How Much Rice Cereal to Add to 4 Oz Bottle

Babies: 0 - 3 Months

how much rice cereal in 4 oz formula?

After a sleepless night last night, DH and I are thinking of giving DS some rice cereal in his formula as his last feeding for the night. I wanted to give it to him by bottle and was wondering how much rice cereal I should add to about 4 oz of formula? Should I start with a small amount like 1 teaspoon? TIA!

Re: how much rice cereal in 4 oz formula?

We do this and it helps- we went from waking every 3 hrs to now getting a 6 hour stretch. We do 1 tsp per 2 oz formula- so for a 4oz bottle I'd put 2 tsp!
bethy84:

I'm pretty sure cereal doesn't do anything for sttn. And it's a choking hazard to put it in a bottle.

we've been putting cereal in parker's bottles for his reflux since he was 4 weeks. as long as you don't put a ton of cereal it's not a choking hazard.
We also started putting cereal in DS bottle at 4 weeks b/c of his reflux, also it def helped with sleeping. He went to waking between every 1-2 hours to 3-6 then. My pedi has us spoon feeding him cereal now, and DS refuses it in a bottle now. LOL!

I was told 1 tbs per every 2 oz. I would just try 1 tbs or less, and see if that helps any, if not, then add a little the next night!
Definitely trying your advice. My 7 month old wakes up every hour wanting to eat but because he's teething (3rd tooth) he's been up every 20 - 45 minutes. Talk about being tired... Already have my hands full with a two year old and just found out Friday I am a month pregnant with our third. Talk about stackin' babies. Thanks so much for the info on how much rice cereal to put in the bottle
This is a bad plan. It doesn't do anything and it's unhealthy for your baby, Sleep deprivation, unfortunately, comes with the territory of having a newborn.

"Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you've got about a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies. God damn it, you've got to be kind." - Kurt Vonnegut
I thought it was common knowledge that young babies don't sleep well at night. :-S

OP, the only reason to give a baby rice cereal in a bottle is for cases of reflux...a medical reason. A baby's stomach can only hold so much and waking constantly is usually indicative of a growth spurt. These happen every 2-4 weeks in the first few months of life. All it means is your baby needs more food (formula or breast milk) to fuel growth, which rice cereal will not do.

Sucky and inconvenient? Sure it is. Parenting involves a ton of sacrifice and the sleepless nights won't last forever.

J13 May Siggy Challenge: People lacking in common sense raise my blood pressure.

DD 8/11 |DS1 7/13 | DS2 7/13
This is something you should only be doing under the care of your doctor. Rice weighs more heavily in their stomachs so yes, in some kids it will give them a false sense of satisfaction so that you get more sleep. However, the reason they wake is because they're hungry and the reason they're hungry is because their bodies are burning fuel at an outrageous rate. They most definitely need more fuel when they're hungry, not something that stops the hungry feeling but offers them no help in their near constant mega growth spurt.

This 100%. Giving your child rice cereal to make them sleep longer, to prevent them from waking up hungry and eating overnight, is essentially malnourishment. The rice cereal has no real nutritional value for a baby under about 6 months. Their bodies can't really process it, so they get nothing out of it, even though they don't "feel" hungry. It just prevents them from eating formula or breast milk, which does give them nourishment. It's like you eating a bunch of styrofoam packing peanuts. Your stomach would feel full, but your body wouldn't get nourishment from it. If you kept eating half your meals regular food, and half styrofoam, you'd eventually suffer from malnutrition, even if you didn't feel hungry.

Rice cereal has no nutritional value for anyone at any age

All of this.

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How did this get dug up? April 2009, really?

- Ava - 11-29-11

- Violet - 10-9-13
How did this get dug up? April 2009, really?

It must be TB messing up because I've seen a lot of very old post being posted lately.

DS1 2-26-07

DS2 10-18-10

M/C 8-5-12

DS3 6-21-13
#4 Due May 2015
IT'S A BOY
I was the OP of the thread that caused so much trouble a week or so ago. And honestly I don't think that adding a little cereal to a 'formula' bottle will cause them to get any less nutrition. And a little extra sleep never hurt a baby either.

