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6 wk old and cereal in bottle?

post #1 of 23
7/29/07 at 9:04pm
Thread Starter 
my SIL has started putting cereal in her 6 wk olds formula. Is there harm in doing this? My DP is trying to talk her out of it, but I guess she didn't care to listen, she said today that the baby "loves it".
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post #2 of 23
7/29/07 at 9:15pm
6 week old?????

That is insane! The earliest I've heard anyone feed a baby is three months. The baby isn't equipped to handle cereal at six weeks. Would your SIL be willing to read about any book out there on baby care? I can recommend some to her if she needs a lesson.
post #3 of 23
7/29/07 at 9:18pm
The baby may love the way it tastes, but it's still completely stupid. The poor kid's digestive system is just not equipped yet, and that will probably become obvious within a few days.
post #4 of 23
7/29/07 at 9:24pm
if the baby dosn't have reflux than there is no need for the thicker formula.
i worked for CFS (child and family services) up north and i saw lots of people putting all kinds of stupid stuff in baby's bottles. in remote reserves most women fed the babies corn syrup with cereal.
the thing that horrified me the most was a reserve that soaked babies pillow cases in gasoline so baby would sleep and the parents could go to bingo!! after you see that kind of crap for years a little cereal isn't quite soo horrifying, even tho its not the greatest choice.
post #5 of 23
7/29/07 at 9:49pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lia & Eva's Mama View Post
if the baby dosn't have reflux than there is no need for the thicker formula.
i worked for CFS (child and family services) up north and i saw lots of people putting all kinds of stupid stuff in baby's bottles. in remote reserves most women fed the babies corn syrup with cereal.
the thing that horrified me the most was a reserve that soaked babies pillow cases in gasoline so baby would sleep and the parents could go to bingo!! after you see that kind of crap for years a little cereal isn't quite soo horrifying, even tho its not the greatest choice.
Gasoline on the pillow?!? :
post #6 of 23
7/29/07 at 9:50pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MeepyCat View Post
The baby may love the way it tastes, but it's still completely stupid. The poor kid's digestive system is just not equipped yet, and that will probably become obvious within a few days.
Well, she started a couple of days ago and he seemed really fussy today, she said he was just in a bad mood. He kept trying to suck on his tounge and just seemed uncomfortable.

I doubt she would be open to suggestions since DP tried that already, oh well I guess...
post #7 of 23
7/29/07 at 9:56pm
Poor poor baby . His tongue may be happy, but his tummy sure won't be. Even a totally mainstream website or book would tell her that's not a safe thing to do. Ugh.
post #8 of 23
7/29/07 at 10:03pm
Growing up, cereal at 6wks, was simply done to make the formula last longer. Lots of people do weird things to formula that "shouldn't" be done. Corn syrup, cereal, oat meal. My SIL told me she gave her reflux baby oatmeal at 6 wks. I asked her why, she said to make her EBM go further. I told her that he could get fussy..and LO AND BEHOLD!!! He did. She did stop after a while though.

Denise
post #9 of 23
7/29/07 at 10:22pm
In addition to the baby's gut not being ready, it's a CHOKING HAZARD. ugh. check the box of cereal, it might even have a warning about age and/or using it in the bottle. and I don't know how a baby could "love" it, that stuff tastes like wallpaper paste!
post #10 of 23
7/29/07 at 10:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jennnk View Post
In addition to the baby's gut not being ready, it's a CHOKING HAZARD. ugh. check the box of cereal, it might even have a warning about age and/or using it in the bottle. and I don't know how a baby could "love" it, that stuff tastes like wallpaper paste!
Ditto about the choking hazard. 6 weeks is too young for cereal, anyhow.: I'm hoping someone can change her mind and QUICK for the baby's sake
post #11 of 23
7/29/07 at 10:39pm
That is just NOT SMART. It's so old school, like bad ped. advice from the 70's. Ugh. I feel sorry for that baby. The gut is not equipped to handle cereal yet (some people even wait until the baby is 12+ months before introducing grains!). Can you send her some info from kellymom?
post #12 of 23
7/29/07 at 10:43pm
does the baby have reflux?

if not, then it's not a good idea...
post #13 of 23
7/29/07 at 10:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jennnk View Post
and I don't know how a baby could "love" it, that stuff tastes like wallpaper paste!
Well, have you ever tasted formula? Cereal probably DOES taste better!

It's really not a good idea to put cereal in a 6 week old's bottle, but I wouldn't go as far as to call this child abuse. I'd just call it "poor judgement".
post #14 of 23
7/29/07 at 10:51pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ksera05 View Post
does the baby have reflux?

if not, then it's not a good idea...
No not reflux-she did it with her last baby too. She just automatically starts it at 6 wks per my MIL's advice. She thinks it helps them sleep better, even though for a 6 wk old he was sleeping almost through the night already anyways.
post #15 of 23
7/29/07 at 10:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Erin11 View Post
my SIL has started putting cereal in her 6 wk olds formula. Is there harm in doing this? My DP is trying to talk her out of it, but I guess she didn't care to listen, she said today that the baby "loves it".
This is exactly when my sil started doing this and the baby gulped it down... now he is two and has terrible allergies. So bad he has been hospitalized twice for a week each time because he literally could not breathe. The doctor said it was a direct result of this practice.
post #16 of 23
7/30/07 at 12:35am
Just a preemptive moderator reminder that it's ok to talk about the ignorance behind the PRACTICE of "thickening" formula, but not to insult the PERSON who is doing it.

Erin - try sending her some information from a source she might listen to (the AAP, any mainstream baby book, a pediatrician, anything). It's just not safe or smart. Poor baby.
post #17 of 23
7/30/07 at 12:43am
Insane/stupid - yup! Bad idea.
post #18 of 23
7/30/07 at 1:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Erin11 View Post
my SIL has started putting cereal in her 6 wk olds formula. Is there harm in doing this? My DP is trying to talk her out of it, but I guess she didn't care to listen, she said today that the baby "loves it".
OK, she won't listen to your DP, will she "listen" to some experts?

This abstract covers the fact that it does NOT help babies sleep through thr night.

Here the practice is addressed by a pediatrician

This article addresses cencerns of inadequate nutritional intake when babies are given cereal in a bottle

KellyMom also has some info on "leaky gut"...

Good luck changing her mind!
post #19 of 23
7/30/07 at 1:25am
only for reflux would this be a good idea or even considered for a child under 6 months of age.
post #20 of 23
7/30/07 at 3:09am
no, no, no!!!!!! doctors seem to think this helps babies w/ reflux. i know from my daycare experiences about this. One baby started cereal in her bottles at that age or maybe even younger and she became very obese!!! I don't mean cute baby fat rolls-she was obese. She couldn't hardly move when she was at an age where she should have been able to. She had to sleep propped up on a Boppy for comfort. Please try to get her out of this bad habit now!!! Don't know why doctors think this is such a good idea :
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