Cereal in Formula

I had to do this with my daughter starting at 1 month of age and it worked very well. We put 1 teaspoon of cereal to 1 oz. of formula. We found it works best with the rice cereal, it comes out of the nipple easier. You will need to get the nipple that are for juice since they have the wider opening. We have never had to put her on medication of acid reflux because the cereal took care of the problem. Good luck!

I didn't do the cereal in the bottle for mine... he was on similac lactose free formula (not soy) and he was on reglan for awhile. it helps speed the digestion and so it doesn't sit in the belly... he out grew it in 4 or 5 months and he was fine.... I did sleep with him sitting upright on me for awhile and even put the carseat in the crib for a bit before I found the medicine...

My youngest daughter had acid reflux as an infant as well... we did the zantac also... my doctor told me to add the cereal to her milk... i think we did a tablespoon or two to an 6-8 oz. bottle... it worked great!

Hello - we had the same problem with our daughter (now 22 months) - the good news is that she outgrew it at about a year. We used Zantac for a while to protect her esophogas from burning. We also switched to Enfamil AR, which helped a lot - this actually has cereal already added to it. You could try adding a little more to make it a little thicker. You will probably need to get new nipples with bigger holes if you haven't already done that?? I would also just recommend keeping him upright as much as possible after eating. And but lots and lots of bibs!! We also bought a wedge and "sling" for her to sleep in - which kept her upright. Insurance helped pay for it, but it wasn't easy to find. Let me know if you want/need the info and I will dig it out for you.

Hi M.!

I am the mom of a 14 month old little boy who also suffered from acid reflux and major spit up issues when he was your little guy's age. I too tried zantac, and once I transitioned to formula, used Alimentum by Similac. On my ped's rec, I also added some rice cereal to his bottles. To be perfectly honest, I really didn't notice a major noticeable change with any of those remedies. The reflux got to be a bit better as time went on, and I think I can attribute that to the zantac and formula, but, the spit up never, ever got better. I used to joke that he was going to go to college with a bib on, b/c I couldn't imagine a day when he wouldn't constantly be spitting up! But, guess what? That day did come! When you start introducing solid foods, which I did around 5months, you will notice some improvement. I would say he has been sipt up free now since he was around 10 months. Now with the teething, the issue is drooling, BUT, that's a whole different issue! Sorry if I am confusing you even more, but, try and be patient, and know no matter what you do, realize that you probably won't be able to stop the spit up. Continue treating the reflux, and know that one day you will be able to ditch those bibs for good! If anything, talk to your ped about starting solids earlier than normal, this certainly helped for us! Good luck to you!

I wouldn't. If he's already got digestive problems, you'll add to it! HIs disgestive system is still so immature that he's rejecting what you are giving him. You have had some improvement but not as much as you would like. You are obviously worried that he is not getting the nutrition he needs if he is spitting up so much, and also mealtime is becoming an unpleasant experience for him. I would take a good hard look at all those drugs they are prescribing for such a little baby, and look into some alternatives. I have tons of friends whose kids beat food allergies by using an outstanding liquid supplement that is safe for infants and even pregnant moms. I'm sure they would be happy to share with you.

It will probably make your son worse... not to mention a much added risk of ear infections to add to your trouble. My son went through the same thing and was also on Zantac until he was 11 weeks. I swear, the day after i decided to stop the medication, he was 100% better.. I guess I'll never know if it was the medication making it worse, or if he happened to grow out of his Colic at the same exact moment. Also try having him sleep in his car seat so that he is upright. That helps A LOT. After 3 months is when things like reflux and colic tend to settle down, so hang in there. It won't last forever!

Just wanted to add after reading other responses. My son started eating cereal at 3 months as my doctor recommended. So i don't believe its too early to start cereal, just NOT in a bottle. And starting with a very small amount.

God no! putting cereal in the formula will just make his digestive upset worse! not to mention it is dangerous (and a very old way of thinking) to do this with such a young baby. Do more research into more natural options for acid reflux (remember this is a symptom of something!) most babies have some sort of acid reflux when they are young, this goes away with age. You can try Grip Water, homeopathy, probiotics (good bacteria). I've also heard spirulina (blue green algea) is an excellent supplement for babies, and its highly alkalizing (which will really help with the acid reflux). Try these things. Also stay away from all diary right now, this could also be making the situation worse. Check out http://askdrsears.com they have a section on fussy babies and bottle feeding, with suggestions about formulas. Do more research before listening to your Ped on this one, they don't know everything! especially (and unfortunately) when it comes to nutrition. Any more questions, you can email me, I'm a Health Counselor. Good Luck!

