Baby Cereal and Bottles...

Have you tried heating the nipples then opening the holes in the nipple a little bit by inserting a toothpick to the size you need? It worked for me on all three of my boys....

K.;
My husband has always cut the nipples at the tip just alittle bit and then they seem to be fine. We did this with the slow flow ones and it does work. You may have to replace them in a couple of months because the continuous washing opens the nipples even more eventually. Good luck!!

My daughter had severe reflux at 7 weeks and had to have a large amount of cereal added to each of her bottles. We tried opening the holes and different stage nipples, before we found the Advent variable flow nipples. Life saver! Worth every single penny.

Dr. Brown's makes Y cut nipples that are especially made for cereal, but it comes out kind of fast.

Hi K.,

My son had a reflux problem so we had to put cereal in his bottles to. So we cut a criss cross on the nipple. They now make them like that. But you may want to cut your own so you can make the flow better. Hope it works. We also had to have him sit up for 45 mintues after each feeding. Good luck.

There are nipples specifically for doing what you are doing. I think they're called feeder nipples. I don't remember where we got ours (our son is 7 now). We may have had them handed down to us.

ah you poor thing.... if you ask an question on the internet you will get a bunch of opinions lol - I dont think there is a right or wrong answer each child has its own needs. there will always be an opinion for or against but as the mom its your choice!!

anyway they make specific cross cut nipples for cereal and if you cant find them you can use a knife to create an opening large enough. watch the nipples for signs of wear and replace as needed.

my son now does not and has not had cereal in his bottle it wasnt needed. my first daughter however (as per our pediatrician) needed it and it was a godsend.... it stopped projectile vomiting and produced weight gain. Please always go with your gut feeling - you as mommy will know best what works!

I use Dr. Brown's bottles witha stage 3 nipple that works great. With a 6 oz bottle of formula its usually around 2 tsps and less the smaller the bottle is, or maybe your baby isn't ready.

I also put cereal in my children's bottles. I made the hole bigger by putting a very tiny X. If it wasn't big enough, then obviously I just made it a tad larger. Just remember to mark which nipples you change so you don't accidentally put the plain milk in the "cereal" bottle. I did this with my two children and my mother did it with me and one of my older sisters. My sister was a month late and the hospital actually started putting the cereal in the bottle.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know I did the same thing.

a lot of times the nipples on the bottles are way tooo small for cereal. either buy ones that are "X" cut ones or what i used and LOVED with my son is a feeder system. they come in a two pack. a 4 oz and a 2 oz one. you can feed her even baby food thru this! you can find this at meijers and walmart, not sure about target never looked their. its made by sassy. oh and babies r us. i will post the link of what it looks like for you. it says 6 months and up but i used it on my son when he was 4 months. good luck

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2793324

Dear girl ,don't feel guilty about giving her cereal in a bottle!Once a day,given usually at bedtime is a great idea for a restless baby & the bonus is you can keep your sanity & you get more sleep .too!I see it as win/win.
My daughter was using a razor blade to adjust the size of the opening in the nipple.when my children were babies I used safety pin or needle.

We put cereal in our baby girls bottle as well. We just made a hole a bit bigger ourselves. I know that's a big "no, no", but it worked for us and I'll do it in a heartbeat again when we have baby number two :)
We also use Dr. Brown bottles and it seems that their nipple selection is better they have stage 1, 2, 3, and 4. So when we started putting cereal in her bottle stage 2 worked for us.

Hope this helped!
J.

Hi, not sure if you know it or not but there is a bottle specifically made to feed cereal and baby food. I bought mine at Walmart but I know most stores carry them or you can get them online too. However my 2 year old took these bottles with no problem however my 1 year old wanted nothing to do with them or the baby food gig, I ended up having to feed her what I ate (blended of course).

I just wanted to share with you that when my kids 10, 8, and 3 were ready for cereal at 4 mos. I would either sit them in their high chair that laid back a bit to support them or I would hold them on my lap and just feed it to them out of a bowl with a spoon. I made it very watery at first so they could get the hang of it and gradually made it thicker. This is their transition. We started off with 1 tbs. and they got the hang of it in a few days they are still getting what they need from formula but they also need that little bit more so if she doesn't eat it all right away don't worry she will in a few days. Just be ready to push it back in with the spoon when she spits it out!

