Dr. Greene’s Answer:
You’ve heard about it from friends, parents, and in-laws. You’ve seen it in Internet chat rooms and discussion boards:
“You’re so tired! You should put some cereal in your daughter’s bottle – then she’ll sleep through the night.”
“He’ll nap better.”
“Your son looks too skinny. You’re not feeding him enough. Add some cereal to the bottle – that’ll do the trick.”
“He still acts hungry? Try putting some cereal in the bottle. He’ll be much less fussy.”
“Spoon feeding is a hassle. Put it off as long as you can. Cereal in the bottle is quick, convenient, makes them sleep longer and cry less – what more could you want?”
Pediatricians Don’t Recommend Baby Bottles and Cereal
Your pediatrician says this is not wise (except as a treatment for reflux). Dietitians and nutritionists concur. Introducing solids before 4 months might cause food allergies. Your well-wishers discount these recommendations because cereal in the bottle worked wonders for their children!
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.
Why Not?
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.
Does it Work?
And here’s the biggest reason of all — it doesn’t even work. Scientists at the Cleveland Clinic studied the effect of cereal on sleep and found that adding the cereal did nothing at all to speed up the age of sleeping through the night. That first uninterrupted 6-hour stretch of sleep came no earlier in those who took cereal early.2
People swear otherwise. I suspect the reason is that kids do fall asleep a bit more quickly, and some babies may even go a bit longer between feedings. There is no scientific evidence, though, to support the claim that cereal in the bottle will help an infant increase total sleep or decrease crying.3
Drawing on the wisdom of experience and the latest scientific knowledge, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against adding cereal to the bottle. It may be tempting after your 16th straight sleep-deprived night to cut a bigger hole in the feeding nipple to add rice cereal. But it won’t offer lasting help, and it may be giving your baby a lasting gift that both of you will regret.
1 Birch LL, Fisher JO, The causes and health consequences of obesity in children and adolescents: development of eating behaviors among children and adolescents. Pediatrics 1998 Mar; 101(3)
2 Macknin ML, Medendorp SV, Maier MC, Infant sleep and bedtime cereal. Am J Dis Child 1989 Sep; 143(9):1066-8
3 Hall RT, Infant feeding. Pediatr Rev – 2000 Jun; 21(6): 191-9.
Jude
I was raised that babies get a bit of pablum in their bottles at one month old. I slept as a baby much better. I also did this for my kids when i became a mother. my kids slept much better also. I have now been a foster parent to over 100 newborns, i give all of them pablum in a bottle at 1 month, and they all sleep very well. Whilst all my friends relatives babies never slept thru the night until 12 to 18 months.. mine slept thru @ 3 months… happy baby happy momma
Added:
Frishta
You keep saying ” Babies 4-6″ shouldn’t but my baby is 7months is it still not okay to add a little bit of organic baby cereal to her milk bottle ?
Added:
Cheryl Greene
Frishta,
Occasionally doctors recommends cereal in the bottle for a very specific reason, such as GERD, but if your doctor has not recommended it AS TREATMENT FOR A CONDITION, Dr. Greene does not recommend cereal (even organic) in a baby’s bottle at any age.
Best,
@MsGreene
Added:
baller08
I would take this article more seriously if it wasn’t for the “overweight” argument. Sure, kids are overweight not because of fast food, sugar, sodas and all the unhealthy foods and snacks you keep around the house when they’re growing up…no, it goes back to when they were 4 months old taking rice cereal. Does that make any common sense to anyone? Come on.
The fact is, America is very good at creating a problem where there is none, only to sell you a solution that was the original solution anyway. Millions upon millions of people, most healthy and not overweight, were raised with rice cereal in bottles.
We’ve all heard that pregnant women shouldn’t eat raw fish right? Millions of Japanese women disagree.
The world is a very big place and whatever the “medical community” says to “NEVER do xyz”, there are literally millions of people walking around the Earth that were raised by parents that did exactly that.
Not everything old timers did were 100% correct but they did get a lot more correct than they did wrong.
Added:
Cheryl Greene
Thanks for your response.
I believe Dr. Greene’s point here is that white rice cereal sets kids up to love, perhaps even crave, the fast food, sugar and sodas that they get as kids. We’re teaching them those foods are comforting and good. Is that really the best thing to teach them? Or is it better to teach them to love vegetables and fruits? Whole grains and lean protein?
