Questioning Doctor's Recommendations for Infant

I had to give my son cereal in his bottle (verrry little rice cereal mixed with formula) when he was about that age because he was a big boy 10.5 lbs. 23" long at birth. He was always hungry and wanted to nurse every hour or so. He is now 27, really tall but not overweight and VERY healthy with NO allergies of any kind. I have 2 daughters, 23 and 25 and they are also very heathy and no allergies. I was also told to put just a little dark karo syrup in their bottle for constipation, it didn't hurt them and it worked! I know that this sounds "Old School" but I have worked with children every day for over 20 yrs and it seems to me that there is more illness, allergies and syndroms in the kids out there now then there was with my generation and my childrens! Kinda makes you wonder if "Old School" is so bad!

karo syrup is an easy way to treat constipation in babies.

for babies that spit up.. feeding them smaller meals more often helps them keep the food down.

cereal added to bottles is also supposed to help with spitting up.

They do sell a formulas with added rice in it to make it thicker to stay in babies tummy.

the dr sounds old fashioned but probably fine.

These recommendations probably sound wrong based on what is the norm for today's infant care. When my children were infants, we started feeding them cereal around 6 to 8 weeks old, in fact we started my son at 4 weeks because he needed the extra "fullness" to sleep longer at night, we added a pinch sugar to a water bottle to aid digestion almost from the first few days. Neither of these practices proved harmful to my children or any others that I know of. I know this is not the way things are done now, I have five grandchildren who I babysit for so I know things have changed. I don't believe any of these recommendations are harmful to the baby, they are just not the norm for today. The mom needs to understand that she knows her child better than anyone and the more information she can provide to the doctor, whoever it is, the better. Communication is key with any pediatrician. Relax and enjoy the baby!

The thing about adding rice cereal to formula is pretty common - it is even in the Baby's First Year book that you get from the pediatrician as something to ask your doctor about possibly doing if your baby spits up a lot. So I wouldn't worry about that one - not sure about the other parts. I can't imagine being 16 with a baby and questioning my doctor either though! Do you think they would read a good parenting book if you gave it as a Mother's/Father's Day gift or something?

I know that in the days before commercially prepared formulas, the traditional formula was 1 can pet milk 1 can water and a little dark Karo syrup. The syrup was to help keep the baby regular. I have recommended it to my daughter for the grandkids when they get a little constipated.
As for the cereal in the bottle, I have a nephew that would also spit up badly and they did some tests and there was a problem that the muscle at the top of the stomach that holds the food down was immature. They told my sister to add some rice cereal to the bottle as the thicker formula would help it stay down.
Good luck and God Bless!

I was told similar advice with my son who is now 6yrs old. I was told to give him sugar water to help with constipation in between feedings and he also started cereal at 2 months because he had reflux and both suggestions helped the problems they were prescribed for. Our pediatrician has been in practice for 35+ yrs so I think he goes with more "old school" remedies but we also have some younger doctors in the practice that offer newer schools of thought. Either way my son was just fine and has been very healthy-thankfully. Best of luck. I hope this was helpful.

I wouldn't be too concerned about the cereal. Our parents used to put it in our bottles at a month old. I have never heard about the sugar thing though. Have you researched this method on the internet?

OMG!!! Poor little guy.....I would tell her to please hold off on adding sugar or cereal to any formula -- please tell her to switch to organic similac ASAP and throw the other stuff that she using out! Once you have accumulated a few more responses, please forward her all of our recommendations to her so that she can read them. The pediatrician is probably still practicing and giving advice that is about 20-40 years old...not to mention probably pushing the wrong kind of formula for her son, which is most likely the reason he is constipated......5 weeks old is way way way too early to add cereal and the sugar thing completely blows my mind! Bacteria LOVE sugar -- this will cause other issues for her baby's digestive system and colon -- Also, most newborns throw up a little for the first 2 months or so...it is very common. It is even normal if her baby has projectile vomiting sometimes. Advise her to switch to the organic similac and follows the instructions on how to prepare -- tell her not to microwave and to use a glass bottle - Born Free has a great glass bottle. Warm up the formula in the bottle by putting it in a pan of water....She definitely needs to ditch this Doctor and find someone else, preferably someone that is an MD and practices Holistic or Alternative Medicine. Good Luck!