FYI due to all the posts about how adding cereal makes you a selfish outdated parent that wants to malnourish and choke their child I have held off.

But it is nice to see that some mom's are having some luck not choking their children and getting a little more sleep. Even though how dare anyone want more sleep with a newborn, don't we all sign up to never sleep again when we have children?

We should be supporting each other as new mothers, not preaching our OPINIONS as though they are gospel.
Ugh. Seriously? Zero. I am so sick of these posts.
I'm about as much of a doctor as you are I'm sure.
Why even bother with the bottle? Give it straight from the bowl!

I sooo wish I had saved my cinnamon toast crunch picture from the last thread we watched unfold.... Crap.
I just feel like this cereal in the bottle thing is being criminalized. Which is silly. That's all.
Why even bother with the bottle? Give it straight from the bowl!

I sooo wish I had saved my cinnamon toast crunch picture from the last thread we watched unfold.... Crap.

If that was about the "does cinnamon cause miscarriage" thread, that was me. If this is a new thread, link me bro.

@laciegregory - You didn't cause problems in that thread, FTM did. But you seem to be in the "I didn't realize that babies nee to eat every few hours and that means less sleep for me so I'm just going to try to rectify that by shoving my kid full of empty calories for funsies" camp, so I'm going to say it again - bad idea.

No medical studies have shown an impact on sleep. Period. You'd think with so many people telling you that it's a bad idea you'd listen. But I guess you're one of those people that only hears/sees opinions that agree with yours.

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Why are we still talking about this? Seriously? There are still people who think putting cereal in a bottle is the right choice for their newborn??
It isn't a opinion if there is scientific studies to back them up.
I just feel like this cereal in the bottle thing is being criminalized. Which is silly. That's all.
@imakeeff0rts um.... No? I posted a picture of cinnamon toast crunch in a bottle as a joke on a thread in my birth month because we were talking about how these threads all the time. Had nothing to do with miscarriage or any other heartbreaking topic....
@imakeeff0rts um.... No? I posted a picture of cinnamon toast crunch in a bottle as a joke on a thread in my birth month because we were talking about how these threads all the time. Had nothing to do with miscarriage or any other heartbreaking topic....

Before you start judging, maybe you should go and actually read the thread. The OP asked a series of very stupid questions, we asked where she was getting her info and told her to read a pregnancy book, she got pissy, and it went from there.

She was not having, nor had she ever had a miscarriage. I'm not that fucking heartless, but thanks for assuming the worst of me.

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I just feel like this cereal in the bottle thing is being criminalized. Which is silly. That's all.

We got it when you said it the first time.

Yes - it is being criminalized and for good reason. I'm not sure what about this escapes you so I'm going to literally spell it out for you again.

In an infant this young (under 6 months of age), rice cereal is undigestable. Even in an infant six months+ may have a hard time digesting rice cereal. So yes, by giving your 0-3 month old rice cereal at night, you are giving him/her filler and depriving him/her of the nutrition that they need.Their metabolism requires them to eat every few hours, even at night, despite whether or not it's convenient for you.

I'm not saying this to be mean, but honestly, if tending to your child's needs are this inconvenient for you, consider not having any more children.

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I just feel like this cereal in the bottle thing is being criminalized. Which is silly. That's all.

We got it when you said it the first time.

Yes - it is being criminalized and for good reason. I'm not sure what about this escapes you so I'm going to literally spell it out for you again.

In an infant this young (under 6 months of age), rice cereal is undigestable. Even in an infant six months+ may have a hard time digesting rice cereal. So yes, by giving your 0-3 month old rice cereal at night, you are giving him/her filler and depriving him/her of the nutrition that they need.Their metabolism requires them to eat every few hours, even at night, despite whether or not it's convenient for you.

I'm not saying this to be mean, but honestly, if tending to your child's needs are this inconvenient for you, consider not having any more children.