Best,
@MsGreene
Added:
Teelowe
So instead of cereal can we put veggie n the bottle…?
Added:
Jessica
White rice will cause babies to crave fast food and sodas? Even several years down the road? Hypothetically speaking, but what if a parent totally secludes their child from sodas and fast food, as the child has no clue what these things are, are they still going to crave them just from eating white rice cereal as a baby? I know that is a far fetched idea but I have to disagree with what you’re saying. I do agree that we shouldn’t allow our children to rely on the connivence of fast food and we should absolutely teach them to love fruits and veggies (I personally prefer fruits and veggies) but giving them white rice cereal as baby shouldn’t cause them to crave fast food and sodas.
BTW- I came across this article because my pediatrician told me at my son’s 4 month check up to start giving him rice cereal but not to put it in his bottle and as a new mother, I was questioning, why not? My son’s grandmother said that was how they always fed his father so I thought it was just another silly ideology brought on by overly crazed moms. This article helped me realize why I should’t put it in his bottle but also that I am going to do a balance of both. I will monitor how much he eats when there is cereal in the bottle but also spoon feed him the rice cereal so he gets the concept of eating from a spoon. I think we should always take the advice given to us by doctors but if it seems a bit ridiculous, research it and make an educated decision as parents. It’s hard being a parent in today’s society, we are consistently judged in every aspect of how we parent and it sucks. So, good luck to all of the mommas out there!
Added:
Cheryl Greene
Indeed, good luck to all the mommas out there!
Added:
Bea Uri
The “stand out” concern for me with adding cereal in a bottle is it can cause “pulmonary issues” and may lead to food allergies (if solids are offered too early). My mother always stated she practiced adding cereal to a bottle from a very early age with all of us and “we turned out pretty well”. I beg to differ, most of us have excessive food allergies, digestion issues… I love my mother and I understand this was common practice during her generation. But now that we know better… My thinking behind avoiding cereal in a bottle is why “RISK” a child’s life for a mere 1 or 2 additional hours of sleep? My line of work has given me the honor and privilege to work with many families (from all backgrounds, ethnicities…). I see and hear many different infant feeding practices. But what has impacted me the most has been 2 children who developed SEVERE pulmonary issues due to solids going into those little lungs. These babies parents were adding cereal and even other solids in a bottle which they aspirated into their lungs. SO MY QUESTION TO LOVING PARENTS IS…WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO RISK YOUR CHILD HEALTH TO SLEEP 1 OR 2 EXTRA HOURS? Don’t our little babies deserve our full attention? Parents will not lose sleep for the rest of their lives it is only but a short stage. Putting baby cereal or any solid for that matter in a bottle is playing “Russian roulette” with your baby’s health. Don’t we all love our children and want the best quality life for them?
Added:
Janice
I want you to cite the research for this hypothesis. Our lifestyles have become sedentary and high calorie food is cheap and abundant. But you are saying rice cereal causes obesity? Prove it
Added:
Cheryl Greene
Hi Janice,
Dr. Greene has written a White Paper about this. Here are his citations:
i Committee on Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity; Food and Nutrition Board; Institute of Medicine. Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity: How Do We Measure Up? 2007
ii McKeown NM, Meigs JB, Liu S, Saltzman E, Wilson PW, Jacques PF. Carbohydrate Nutrition, Insulin Resistance, and the Prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome in the Framingham Offspring Cohort. Diabetes Care. 2004 Feb;27(2):538-546.
iii The Writing Group for the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study Group. “Incidence of Diabetes in Youth in the United States.” JAMA 2007, 297, pp. 2716-2724.
iv US Department of Agriculture, US Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010. Jan 31 2011. Page 46.
v Birch, L. L., Shoba, B. C., Pirok, E., and Steinberg, L. “What Kind of Exposure Reduces Children’s Food Neophobia? Looking vs. Tasting?” Appetite, 1987, 9: 171–178.
vi Roach, H. I., “Epigenetic Aspects of Chronic Diseases” Springer, 1st Edition (Apr 19 2011) Chapter 13, Epigenetic Mechanisms in the Developmental Origins of Adult Disease.
vii Greene, A. R. Feeding Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Program for Healthy, Safe Nutrition during Pregnancy, Childhood and Beyond. Jossey-Bass 2009.
