Starting rice cereal at 4 months?

[greats]

Rylee's pediatrician (a new one!) asked what her sleeping patterns are at night, and I said miserable haha she wakes up at least twice a night for a bottle, so her doctor suggested starting her on rice cereal twice a day starting tomorrow, to get her to sleep through the night.

Anyone else doing this with their 4 month old? Did it help their night time sleep at all? I'm not sure what to do.

 

[fairydust87]

I started Noah on rice at 4 months, He took to it very well (a little too well lol). Hes been sttn since 10 weeks so it didnt really effect his sleep but no harm in trying. Good luck x

 

[x Michelle x]

We started weaning at 20 weeks, made no difference to his sleep! And he took to it really well, ate lots etc etc and is on hungry baby milk! Some babies just need milk at night, esp when they are so young

 

[My_First]

I, personally wouldn't bother and two bottles a night I pretty good going. In my experience when I started baby rice at six months it upset his sleeping patten and didn't help with sleeping through the night ( that came at around 12 months). I do realise however that in the us advice is different than the uk.

 

[Twister]

Milk has more calories than solids so I don't see how solids are supposed to make babies sttn. It's normal for babies to wake through the night for a feed, they grow at such a rapid rate especially in the first year.

 

[Twinkie210]

I started cereal and food at 4 months and he loves to eat off of a spoon! I had given him a little cereal before then and he wasn't a fan. It didn't really change his sleeping pattern, but he has pretty much slept through the night since 3 months old.

 

[chrissbe17]

My lo is 18 weeks and we want to start her on cereal. Do you put it in her bottle or spoon feed?

 

[Twister]

Never put anything other than milk or water in a bottle as its a choking hazard

 

[lhancock90]

Theres no real link between food and STTN.
If babys waking for the feed, at 4 months, i'd say they need it?
Ivys 6 months and she still wakes.

xx

 

[mommy0629]

I started both of mine on cereal at 4 months - ds still took another month and a half to STTN after starting and this lo was already STTN before I started the cereal. Honestly, some babies it does help and others it makes no difference. Formula actually takes longer to digest than rice. If you want to start cereal that's up to you, but to help her sleep better at night I'd actually try cluster feeding the last few hours before bedtime - so if you feed every 3 hours for example, feed her every 2 hrs., that'll work much better than rice cereal at keeping her full longer overnight. That worked for my lo.

 

[overcomer79]

didn't help her. We no longer give her rice before bed and she sleeps better...amazing..

 

[mommy0629]

My lo is 18 weeks and we want to start her on cereal. Do you put it in her bottle or spoon feed?

Spoon. NEVER put cereal in a bottle unless your pediatrician recommends it for a medical reason like reflux where the benefits outweigh the risks.

 

[mellyboo]

I dont think its bothering her that her baby isnt sleeping thru the night, ( ive read her previous posts) And its because her baby doesnt' sleep great i think maybe 90 mins-2 hrs at a time.. I could be so wrong...But all i know is Rylee is alot like Jords!

I've started the weaning process, Im not strict with it but it didnt really help her sleep any better !! Sucks.

When i give Jords cereal or Banana she crys for more.. i have to always follow with a bubba and she knows when to open her mouth for the spoon and etc she's taking it very well

I'm waiting for my lucky night when Jords just starts sleeping like 3 hours even, she was doing good and guess what were back to crap right now!

When i first started doing cereal i made it really soupy and mixed it with her formula.

I also tried the cluster feeding thing, doesnt help !.... Jords just wakes up because she wants to simple as that.. last night at 3am i had her looking at me laughing and smiling and doing baby talk to me thinking it was time to get up for the day aha

 

[Irish Eyes]

I just believe that some babies aren't great sleepers, same as some aren't great crawlers etc. Milk has more calories & way more nutrients than rice so I'm not sure how it should help with sleep, maybe you could ask your pediatrician what the benefits are? Babies sleep patterns change so often, I honestly don't believe that solids are the miracle cure.

 

[stephanyox]

I started Alfie on baby rice at 17 weeks, he loved it! Hes now 19 weeks and has tried banana porridge, and various veg, no fruit yet though! He did sleep through the night before, 11pm-9:30am without fail! He has started waking through the night (before introducing foods) and does still on some occasions, i don't think it helps them sleep through the night though.. as introducing foods is suppose to be experimenting, teaching them new things, rather than filling them up.

Good luck! x

 

[greats]

Well we tried giving her some rice cereal... she was not having any of it! Any little bit we managed to get in her mouth she just automatically spit it out, now she won't even take a bottle. Won't be trying it again until next month.

 

[Twinkie210]

Well we tried giving her some rice cereal... she was not having any of it! Any little bit we managed to get in her mouth she just automatically spit it out, now she won't even take a bottle. Won't be trying it again until next month.

We tried to give little man cereal at 3 months old (just a couple teaspoons) and he was not impressed at all! We gave up trying to giving him cereal until 4 months when our pediatrician said we could start him on baby food. Now that we mix fruit in his cereal he LOVES it! I don't know if it is the fruit or just that he is a little older, but he gets excited when he sees a spoon and opens his mouth now, instead of spitting it. Give her a few more weeks and she may be completely different.

 

[Casey3]

Sounds like she still has a tongue reflex... Which means she's def not ready for solids yet (its usually gone closer to 6 months when most babes are ready). Good call waiting another month or so.. There really is no rush, they usually don't help sleep at all, its a waste of calories and isn't necessary IMO. Some babies just need night feeds, nothing wrong with that!

 

[Twister]

If she isn't ready now (most babies aren't at her age) then I'd just wait till 6 months, milk really is all they need until then

 

[greats]

Yeah I think she def still has the tongue thrust reflex, I'm not in a hurry, she'll be ready when she's ready I guess lol