Cereal In Formula To Help Baby Sleep

This turns out to be a widespread myth.

Cereal in formula to help baby sleep.

Many even added the cereal to their baby s bedtime bottle. A bigger meal or even the addition of formula or rice cereal will make her sleep longer. Newborn babies eat frequently and sleep in short stretches because their nervous and digestive systems are developing. Get free updates on baby s first year.

Adding cereal to a bottle to help a baby sleep is a myth. There are a few problems with this recommendation though. Adding rice cereal to baby s evening bottle is a common practice by many parents who want to fill their baby s belly in the hopes it will help them sleep more. But studies have shown that this doesn t work.

Three studies have indicated that adding solids or formula to the diet does not cause babies to sleep longer. So the reasoning goes. But the aap along with other feeding. Studies show that there is no change in the amount of time that a baby will sleep if cereal is put into the bottle.

For generations new moms often encouraged by their mothers and grandmothers have fed a bit of rice cereal to their wakeful babies in an attempt to fill their bellies and coax them to sleep longer. There is no evidence that it will help. Some babies will sleep worse due to reactions to the formula or solids tummy ache etc. Are not uncommon particularly if baby is younger than around 6 months.