Putting cereal in bottle for 8 month old?

Question

My daughter is 8 1/2 months old and still wakes up at night. I give her a 4 oz bottle of formula at 8 then when she wakes up at 10:30 I bf her. She still wakes up 1 - 2 times more during the night but just tries to go back to sleep. She's not teething so that's not the problem. A few people have suggested for me to put cereal in her bottle but I thought it was a no-no. Am I wrong? The places I've read online says that it's not ok because your not suppose to give cereal until at least 4 months but since she's almost 9 months that wouldn't be a problem.

Is it ok for me to try some cereal for a few days to see how it works? If so, how much should I add to a 4 oz bottle? Does putting cereal in a bottle really help the baby sleep longer?

Answer 1

Your daughter is 8 1/2 months and old enough to not need to eat at night.  She is not hungry she just hasn't gotten a sleep pattern established yet.  My daughter did this until she was a 1 1/2. That is until I let herself cry it out at night and put herself back to sleep.  She now goes to bed at 8:00 in her big girl bed and without even a fuss and sleeps all night.  This will be hard on you for a while, so good luck.

Answer 2

Putting cereal in the bottle is a traditional tied-over concept from the 50's, and it is a no-no.  It alters the baby's natural inclination to know when they're full, and they end up consuming more calories than they realize.  This has been linked to over-eating and obesity.  

Just give her some mashed up solids or feed her cereal mixed with formula or breastmilk using a spoon.  Keep in mind, however, that it hasn't been scientifically proven that cereal before bed will help a baby sleep through the night - some moms swear by it, but every baby and situation is different.  My 8-month old son just started solids, and he's been sleeping through the night since week 5.  

Don't be afraid to let her fuss a little at night either (I know, I know, please keep the child abuse comments to a minimum).  If you come to feed and see her whenever she cries at night, of course she'll get up!  Who wouldn't?  That much is largely up to you.

Answer 3

Try feeding her the solids before bed, about a half hour before she usually falls asleep.  This helped my kids sleep better.  Cereals are the best thing to give at night because they make baby fuller.

Answer 4

I can tell you right now that could be a horrible mistake.. well without talking to the doctor.. always talk to a doctor before putting on solids especialy ones with wheat, corn, ect.. they can develop allergies that will haunt them the rest of there lifes.. thats how most food allergies are developed.. trust me I have plenty of them and that was the first thing my allergist told me to do was to not introduce foods at a young age.. may just be specific to me but you never know right?

Answer 5

i would make a small dish of cereal and spoon feed her before bed.

cereal is just gonna jam up in the teat of the bottle!

make the formula milk as normal, and use it to make the cereal.

the cereal should have instructions on the box

Answer 6

"A few people have suggested for me to put cereal in her bottle but I thought it was a no-no. Am I wrong?"

No, you were right.

See -- http://baby.families.com/blog/5-reasons-...

Answer 7

At her age..she should be eating solids..not just formula.

Answer 8

Putting cereal in a bottle can cause other problems like over-eating and aspiration.  If you want to fill her up more before bed offer the cereal on a spoon then her bottle.

http://www.drgreene.org/body.cfm?id=21&a...

Throughout most of human history children were exclusively breast fed for the early months. During the previous generation or two, when bottle-feeding became very popular, rice cereal was often put into the bottle at a very early age. What were the results?

Most children seemed to thrive. A small number of children, though, did not tolerate the addition, because their sucking and swallowing actions were not yet fully coordinated. They inhaled small amounts of the rice cereal into their lungs, which led to pulmonary problems.

I’m much more concerned about a subtler issue. Babies are born with a wonderful mechanism for knowing how much food they need. During the early months, they take their cues from the volume of what they drink. Adding cereal derails this mechanism. It forces them to take in deceptively large amounts of calories. It teaches them to overeat.

By starting with a spoon, resting between bites, and stopping when your child lets you know he’s full, you will be laying an excellent foundation for good eating habits throughout his life.

A major study looking for the causes of obesity found that short-circuiting young children’s self-regulation of how much they eat is a major cause of later obesity.1 Cereal in the bottle does just that.

Babies that are fed this way may appear to be unaffected – but those few weeks of added convenience may result in a lifetime of struggles with weight. This common practice may have contributed to our being the most obese generation in history.

FOODS FOR SLEEP

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/t042400...

Answer 9

Why is cereal a no-no?  Baby food companies make cereal for babies 6 months and older!  There is absolutely no problem with it.  Also, try giving her a solid feeding before going to bed.  You won't know it is works until you try it!

Answer 10

my son has been eating cereal at 1 month, the main concern is constipation. i give him a tsp and a half but i put it in his food now