I feel for you. It might be that the formula is causing the constipation. Is it possible to offer the name of another pediatrician. The parents may really like to know that there are options and they might find it helpful just to get another opinion. You may want to simply suggest that the first couple of months are crazy and it is okay to try another doctor. I really hope they can help out the little guy. After becoming a mom you just want the best start for the baby.

hi M.. i'm a first time mom of a 2 month old. my son has been having constipation issues since he was a week old. i initially gave him sugar water, which was recommended by several pediatricians and nurses, as was karo syrup and prune juice. adding cereal to the bottle is also a pretty common remedy for reflux. if you are worried about the cereal, enfamil makes an anti reflux that came recommended 2 me.

Hi M.! I understand your concerns. With the child being consipated and spitting up it could be the food he is getting. If he is a bottle fed baby see if she will switch his formula to Good Start. With me working in a day care and having my own children this formula has been the best. It keeps kids on a regular schedule of pooping and it helps to decrease the spittling up. The protiens in the formula are broken down better then in Similac. Plus Good start is a little cheaper the Similac. I hope this helps for you. Good luck and blessings to you and your family.

Both are normal recomendations, but maybe the doc should of explained some other alternatives first instead of jumping to the uncomfortable ones first. try changing the formula and if the baby drinks plain water already there should be no need for the syrup. I was told that the sysrup is just so the baby will drink the water and not to actually help his bowels. the water should be help enough. I wouldn't worry these are normal things, but all doctors are different, so keep in mind that if she does go to a different doctor they will tell her different alternatives, but that doesn't make the first doc wrong.

M.,

Wow... I would absolutely have her look for a new doctor. You seem to have a good relationship with her, maybe you should sit down talk to her and the suggest that you go with her to another doctor and kind of be a little mothering with her since she is so young to be dealing with this. I do not think she has to see the doctor in order to get her records and change doctors. I think you can just call the nurse and ask for your records and pick them up.
Either way, I would get a new doctor.
B.

M.,

This does not sound good at all!!! Infants that young should have nothing but breastmilk or formula. Four months is the earliest to introduce foods and you don't even really need to do this if they are doing well with breastmilk or formula. I have NEVER heard anything like this EVER and I have 3 of my own children and I am a childcare provider with over 15 years of experience!! Please get a second opinion on what is going on with that poor little baby and I would report that 1st doctor if it comes down to it.

How much is the baby spitting up each time? If it's a significant amount, there's a chance that the child has GERD, Which can be controlled with Diet, and medications. One of the side effects is poor weight gain from the spitting up, and the doctors are reluctant to diagnose as such because of the whole medicating infants issue (which I completely understand). Is the child sleeping poorly? Crying for apparently no reason several hours a day? Just some things to look into, though this may -not- be the issue. You may also want to have her ask the doctor if she should change the baby's formula.. perhaps the child is unable to properly digest the formula he/she is on.

Never sugar!

Sounds likea formula switch is all he needs. Try Enfamil prosobee. I would not worry about spitting up part. I recommend Shauna BAker in Kentwood call her for a consult. She is great!

At 16 I bet she would love some help! I know I would have.

God Bless!

This really does not sound like that big of a deal to me. It sounds like the doctor is "Old School". To many moms now this sounds awful, but this is what they did years ago, and although it is not something we would do today--this will not harm the child. I have also heard of adding Karo Syrup to bottles for constipation. It is all opinion. If She does not like her Dr. she has a right to switch.

Ask the mom if you can "ride along" for the next drs appt. to "keep her company". Then ask the dr about it all... Also does the dr know about allergies in the family? The dr may have good reasons, but if he can't back himself up, then you can talk to the mom and dad and bring up your concerns.

