[Steph-Jason]

Ok- so this was something that my Dr said not to do... but then I'm talking to a girlfriend recently & she said that's how she got her daughter to sleep through the nights. Can somenone tell me if this is a bad thing.. did you do this? Did you have any issues with it? Thnks

[JustPeachy]

I have not raised any kids, however, my cousin gave her son cereal in the bottle before she was technically "supposed" to as per the doctor. It did help him sleep through the night and he never had any issues from it.

[Fran27]

I suggest doing your own research. Our pediatrician said we could do it for DD when she was 2 months because she had some reflux, and we decided that the risks were not worth it. Allergies is less an issue at the age your DD is, but what worried me the most was that it can lead to overeating, as it plays with the ability that babies have to know when they are full. Most of the stuff I read said that it usually doesn't help with sleeping through the night. Overall, personally I think I'd rather wait until babies are ready to sleep through the night than try to 'force' it by doing something that isn't really 'natural'.

But again, my two slept through at 7 months so I guess it could have been worse.

[JustCourtney]

I know lots of people who swear by it, but the doctors say not to, and that there is no scientific reason that it would help a baby to sleep through the night. I tried it after DS was 4 months old and eating cereal, and all it did was clog the bottle! Personally, I think babies will sleep through the night when they are ready and not a minute before! DS woke every three hours to eat until he was 5 months old, and then magically slept through an entire night!

[cborsa7]

Yes, I did cereal in the bottle for all 3 of my kids at 2 months. I listened to the grandparents who insisted it would make them sleep. As always, they were right. Doc brown's actually makes nipples for cereal, they are called Y-cut and they work great.

[oceanica]

There are several threads on this already and I can't find the one that I started, but the general consensus is that it shouldn't be done at all. The only reason not to that I can find is that it leads to overeating and obesity.
That being said, DH has been giving rice cereal to Athena for months now (she's 7 months old) and she doesn't want bottles that don't have it. She is eating some solid foods with no problems. She is a little overweight though. And she doesn't tend to take as much of the bottle as I think she should either, which hasn't yet but could lead to dehydration. I don't really think it's a good myself.

[Steph-Jason]

Thanks guys. I've heard of others doing this but always wrote it off. The friend who said this is someone whose oponion I actually value- parenting wise- so I was a bit curious by it. Seems like the general thought is a no. I dind't know about the obesity & poor eating habits link. Honestely I didn't know alot about it so when Dr said not to do it I didn't really think about it.

[JPDakota]

We did it. At first we used rice cereal. DD had a little reflux and it helped with that. She also had constipation issues, so our Ped had us switch to a little bit of barley cereal instead of rice cereal. We didn't do it to help her sleep through the night. She was always a great sleeper. Not so much anymore sadly. At 3 1/2 she has a very hard time falling asleep. Any advice on that?

[mommamarci]

Originally Posted by JPDakota

We did it. At first we used rice cereal. DD had a little reflux and it helped with that. She also had constipation issues, so our Ped had us switch to a little bit of barley cereal instead of rice cereal. We didn't do it to help her sleep through the night. She was always a great sleeper. Not so much anymore sadly. At 3 1/2 she has a very hard time falling asleep. Any advice on that?

Melatonin! The genetic doctor told us to give Cameron 1 mg of melatonin about 30-40 minutes before bed. This is only our second night, but the difference is amazing. We went from 2 hours of screaming to out in 5 minutes!

[karla-k]

did you ever notice that 10 years ago everything we ate caused cancer, and now everything we eat (or feed our kids) causes our kids to be obese.

if the kid eats 4 tablespoons of cereal and then you fill his bottle up with cereal on top of that, you're gonna get a fat baby. do either the bottle or the spoon, but not both!

wonder if they have taken into account that formula babies gain weight faster than breast babies and maybe it isn't the cereal in the bottle but the formula in the bottle making the baby heavy ??? (not meant to start any kind of BF vs. formula debate..please don't go there!!!)

[Fran27]

Well the thing is... Formula with cereal is thicker, and the cereal doesn't have any nutritional value, plus it's carbs so it might make them hungry faster.

So, to me, it makes sense. And I agree, now everything is blamed for obesity but honestly, there's no denying that there are a lot of overweight kids out there, and that portions are huge from the start now. I keep hearing about how babies and toddlers know that they are full, but sometimes I see what some toddlers have for breakfast and all I can think of is that I have no idea where they put all that stuff! And I can't remember the last time my babies refused a puff or a cheerio... I don't think they ever have.

About formula babies gaining more weight, I've heard both sides of that one. I think the main argument against it is that formula babies eat less overall than breastmilk babies, so it's not really an issue.

[DPline]

And to add to what Fran27 said, I think the other part is that the cereal is often added to the bottle of babies who are still to young to be spoon fed cereal. Which is why it is being added to the bottle. So it isn't an either/or.

[devildogwife]

Originally Posted by mommamarci

Melatonin! The genetic doctor told us to give Cameron 1 mg of melatonin about 30-40 minutes before bed. This is only our second night, but the difference is amazing. We went from 2 hours of screaming to out in 5 minutes!

I take melatonin every night too. It works great.

We never did cereal. I asked my son's CT surgeon about it (after being hounded by my parents to do it) and he said definitely not to. I trust his opinion like you wouldn't believe.

[aclee]

Originally Posted by mommamarci

Melatonin! The genetic doctor told us to give Cameron 1 mg of melatonin about 30-40 minutes before bed. This is only our second night, but the difference is amazing. We went from 2 hours of screaming to out in 5 minutes!

I wanted to try this stuff so much, but I guess it gets mixed reviews when used by people with auto immune diseases, so I have to wait and ask my rhuematologist...

[buttascotchbaby]

I have heard mixed reviews of the success of cereal in a bottle. My last foster baby NEVER slept through the night for the 2.5 years she was with me!! I was willing to try anything during that looong 2.5 years and tried the cereal and it had absolutely no effect

Just my experience.