Hi K.,

I use Avent bottles/nipples and they actually make a nipple for thicker liquids. It has 3 lines on the nipple that you line up with babys nose depending on how thick the liquid is. That is what I used and still do for my son. I am not sure if the other brands make something similar???

H.

We use Avent bottles with my daughter. When we started putting cereal in her formula, we switched to a variable flow nipple that works for three different flows. There are three different notches on the nipple and whatever flow you wish your child to receive you align that notch with their nose. I love them! It kept us from having to buy the next two stages of nipples as she got older! I don't know if they would work with your bottle brand, but your brand may offer something similar. Good luck.

I am not sure if they sell nipples that will work for that (since my "baby" is 23 lol) But I put cereal in her bottles and all we did was cut the nipple open a bit larger to allow it to flow out. As we added more cereal we would open the nipple more. Just make sure to keep those nipples seperate so you don't accidently put it them on a milk only bottle.
V.

Howdy,
Had the same problem, we just put a needle to the slower one until we got the flow to how we wanted it. It worked especially well when the formula/cereal got thicker and thicker and soon we were just slicing it a bit.

good luck!
M.

I know a lot of people say not to put cereal in bottles but I did it. My daughter is 4 months old and we started putting cereal in her bottle at 4 weeks old. It helped her a lot with sleeping better. We still only put it in her bottle right before she goes to sleep. I use the same bottles and nipples as you but my daughter can use the #2 nipple (medium flow). The fast flow is too fast. But I did use a safety pin and put a couple of little "cuts" in the nipple holes of her slow flow nipples. It seemed to work just fine. And feel free to give cereal in bottles. I've started last week with trying to feed it to her on a spoon and she's slowly getting the hang of it. Good luck.

We had to add rice cereal for spitting issues, and I remember a period of messy feedings before Mason got the hang of a faster/thicker flow. I used to stick a safety pin down thru one hole and then up thru another and just make a tiny slit between the two holes...like hand stitching, but then pulling the pin up to break the silicone in between. Does that make any sense? LOL
~L.

HI K.!

Our babies must have been born around the same time! My pediatrician, who is well respected in the area, told me that my son was ready to start solid foods last week at his four month check up. (My son is 17lbs. 4ozs. and 27" long! He is super long and thin!) You are the only person who knows your baby and not every child is created the same, especially when it comes to eating.

The best bottles that I have had luck w/ are the Born Free bottles using a medium flow nipple; the Born Free nipples are BPA free, so you don't have to worry about your baby chewing on the nipple and getting toxins in her mouth. They also have a "Y" cut that we use for bedtime, when my son has a bigger feeding. I also use the Medela bottles with the medium flow nipple as well. The Medela's are a little bit cheaper, so maybe if you start with that, it might help.

Good Luck!

Hi K.! It's been awhile but if I'm remembering correctly, I just Stretched the hole out a little with a fork or something. I can't remember what I used but I think if you can stretch it a little or make a little cut in the top with scissors that might help until you find something better.

Hi Kristen -

By no means telling you what to do, just advice one Mommy to another...

The Academy of Pediatrics strongly cautions parents against putting anything other than breastmilk or formula into a bottle. They recommend spoon feeding ONLY once you start solids. Clearly every family is different and every child has different needs, but the risk of aspirating the cereal mix into his/her lungs is very serious and very real and could cause long-term damage.

Our pediatrician made different recommendations for our middle children and they are only 19 months apart! Medical opinions change as new studies and research become available and sometimes it's a good idea to get a second opinion, even when it comes to feeding.

Our kids had VERY big appetites and we worked our way through cereal and baby food pretty early. Your daughter will let you know what works, what doesn't and when she is full. The little baby spoons are easy to use and a little practice makes the mess pretty minimal. Good luck and all the best...