Personally I agree with you this is way too early to be adding cereal to his bottles. I have never heard of adding cereal to aid in spit up. I would contact you local health department, see if they have WIC and get her on that, it will help as far as educating her on timelines for formula, cereal, etc. They will also have connections to help such as maternal support or infant support services or early on which are all good programs especially for new moms or young moms. It is not unusual for new moms to be quiet with the doctors because we feel the doctor should know what is best for our children. I would imagine a teen mom would be even more so. Good luck

I am sorry but I am not sure why you think those are red flags. Karo syrup which is essentially pure sugar( sugar what the doctor recommended) is something doctors recommend for constipation for years, so you doctor suggesting sugar doesn't seem far fetched. Babies that spit up can have gerd or reflux so adding cereal to formual is also not far fetched they even have a formula that my daughter was on that had a rice starch/cereal already in it. I am surprised that you never heard of read of these things yourself.

Hi M.,
I am not a doctor but I would feel like you in the same situation. I would be finding another doctor asap. I would NEVER put cereal in the bottle, especially at 5 weeks. There are other ways to alleviate constipation other than sugar. Anyway, like I said, I'm not a doctor but I would def. check into another doc.
Chris

I have 2 8mo old premees. One is very little we have GREAT Dr's. My little one is on extra calories. Which means we mix his formula different. Our Dr's have told us NOT to give cereal to the boys till almost a year old we are just now talking about it. Formula has more calories and nutrition than cereal. They said cereal will fill them up faster but will not give them the same amount of nutrition. As for spitting up you can change formula or it could be acid reflux. My little baby has that. He would go stiff with his body and cry. He was very hard to feed I thought I would go nuts. I also found out that acid reflux is very common. We would feed him more on the sitting up side while we fed him and that seems to help also he is on medicine for it. Now you stated that your brother has allergies my Dr's said not to give cereal to soon because it can cause babies to have allergies and ashama. I would be very concerned with this Dr. Just because it's not your baby you should really talk to her about changing dr's or ask to go with her to the next visit so you can ask questions for her she is only 16 and I'm 36 and I had my mother go with me because I didn't know what to ask at first. I had 2 premee boys with big concernes. We work with U of M Dr's. and they all seem to be on the same page. We have 4 Dr's.

Good luck and don't give up that baby needs you.
Tammy

I think every Dr. you talk to will have a different opinion about cereal in the bottle. I personally have used this method with all 3 of my kids now. Especially helpful with my 3rd who had reflux. I wouldn't use very much though or the hole in the bottle will clog and make them frustrated. :)

whoa stop them!!!!!!! help her understand that every new parent is in the dark about how to do right for this fragile little bundle of joy, but giving solid food this early will harm it!!!!!!!!!!!

the baby definately has food allergies!! all 3 of my girls had problems with formula. with my 1st i didnt know any better,so we started her on rice by 4 mos, she now is gone past the level of obesity and has trouble with alot of foods. my second was put on soy formula, not a good product for babies,too much hormones.(ahh hindsight)she is better off than her older sister though. my last daughter had the very same problems as your nephew, problems with her bowels and spitting up everything she ate, so the wic clinic switched her to soy (turns out she is allergic to milk protien) which she continued to vomit horribly and still have bowel problems (guess what allergic to soy too). so she was put on a hypo-allergenic hydrolized whey (milk) protien formula and she did very well. it was called alimentum (i cant spell lol), cost about $25 a can, and smelled like rotten eggs. she is now 3, still has problems with her bowels, and is growing so fast that my excellent very experienced pediatrition thought she was 6 on her last visit =], i had to remind him she is just VERY tall.

food allergies are alot more common than most ppl realize, you dont have to stop breathing to be allergic. skin problems (acne, eczema, etc.), mental issues (depression, anxiety, add, etc.)respitory ailments (asthma, anaphylaxis), bowel disorders (constapation,diarrea, ibs, etc) are just some of the symptoms of food allergies.

can she breast feed? if she hasn't dried up she can use herbs to bring her milk back. nettels and fenugreek are just two off the top of my head, but there is a tea by "traditional medicinals" called "mothers milk" and it is used by alot of mothers to increase lactation (ahh hindsight once again!!! lol). also avoid the herbs parsley and sage they will dry you up fast (good tip for weaning).

i wish you all the best of health and good luck in learning what to avoid =]

HI M.>

I have used corn syrup in my infants bottle to ease constipation because of a heart medicine he is on. It works so I know that Corn syrup in a bottle is legitimate.