So sorry you and your little one are having a hard time. I once co-parented a little one with a floppy esophagus so we were working with a physical therapist. Her other mom (for cultural reasons) wanted to put cereal in her bottle and the specialist recommended against it. If you've found a food that agrees with your son, and your focus is now all the mess, maybe you can try encouraging some passive sucking. If you can use a pacifier, your breast, or whatever works for you (as long as he's not swallowing air) and encourage him to suck for a while after each feeding, you can keep all of those digestive muscles working and contracting to keep things down.
Best of luck, you may want to pick up some oxy-clean for the laundry ;)
J. T.
MamaDoula
Postpartum Doula

Hi M.,

I agree with all of the other moms who posted. Do not put cereal in his bottle. He is too young to have any foods, and even when he does get old enough, you should never put cereal in a bottle. Your baby could be lactose intollerant, or he could just be a big spitter like another mom said. My oldest was a spitter, and very collicy. She eventually grew out of it. I know how hard it must be on you to have to see him uncomfortable (if he complains) but you just have to give it some time. I don't know how you are financially, but if you haven't tried it, Good Start is a formula that I tried, and stuck to with my younger 2. It's very easy on the babies stomaches, and it doesn't leave any lumps when mixing it with the water. It's very smooth, and for my little constipated babies, this formula worked best to keep them regular as well. It had just the right amount of iron. My younger 2 didn't hardly spit up with this formula either. I wich you luck!

M.

My son was the same way. I opted out of the medicine route and did cereal in the bottle. If I remember, it was 1 tbl/4 oz of milk....that's what the Dr. said. However, I read differently in some books I read. Ultimately, I ended up playing around with it...started off with not too much and then added as necessary. He still spit up, but not as much or as often. He also was a much happier baby! He didn't really spit up much more after 9-10 months. Good-luck....it will get easier and it will go away, but in the meantime it's a lot of laundry! It took me a while to realize that if I just kept a bib on him, that I would only have to change the bib (instead of the whole outfit)...he is #2 too, so you'd think I would know better!

FYI - the sleeping in the carseat thing never worked for me, but it might for your little one, so try anything you can.

my pediatrician told us that our daughter had acid reflux and wanted to put her on zantac... but i said absolutely not... initially she was on similac advance and then at
3 1/2 months i called the doctor and told her she was still spitting up a lot and i wanted to change her formula. She recommended Similac Soy formula. She still spit up for a while but it decreased... but like people say... babies spit up... it's what they do .... they have small tummies..
putting cereal in formula is usually not recommended.. it can cause a choking hazard.... you should check with your pediatrician...

I too agree with the NO cereal advice you have gotten. My middle child had to put on formula at 1 month due to my sudden hospitalization and having my gall bladder out..they put me on drugs that nursing would pass on to him.
He had such gas pains and spitting up with the formula. I was advised to add cereal but instead cut out the milk based formula and gave him a soy based. He had an easier time.

Look into the natural options listed below.

Try soy formula. My daughters pedi tried telling us she had acid reflux even after she had a 12 hr long test in the hosp to check for it. The zantac didn't help at all. I tried soy which the dr said would not help. It was immediate. She kept almost the entire bottle down from then on. Try that instead of meds first

Feed him a smaller amount at a time. Burp him as often as possible. My second baby was almost ten pounds at birth and he would suck the bottle down really fast and would end up spitting up. I started feeding him with more breaks and more burps and it did help. It won't last forever. He will grow out of it. Two of my kids never spit up and the other two did. The two that were spitters grew out of it once they were at the age of sitting up. Also, try to keep him upright as long as possible after feeding. It helps a lot. I would hold off on the cereal if you can. If all else fails, just keep in good communication with his pedi. If you trust your pedi then that's the advice you should listen to. If you don't trust them, then it's time to go shopping for a new one :)

No NO NO No No cereal in the bottle ever! It is so bad and will probably cause more problems because he isn't old enough to digest that. Keep doing what you are doing all babies spit up and if he's gaining weight I wouldn't let the spitting up worry me. Cereal in the bottle is a huge no no.

I have put cereal in formula and it made my oldest (now 10) very gassy. So I never did it again. Have you tried putting him in his carseat or propped upright a little after his feedings? My 2nd daughter (now 7) spit up a lot and the only formula that helped her do that less was carnation good start. Did you try that one? If you do the cereal you only need a tsp and just put it in when you mix the formula. You might find that you need to get a little of a faster flow nipple though.

I would talk to his doctor before you do anything different. There is absolutely nothing wrong with putting a small amount of rice cereal in with the formula if the doctor reccommends it. Mine did when my son was 2 1/2 months (now 6 yo) and meds weren't helping. He was spitting up almost everything he ate and the cereal did help. Like someone mentioned, all babies spit up and it can seem like a lot, but if they're in pain from it or seem hungry way too soon, then it's not good. We wound up using Nutramigen (expensive and stinky) but in combo with the cereal, much better. Again, talk with your doc, he/she knows best! Good luck!

