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Rice Cereal
I am just wandering when it is safe to introduce Rice Cereal to my son... I have been told different things by different people. I have also heard that it will help my son sleep through the night. What is everyones oppinion on this?
Also for future refrence since my son is on Prosobee Lipil. Is that going to change how to mix the cereal. I know you use the formula to mix the rice cereal with so I dont think it will change the preperation of it... This may sound stupid but I was just wandering
Also for future refrence since my son is on Prosobee Lipil. Is that going to change how to mix the cereal. I know you use the formula to mix the rice cereal with so I dont think it will change the preperation of it... This may sound stupid but I was just wandering
You had mentioned some other things but couldn't remember so that's why I added on to it. That's all :)
i know that now the NP that i work with told me not to do that i was stating that you shouldn't give an infant water becuase another psoted said to give water to combat constipation but yuo shouldn't give water as i stated above in my other post. just passing along some info that i was told.
I totally 100% agree with peekawhoo.
Ok, this is my personal opinion: I breastfed my baby for the first 3 moths, exclusively breastmilk , It was not very pleasant when she was wanting to eat and poop the whole time, but at the same time it was wonderful that she and I had that unique connection.
I never paid any attenition to others telling me that i shoul've done it any other way, because this is the whole truth: she has never been overweight, she never got sick, and grew as expected.
I introduced her to milk when I got back to work (she was 4 months old) and at night I always brestfed her (until she was 8 months old).
Her milk was plain, no cereal, no sugar, no nothing: This was the best decision ever, I will never regret it, cereal tends to get babies fat and makes them only like the milk with that "unique taste".
She had it this way untill we found out she is allergic to all milks (other topic).
It is your choice, but I would suggest you to wait, again, its what I did and worked out great!
Ok, this is my personal opinion: I breastfed my baby for the first 3 moths, exclusively breastmilk , It was not very pleasant when she was wanting to eat and poop the whole time, but at the same time it was wonderful that she and I had that unique connection.
I never paid any attenition to others telling me that i shoul've done it any other way, because this is the whole truth: she has never been overweight, she never got sick, and grew as expected.
I introduced her to milk when I got back to work (she was 4 months old) and at night I always brestfed her (until she was 8 months old).
Her milk was plain, no cereal, no sugar, no nothing: This was the best decision ever, I will never regret it, cereal tends to get babies fat and makes them only like the milk with that "unique taste".
She had it this way untill we found out she is allergic to all milks (other topic).
It is your choice, but I would suggest you to wait, again, its what I did and worked out great!
You shouldn't give a newborn water because a newborn's kidneys are immature, they have a difficult time concentrating their urine, and if given too much plain water, they may have trouble excreting it. This could lead to dangerous changes in the concentrations of sodium and potassium in her bloodstream. For these reasons, infants should not be given extra fluids unless their pediatrician recommends it. They get enough fluids from breastmilk or formula alone so there is no need to give them water.
also i was told you shouldn't give an infant water i was told by the np that i work with i was babaysitting my cosuins 1 month old and i said to myself why didn't she pack this baby any water and i gave the baby boil sterile water but let it cool down and she really didn't drink much of it. so i told the nurse practitioner that i work with and she said why did you give that baby water i told her a babay is a human being and we drink water so why wouldn't i give the baby water she said because it can cause constipation and some other things can't remeber . i was like wow you learn something new everyday.
well i don't have any kids but i do know of women who have giving there infants age 3 months rice cereal. it just made the babies fat for there age. no health issues, or anything is wrong with the infants it's really up to the mother and how she feels . hope i was able to help.
Baby's sleep increases not from being full off the cereal but from maturity. I was like you, wanted to get more sleep, which looking back now was so selfish on my part but I was exhausted and was willing to try anything. Well I fed my son at 1 month old in his bottle some rice cereal. Guess what, he slept the same amount of time as he did with just formula but he was horribly cranky and in constant pain the next few days. He had hard poop and at 1 months of age you can imagine how painful that must have been for him. I felt so guilty and stopped giving him his cereal immediately. After that he was fine and about 1 month later he was sleeping through the night. I know not all babies will sleep straight through at 2 months but some will as long as they are getting all the calories (from formula or breastmilk) during the day. Breastfed babies often sleep less because formula is thicker but in time they too sleep through. I understand that for babies with reflux the cereal does help but you can't just assume your child has it. I would be very careful with the cereal at this young age. That's only my suggestion based on my experience.
The trouble with rice cereal is that it is as nutritious as wallpaper paste. There is no "real" reason to introduce it except as an empty filler that will decrease your baby's intake of formula/ breastmilk if you aren't careful.
And formula or breastmilk is what babies need at this age, for brain growth. Why anyone would want to risk a baby decreasing the intake of formula/breastmilk for the sake of eating what amounts to wallpaper paste is beyond me.
The addition of cereal has never been shown to influence how long a baby sleeps. And if a baby is hungry for formula or breast milk in the night, you should happily feed him/her, knowing you are helping the baby with what he/she really needs, and not just stuffing him/her full of a thick paste so you can sleep a little more at night.
