Question
feeding at cereal at 2 months
I have a 2 month old she she s not sleeping to good the pediatrician told me to put rice cereal in with her formula. I ve heard of that but he told me to put a tablespoon to every ounce of formula thats like four tablespoon in one feeding. It sound s like alot maybe to much to me , I would think he knows what is right but I just need someone elses input
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4 Answers
Supposedly studies have show that starting babies on cereal before 4 months increases their risks of developing diabetes. BUT, that didnt stop me from "thickening" up my daughters night time milk from time to time. I wouldn't give her more then a teaspoon of cereal though. A tablespoon per ounce sounds like a lot. My daughter was only taking breastmilk and that doesn't hold them for long. I would mix a 1/2 teaspoon of cereal in her breastmilk (very watery consistancy) and give her a bottle nipple full. Then let her finish her regular bottle. It did help her sleep longer at night. You may want to also consider increasing the ounces in her bottles. At 2 months she should easily be able to take 6-7 ounces. Increase it a half ounce at a time to make sure.
Smile, it increases your face value!
Jodi
Smile, it increases your face value! :)
Jodi
The added formula probably will help her sleep.
My son was born premature and had an underdeveloped stomach (no big deal considering the list of things that could have been wrong, like his lungs). His first month was spent in the Neonatal ICU, where he was initially labelled a screamer. Then they ran a test on his stomach and found that he wasn't properly processing his formula; it didn't have enough weight to move on through his system so he had curdled milk in his tummy. I'd be screaming too. They started adding a little bit of cereal to his formula to add the needed weight when he was just a few weeks old. I don't think it was quite the tablespoon per ounce, but we did have to clip the nipple openings slightly on his bottles to allow the thicker formula to flow through. Try what the doctor suggested (are you certain he didn't suggest a teaspoon per ounce?). If it's too much, back off a tablespoon or even a teaspoon at a time until you have the right concoction for your daughter. The doctor may have the right idea, but you know your little one better than anyone. You know what she can or can't handle, and she'll let you know what's acceptable. Good luck!
Take this with a grain of salt, since my 3mo son is breastfed, but my pediatrician said that in 99% of cases, solids shouldn't be introduced until at least 4-6 months, and I believe the AAP suggests waiting until 6 months.
The reason rice cereal is suggested most often as a first food is because it is most easily fortified with iron.
A lot of times babies "won't sleep well at night" because they wake up hungry. I don't know if this is the case here as far as her night waking, but babies do need to eat a lot at night. It's kind of the mentality that our parents had when they'd tell us to not fill up on junk food after school because then we wouldn't be able to eat our dinner. If babies eat something that will just fill their bellies, they won't get the nutrition they need because they won't feed as often. As convenient as it may be for the parents, it's not the healthiest choice for most babies.
Elly
SAHM to Aidan Nicholas
January 2007
I don't know what formula you are using but Enfamil makes this one called AR that has added rice starch to thicken it up to reduce spitting up but to me it is the same as adding cereal to the bottle.
If you use just AR it is about smoothie thick when warmed,
I mix regular Enfamil Lipil half and half with the AR and it is then 2% milk thick, this is the way my son likes it.
Kelly Mommy to Nicolas Angel & Landen
Kelly
Mommy to Nicolas Angel & Landen