Baby Rice

[SC00BY]

Has anyone used baby rice in bottles, added to milk? what are your opinions on it.

 Cheers

[mimififi]

I think the packet actually tells you not too.  If the little one is not taking a spoon, they probably aren't ready for solids yet.  How old is the baby

[SC00BY]

Just turned 8 weeks. We have had advice to put rice in his last bottle at night?

[boobesque]

we were told not to do that, and when my little one was 4 months then to start giving it off the spoon, not in a bottle

[mycatis]

8 weeks is too young for solids and mimififi is right, you're not meant to put it in bottles

[loopey]

I agree with the rest, if you have any worries about your babies feeding you should ring your health visitor they are there to help new mums, but formula milk/breast milk should be all a baby of this age needs.

[DannyK]

I think the latest guidence recommends no weaning products until 6 months - and this includes baby rice. It's the digestive systems that it's thought don't cope particularly well with it any earlier.

Have you been advised this to stop baby waking during the night? If so I would recommend a larger feed before bedtime, and making sure he stays awake through it, to ensure he takes it all.

[spudqueen]

Who gave you this advice? Speak to your health visitor before doing something so drastic. Babies under 3 months old shouldn't need anything but milk (except boiled cooled water if it is VERY hot). Maybe you just need to change the milk formula.

[nfn]

NOTHING should be added to bottle milk.  If you think about it, if a baby is hungry and is given breast milk what would you do? Either increase the number of feeds or, ONLY on the advice of a doctor or health visitor, introduce solids

[kick3m0n]

my pal had a wee boy who just went on one growth spurt after another and grew at a nmassive rate.  She was breast feeding and felt liek she wasn't giving him enough soem days, as he still seemed hungry.  She began suplementing hsi b/feeds with formula (on advice of health visitor) but he was still hungry soemtimes.  At 13 weeks, her doctor and health visitor agreed that she could give him a very occasional spoonful of very weak baby rice.  They were both very reluctant to do so, but after giving him a thorough examination, and making his mum note all the feeds he was given for a week, they agreed that this might help.   Their concern was that a babys stomach just cannot cope with anything like solids until 16 weeks (which is still too early for some little ones).  It worked for my pals baby and he's continued to thrive, and is still very big for his age, but this is NOT a way to get a baby to sleep thru the night.   Infact, if you give solids too early, you may upset the little ones digestion so much that they are awake all night in pain or discomfort.

[SC00BY]

Thanks very much everyone. Just thought i'd ask for some opinions. I think a few more middle of the night feeds are on the cards.

[kick3m0n]

Hi Scooby, yep you will indeed have more middle of the night feeds, and I'm afraid they may well not stop even after solids are introduced at around 16 weeks.  My wee guy ate everything he could as soon as he could when we were weaning him, but he would still sometimes waken up for a feed right up until about 9mnths old.   Only once a night mind, and he slept and napped brilliantly other than that.   Good luck! xx

[lissyl78]

Hi, agree with the others that nothing should ever be added to milk in a bottle. Am really surprised someone reccommended it to you!

Anyway, I was going to suggest the thicker formula you can get for hungrier babies (the SMA one is called SMA white). Not sure what age they have to be though and check with your health visitor too. Good luck!

[Booldawg]

as lissy says, SMA white is for 'hungrier babies' and can be given from week 1. Personally, we did use a teaspoon of baby rice in our daughters bottle from 6 weeks, but only very rarely and it didnt do her any harm, but as its not recommended I certainly wouldnt says its a particularly good thing to do.

[phae]

if you are posting this question because you want your baby to sleep thru the night,,, babyrice is not the answer to our dreams!!!! concentrate on  getting a sleeping pattern over the next 4 weeks. and your baby cld be sleeping from 7pm to 7am (with a feed at 11pm). read gina fords 'contented baby'. these routines really work... never put baby rice in a bottle. don't wean til 4 months old at the earliest. i'v got three kids aged 3, 2 and 1... they all were routined and are all sleeping thru as they all were from 8 weeks.

[Liza B]

hi I have five children and all of them had rice in their bottles, they are now 17, 15 (twins) and 13 (twins) all very healthy, they all got at 12 weeks.  the eldest slept all night from 3 weeks and was put on rice as that was what was done then, the 15 year olds didn't sleep more than 5 hours in a day or night and they had a routine and the others slept all night at 6 months so all were very different, all babies are different and have their own sleep patterns, though believe me that is not any help to parents who get very little sleep. I know alot of advice you get now is the opposite of what I was told and what ours parents before us were told, do what you and your health visitor think is right. And you will not go wrong.

[Liza B]

forgot to say the 15 year olds didn't sleep all night until they were 4.

[carla81]

My step mam told me she used to do this for my brother but was a waste of time as it wouldn't come through. I've always been told not to though it says on the packet not to aswell