Heather

Hi M.,
I am a 38 yr old mother of two. My son is 18yrs and 6ft 4in. Believe it or not when he was just four weeks old I started putting one tablespoon of rice cereal in his bottle EVERYTIME. He was an eater the cereal helped him feel satisfied. I also started spoon feeding him baby food when he was about 9 weeks old. I gave him sugar water once a day... and he is just fine today!!!
What did our mothers do 33 years or more ago without all this "NEW AND IMPROVED" AND "ORGANIC" & "LIPIL... ARA... AHA" and WHATEVER formula??? How on earth did they feed us???

Chances are, if she is 16 she only knows what her doctor and her mother tell her about raising babies. If you don't agree with the advice she's given fine... Get involved NICELY. There is no reason to shoot the doctor yet. If she gets assistance from WIC, they only cover specific formulas. She might not have a lot of options of what she can use. If the baby is losing too much nutrients at a time from spitting up it makes more sense to give smaller amounts more frequently. That way his system has a steady supply of calories and he can better absorb the things his growing little body NEED. A little sugar in the bottle isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's all natural... no additives... no chemicals... no preservatives... seems to me healthier than Karo syrup. And if it works... double bonus.

It's great that you are concerned and you want to be involved in making sure she has good information to raise a healthy baby. Nicely introduce yourself into the situation. Invite her and the baby over for a play date. Observe, ask gentle questions. What Dr she uses... does she like them... does she feel comfortable with the advice she gets... Don't say anything that is going to offend her that you don't think she is doing something right or she might keep you out of the loop.

When I was a new mom at the age of 20 and I had questions or concerns about my lil guy I thought... "What would the have done during "Little House on the Prairie" days??? Before there were 150,000 different kinds of formula??? And then I would ask my mom, or my gramma, or my Aunt (who had 6 kids).

Don't rule out "OLD SCHOOL" unless you try it and it doesn't work.
Take care... E.

M.,
The things we did for our kids back in the 70's aren't what doctor's recommend these days. When my daughter was born in 1979, she was going through formula like crazy at 2 weeks old, we would fix her 2 cans of formula and she would drink most of that within 24 hours. Her belly was getting really big, I was concerned about how much she was taking in, the doctor told me to add some cereal to her formula just before she goes to bed and it would slow down her appitite. It worked, she stopped drinking so much and was able to sleep through the night. Today's doctor's tell you not to introduce your baby to food until they're 3 months or older because they're digestive system can't handle it. By the time my daughter was 3 months she was on baby fruit in a jar and eating cereal from a spoon. I don't agree with the doctor telling your niece to put sugar in the baby's formula for constipation. If the constipation is that bad then she needs to get a gently baby laxative and give that to soften the stool.

I have three kids. I have been to more than one pediatrician and they all agreed. All of them had cereal around a month of age. They all used different amounts granted. Two of the three it was to help put on weight. The oldest it was to stretch his bottles because he was toooo large. lol. The older two are fine. My youngest has issues but nothing even close to being related to cereal. My point being that really is not that uncommmon. I am not sure if I understood you correctly about the spitting up. Now that sounds wrong to me. YOu would not do this to stop spitting up. Well not to my knowledge. Maybe the mom misunderstood what was being said. My guess is by the way that he (the doctor) is an older guy. The sugar idea is a bit old fashioned. My best friend lives in West Virginia, her youngest had constipation and she kept telling me thats what her pediatrician said to do for her daughter. My youngest had terrible constipation in fact she has done a significant amount of damage to her bottom her pediatrician put her on perscription laxatives well after trying a few other things. I know a lot of people raised their eyebrows about that but let me tell you. I don't know if you had that issue with your kids but watching the pain mine stayed in and the amount of blood I had to clear away when she was little. PUtting some sugar in a bottle doesnt seem so bad to me anymore nor does laxatives. So my point being because this is all second hand somethings may have gotten twisted around and possibly the doctor isnt a quack just looking for some answers. Sometimes we try everything. Good Luck, I am trying to look at this from the view point that these things maybe aren't so far fetched. He very well be a quack and I hope he isn't. Have you thought about offering to go with them to the dr.'s. Just to ease your own mind. I wish you the best its tough being on the outside looking in sometimes.

