**UPDATE** Well, I have totally been schooled! I appreciate the input and thank you all. I thought I was doing a good thing, but alas we live and learn. I've been struggling with her terribly at night (a developmental phase, I'm sure), so I just started doing the cereal thing this week in hopes it would help. I will stop! Thanks again!
Hi Moms - quick question: I make my own baby food. I've been making brown rice cereal to mix in with my daughter's nighttime bottle, but it never really dissolves and can clump up in the bottle nipple. I've cut a larger hole in the nipple, but she doesn't seem to want/be able to drink, but rather chews on it. She seems to like it well enough, but she's not consuming much due to the difficulty, which sort of defeats the purpose. I make it by way of milling the dry grains, then boiling the "dust." I've also tried boiling the rice first, then trying to puree it. It just never gets any smoother and never blends well with the milk. I'm thinking of trying oatmeal instead. Is all cereal this way? If so, how can I help my daughter "drink" it more easily? Or if not, what am I doing wrong?
Wow - I didn't realize how controversial this topic was until I started researching it more. Mixing cereal in their bottle is an age-old technique, as is cutting nipples to allow the better flow. I've gotten this suggestion from my mother, MIL, other family, friends, DH (who's had previous experience), her pediatrician, etc. -- all who've done it with their children. Not a single person has said it was dangerous. Go figure. She is 8.5 mos old and has been on solids for a while now and does well with them. This particular scenario is right before bedtime, when I give her a bottle. I don't want to spoon feed her at that time because that is too stimulating. I think somehow that got lost in translation. Soooo, this has all been good food for thought (haha)!
I agree with the other moms--never add cereal to a bottle. But don't take their words personally. We know you were trying to do what you thought was right.
It's VERY dangerous to allow a child to "drink" rice cereal from a bottle. There is a huge choking risk. I almost died as a baby from this, actually. It can cause a baby to aspirate very easily. If your baby is old enough for solids, it should come from a spoon. Unless, she has some sort of diagnosed reflux problem...and you got the instruction from a Dr.
http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/tipcerealinbottle.htm
To answer your question, I was never able to successfully get my rice cereal very smooth.
I think you would be better off spoon feeding your DD a small bowl of cereal to fill her up, then giving her a normal (cereal-less) bottle to 'top her off' if you feel she needs the extra fill-up before bed. I have heard many mixed reviews about whether cereal at night really helps with sleeping or not (I never noticed a difference when I tried it...) but I agree with the moms who advise against putting cereal in the bottle.
~Also... I always had better luck with oatmeal instead of rice. If you are just starting on solids... Rice tends to constipate little systems. Oatmeal is a good source of fiber, so is much less likely to cause a problem. My poor DD got super-constipated when we started on it, and her pediatrician recommended switching to oatmeal, and we haven't had any issues since.
I agree with the other moms...you should not be putting cereal in the bottle. Unless your child has reflux and your pediatrician told you to do so, I say stop. Besides the choking hazard, adding cereal to milk also messes up a baby's natural body signal that tells them when they are full. This can lead to over eating which can cause obesity and upset tummies--especially at bedtime. I know you say it is too stimulating to spoon feed, but at 8 1/2 months why do you feel the need to do this? Is she not sleeping like you want? Most children still wake up 1ce or 2ce at this age for a bottle. The cereal will not make a child sleep longer, that theory has long since been disproven. I always feed my kids something, bath them, then give them a bottle right at bedtime. This way their tummies are full of food digesting and the milk tops it all off. If bedtimes are a problem, you may want to research getting your child to sleep through the night or self soothing techniques. I know you say that your mom, MIL etc all told you to do this. Like someone else said, research changes and just because people thought it was safe then does not mean that we should keep doing it. Just like we all were laid on our bellies but now it is proven we need to put kids on their backs. Research online putting cereal in milk, on reputable sites, and then make your decision.
Just give it to her with a spoon. Then, let her drink a milk bottle if she still wants one.
Cutting nipples isn't good, especially if the baby chews on it. She could chew a chunk off and choke.
Just my opinion.
I think babies aren't really supposed to get cereal until they can eat it from a spoon. I think most any baby cereal can get kinda lumpy and thick. You could also try barley cereal, but I wouldn't recommend it in a bottle- just my 2 cents. Best wishes :)
wow, so ok, your info is very very outdated, kinda like not picking your baby up when they cry cause you will spoil them, and using crib bumpers, and putting baby on their tummy to sleep.
that being said, it was done for years, and while there are good reasons the idea is no longer seen as such a good one, we all survived when our parents did it. So if this is your choice, you could try mixing the cereal outside of the bottle more slowly. Stir in a little formula at a time, mixing completely after each addition until it is thin enough for the bottle. (oh and because the worst part of your post really is cutting the nipples, spend a few bucks and buy stage 3 or 4 nipples that have a much bigger hole, and then keep the cereal thin enough to work).
I'm one that I hate cereal in the bottle. The whole point of baby cereal is to teach them to eat. I've been told in the past that it's a choking hazard to have a baby drinking and getting clumps.
On another note, kudos to you for making your own! I wouldn't even know how to do that!
Well, I think you are kind've answering your own question with all your troubles. You aren't supposed to drink cereal. If a baby can't eat it properly...off a spoon...then she isn't ready to eat it. That's nature's design speaking for itself. We don't drink our food, so it's not really the best thing to do to train your child to drink cereal from a bottle.
Also, you really aren't making cereal like you'd think of it as you can buy it already manufactured...especially to boil rice and mash it. That's not cereal...that's mashed rice.
I would suggest feeding your child a bowl of cereal and then offering her bottle afterwards...I'm sure that will be far more successful, and you'll get a better result for what you're looking for...a full tummy.
One last suggestion, and I am totally serious about this one...you don't mention how old your child is, but go slow offering a variety of grains, especially if she's not at LEAST six months old...even then, rice is best for awhile. You can trigger allergies in children prone to them by giving them grains before their system can handle them.
Spoon feed it. Cereal isn't meant to be "drunk" and can cause choking. From your last post, your baby is almost 8 months old. She is old enough to be eating pureed food from a spoon.
You have an out dated pediatrician that is giving old outdated advice. Not that long ago no one thought anything about lead now we know better you wouldnt give her lead paint chips to munch on would you? Also not too long ago carseats and seat belts were not considered necessary does that mean it's still ok to just sit her on the backseat of your car? Nope. See following old outdated advice when it's been proven wrong is just silly. Mixing cereal in a bottle is not only outdated it's also a total myth that it helps them sleep and it's also a choking hazard and so isnt cutting the tips off nipples. I suggest you look for a new pediatrician with reliable information.
try buying the box kind its cheap and found it doesnt clump at all hope this helps! wow just read all the other answers dont worry as long as its not super thick you have nothing to worry about. I had a daughter who was hungry soon after bottles so i started adding rice after swearing i never would. she slept thru the night with it, she was happy and by no means is she over weight. I worked in a day care where a mom made super thick cereal and put it in a bottle that was dangerous but jsut a little wont hurt also i know with dr browns bottles you can use diff flow nipples so you dont have to cut them yourself they even make a y nipple for just this reason however we were able to use a level 2 and it worked fine!