And formula or breastmilk is what babies need at this age, for brain growth. Why anyone would want to risk a baby decreasing the intake of formula/breastmilk for the sake of eating what amounts to wallpaper paste is beyond me.
The addition of cereal has never been shown to influence how long a baby sleeps. And if a baby is hungry for formula or breast milk in the night, you should happily feed him/her, knowing you are helping the baby with what he/she really needs, and not just stuffing him/her full of a thick paste so you can sleep a little more at night.
The most healthy thing to combat constipation is water. (inbetween feeds) The baby will get constipated if you mix anything in with the formula, unless you add extra water. The mixture ends up being too concentrated. That is why there are guidelines on the formula tin specifying how much water to use.
The digestive system in a baby is just not ready for anything other than milk until at LEAST 5 months. In nature that would be the only thing available. They get EVERYTHING they need from milk.
Why would you want to interfere with nature and add a manufactured, processed artificial food to your babies diet?
Seriously, they grow up fast enough. It may feel like forever at the time (sleep deprivation does that to you), but in reality it is 6 months out of a life time, and your babies health should be the most important thing to you.
Like some one said earlier, many children have been born (whose mothers smoked) who are 'fine', but who is to say that their health may not be affected later in life, or that you might be one of the unlucky ones where there is obvious damage/effects?
Why risk it?
The digestive system in a baby is just not ready for anything other than milk until at LEAST 5 months. In nature that would be the only thing available. They get EVERYTHING they need from milk.
Why would you want to interfere with nature and add a manufactured, processed artificial food to your babies diet?
Seriously, they grow up fast enough. It may feel like forever at the time (sleep deprivation does that to you), but in reality it is 6 months out of a life time, and your babies health should be the most important thing to you.
Like some one said earlier, many children have been born (whose mothers smoked) who are 'fine', but who is to say that their health may not be affected later in life, or that you might be one of the unlucky ones where there is obvious damage/effects?
Why risk it?
my family does 1 tbsp to the bottle. I agree with amyvr, we all had it a litte over one month but at like 2-3 months old though, my little cousin wanted to be spoon fed her nightly cereal, not in her bottle anymore. she loved it if you made it like soupy oatmeal. that was 1 scoop of ceral, with 2 scoops of formula and water until you got the consistency you wanted.
almost all reflux babies are given cereal in their bottles once they are diagnosed with reflux cause it helps hold the food down, so it proven that it is not bad for them cause it does no harm to the reflux babies.
again you need to do what you think is right and what your baby likes. you may find that your baby loves it or hates it.
almost all reflux babies are given cereal in their bottles once they are diagnosed with reflux cause it helps hold the food down, so it proven that it is not bad for them cause it does no harm to the reflux babies.
again you need to do what you think is right and what your baby likes. you may find that your baby loves it or hates it.
I started my son on it between 3 and 4 months old. One pediatrician said absolutely no, but I was having to feed him every two hours like clockwork and I was looking desperate I guess. She was asking me how his feedings were going and I told her every two hours. She then suggested 1/2 teaspoon for every ounce of milk. Eventually we beefed that up to one teaspoon per ounce, but initially it was only 1/2.
Every baby is different, my mom told me she added it to our bottles at 1 month...and she had 5 of us! My good friend said it constipated her son and had to immediately stop because he wasn't going and he was cranky. What has your pediatrician suggested?
Every baby is different, my mom told me she added it to our bottles at 1 month...and she had 5 of us! My good friend said it constipated her son and had to immediately stop because he wasn't going and he was cranky. What has your pediatrician suggested?
prayerful wife Thank you I did give him a little and he seemed to like it....I will keep an eye out for anything but I really hope he does okay..... Thanks
It's so hard being a new mommie huh? LOL
This is my 3rd baby and b/c of reflux I start all of mine on cereal pretty early. To avoid constipation i put 1/2 teaspoon of Dark Karo Syrup in the bottle with 2 teaspoons of cereal in a 4oz bottle. The choice is yours to make. The best thing to do is try it for about 3days and watch his skin and his bowels for any kind of change that indicates allergic reaction. If he doesnt have one then I think you're in the clear.
Personally I started Chance on cereal at 4wks and once I take him a warm bath, rub him down with some lotion Ive warmed in the microwave, give him his bottle of cereal, burp him good...I can at least get 4 straight hours of sleep out of him; which for me is God Sent!!! Choose for yourself; like I said with anything just do a trial run and if he has a reaction you can always discontinue using the cereal until he's a little older!
This is my 3rd baby and b/c of reflux I start all of mine on cereal pretty early. To avoid constipation i put 1/2 teaspoon of Dark Karo Syrup in the bottle with 2 teaspoons of cereal in a 4oz bottle. The choice is yours to make. The best thing to do is try it for about 3days and watch his skin and his bowels for any kind of change that indicates allergic reaction. If he doesnt have one then I think you're in the clear.