Not all doctors are made equal. Find another doctor!

I have a one year old and no way would my pedatrician have told me to add cereal to his bottle at 5 wks old. Their digestive system at that age cannot handle that type of food and could cause worse constipation. I do know though that I was told that corn syrup in formula can help constipation in babies. But, if my sons doctor would have told me to put cereal in his bottle at 5wks I would have switched doctors.

We have twin boys who were premies and started having trouble with reflux right away. We put cereal in their bottles around 4 weeks old and they were able keep the formula down easier.

That said, I am a strong believer in getting a second opinion if you are not comfortable with what a doctor tells you to do. His mom should ask for more information as to WHY she is giving the cereal. A second explanation can often work wonders. If she is still uncomfortable then she should definitely get another opinion. I know when my kids are are sick and when something "isn't right". She should trust her feelings and act on them.

The first thing that came to mind is; is the doctor she is seeing for the baby a Pediatrician? If not, I would try to get her to take the baby to a PEDS. I agree it is way too early for solid food. Especially, if the baby is gaining weight. You may want to ask about the growth percentiles. Also, I would suggest, if at all possible, that you go to a couple of appointments with this young mother. It sounds like she is pretty much alone in this. It is my opinion that she needs help with these decisions. As you said at age 33 it is difficult to deal with doctors. I can image how this young mother my feel. Or she may be oblivious because of the age and trauma experienced at such an early age. She needs a friend to support her. Establish this relationship with her. It may be helpful for her to see about attending parenting classes. You could attend a few with her. Information is usually the key solving problems. We just need to seek this info out in our communities. You may also find help on line. Enter teen moms. You may get some good info that way. Good Luck!

My son was about 5-6 weeks old when we were told to put cereal in his bottle for the same reason - he was actually diagnosed with reflux disease. The cereal weights the milk down so that it is more difficult to spit up. This is not uncommon! If putting cereal in the bottle is unsettling to you for some reason, I would personally recommend trying the formula Emfamil Lipil A.R. - it comes in a red can and is what my 9 month old daughter is using for her reflux. She actually ended up in the hospital at 3 days old because she stopped breathing and it was diagnosed as a severe episode of reflux that blocked her airway. The formula has been a godsend and she has had no complications from the reflux since we started her on it. With my son (who is now almost 5), I too was unsettled at the recommendation to put food in his bottle so early but I have to tell you, I liked that idea a hell of a lot better than the other options of 1) having him screaming in pain during feedings from the reflux and then projectile vomiting over half the bottle back out at me, or 2) putting him on an infant dose of some adult acid reflux medication that might have God only knows what kinds of side effects. With my daughter we went straight to the A.R. formula once she was diagnosed and I just wish it had been around when my son was born. Good luck!!

It may be an innate characteristic for mothers to tell other mothers how to raise their children (hence the popularity of this site), but ultimately one can choose to ignore other advise and raise their child they way they want. One can hope that a 16 yr old mother would listen to older mothers, but that is no guarantee. I too was an over-protective Auntie to my niece's first-born as my niece was not quite 18 when she became a mother (two years before I became one). She doesn't listen to her mother nor Nana nor me - she raises her kids her own way and she's doing a fine job.

In your shoes, I would ASK if you could tag along on a doctor's visit and ASK HER if she would be comfortable with you asking the doctor some questions. It is her choice to answer yes or no - if no, respect her wishes and leave her alone. What might be right for your own child may be dead wrong for hers. If she does say no, ask her to consider questioning or clarifying doctor's orders if SHE doesn't feel right. She is in partnership with the health care professional to make sure her son gets the best care possible. I know many people don't feel comfortable questioning the "expert", but my doctor admits she finds it very refreshing for me to ask questions which shows that I'm taking an interest in my family's health and understand what WE are trying to achieve in pursuing the treatments instead of blindly following orders.