Hi M.,

My daughter (now 20 months) had horrible acid reflux, as well. The Zantac helped with the pain for her (tempering the "burning" sensation that comes with the reflux, and hence, as you said, no more kicking and screaming after eating). But nothing helped with the spitting up. Our doctor told us nothing would except the maturation of her esophogeal sphincter, which would happen around 10 months to a year. Some kids have no problem with this, but for others is doesn't close entirely, hence the reflux and constanting spitting up. Anyway, the doctor was right in our case. She didn't really stop spitting multiple times a day until almost a year old. At least she wasn't in pain anymore thanks to the Zantac (the dosage did have to go up as she grew, and she was on it until 10 months of age). So I resigned myself to carry multiple (like no less than 6!) bibs and burp cloths all the time, and they would all be covered in spit up by the time we returned from any outting. I also kept a change of clothes for me in the car (needed more often than I care to recall). It was never a matter of if she would spit up, just when. Anyway, it did all end eventually, and once she hit a year old, it has stopped completely.
Good luck!

Skip the cereal in the formula and invest in lots of extra burp cloths. All babies have acid reflux because the sphinter muscle between their stomach and their esophogus doesn't have any muscle tone and so the stomach acid comes back up. It just bothers some babies more than others.

The fact that his spit up is chunky just means that it's been in his stomach before he gets it back up (so it curdled a little). If it's not bothering him to spit up and it's just coming up with the burps, he's a "happy spitter" and it's totally fine and normal. Both of my kids were huge spitters until about six months (and my daughter is now 47 lbs at 4 years and my son 32 lbs at 19 months, so clearly they've gained weight just fine!)

Also, he's probably not actually spitting up that much, it just looks like a lot. Someone suggested to me to fill 3 tablespoons with milk and dump them on the table. Looks like a ton of milk, but its really just a small portion of whatever he's eating per bottle. As long as he's gaining weight he's fine.

Good luck! This will hopefully pass soon.

I think you should talk this over with your pediatrician before you start to add cereal. If your doctor ok's it then he/she will tell you how much to add. Usually they don't want you to add cereal to their diet until they are older. Your doctor might want to see if this helps. I would call them and talk to them about it, or make an appointment. Hope this helps......

I can hardly believe how many infants are diagnosed with acid reflux.
I dont believe it.
Babies puke. All the time. Its what they do .
Puke and poop.
Granted some foods can set them off and are to be avoided...but at three months?
Good grief.
Ok. He pukes. You have him on adult meds for it..I totally disagree with medicating these babies and small children which seems so common to do these days.
You are not breast feeding...but you could...call the LaLeche league and they would help you relactate.
That would probably eliminate the problem all together.
Barring that, you simply need to find something that does not upset him.
If worse comes to worse you could give him lowfat dried milk with a bit of pasturized honey in it.
I have put rice cereal, and oatmeal, in a bottle, very thin..maybe an ounce of cereal, cut the nipple hole bigger so they could get it out of the bottle.
As they got older I thickened it up some...much easier than stuffing one spoonful of cereal into baby multiple times.
Actually I did not have enough time ( with seven children) to sit there and shovel cereal in so mixed it in the bottle.
Cant ever remember using water with it tho. Just milk , cereal, teensy bit of sugar or honey.
Best wishes and God bless
Grandmother Lowell

maybe your son is allergic to milk..i would consider nutramigen or an alimentum formula instead of feeding a 3 mo old cereal. introducing foods too early can cause other problems for your baby. Also, why medicate your child instead of getting to the root of the problem.

good luck.

I have a 4 month old daughter who also has acid reflux pretty bad. I started putting cereal in her bottle at about 3 months and it really helped. Her ped had told me that once she started on cereal it would help and putting it in her bottle did. I put about a teaspoon in a 5 oz bottle. Something else I was doing without realizing was overfeeding her. Cutting back to 5 oz did the trick. I was also giving her her meds in her bottle instead of either 30 min before or 2 hours after. The combination of all those things has done the trick. I had her on Similac Alimintum b/c nothing else worked. Its crazy expensive but it eased her pain trimendously! Good luck with everything. I know how frustrating it is! Oh...and I also did this with my now 3 year old and I didn't have any problems.

You don't say what kind of cereal you are trying. Many people can be gluten sensitive and will have a reflux reaction and gas pains from any cereal made of wheat, oat or rye. Try a rice based cereal which may be easier to digest for your baby. Be careful about adding much in the way of solid food before your baby's teeth begin to erupt. The digestive tract is not fully mature before teething and complex foods given before then can lead to a lifetime of food allergies and sensitivities.

Dr. E.