When to add cereal to bottles?

[mod19]

Against her dr recommendations I've started adding 1/4 of a teaspoon of rice cereal to her bottles at night. She's still not sleeping through the night and thought it might help her stay asleep longer. I've been doing it about a week now and she's still so gassy. Is this normal? I'm using earth's best organic rice cereal. Would the oatmeal one possibly be more gentle on her stomach?

 

[AP]

What is the reason you are using rice for? If it's sleep, then 3 months is still completely normal for a baby to be getting up in the night. Rice won't help a baby to sleep through the night - there's no research to support that myth either

 

[pansorie]

I have heard of rice being added for acid reflux, but for sleep it is a myth from what I have read.

 

[Larkspur]

I think what's normal is for babies not to be sleeping through the night at three months.

Giving oatmeal or rice cereal when the gut is not fully mature (ie before six months) is only likely to make her more gassy and not likely to improve sleep.

Three months is still teeny tiny. It's a complete myth that it's normal for them to STTN by three months. My son was still waking some nights until 18 months and my daughter is still going strong with night wakings at 14 months.

 

[mod19]

I think what's normal is for babies not to be sleeping through the night at three months.

Giving oatmeal or rice cereal when the gut is not fully mature (ie before six months) is only likely to make her more gassy and not likely to improve sleep.

Three months is still teeny tiny. It's a complete myth that it's normal for them to STTN by three months. My son was still waking some nights until 18 months and my daughter is still going strong with night wakings at 14 months.

Thank you for this. Her pediatrician made it out to be like she shouldn't be waking 4 times a night anymore and told me to feed her more before bed, but she won't take more than 4oz at a time and won't eat if she's not hungry, so not really sure how I'm supposed to feed her more. I'll nitch the cereal for now and continue on as we were.

 

[Berri]

Thank you for this. Her pediatrician made it out to be like she shouldn't be waking 4 times a night anymore and told me to feed her more before bed, but she won't take more than 4oz at a time and won't eat if she's not hungry, so not really sure how I'm supposed to feed her more. I'll nitch the cereal for now and continue on as we were.

Good choice! Follow your instinct and let your baby guide you Of course babies don't STTN at 3mths and those that do are the exception not the rule.

 

[Larkspur]

I think what's normal is for babies not to be sleeping through the night at three months.

Giving oatmeal or rice cereal when the gut is not fully mature (ie before six months) is only likely to make her more gassy and not likely to improve sleep.

Three months is still teeny tiny. It's a complete myth that it's normal for them to STTN by three months. My son was still waking some nights until 18 months and my daughter is still going strong with night wakings at 14 months.

Thank you for this. Her pediatrician made it out to be like she shouldn't be waking 4 times a night anymore and told me to feed her more before bed, but she won't take more than 4oz at a time and won't eat if she's not hungry, so not really sure how I'm supposed to feed her more. I'll nitch the cereal for now and continue on as we were.

Yeah, it's crazy the way books and some health professionals go on about STTN at three months. With my first, I was like, "Oh my god, what am I doing wrong?!" Then, after a while I realized, "Heeeey, I know loads of babies in real life and through B&B, and almost none of them sleep through even now at 4/5/6 months. This STTN thing is bullshit!" Thankfully, my pediatrician had a bad-sleeping child herself (by which I mean not STTN at one year, not 3 months) so she was just like, "Oh well, some people say it's a sign of high intelligence."

This time around when the HV asked me, "And is baby sleeping through yet?" I looked her right in the eye and said cheerfully, "Nope! Not even close, and that's fine!"

 

[AP]

DD1 was weaned early... and here she is at 6yo, not sleeping through

Don't worry mod19, honestly, the pediatrician is talking rubbish it's quite scary!

 

[babyplease01]

I feed my 2 month old cereal bottles, not every bottle but about every other, just because she was eating 6oz at a time and was still never satisfied. I added cereal (carefully, with a close eye on how she tolerated it, and she does fine) to help her feel full without having to keep feeding her milk until she pukes. She does great with the cereal, but it does NOT help her sleep longer. It just helps her feel satisfied after she eats a 6oz bottle and keeps her from being so fussy during the 3-4h between feedings. I've also noticed less reflux and spitting up with the thicker milk, but still waking once or twice a night at least.

 

[Indi84]

Everyone is different, I chose to add nothing to his bottles and he started sleeping the night on his own at six months.

 

[justplay91]

My almost 1 year old still wakes at least once a night (usually 2-3 times) and unfortunately will not go back to sleep until he has his milk. Meaning we have to brush his teeth all the time :/. We've tried everything, and his doctor insists he absolutely should be sleeping through but he's kinda of old fashioned so I don't read too much into it. My friend's daughter also doesn't sleep through and she's 19 months old. Then again another friend's daughter has been sleeping through since 4 months. They're all different!

 

[misspriss]

My son didn't sleep through until around 20 months, my daughter 'sleeps though' (5-6 hours, sometimes all night I sleep 7+) at 8 weeks. It depends on the baby for sure! I cosleep so night wakings are no big deal.