viii J. Wardle, S. Sanderson, E. L. Gibson, and L. Rapoport.” Factor-analytic structure of food preferences in four-year-old children in the UK”. Appetite. (2001) 37: 217-223.
ix G.A. Falciglia and P.A. Norton, Evidence for a genetic influence on preference for some foods, J Am Diet Assoc 94 (1994), pp. 154–158.
x J. A. Mennella. Genetic and environmental determinants of bitter perception and sweet preferences Pediatrics – 01-FEB-2005; 115(2): e216-22.
xi Fabsitz, R. R., Garrison, R. J., Feinleib, M., and Hjortland, M. “A Twin Analysis of Dietary Intake: Evidence for a Need to Control for Possible Environmental Differences in MZ and DZ Twins,” Behavior Genetics, 8, 1978: 15–25.
x Rozin, P. and Millman, L. “Family Environment, Not Heredity, Accounts for Family Resemblances in Food Preferences and Attitudes: A Twin Study.” Appetite, 1987, 8: 125–134.
xi Hikami, K., Hasegawa, Y., and Matsuzawa, T. “Social Transmission of Food Preference in Japanese Monkeys (Macaca fuscata) After Mere Exposure or Aversion Training.” Journal of Comparative Psychology, 1990, 104: 233–237.
Galef, B. G., and Whiskin, E. E. “Socially Transmitted Food Preferences Can Be Used to Study Long-Term Memory in Rats.” Learning & Behavior, 2003, 31: 160–164.
xii M. B. M. van den Bree, et al. “Genetic and environmental influences on eating patterns of twins aged >50 years.” Am J Clin Nutr 1999. 70:456-464.
xiii R. R. Fabsitz, R.J. Garrison, M. Feinleib and M. Hjortland,” A twin analysis of dietary intake: evidence for a need to control for possible environmental differences in MZ and DZ twins,”Behav Genet 8 (1978), pp. 15–25.
xiv L.S. Greene, J.A. Desor and O. Maller, “Heredity and experience: their relative importance in the development of taste preference in man,” J Comp Physiol Psychol 89 (1975), pp. 279–284.
xv M. Krondl, P. Coleman, J. Wade and J. Milner, “A twin study examining the genetic influence on food selection,” Hum Nutr Appl Nutr 37 A (1983), pp. 189–198.
xvi P. Rozin and L. Millman, “Family environment, not heredity, accounts for family resemblances in food preferences and attitudes: a twin study,” Appetite 8 (1987), pp. 125–134.
xvii Beauchamp, G. K., Cowart, B. J., Mennella, J. A., and Marsh, R. R. “Infant Salt Taste: Developmental, Methodological, and Contextual Factors,” Developmental Psychobiology, 1994, 27(6):353–365.
xviii Birch, L. L. “Development of Food Preferences,” Annual Review of Nutrition, 1999, 19:41–62.
xix B.J. Tepper and R.J. Nurse, “Fat perception is related to PROP taster status,” Physiol Behav 61 (1997), pp. 949–954.
xx B. Turnbull and E. Matisoo-Smith, “Taste sensitivity to 6-n-propylthiouracil predicts acceptance of bitter-tasting spinach in 3–6-y-old children,” Am J Clin Nutr 76 (2002), pp. 1101–1105.
xxi Cowart, B. J. “Development of Taste Perception in Humans: Sensitivity and Preference Throughout the Life Span,” Psychological Bulletin, 1981, 90(1): 43–73.
xxii Maier, A., Chabanet, C., Schaal, B., Issanchou, S., Leathwood, P. “Effects of Repeated Exposure on Acceptance of Initially Disliked Vegetables in 7-Month Old Infants.” Food Quality & Preference, 2007, 18: 1023–1032.
xxiii Carruth, B. R., Ziegler, P., Gordon, A., and Barr, S. I. “Prevalence of Picky Eaters Among Infants and Toddlers and Their Caregiver’s Decisions About Offering a Food,” Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2004, 104: S57–S64.
xxiv Wyrwicka, W. “Social Effects on Development of Food Preferences.” Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis, 1993, 53: 485–493.
xxv US Department of Agriculture, US Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010. Jan 31 2011. Page 12.
xxvi Simmons, R. “Developmental Origins of Adult Metabolic Disease.” Endocrinology & Metabolism Clinics of North America, 2006, 35: 193–204.
