up with them and tend to their needs.

Simple research will tell you that cereal is NOT good for your baby. People that posted their "views" are actually posting valid advice on adding cereal to a bottle. It's simply not good for babies so young and should not be done without the advice of your child's medical provider.

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