rice cereal in night time bottle

[Stormy16]

My baby is 4 1/2 months....big boy he weighs 20 lbs...... he still wakes up once or twice during the night for a bottle.... im wondering if i gave him rice cereal in his bottle would he sleep longer??? I give him 6oz of formula, how much rice ceral should go in there???

[LosingMyMindInGA]

I think you are doing the right thing.  Just give him his usual bottle, cuddle/rock him and put him back to bed.  Don't make a big to do about it, make it boring so he won't want to stay up for the excitement.  Ignore everyone else.  They may have it good in the sleeping department but something will come and bite them in the butt later on :) LOL

[Victoria01]

Most babies do not sleep through the night at 3 months, so your son is perfectly normal and you are NOT doing anything wrong. He sounds like a very happy, healthy, little boy.:)

[Stormy16]

Thx for all the advice..... i wont be giving him cereal yet.... obesity doesnt run in either of our families but we were both huge babies. I dont mind waking up and feeding him in the middle of the night. It just frustrates me when so many people tell me that their babies slept thru the night at 3 months....like im doing something wrong...... some people have also told me that he doesnt need to eat in the middle of night and im supposed to just let him cry until he realizes he wont be getting fed and ends up sleeping thru the night...... but i cant do that either.....so i guess i will just keep doing what im doing..... hes a very happy baby when hes awake!!! Thx again!!!

[Victoria01]

I agree with Losing. If you think he is really that hungry, (and just not fussy and not wanting to go back to sleep)  try feeding him cereal with a spoon right before bed, then give him his bottle. Babies at his age normally do wake up to be fed at least once in the night if not twice.

While some pediatricians will recommend putting cereal in a bottle, that is usually for underweight children who need that extra "boost" of calories.

I know it's hard to keep getting up in the middle of the night, but try to remember it won't last forever.

[LosingMyMindInGA]

I put cereal in my sons bottle becuase of reflux....however, being as your baby is so big I wouldn't recommend it.  The rice cereal will just add to his weight.  Like tiredbuthappy said, at this age, if he gets too big his risk of other diseases increases dramatically..  He is also building fat cells that he is going to have to fight for the rest of his life.  

At 4 1/2 months I think you should start introducing solid foods.  Vegetables first, get him used to the bland taste of the vegetables before adding sweet fruits in the mix.  Hopefully the amount of solids he eats will add to the 6 oz of formula and keep his tummy fuller.

With that said....most babies do wake up once or twice a night for a feeding.  My youngest has only just started sleeping through the night the past few months (he's 15 months now) he was waking up once or twice a night for a bottle.  There is nothing wong with him waking up, thought It takes its toll on you, it's completely normal for him.  

[martikadragoon]

I put cereal in my son's formula it helps fill him up more and he sleeps better. from about 9 or 10 pm to about 7 or 8am

[tiredbuthappy]

with a baby that big, I would be concerned about increasing his chances of diabetes and obesity. Would you fill a toddler or older child's belly up with the empty calories of rice? It is normal for a baby that age to wake during the night. At this age, foods are introduced for taste and texture, not for volume.
How long of a stretch is he sleeping? At this age, "through the night" is actually considered to be 5 to 6 hours consecutive. Some babies don't sleep that long at 12 months.
Obviously, it is your choice. However, if you have a family history of either of those problems, I would encourage you to consider whether or not waking for a few minutes each night is really that much of a hardship at this point.

[leighanne143]

i started putting in in my sons bottles.  people will tell you not to but you do whatever you feel comfortable with.  I only put like a tablespoon to a tablespoon and a half in a 4 ounce bottle and it did help fill his belly at night.  you can also start spoon feeding your baby the cereal at night instead of putting it in the bottle, your baby is old enough now.