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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Cereal in a Bottle
My Lil' Monkeys 06:23 AM 07-31-2012
I was talking to another provider and we got to talking about parents who put cereal in a bottle. So, I was wondering...

Have you ever had a parent ask you to put cereal in a bottle?

Would/Do you put cereal in a bottle?
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MsMe 06:55 AM 07-31-2012
My Mom used to have a cereal bottle...it had a large hole in the nipple and you could push up the bottom to force the cereal out. That was 18 years ago and kinda like it used to be tummy to sleep...now back is best, I don't think it is recommended anymore.

In my daycare years I have heard not to do it, but it seems like all of my friends with kids are puttting cereal in bottle now, maybe their Drs are telling them to?
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crazydaycarelady 07:09 AM 07-31-2012
Heck ya! My kids are 18,20, and 22 and they all got cereal in a bottle. I have quite a few parents do it now too. Mostly at night when the baby is around 4-6 months so they will sleep longer.
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Breezy 07:10 AM 07-31-2012
It's not recommended due to a choking risk. With doctor direction some parents do it especially for reflux babies!

I have a DC mom who puts cereal and prune in the bottle but I don't feed it to her without a doctor note. Gross. She doesnt need it.
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brookeroo 07:17 AM 07-31-2012
I have a baby with severe acid reflux. He is a complete bear if we don't put cereal in his bottle. He's breast fed and pukes up about every ounce of what we feed him unless there is cereal in it. He was barely gaining any weight until we did. Now that he can hold it down (better) he's starting to gain weight finally. And the best part is that I don't have to change clothes 4 times a day and since he's starting to move I don't have to worry as much about him rolling off the multiple blankets and cloth diapers I had to keep under him.

He still spits up a lot but it's no where near what he was. And he just seems happier. I've had reflux so I know how it feels. This poor kid has it bad. I can't wait until he's on solids completely though. He's made a complete mess of all my new carpets!
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MN Mom 07:19 AM 07-31-2012
I tried it with my firstborn (now 13) and didn't like it. My brother made "smoothies" for his DD (now 9) for every bottle. It consisted of her formula, rice cereal, 1 fruit, and 1 veggie. She was a difficult baby who screamed a lot and the smoothies seemed to help with the colic. He didn't start this until she was 6 months old though.

I'm not opposed to it, I just personally wouldn't do it for my kids after trying it with my daughter at the suggestion of my doctor.
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MyAngels 07:21 AM 07-31-2012
Like the PPs, I've got a little guy with acid reflux and we put cereal in his bottle on the recommendation of his pediatrician. It helped tremendously.
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Truly Scrumptious 07:28 AM 07-31-2012
I have and I've had parents that do it. A big X in the nipple seems to work better than a hole.
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AnneCordelia 07:37 AM 07-31-2012
http://www.drgreene.com/qa/baby-bottles-and-cereal

I will only put cereal in a bottle with a reflux diagnosis along with a doctors note.
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cheerfuldom 09:19 AM 07-31-2012
Originally Posted by AnneCordelia:
http://www.drgreene.com/qa/baby-bottles-and-cereal

I will only put cereal in a bottle with a reflux diagnosis along with a doctors note.
yup, thats what my rule is.
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Creek 09:47 AM 07-31-2012
It is very unsafe and unhealthy for a baby to have cereal in their bottle. The only time a baby should have cereal in their bottle is if they suffer from reflux.
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Crazy8 10:19 AM 07-31-2012
my own DD had horrible reflux to the point where she was losing weight (and was only a 5 pounder to begin with) so cereal in the bottle was dr. recommended. I don't think I've ever had a daycare parent ask me to do it though.
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EntropyControlSpecialist 10:27 AM 07-31-2012
Originally Posted by Creek:
It is very unsafe and unhealthy for a baby to have cereal in their bottle. The only time a baby should have cereal in their bottle is if they suffer from reflux.

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daycarediva 10:32 AM 07-31-2012
Originally Posted by AnneCordelia:
http://www.drgreene.com/qa/baby-bottles-and-cereal

I will only put cereal in a bottle with a reflux diagnosis along with a doctors note.
My rule too!