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BAM. I just pictured you doing this, efforts.

Edit because that quote tree got all kinds of messed up.
@ Hbirdie and imakeefforts : You two are a couple of witches. No, I was not dropped on my head and no I am not stupid. Nothing either one of you have said has been constructive in any way shape or form. Sure I get it, it's obvious that this subject has been beaten into the ground, and it's OBVIOUS that there are medical studies that don't recommend it. POINT MADE. What I don't understand is where the hateful wench part comes in? And I truly don't understand the shitty little video clips that are also not anything but nasty. Maybe to make you feel better about yourself? Thanks for all the sweet advice though, and thank you for making me think twice before I have any more children. Go Team Mom. <insert nasty little video clip here>
Everybody has different opinions. I say it's YOUR child so you can do whatever you want. That's what this board is for-opinions. I just don't see why people who don't agree with the cereal in the bottle just don't keep scrolling when they see anything about it. Everybody knows it's not "recommended" or "safe". So why keep beating people in the ground just because you don't agree? Like I said everybody has different opinions and have the right to raise their child how they want, and if it is cereal in a bottle, so be it.
Whoa Whoa WHOA people. Hang on for one hot second. I did NOT call anyone stupid.

Emma Stone did.
Jokes aside for a second, let's be real here.

I think it's absolutely ridiculous that you guys keep coming on here and defending a "parent's choice" to put rice cereal in a bottle for their baby. You yourselves even admitted that it's not recommended or safe. So why do you keep coming on here acting like it's a valid parenting choice? Is strapping your kid into a carseat a valid parenting choice you would defend? No. So how is this different? As has been established in this thread over and over, doctors recommend against feeding newborns cereal because their gut can't handle it. Deciding to do so is selfish, lazy, and yes, stupid. Sure, I used a couple of GIFs I thought were funny to make the thread more interesting and because, hey, that's my right on this forum, but the fact remains that these threads keep popping up. They're annoying to see clogging up the boards, and the fact that someone keeps reviving the topic means there might be someone out there wondering if this is okay. So, yeah... sorry not sorry.

Since you love my "nasty little videos"... here ya go.
< blockquote class="Quote" rel="Hahdjdken">Everybody has different opinions. I say it's YOUR child so you can do whatever you want. That's what this board is for-opinions. I just don't see why people who don't agree with the cereal in the bottle just don't keep scrolling when they see anything about it. Everybody knows it's not "recommended" or "safe". So why keep beating people in the ground just because you don't agree? Like I said everybody has different opinions and have the right to raise their child how they want, and if it is cereal in a bottle, so be it.

So, if you know it's not safe, why in the hell would you do it? I guess everyone should ignore the "cry it out and leave baby alone while I leave the house" threads, too, because we don't agree with the OPs opinion instead of giving legitimate information regarding the child's well-being. I'll take that into consideration next time to save some face. What a stupid statement.

@laciegregory See above question. We're witches for asking you to re-think what you're doing to your child? ok. Right. Just FYI - I spoke to my pediatrician this morning about this very issue. She said that people that were fed rice cereal before six months of age have shown higher instances of food allergies and diabetes. But we're the "witches" and "wenches" for trying to discourage people from doing something potentially harmful.

Is there a spot on the bingo card for "witches and wenches" or does that fall under general name calling? Just to make sure I mark everything, do you also feel sorry for our DH's and LO's?

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Gee, when my daughter gets up multiple times during the night, I just figure she needs more breast milk because she's, you know, a growing baby. While I would love more sleep, giving her something that is considered a choke hazard is not something I would consider outside of medical necessity to treat reflux. Not to mention, studies have shown IT DOESN'T WORK in increasing sleep.

12/19/2012 BFP!

EDD 08/26/2013

Our little girl arrived 8/22/2013!
So, if rice cereal is so filling and good for you then I'm assuming that you have it in your diet since you agree (or it's parents choice, whatever) that little babies need it too.

oh wait.