xxvii Zambrano, E. et al. “A Low Maternal Protein Diet During Pregnancy and Lactation Has Sex- and Window of Exposure-Specific Effects on Offspring Growth and Food Intake, Glucose Metabolism, and Serum Leptin in the Rat.” Journal of Physiology. 2006, 15, pp. 221-230.
xxviii Ravelli, G.P., Stein, Z.A., Susser, M.W. “Obesity in Young Men After Famine Exposure In Utero and Early Infancy.” New England Journal of Medicine. 1976, 295, pp. 349-353.
xxix Roach, H. I., “Epigenetic Aspects of Chronic Diseases” Springer, 1st Edition (Apr 19 2011) Chapter 13, Epigenetic Mechanisms in the Developmental Origins of Adult Disease.
xxx Bayol, S. A., Simbi, B. H., Bertrand, J.A.B., and Strickland, N. C. “Offspring from Mothers Fed a ‘Junk Food’ Diet in Pregnancy and Lactation Exhibit Exacerbated Adiposity Which Is More Pronounced in Females.” The Journal of Physiology, 2008 DOI:10.1113/jphysiol.2008.153817
xxxi Gene expression was changed for IGF-1, IRS-1, VEGF-A, PPARγ, leptin, adiponectin, adipsin, LPL, Glut 1, and Glut 3.
xxxii Sun Q, Spiegelman D, van Dam RM, Holmes MD, Malik VS, Willett WC, and Hu FB. “White Rice, Brown Rice, and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in US Men and Women. Archives of Internal Medicine. June 2010; 170(11):961-969
xxxiii J. A. Mennella, et al.” Infant feeding practices and early flavor experiences in Mexican infants: an intra-cultural study” J Am Diet Assoc – 01-JUN-2005; 105(6): 908-15.
xxxiv Schaal, B., Marlier, L., and Soussignan, R. “Human Foetuses Learn Odours from their Pregnant Mother’s Diet,” Chemical Senses. 2000, 25, pp. 729-737.
xxxv Mennella, J.A., and Beauchamp, G.K. “Understanding the Origen of Flavor Preferences.” Chemical Senses. 2005, 30 Supplement, pp. i242—243.
xxxvi Fox MK, Reidy K, Novak T, Zieglar P. Sources of energy and nutrients in the diets of infants and toddlers. J Am Diet Assoc. 2006 Jan; 106(1S):28-42.
xxxvii Fox MK, Pac S, Devaney B, Jankowski L. Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study: What foods are infants and toddlers eating? J Am Diet Assoc. 2004 Jan; 104 (1S):22-30.
xxxviii S. A. Lederman, et al. Summary of the presentation at the conference on preventing childhood obesity, December 8, 2003. Pediatrics. (2004) 114: 1146-1173.
xxxix US Department of Agriculture, US Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010. Jan 31 2011. Page 46.
xl Maria Bailey. Trillion Dollar Moms: Marketing to a New Generation of Mothers. BSM Media. (2006).
Best,
@MsGreene
Added:
Rebecca H
Your last name is Greene. Just sayin Mr Greene? Daughter, wife. Maybe? Anyway. I call BS on bottlefed rice. My son recently struggled to gain weight for boot camp joining the marines at 21. Maybe I should have feed him bottled rice again. All my kids had rice in their bottles. My mom taught me rice bottles, so I in fact did the same with my children. So do you what you like and spin this to new moms. Doesn’t matter an infant doesn’t know the difference between formula or a tiny amount a rice added. Not like it’s a heavy amount. They don’t grow up lazy eaters. You are bottle feeding them anyway. What your saying is if you add rice they become lazy bad eaters so they will order a cheeseburger through a straw as an adult. Problem with society these days is all this reasearch scare tactic BS. FACT, my children are not obese. All my children are skinny and tall. It’s genetics, that’s what determines our physical traits. The rest is choices, their choices. And they are definitely not thinking back about their bottles when they order cheeseburgers. We all have no memories of our own infancy. It’s how you feed them as toddlers and teens. If you keep Little Debbie’s and chips instead of apples and raisins as snacks of course this makes a difference in your child’s weight. Common sense. So stop scaring new moms. You stay up with their newborns all night. You raise them!! Pretty sure I could write a few articles or books of my own and post it and call it research I have 5 children. Youngest is 2 oldest is 23. They are all perfectly fine. And I was taught by my mother who was taught by her mother and so on. Not as the research said. Please!!