My daughter was the reflux baby, man alive my poor floors. Projectile vomit everywhere, after every bottle. Not nearly as bad with cereal though!
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MsMe 01:46 PM 07-31-2012
many of you mentioned it being dangerous, unless they are reflux babies, is the risk somehow lower then? Or do you just take the risk bc it helps? Is it a choking risk?

I have never had a daycare family ask, but I do have friends who do (and they have mentioned thier babies suffering from reflux)
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Country Kids 01:50 PM 07-31-2012
All I remember about cereal in a bottle from when my kids where little was it was frowned upon. I remember people (older then me) saying only lazy people would put cereal in a bottle for their babies. I guess it was thought that if you couldn't feed it to them from a spoon and had to put it in a bottle you where lazy.

I also remember though that if your child had their bottle/pacifier/diapers past age two you were lazy also because there was no reason for a child to have any of those at that age much less past.
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AnneCordelia 02:44 PM 07-31-2012
Originally Posted by MsMe:
many of you mentioned it being dangerous, unless they are reflux babies, is the risk somehow lower then? Or do you just take the risk bc it helps? Is it a choking risk?

I have never had a daycare family ask, but I do have friends who do (and they have mentioned thier babies suffering from reflux)
Its all about risk outweigh benefit. In a healthy baby the risks of cereal in a bottle are not worthwhile. In a baby with reflex then the risks, while still there, are worth taking because the benefit of baby keeping calories in the belly outweigh them.
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jojosmommy 06:23 PM 07-31-2012
Flame suit zipped.....


Cereal in a bottle doesn't help reflux any more than feeding it to them the traditional way. It does however limit their ability to regulate feeding amounts and has been linked to obesity later in life. Its also bad for teeth since the cereal has more sugar and acid than straight formula does. It also is a choking hazard since it thickens over time when mixed with formula. Cereal mixed with breast milk will not thicken in the same manner- which also means it doesn't "solve" the reflux issue as people claim.
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crunchymama 06:05 AM 08-01-2012
Originally Posted by jojosmommy:
Flame suit zipped.....


Cereal in a bottle doesn't help reflux any more than feeding it to them the traditional way. It does however limit their ability to regulate feeding amounts and has been linked to obesity later in life. Its also bad for teeth since the cereal has more sugar and acid than straight formula does. It also is a choking hazard since it thickens over time when mixed with formula. Cereal mixed with breast milk will not thicken in the same manner- which also means it doesn't "solve" the reflux issue as people claim.
I agree completely with everything you just said and wanted to ad, Cereal in bottles before 4 months is also known to cause food allergies later in life in some babies.
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MaritimeMummy 10:05 AM 08-01-2012
Originally Posted by crunchymama:
I agree completely with everything you just said and wanted to ad, Cereal in bottles before 4 months is also known to cause food allergies later in life in some babies.
That, and also adding that rice cereal is really nothing more than filler...white starch, empty calories. Starch = sugar/carbs. Increases the likelyhood of childhood obesity. Equal to that of an adult eating a whole bag of chips downed with a litre of pop just before bed every night.
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Lilbutterflie 10:31 AM 08-01-2012
Originally Posted by jojosmommy:
Flame suit zipped.....


Cereal in a bottle doesn't help reflux any more than feeding it to them the traditional way. It does however limit their ability to regulate feeding amounts and has been linked to obesity later in life. Its also bad for teeth since the cereal has more sugar and acid than straight formula does.
Completely agree with this.

My MIL used to say to me ALL the time how I needed to give my babies cereal in the bottle before bed so they would sleep better. She did it with my DH and his sister from the time they were newborns to about age 1! They were VERY chubby babies but outgrew it as children. However, they are both in the OBESE category as adults & struggle constantly with weight. Obesity is not in their family, so I TRULY believe it is at least in part due to being fed those "smoothies" in the bottle as babies. She even got my husband on the band wagon & it caused so many fights between us when our children were babies! I stuck to my guns & did not allow it.
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