Personally I started Chance on cereal at 4wks and once I take him a warm bath, rub him down with some lotion Ive warmed in the microwave, give him his bottle of cereal, burp him good...I can at least get 4 straight hours of sleep out of him; which for me is God Sent!!! Choose for yourself; like I said with anything just do a trial run and if he has a reaction you can always discontinue using the cereal until he's a little older!
I read somewhere that you can give them 1 scoop cereal with 2 scoops formula in a 4oz bottle..... That seems like a pretty small amount I am still so confused....
leighanne143 how early did your family members do this?
leighanne143 how early did your family members do this?
Well if you wanna feed your baby now that is up to you. It looks like you already have your mind made up already. All I know is I would NEVER do that. It even says it on the cereal box.
the baby i keep has been on cereal since just a few weeks old and just turned 4 months this week and is already on fruit and veggies which he has been doing since around 3 1/2 months i think. He is not happy...he pukes all day long. But the days i dont give the cereal he does so much better. I say wait until 6 months....or do very very small amounts. Good luck.
if he gets constapated, you can switch to the oatmeal instead of rice ceral. it is better for the constapation.
i beleive in giving it in the night bottle cause it has been done by everyone in my family but some people are scared.
i beleive in giving it in the night bottle cause it has been done by everyone in my family but some people are scared.
Thank you all I will keep all your posts in mind while making the decision. My ped said it would not hurt him it may make him a little constipated... I am so confused.....
I have NO children of my own yet (until Jan.09) let me just preface the following statement by saying that.. All of the women I know that have had babies in the past year have started the introduction of rice cereal between 3 - 4 months. That is just what I have seen to be the normal and all their babies are happy and healthy. Good luck!
It's a matter of opinion. Honestly...as you read above everyone has a different take...some say not before 6 mos...blah blah. All 3 of my kids had reflux and the doctors (3 SEPERATE pediatricians) recommended putting small amts of rice cereal in their formula from just a few weeks of age. One is now 12, ones 5 and one is 3...NONE of them have allergies or any other ill effects from it. If you are going to mix the cereal with the formula I would mix the formula REALLY WELL first...then add a small amout of the cereal to the bottle and shake well. As BTS said...you may need to make the nipple hole a little bigger...you can either buy the next state up or you can take a toothpick...stick it through the hole of the nipple and boil them for 5 minutes with the toothpicks inserted...let them cool completely before removing the toothpick.
As I said before, everyone has a different opinion. Doctors have recommended rice cereal in young infants for various reasons becuase it has such a low risk of allergic reaction etc. I wouldn't recommend any other type of cereal. Some people say it doesn't help them sleep longer...some say it does. Ultimately it's up to YOU to choose and decide what you would or would not like to try for YOUR child.
As I said before, everyone has a different opinion. Doctors have recommended rice cereal in young infants for various reasons becuase it has such a low risk of allergic reaction etc. I wouldn't recommend any other type of cereal. Some people say it doesn't help them sleep longer...some say it does. Ultimately it's up to YOU to choose and decide what you would or would not like to try for YOUR child.
Rice cereal doesnt help babies sleep through the night. its all just coincidence that they slet through the night. rice creal when its not recomended 4-6 just helps with refulx. your babys only 1 month old. a 1 month old is likely not ready for cereal
every doctor and every parent is different. my new little baby cousin was started at 2 months, only in her night bottle, 2 tbsp. it helped her sleep straight through the night. she is now 8 months old and perfectly healthly.
i know others that did it at one to one and half months and others that waited til they were closer to 5 months. but you do not have to hold off all solids until 6 months old. by 6 months, many doctors have said to start introducing fruits.
do what you feel is best for you and your baby.
i know others that did it at one to one and half months and others that waited til they were closer to 5 months. but you do not have to hold off all solids until 6 months old. by 6 months, many doctors have said to start introducing fruits.
do what you feel is best for you and your baby.
I was told not to start cereal until 4-6 months by doctor. He said (like Atlantisea) that it could cause allergies sick they aren't developed enough yet for the kind of food. I know that millions of people will tell you that they gave it before hand and their child/children turned out fine... but is it still a risk you are willing to take? A lot of people smoke and their child turns out fine or you get one that has a horrible time because of it. Also yes it will help your son to sleep but it is basically empty food. It gives them nothing that they need at this young in their lives it just fills up their tummy's. Its like being hungry and drinking water instead. It won't make you as hungry but it doesn't really do anything for you either.
Another good way that I was told to make sure your child is ready for cereal is that if they start really really wanting your food than you can probably give it to them. Aspen used to always grab and my spoon or open and close her mouth and stare at me whenever I would eat infront of her.
In the end its up to you to make the decision but I hope this helps some. :)
Another good way that I was told to make sure your child is ready for cereal is that if they start really really wanting your food than you can probably give it to them. Aspen used to always grab and my spoon or open and close her mouth and stare at me whenever I would eat infront of her.
In the end its up to you to make the decision but I hope this helps some. :)
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