I had to add Karo to the bottles of 2 of my sons for constipation reasons, I don't know about sugar...that seems odd. I know that it's the sugar in the Karo that stays in babys gut to soften BM's, so it may be a way to treat it. I also had to put a few tsp.s of cereal in my last baby's bottles, also, to thicken it a little to help with spitting up. Not just spitting, but projectile!! We had tried the formulas that are already thickened, but he couldn't tolerate them. It's no different to put rice cereal in the bottle than to use the ones that have already added rice starch as a thickening agent. I fully researched the topic and read labels carefully. I think it's fine for baby to be eating every 2 hours, but personally I would stretch it out to 3 hours and 4 at the VERY longest.
Definitely encourage your niece to research the doc's advice, but these don't sound like major red flags to me. Just encourage her to use common sense...her gut will tell her when something is way off!
~L.

My nephew wasn't a great eater either. The doc did recommend Karo syrup in his bottle for constipation and that really seemed to help. So that sounds like it might compare to the sugar recommendation for your nephew. I have also heard of people putting cereal in baby's bottles to help them sleep better or to get more calories. Eventually, my nephew was on the easy to break down expensive formula and he had a prescription for Prevacid due to reflux. It probably seems scary to you since your kids didn't have the same type of challenges eating, but it sounds like the pediatrician is doing some of the same things that others have done. You could always volunteer to go to an appt. with your nephew to listen in or meet the doctor. Or have your brother go! You could also do some research online or talk to your own pediatrician to see if any of that advice makes sense. It's not at all bad to be concerned about something you don't think is right, you just have to be careful in how you approach any new mom. If she's 16, she probably would welcome a little advice and support from a mom of three kids!

M., as a mother of 4, and grandmother of one, I can tell you that giving a 5 week old some cereal in the bottle is fine. I would start with rice and not just cereal, however, because if there are allergies it doesn't come up in the rice cereal as much as those with other grains. The baby needs to gain weight. I WOULD NOT add sugar, for this can lead to diabetes later in life (I have a son who developed diabetes at 12, and I did give him sugar water when he was a baby).

My son's pediatrician also recommended adding some cereal to his bottle when he was about 4-5 weeks old--she said 1 teaspoon of barley for every ounce of breast milk. The extra weight/thickness of the milk was supposed to help reduce the reflux he was having. I stopped doing it after a few days because it really stopped him up for a while. When he finally cleared out his system, he had a HUGE dirty diaper and was very crabby the night before. I haven't heard anything about food allergies or anything like that. He doesn't seem to have any problems after our "experiment". If you do decide to try to cereal and are having problems with feeding the baby, I found that Dr Brown's "Y cut" nipples (for thicker liquids) worked very well for my son.
We trust our pediatrician, and know several other relatives/friends whose children see the same doctor and they have had nothing but good things to say about her as well. Hope this helps!

Coming from a mom with 3 babies that had reflux, cereal was introduced almost immediately. With two of them I even had to switch to the most expensive formula made. With the third baby with reflux we were able to use the soy formula. Soy tends to bind up babies so I had to add light corn syrup to each and every bottle. I know that it seems like a lot of sugar but it really does help. My second with reflux spit up almost as much as she kept down and it was a wonder she ever gained weight. All three were also put on medication to relieve this condition (all three tagamet and two on reglin). Another useful suggestion is to have the baby sleep slightly propped up. The doctor suggested a pillow under the mattress in the crib. I hope this is of some help to ease your uncertainty.

I would clarify with the mom first if it is simply spitting up - or if he is vomitting up most of his feeding. My daughter was diagnosed with Reflux's at 2 weeks old, and we had her in the ER for it. When we went to the Dr appointment later that week, we were given one medication and told to add rice cereal to her bottles, as much as it would take to stop her from throwing up. She was projectial vomitting more than 1/2 her feeding within an hour of eating - and then would cry until the next feeding. We were concerned about the food allergy angle and our Dr. told us that if we stuck to rice, and rice only, that we should be fine. Rice is a very rare allergy to have, and rice baby cereal is pure rice - no additives. We started the normal process at the normal age - she just got rice cereal at about 3 weeks old. If mom talks like it is simple spit up, and not anything massive, I would voice your concerns to her. Offer to go with her to the next Dr's appointment to ask more questions that she may not feel comfortable asking. Being that young, she may not know any different either.

