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May 2011 Moms
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rice cereal?

andigurlandigurl
in May 2011 Moms
LO has been waking every 1.5-2 hrs at night to eat.  He has become quite the eater...lol. I've mentioned this to about a dozen people, all with kids, and they have all suggested a tsp of rice cereal in LO's nighttime bottle (I BF, pump and supplement at some feedings with formula because I just can't keep up with him).  I know that nowadays doctors typically recommend no food, including rice cereal, until 4-6 months depending on who you talk to.  I'm going to call the pedi tomorrow to see what he says.  And yes, I know that sleep deprivation is part of motherhood. :) I'm just wondering what your thoughts are on rice cereal this early.
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Re: rice cereal?

  • brandioohoobrandioohoo member
    ha! this is tricky and everyone has an opinion! i was in the same boat, and was considering the same thing. a friend of mine who is a physical therapist, said that when she was in school (recently) she learned that it's dangerous to give them cereal bc their oral motor skills are still developing and they aren't able to correctly guide the substance to the correct area, and it could go down the wrong tube without you knowing it, go to their lungs, end up aaspirating or cause respiratory problems. we go to the pedd on the 12th and i will be asking about it too. i bf and supplement, but have just been making a 4 oz formula bottle at night and she ddrinks 2-3 oz. and eats every 3 hours.
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  • h2ojock13h2ojock13 member
    I give my LO rice cereal in his BM bottles at night. This is because of his reflux, not because i'm trying to get some more sleep. Personally, I wouldn't be giving my LO rice cereal this early if it wasn't to help keep his milk down. I will say, that with the amount of rice I have been giving him, its not making him sleep through the night or helping me get any more sleep then when I give him BM bottles without the rice cereal. We're still waking up every 2hrs hungry.
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  • fluffybunsfluffybuns

    I don't buy the theory on giving them cereal to sleep longer. I think babies just do it when they are ready. And it could risk giving them an upset stomach and less sleep!

    My first was a terrible sleeper, and my mom just kept trying to get me to feed her cereal. I refused. Then she kept saying, oh when she starts solids, she'll sleep better. Well, she didn't. She was still up 3-4 times a night once she started solids, and didn't start sleeping through the night until she was 18 months old.

    This baby? Sleeps through the night 3-4 nights a week! Just on breast milk : ) 

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  • darmcadarmca member

    Maybe I'm terrible but I wouldn't give him rice cereal to get him to sleep longer. Until last week he was waking every 2 hours at night but I wouldn't even consider that because giving them rice cereal or baby food before 4 months has been linked to obesity, allergies, and pulmonary problems.

    However, this is a bit of a pot/kettle situation because I have been placing LO to sleep on his stomach to help him sleep better. He has started going to bed at 8:30 instead of 1:30 (after 5 hours of trying) and has slept up to 5.5  hours.

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  • krispy127krispy127
    Yea I hear you my LO got on a 2-3 hour schedule when he was in the NICU and I can't break him of it. I was BF, pumping, and supplementing and it sucks I was spending so much time pumping that I just felt like I was missing all this time with him so I just went to formula. but before I did my OB prescribed me metoclopramide which is generic for reglan ( its normally prescribed for nausia but it makes even regular people lactate lol) it definitely up'ed my milk supply. But as for sleep LO is just now at 2 months getting a little more sleep in so you may just want to give it time. I also started giving him a bath like right before bed and that helps. I also try and feed him every two hours before bed to pump his little tummy full. Plus formula babys sleep better at night  then BF (some say) because the brestmilk is digested so efficiently. You may also not be getting to your hind milk that has all the fat by pumping cause your body produces more at night to help them sleep. hope this all makes sense and you get some sleep. Oh we also found that since our LO was sleeping in the pack and play in our room it just wasn't comfy enough and we got a special pack and play mattress and he slept better. but now hes in his big crib :)
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  • TMILLER45TMILLER45 member
    I don't know what brand formula you supplement with but Enfamil has one labled A.R. which stands for added rice. I would feel more comfortable giving my baby that at this age then actually adding the rice cereal myself (but that's just my opinion). My pedi had recommended this to me because my DD was spitting up a lot but I haven't tried it yet.
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