Added:
Cheryl Greene
Hi Rebecca,
I’m the co-founder of DrGreene.com and Dr. Greene’s wife.
So glad your kids don’t have weight issues. Agree on Little Debbie’s and chips. That’s a huge problem, as are soft drinks and the general lack of vegetables in kids’ diets.
There is a lot of science around not feeding babies rice cereal in their bottles or with a spoon. If you’re interested in the science, you can read about it here.
Best, @MsGreene
Note: I am the co-founder of DrGreene.com, but I am not Dr. Greene and I am not a doctor. Please keep that in mind when reading my comments and replies.
Added:
Lisa
I am a mother of two(gave both children rice cereal) and of course my daughter is facing this issue with her pediatrician. I do agree that this has been something that has been done for years. Despite your articles on nutrition that you post for reference. Show me the blind study articles, where they have taken a large number of babies, 1/2 given cereal (bottle) and 1/2 not, that have followed these children into their adult lives to prove your theory of obesity. There simply have been no studies of infants to prove this point. Just another example of our text book medical doctors who swear children cant have a fever when they are teething. Yet most of us had fussy, low fever infants teething. Lets not forget our multitude of pediatricians who for years were over prescribing antibiotics to our children, where does it end. These doctors are not God and are just practicing medicine. My husband to is in the medical field, and like all professions some excel others in their medical skills by leaps and bounds. So shop around, they work for you, your interviewing them to take care of your infant. Interview your doctor!!
Added:
Laura
I agree with you 100%!
Added:
Kelli Grabowski
I agree. My children are 13, 7 and 1 month old. The rules for rice cereal has changed dramatically. I gave my 13 & 7 y/o rice cereal at 1 month. I will say that they both do not crave candy and sweets like most children. They prefer veggies and fruits. They are also not overweight. Occasionally we eat out and they’d rather have a home cooked meal. None of my children have allergies and are very healthy. I would say our weight comes from how we’re raised and what parents will allow and give in to for their children. A lot of mothers now a days are too consumed with themselves that they will find a quick fix like McDonald’s. I totally disagree with this article. As a parent it’s a simple no you can’t have that and monitoring what the eat. We are quick to blame things on something we have no information for. EveryBODY is different.
Added:
PFil
Ok so my son is almost 5 months and has no problem spoon feeding (well as long as it’s a vegetable). He’s not a fan of cereal or fruit so I have put small amounts in his bottle. If that makes me a bad mom, so be it. I spoon feed him the things he will open his mouth for and bottle feed what he hates. I never put a lot and make sure it comes out of the nipple easily before I give it to him.
Added:
Cheryl Greene
PFil,
How wonderful for you that your baby love vegetables! At this age he doesn’t need cereal or fruit, so you can relax.
Best,
@MsGreene
Added:
Kellys mom
So then what do you do for a six week old who is always hungry and never seems satisfied?
Added:
Lacy
Is your child gaining weight? If so then I wouldn’t worry about them not thriving. Sometimes babies just need a different approach. IF you haven’t tried a pacifier, I would try that. It might seem silly, or they might at first gag, but try holding it in their mouth or a few different types until you find one that they like. Swaddling while doing this (even if they fight it at first) could help tremendously. If your child is losing weight, his/her pediatrician might make recommendations for you as to supplementing, but if he simply just “seems” dissatisfied, it might be more of a comfort thing while feeding than anything else. Try rocking, or bouncing a bit, having him or her sleep on your chest with heavy pats to their back. All these things may calm him/her. Just keep going mom!—If at his doctors appointment he is not thriving, the doctor will know what to do. :-)
Added:
Sharon
Six weeks is a likely age for a growth spurt during which time baby will seem insatiable. As a breast feeding mom I cannot comment on the amount of formula to give if that is how you feed your baby, but I can tell you if you are breastfeeding you should not need to supplement. During growth spurts babies are extra fussy as they may experience growth pain during this time. All you have to do is be patient with baby and yourself, put baby to the breast whenever baby seems hungry even if you have nothing left, this will queue your body to produce more milk. And don’t worry about keeping baby awake during the day for a sleep schedule during this time. During a growth spurt let baby sleep when they are tired. They will return to their normal feeding and sleeping after about a week of rapid growth.