Hello M.. It does sound like an old school doc to me! I don't agree at all of what that doctor is saying. I think you are in the right to be concerned for her and her baby. Maybe really all you can do is ask her if you can be of help and give her suggestions! I would suggest a second opinion !!
Good luck
B.

Good thing someone's having concerns. I'd definitely switch doctors. This one sounds ridiculous.

My ped had me adding rice cereal 1tsp per oz to my now 1 year old daughters bottles at around 8 wks. She was also on Zantac for the reflux. We tried the Enfamil AR first but that didn't help. The rice cereal give the formula alittle more substance and it stays down easier. And the smaller more frequent feedings will also help with the spitting up. I have a lot of mom friends who have gone through the same thing, our ped is rated one of the top 5 in MI and 100 in the country. I was never told to add sugar to help with constipation but I was told to use the Karo syrup. These arent' uncommon practices with infants.

I agree; it sounds like typical old school thoughts for constipation and reducing spit up. My doctor isn't really of the "old school" thought but also recommended these. We tried them and didn't have much luck. We ultimately ended up switching formulas. I would talk to your brother and niece about having this discussion with the doctor.

I would definately get a second opinion. I don't see it as a big deal with the cereal because many babies with reflux have been told to do that. I just think you are picking up a bad vibe from this dr. so it would be worth it to switch. After 13 years with my last kids ped, I switched because I felt he was losing his touch. Step up and speak what you are feeling, it isn't hard to find a new ped. I'm not sure what area she is in, but I have a wonderful office in Sterling Heights.

I went through my baby girl spitting up CONSTANTLY! The doctor said to never put cereal in her bottle. Enfamil makes a formula called Enfamil A.R. (Anti-Regurgtation). I used that for a few months with my baby and it seemed to work well. It's probably a hard place for you to not say something, but maybe ask if you can attend one of the doctor visits with your sister? That way you can hear what the doctor has to say and maybe get the chance to question him or ask for his reasoning. Good luck!

my daughter lost alot of weight after she was born, she was jaundiced. my pedi recommended adding cereal to the bottles. it helps them sleep longer, gives them extra calories, and yes, it does help reduce the spitting up. it's easier to throw up just milk, than something with more base to it. her doc is right on that one. but sugar for constipation? never heard it, i was told to use apple juice and water. and 2 oz every 2 hours? if he 's getting the same amount, just in 4 hours, i wouldn't worry. my daughter was the same way. as long as he is gaining weight and is healthy, that's all that should matter. tell the mom to grow a pair if she has any questions. obviously she does if she tells you everything that goes on, sounds like she's looking for a 2nd opinion. you won't know til you talk to her.

oh no...that sounds horrible. time to switch. i dont know how to do it, but i would definitely say something.

My baby had problems with excessive spitting up and irritable bowel syndrome. One of the possible solutions was to add a little cereal to her bottle. They have formula now with the cereal already added. My baby is 7 mos. now and its gotten alot better. I might add that I didn't go that route, she was put on a special formula for first 6 mos. She takes regular enfamil now. My oldest is 15yrs. and I remember being told never to put cereal in a bottle, but I guess thats not so unusual now. The other suggestions however seem odd to me. Has anyone suggested to mom to seek another pediatrician? Is she participating in the WIC program(if available in your area)? Maybe the nutritionist there could help. Good luck!

No Auntie, I do not think you are being over protective.
I agree with you. I think the baby is too young for all the Dr. has suggested. The baby throwing up sounds as if he already has a food allergy. Sugar & wheat could be a few of them. Sugar is a drug! Sugar is addictive! Not the thing a 5 week old baby should be consuming. Baby really should be on breast milk. I think you have every reason to be concerned. Speak up for your nephew! Mom is only a baby herself. She needs help. Talk to all parties concerned. Ask if you can go along on the next Dr. appt.
La Leche League can give you info. on breastfeeding. www lll.usa.org
"It takes an entire village to raise a child." African Proverb
So do your part!
Much success to you and your nephew.