Hi K., my name is A. and I have a 2 1/2 old son but when he was little and I was trying to introduce the cereal I found myself in the same boat. The nipples were either too small or too big. I had even try to alter the nipples and that was worthless. What I tried and it worked was to just use real oatmeal since technically that is what that cereal is and water it somewhat down and try feeding your precious pumpkin with a spoon. I know that it seems early to attempt that but it did work for me and my son preferred the real oatmeal rather than the cereal for "babies"

I have children 17, 17, 14 and 3. I have put cereal in all of their bottles, as my mother and grandmother before me has done. There are bottles out there that are made for that or you can enlarge the hole yourself by cutting it into a plus sign.

I was in the store one day and was reading this bottle of organic baby food - it was a smoothie - some mix of fruit, veggies and cereal. And it was in a bottle you could put your own nipple on. Kinda organic on the go type thing.

I just don't see why some moms get so bent out of shape about it. It's not like seeing a pacifier in a 4 year old's mouth or anything. Go with your gut.

I was told to never put cereal in a bottle! If baby can't take it from a spoon then baby is not ready for cereal! Try to give your lil pumpkin cereal from a bowl w/ a spoon and see if she will take it (it will be messy!) but if not try again in a week or 2. Just remember there is no rush on her eating solids yet if she is only 4 months old they are actually just fine with breast milk/formula until 6 months. Although both my boys started cereal at about 4 1/2 months from a spoon! They grow so fast so if she is not ready for the ceral enjoy the cuddleing and feeding from a bottle now!
Good luck
B.

Putting the cereal in a bottle is a bad idea b/c your daughter is not learning how to eat and move the food around in her mouth. She needs to get used to the texture of the cereal in her mouth not through the bottle. If she needs the cereal in a bottle try cutting the opening a little bit bigger. GOOD LUCK!

K.,
I'm with the moms that say you should be feeding cereal with a spoon not a bottle. I guess my question would be why are you feeding cereal? If your baby is ready to have solids, then your baby is ready to learn to eat from a spoon. If the reason for cereal is due to calories, keep in mind, there is more calaries in breast milk/formula, then any solid food can provide. However, if you still feel solids are necessary, there's no better time to teach your 4 month old the joys of table time with a bowl & spoon. It will also be easier to read your baby's signs that thicker foods are desired. Also, don't let anyone tell you that a bigger baby needs solids early-just because they are big. My first child was 10-1/12 lbs when she was born. We started cereal at 5 months. We didn't start fruits & veggies until she was 6 months. She just wasn't ready. Good luck. I'm sure your little pumpkin will be fine no matter what you decide.

Why are you giving it to her in the bottle? If she is ready for cereal she will take it from a spoon. Personally my kids hated cereal and started on bananas and sweet potatoes. I have also read that childhood odesity and giving babies cereal in thier bottles are related.

Get the cereal out of the bottle. It is a choking hazzard and not one SANE, SAFE, Knowledgable medical professional will tell you to do it anymore. It overfills babies as well, causing fussiness, and significant weight gain. If she is ready for cereal, put it in a bowl and spoon feed it. Add it to a first food for the other times if you want. I woul not "Cut" nipples to make it work, they will deteriorate and come apart if the baby chews on them and ALSO could be a choking hazzard. If your Dr wants it in the bottle the rest of the day, find a new Ped. If you don't want personal opinions directed at you then just search out the prior 100 times this question has been asked and go by that.
C.

I gave my daughter cereal in bowls, my doctor told us that the reason for the cereal was to get her used to eating.

L.
http://www.HealthyFamilyHome.com

I would suggest using a spoon for the cereal, this is your segue into solid foods and they don't fit in a bottle.

Forget that mess feed the little one with a tiny baby spoon mix the cereal in a small bowl and let her start from the spoon she will get more and you can do this 2 times a day morning and right before bedtime and she will sleep through the night for ya. Feed the bottle as if it were a drink Trust me been there and done this my boys were eating cereal at 2 weeks old..

Hi K.~

First off putting cereal in your babies bottle is your choice. Shame on the other moms for judging you b/c you are doing what works for you. And if cereal was not meant to be put in bottles then why do Dr. Brown's bottles as well as Avent make nipples specifically for thicker liquids????