Added:
DRW
Eat a better diet so your milk is more nutrient dense, my preference is similar to Weston A. Price (minus the dairy).
Added:
lindsay
My ten week old is refusing to take a bottle of breast milk while I am at work for the sitter. She just screams and won’t suck. She chews and licks the nipple or just gets mad. I have to work. We’ve tried different nipples, warming the nipple, and different warm temperatures. She doesn’t want it. She takes the breast just fine.
Added:
Lacy
Some children (a few of my Nieces included) refused anything but nipple. :-( I am sorry this is your case, I wish there was an answer i could give you that worked for my sister but she just had to get to her baby, or make arrangements for her baby to come to her if she had to be away from her (she wasn’t working so it was easier) I have heard of this in other cases where the mother did work, she had her husband, or if a family member was caring for the child bring her to her work. Its an inconvenience for sure but the feedings do get more spread out in later months when they are eating whole foods and you can always start adding a sippy cup as early as the time you add whole foods as well, just to stave off the nursing cravings a little longer. The other thing you could try, is to pump early in the morning. generally speaking, with clean bottles Breast milk lasts about 4-6 hours at room temp. The taste of breast milk does change when refrigerated or frozen. I am not sure if you have already attempted this, but it might be worth a shot. The other thing you could try, to get her to eventually drink from a bottle is used freshly expressed or at least not refrigerated milk and dip a pacifier in it and get her to suck on the pacifier. The taste and comfort of a pacifier (if she will take one) may make her approach the bottle better. Other than that, I am sorry. For picky babies, sometimes there is no other options they just want mom. Good Luck. (Source: Breastfeeding mother of 2 for total of almost 4 years, and Peer Breastfeeding Helper)
Added:
baller08
Not sure how old your baby is but babies need their mother. Do what you can to at least work part time so you can be home with your baby.
Added:
Kendra
My daughters pediatrician recommended that I give my 2 month old cereal in her bottle due to her spitting up so much.i only give it to her at night and morning. She seems to be taking it well. She doesn’t over eat, once she shows down on eating..I simply burp her. Your Baby will let you know when he/she is full.
Added:
Dawn
Thank you! I nursed all of my children, never using bottles. Now, I have the joy of taking care of orphans in Honduras, blessed with a newborn orphan. I was looking for sound advise for bottle feeding. The cereal in the bottle didn’t make sense seeing as none of my 11children needed it and they learned to sleep all night, but I’m new at this bottle stuff and so many have advise…. Thank you. I’ll be back to your website.
Added:
Cheryl Greene
Dawn,
What a wonderful time in life for you and the children you’re caring for. Keep up the good work.
@MsGreene
Added:
Devinae
Just wanted you to know you’re awesome for what you’re doing.
Added:
Mel
Dr Greene, thank you for the article and listing your sources. Reading the coments and listening to the old wives tales from family and friends remindes me how sudo-science rules the mind of many.
Added:
Kristina
I have two children. One was fed cereal in a bottle amd one was not. My son who was fed cereal in a bottle has no food allergies and is perfect height and weight at 6 years old. My daughter who was not fed cereal in a bottle has ridiculous food allergies and is obese. She is four years old and outweighs my 6 year old by 10 pounds. She didn’t have cereal until about 9 months old because it took her that long to be able to take up to 6 ounces of formula at a time. She was very easy to satisfy when it came to feeding. My son on the other hand was always hungry which is why he was given the cereal in his bottle.
Added:
Catlropp
My sons dr told us nothing but formula or breast milk until they are 4-6 months old. I’ve also read that putting cereal in an infants bottle can cause death. Do to the fact that they aren’t able to handle cereal at such an early age and they can chick on the cereal because of the way they suck the milk out of the bottle or while breast feeding.
Added:
Goddess
I fed my son this when he was two months old…. He is now four, isn’t at all overweight, quite a skinny build lol and he isn’t allergic to anything and is healthy…. Sorry but everyone has their own opinion and as long as you’re not strictly feeding them cereal it is okay. I always put a tiny amount in bottles to tied him over and it did wonders.