I would be more concerned over the sugar and the 'new' feeding schedule than the cereal in the formula. A little bit mixed in can help, but a different formula might be a better option to try first if the spitting is really that excessive. Spitting is normal - my peditrician told me that some babies are just spitters and my 2nd one is. It's not out of the ordinary to have him spit a good 1/2oz to 1oz up at every feeding. We have tried a few different formulas and he does the same thing with all of them. Since he doesn't seem to be in pain when he spits I know it isn't reflux (which my 1st on had) so I just let it go and just make sure I have lots of extra cloths on hand. :)

Does she qualify for WIC? If so, encourage her to see a nutritionist the next time she goes in and see what they recommend - or ask if you can go with her and you ask for her. You might try doing some research on-line and then mention what you found the next time you are talking - or if she will do it, ask her to ask her dr about it the next time she goes in.

Good luck

I agree with you that it's best if cereal is introduced later (after 4 mos), but for reflux---or 'spitting up'that happens too frequently---it is not uncommon to give a baby some cereal with their formula. WOULDN'T CEREAL BE BETTER THAN MEDICATION? If I were in that position, I would absolutely try the cereal first. And even though he was eating 4 oz. every four hours (which is a long stretch between feedings for 5 weeks), perhaps his growth on the growth charts was lagging? also,the sugar (or Karo syrup as my ped used to recommend on occasion) is not uncommon. Again, it is not ideal but it is not uncommon. The reason he probably did not recommend water is because he already said weight was a concern...and if a baby drinks water, he often gets too filled up to drink his formula.

NOTE: IT DOES SOUND like switching to another formula could solve the constipation and/or the reflux. My first two eventually ended up on Lactofree Enfamil, and we just recently had to switch my 3 mos. old to Alimentum ($$$yikes!!!$$$...but worth it...she rarely spits up now and doesn't even use a bib). Every baby is different and dairy is tough to digest/can cause reflux & constipation, etc. I also have girlfriends who have nursed who have had reflux babies and had to switch to formula also.

While I can't comment on the constipation or the weight gain issues, I can share my experience with my son, who is now 9. When he was an infant he spit up horribly - it would shoot out across the room, ruin clothing, his and mine, it was awful! This started after I had weaned him to a bottle, a little after 7 months. Our Pediatrition sent us to University of Michigan to a specialist and we found out the flap over his esauphogus was not closing completely when he ate so food would not make it all the way down to his stomach and would come shooting back up.(He did not have any growth issues as he was off the charts for height and still is! so some food must have been reaching his stomach!) I was told this is quite a common occurance in boys especially. I was also told he would eventually outgrow it. We had to put him on a soy based formula which is supposed to be easier on the stomach (and harder on the pocketbook!) and it did seem to help a little, but mostly he just outgrew it as they said except for a few issues he has of hiccupping or burping up in his mouth a little if he eats and gets to laughing at the same time as that will generate the food back up.

Hope this is of some help, I would be concerned too!

I think you should voice your concerns, and offer to go to the next appointment with them. Remember that knowledge is so much differnt now then when our mom's were new mom's. So that has a lot to do with why your mom is going along with it, first we did not question a doctor back then and secondly additives to formula were all the rage back then. If anything call your kids doctor, explain your concerns and see if they will give a consultation/second opinion.

Hi M.,
Please have her look for a new doctor!!! I have two children, but my neighbor had a doctor that recommended silly things like that, and after her son health started to get worse, she found a new doctor that told her to never put cereal in the bottles, to not give the baby sugar water, and that as long as your giving your baby what he wants when he's hungry, escpecially if he's gaining weight. Her son's health improved and he just was a little baby. He has now caught up to what the doctors feel is average. My youngest daughter would not eat more than 4 oz at a time until she was almost 7 months old. My doctor tried to make me feed her 8 oz, because thats the norm. I never did, she is now 10 months old and still only drinks 6 and is perfectly healthy!!Go with your gut!!