Thinking of Putting Cereal in Bottle

Hi,

I know a lot of Peds and Moms disagree with putting cereal in bottles...but, my babies are just about 6 months real age and only 3 months adjusted. They aren't quite ready to eat with a spoon and I wanted to see if adding cereal to their formula would keep them satisfied longer (especially at night). I'll try the spoon in a couple of weeks when my highchairs arrive...so, until then, how much cereal should I add? Right now, they have about 4 oz per feeding. Is 1/2 teaspoon or 1 teaspoon enough? For those of you who have tried this, will the Dr Brown Y cut nipple work?

Help! I'm also hoping that this will help cut down on my DD's spitting up. I think she may have reflux issues - she is however, the best burper in Orlando. All I have to do is sit her up and thar she blows....haven't you guys heard her burps all the way where you are?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

Oh, so that HER I heard burping :lol:

1/2 teaspoon per ounce of formula - so 3 teaspoons in 6 oz of formula. I would recommend you try the beechnut cereal as it is a bit more fine (less clogging) and that you give it a good mix with one of those itty bitty botle mixers. You'll also have to adjust the bottle nipple that you are using - we have used the gerber cross cut nipples (stage 3) since we started putting cereal in the boys' bottles (a looong time ago, it seems - for reflux)

good luck!

 

I have a friend that works in as a pediatric dietian (how do you spell that?) working with lots of GI clinic babies. Any way she says never put cereal in a bottle and if you give anything other than Formula or BM it should be from a sippy cup. If they aren't ready for the sippy cup they aren't ready for anything other than milk.

She said to start cereal at 4 months adjusted no sooner because they don't have the digestive enzymes needed before 4 months corrected age and it increases rish of adult diabetes, allergies, and weight issues as adults.

She did say that when we start we should just mix it super thin - almost like milk and put a little on their lips to slowly get them used to the idea.

I know lots of women do the bottle for reflux, that is different I think since it is medically needed.

Here is a link with info from Childrens
www.chw.org. Click on Health Information, then on the left hand side click on teaching sheets. Then in the search box type “baby food” and "nutrition" it will pop up-you can print that off.

Have you tried giving more than 4 oz? We BF but when we do bottles they started taking more around the age of your babies.

 

My daughter got cereal in her bottle beginning at one month of age due to bad reflux. She got it in every bottle --I always measured it like this: 4 oz bottle gets 5 tsp cereal (1/2 rice, 1/2 oatmeal). 5 oz bottle gets 6 tsp cereal, etc. Rice can be pretty gassy, so the oatmeal helps with that. with those bottles, I used Dr. Browns bottles and the Level 3 nipple.

Both my twins got thick cereal at bedtime, as early as 8 weeks. Just make the formula as directed, then add cereal until you get the consistency of oatmeal (actually, just a little thinner than oatmeal). Those I use the dr Browns Level 4 nipple "for thicker liquids" and do not put the middle tube attachment in, the cereal is too thick to go through it.

*Also, I reccomend WHOLE GRAIN cereals. Target and walmart both have organic whole grain cereals, as opposed to Gerber which is single grain and processed.

I know everyone, including doctors recc no cereal at all until 4 mos, no cereal in bottles, etc. But if it is so bad, why do they recc it for reflux babies? Back when we were kids, our parents gave us cereal VERY early and we turned out okay! My twins have had no adverse reactions whatsoever to getting cereal early and they started solids at 3 months also. Don't worry - do what you feel is right.

 

I just hung up with the pedi who wants my daughter to start rice tonight for her reflux. She said either 1 tsp to 4 oz of breastmilk in a bottle, or since I cant get her to drink bottles then do 1 tsp of rice with a little breastmilk with a spoon.

 

QUOTE
I have a friend that works in as a pediatric dietian (how do you spell that?) working with lots of GI clinic babies. Any way she says never put cereal in a bottle and if you give anything other than Formula or BM it should be from a sippy cup. If they aren't ready for the sippy cup they aren't ready for anything other than milk.

She said to start cereal at 4 months adjusted no sooner because they don't have the digestive enzymes needed before 4 months corrected age and it increases rish of adult diabetes, allergies, and weight issues as adults.

She did say that when we start we should just mix it super thin - almost like milk and put a little on their lips to slowly get them used to the idea.

I know lots of women do the bottle for reflux, that is different I think since it is medically needed.


Ditto Jennie...

 

QUOTE(Beb @ Feb 6 2008, 12:40 PM) [snapback]608562[/snapback]
Hi,

I know a lot of Peds and Moms disagree with putting cereal in bottles...but, my babies are just about 6 months real age and only 3 months adjusted. They aren't quite ready to eat with a spoon and I wanted to see if adding cereal to their formula would keep them satisfied longer (especially at night). I'll try the spoon in a couple of weeks when my highchairs arrive...so, until then, how much cereal should I add? Right now, they have about 4 oz per feeding. Is 1/2 teaspoon or 1 teaspoon enough? For those of you who have tried this, will the Dr Brown Y cut nipple work?

Help! I'm also hoping that this will help cut down on my DD's spitting up. I think she may have reflux issues - she is however, the best burper in Orlando. All I have to do is sit her up and thar she blows....haven't you guys heard her burps all the way where you are?

Thanks in advance for any advice.



Funny you should ask, I just went to the Ped Doc yesterday and asked the EXACT same thing!!

My issue was the younger of the two is a little piggie and eats about 8oz every feeding at 2 months (almost 3 mths). My Doctor said adding cereal if fine, but I can only do it for one not for my other one - she said I could only add a little to help thicken his food to help him not "eat as much". She said to start them out and just to cut the edge of "hunger" and to keep them satified longer, she add 1 tablespoon per 4 ozs in their bottles, to start off. She told me not to add more then 1 tablespoon for 2 ozs. She told me mixing it and putting it in their bottle is fine and as long as he keeps eating properly and poo-ing fine I can keep it in their bottle.

I just started him today and I added it to my Dr. Browns bottle (I used the Y nipples) and at first to be honest he didn't like it. He drank about 1/2 of an ounce and then screwed his face up. I let him take a 20 minute break and tried again, and I think hunger took over and he gobbled it all down. To be honest I did have to stop mid way through and shake the botttle (I don't think I mixed it well enough) but he finished it and he actually made it 4 hours to his next feeding (which is forever for him!).

 

The cereal has no effect in them sleeping through the night.

I would talk with your pediatrician before adding anything to their bottle.

 

I don't think it had much of an effect on keeping them satisfied for longer. We did however, add cereal to bottles for reflux starting at 2 weeks old. It definitely helped in that regard. I added 2tsp of the Beechnut brand, per oz, and used a Level 3 Dr. B's.