Added:
maria kashif
How do i give cerelac to my 3months old child thru spoon and how much i should give it to
Added:
Cheryl Greene
I believe your asking about spoon feeding cereal to your three month old baby. This is not recommended. Babies are not able to take a spoon at three months. Some are able to by four months, but many pediatricians recommend waiting until six months old.
Dr. Greene doesn’t recommend feeding babies white rice cereal at any age either by spoon or in a bottle. So unless your doctor has specifically recommended that you feed your baby cereal, stick to breastmilk or formula a little longer.
Added:
jennifer
Rice cereal has been around for years, and I don’t particularly belive in using it too often but on occasion I’m sure there’s no problem. It amuses me how people are quit to judge a simple product that’s been given to children for centuries, But then turn around and reward their child with a McDonald’s happy meal…come on people! Look at the real reason the kids in this generation are Fat! Belive me it’s not from rice cereal lol!
Added:
Mercy
Agree, well said!!!
Added:
Trisha
My son is 7 weeks old, 13 lbs, and out growing his 3 month clothes. He is muscular with very little fat any where on his body. His father and I are above average height, with wide frames. My son is growing so rapidly so fast, he rolled over for the first time alone at 6 weeks, can hold his head up solidly, grabs objects in front of him, and is now learning how to sit up. I am hard pressed to keep him fed. He eats 7 ounces (4 oz breast milk 3 ounces) formula every couple hours. Now that doesn’t seem to be holding him over.
So if his body is growing and developing so quickly, is his digestive track also changing as rapidly? Would it hurt him to supplement a couple bottles a day with cereal to assist him with his rapid growth?
Added:
tori
Today is the first day to put cereal in my babys bottle. I read how it makes them sleep longer. I hope so cause me and my fiancé don’t get much sleep our baby is 2 months and 10 days.
Added:
kathy
Babies are not meant to sleep through the night. They wake because they need to be fed (Need nutrients) Rice cereal has no nutrients and you will be depriving him of the nutrition he needs. 2 Monthe is way to early. Every parent deals with lack of sleep, just deal with it, for the health and well being of your child. speak to your pediatrician. They will say the same.
Added:
Mercy
Technically, they say after 6-8 weeks baby wake up for other reasons… Once they reach a certain weight their biological need to feed is not why they wake up.
Added:
Victoria
I fed both my girls cereal in their milk not to thick and to where it is blended well thinned out. Of course waited till they were of age to eat cereal. They only were served it during growth spurts in between bottle feeding and spoon feeding ages. This way they were not hungry 24/7 and got filled a bit better. They are actually small for their age so nope not obese here. Everyone has their own opinions on it my opinion…
It does work for temporary reasons not permanent so only on occasions. Do not become Dependant on this method, otherwise can mess with the eating habit you’re wanting them to go towards.
(my opinion, not a doctor)
Definitely keep up with monthly doctor appts.
Know CPR ahead of time
Consult your doctor of age and ect when using cereal always.
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Jodi
The article says may result in lifetimes struggles with weight. I don’t agree with you. I NEVER put cereal in my daughter’s bottle once, and she did just fine! It’s not something they have to have.
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Jessica Wren
Each child is different and has his/her own dietary needs. There are no “definite” ages or deadlines.My daughter’s pediatrician approved for her to have one teaspoon of rice cereal in each bottle because she was fussy, lethargic, and irritable as well as spitting up constantly. I have noticed an improvement. I think the formula alone was not enough anymore and she was constantly hungry. Giving her more formula was just causing her to become bloated and overly full (like when you drink too much water), resulting in spit-up. My opinion is: you should never do anything based solely on YOUR convenience (giving a child rice to get him to sleep through the night). And while I agree that you should not teach your child to overeat, making them miserable with hunger is not healthy either. In fact, when you don’t have enough calories for your body’s needs (and babies do need the calories to grow and thrive), then your metabolism slows down and will put all energy into surviving. Like my daughter proves, a hungry baby is a lethargic, irritable baby who is not doing her job of exploring and playing that are so important for her brain development. The way to keep a child from overeating is to keep food that you don’t approve of out of the house, Give them small, healthy snacks throughout the day so they never get overly hungry and pig out at mealtimes. Also, rice is one of the few foods that almost never causes allergies. Always discuss any changes in your child’s diet with your pediatrician, and always do what you know in your heart is best for your child.