I am a huge advocate of putting cereal in babies bottles - I have even done babyfood. I did it with all three of my boys. What I did is take a slower flow nipple that I wasn't using anymore and cut a very small X in it with a pair of scissors. Be careful though not to make it too large. Start small and go from there. Also, Wal-Mart sells nipples that are variable flow that already have an X in the top. The brand is Parents Choice. These seemed to work with myfirst two boys only as they got older. I have tried them with my 5 month old and he doesn't seem to like them, but they are worth a shot.

Good Luck! And remember you have to do what works for you - don't listen to other's criticism. This site is about giving advice not badgering others and making them feel like inadequate moms. All moms are different and do what they need to do to survive.

K.,

My daughter was 3 months old when she started baby cereal and she never got it in a bottle. When she went on cereal she got it in a bowl, this is how we started feeding her. I would reccommend switching from bottles to an actual feeding method with a spoon. This will help several different development stages for your little pumpkin. Your pediatrician should have recommended this method as well. The first time make the cereal a little loose then as you and your baby get used to eating you can thicken it up once your your baby is used to eating.

P.

I would not put cereal in bottles.

Feed her the cereal on a spoon.

If she can not eat the cereal on a spoon then she is not ready for cereal.. wait a week or two and try again.

To be honest I wouldn't put it in a bottle. Since she is 4 months I would try feeding her with a spoon. I don't believe in putting cereal in a bottle. I think it is retroactive. She is getting old enough to eat from a spoon. It may take a couple of times but I think they enjoy their cereal better with a spoon. My 6 month old starting eating from a spoon at 4 and a half months. It is worth a try.

K.,

As other moms have said- there is no reason to feed a baby cereal from a bottle. Cereal is meant to be eaten. It's also not a good idea to destroy the integrity of a plastic nipple.

My pediatrician told me not to put the cereal in the baby's bottle, but to feed them the cereal from a bowl and spoon. When you start cereal you are teaching them to eat. Some even say that putting cereal is a choking hazard, but I really dont know if that's true or not. I do know that it is a myth that if you add cereal to their bottles they will sleep longer. If she can't eat the cereal from a spoon, then I would recommend that she is not ready for cereal yet.

Not to be mean, or try and tell you what to do - but theres a reason that the cereal won't go through the slow flow nipples - it's not meant to be given in a bottle.

Baby cereal is meant to be fed with a spoon.

Putting cereal in a bottle and "cutting the home bigger or adding holes with pins" can cause a choking hazard to children. They have to suck harder to get the cereal/formula through the hole and when you switch to a normal formula bottle they can continue to suck harder and they'll choke on the formula when too much comes out.

If your child isn't ready to be spoonfed they are not ready for baby cereal.

Four months is very early to start feeding foods other than breastmilk or artificial substitutes. The recommendations for very early solids (and, as one choice: bottle-feeding pablums) originated in the early years of formula (back in the day of 'carnation, corn syrup and water) when children were having growth problems and even dying from insufficient calories and nutrients.

Cereal has very few calories, relative to modified cow's milk or modified soy 'milk,' which are both designed to match as closely as possible a live human baby's nutritional needs. Meaning: the best choice for food for an under-6mo baby is breastmilk and second place goes to formula. Third place goes to other whole foods that are easily digested, like ripe bananas and well-cooked squash. Cereal is not on the list.

Cereal is a 'filler' that takes up room in your baby's stomach without providing any of the fat, most of the sugars and virtually any vitamins or minerals that she needs. Meaning: you are displacing valuable food with food that is nothing but inexpensive.

At this point in your baby's development, she needs a great deal of fat proportional to the sugars and proteins in her diet, fat which is necessary for proper brain and nerve development. And the same fat that is required to give her sufficient calories to grow at her healthy, natural rate.

No professional organization (AMA, APA, PNA) treating infants recommends any solid foods before 6 months of age anymore, mostly because of the detriments that now causes (instead of compensating for what is lacking in formula, now it is known to be displacing what is necessary in formula with what is lacking in cereal). Now they all caution against 'too early' introduction of solids, because of allergies, growth and malnutrition issues.

just heat up a safety pin and poke the smaller holed nipples and make the hole bigger.