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Marcie Hernandez
Hi Jessica , my niece has a 2month old baby with the same exact problem. I had her read your comment and it helped . Thank You.
Marcie Hernandez
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Rachel
My Boyfriend is actually leaving me because I wont let him put cereal in my 6month olds bottle. Just isn’t necessary.
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Gail
I’m sorry Rachel, if your boyfriend is leaving you because of not putting cereal in a bottle, trust me, it isn’t the cereal in the bottle. Help him pack his bags if he can’t cope.
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Jason
If the boyfriend is also the other parent and you aren’t including him in making parental decisions, then good for him for leaving you. It wasn’t because “you wouldn’t give the baby cereal”, it’s because you are too controlling. At six months, it’s the consensus of nearly the entire scientific and medical community that is OK to introduce solid foods to infants. Because it isn’t necessary??? Neither is feeding babies carrots, or peas, or apple sauce or ANY particular food. To ” not let” him feed any particular food meant for infants, especially if he’s the father, on the sole basis that it isnt necessary is YOUR failure as a co-parent/partner, and over-simplifying the issue and trying to make him look bad by saying he’s leaving because of cereal in a bottle demonstrates that you don’t take responsibility and just shift the blame because YOU aren’t capable of compromising. He left because of the way you act, not because of cereal.
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Jegordo
I’m a mother of 3, and i give my 10 1/2 week old ,1/2 teaspoon in 4oz(well mixed) and use a medium flow nipple, i gave my first two the same but i may have gave more and they drank more at a feeding then my LO does now and all my baby’s have done wonders my now 4 and 6 year old have no allergies and are averagely healthy. i believe solids to be introduced by 4 months not 6 months but my babies have proved me to believe this.
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Olivia
Well someone’s Ina bad mood ^
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baller08
I wholeheartedly agree with Jason. I don’t even need to hear your boyfriend’s side to know he didn’t leave you “because you didn’t let him put cereal in a bottle”.
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Teelowe
Agreed!
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rob
Wow is all that comes to mind on that. If he is leaving you over something like that, than consider yourself lucky that he is leaving now.. I’m a male, but still believe in the phrase mother knows best what is right for their child. Best of luck to you
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Olivia
Exactly^ that’s just sad
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Teelowe
Agreed!
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Michelle
Everyone has their own opinions…my brothers and I were fed cereal in our bottles before starting solid food and none of us are overweight. I also fed all three of my children cereal in their bottles and they arent overweight either. Not sure who these so called studies were done on but I can tell ya it definately wasnt on anyone in my family.
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Jason
I was the same way. I don’t think their studies were done properly. So many parents wouldn’t swear by it if there weren’t any truth to it. My mom put a tiny bit of cereal in my bottle at 2 weeks old because I was always hungry, and I scared her because she woke up in the morning and realized I never woke her up through the night, and she found me sleeping peacefully. I was skinny all my life and was 111lbs and 5’9″ as a freshman in highschool. You don’t get much skinnier than that.
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Olivia
At 2 weeks! There is a reason newborns have to eat every 3 hours it’s their glucose and sugar levels that’s actually dangerous no wonder ur small
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Leanna Suzi Salcido
I am so glad to see this post up somewhere. I have been argued with on countless conversations that my daughters pediatrician says its is completley okay, while my home nurse warns against it. maybe if the pediatrician is saying this I need to find a new one.
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Lea Brown
Totally agree! I was just mentioning on FB that my 9 month old seems to be going through a growth spurt because he just went through 2 helpings of baby food and still drank an 8 oz bottle of milk afterwords even though he normally would not have had another bottle for at least an hour after the solids, and a well meaning friend told me to put rice cereal in the bottle. I refused. No one seems to think its a problem and I think thats why there are so many over weight kids and babies around. Meanwhile I am worried that I gave him too much solids on a spoon even… she advised me to add MORE solids to a bottle!!! and justified it by the fact that her mom was a nanny for 10 years and did it all the time . wonder how many of those babies (now adults) are stuggling with weight problems.
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missyjacobs
i’d say they had too much grease and take-out/fast-food/junk food as kids sure wasn’t rice cereal in a bottle, not unless they way over did and had way to much at EVERY feed or something.
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Olivia
Umm your child is nine months old, it’s recommended to have them off the bottle at 12 so I’m not sure why you would be thinking less solids, no one can stay full on liquids talk to your doctor
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