Adding cereal/baby rice to bottle feed...

[princesslina]

Hi
I know that adding cereal/baby rice to the bottle is not recommended at any age and am aware of the reasoning behind this but just wondering if anyone can point me in the direction of any official advice to support this (to support it being a bad idea). It is common place in France and some friends of mine in France have been asking me for some 'official' information on why this is not recommended. I have emailed NHS and DOH but have not heard anything back yet. Have searched web but cannot find anything 'concrete' just genreral recommnedations.
Thanks in advance.
xxx

It is a bad idea

It achieves nothing.

The child could choke.

It is a daft and unnnecessary thing to do.

I agree it is bad idea just need something on paper to back this up!

Won't common sense do and why do you need to prove it to anyone else?

This is all I can find but it's not really "official".

why do you need actual evidence?

It can clog in the teat or baby's throat and they can choke and die - any more evidence?

Why are you having a go at the OP? She's trying to help some friends.
Thirty years ago everyone did it in the UK. My mum did it. We didn't all keel over and die, so it's not just "common sense". She wouldn't have stopped doing it unless presented with some evidence.

Changing things from the norm requires quality information, which the OP is trying to get for her friends.
I'm sorry I couldn't find anything official for you, but think the article Dalrymps links to is good, particularly on the overfeeding issue.

Thanks for the link Dalrymps, I had stumbled on this also and have printed out, was also looking for some Europe based info too.
In France the doctors etc recommend it is put into the bottle, so me just saying it is not a good idea because of xyz is not necessarily a strong enough arguement as my advice is being compared to a French doctor IYSWIM, at the moment it is being considered by my friends as a cultural diff, in the UK they do it like this in France we do it like this, it has always been the way. It's complicated...

Thanks for looking for me Giddly, agree the Dr Greene info is interesting. There are always going to be cultural differences, and if often takes a lot of 'evidence' to change an opinion if change is atall possible.

Cereal in a bottle

Will my baby sleep better if I...

The above are links from the kellymom site which also says this:

Doctors and other experts recommend that you never give baby cereal in a bottle unless recommended by baby's doctor for a specific medical condition. Here are some of their reasons:

• It is a choking hazard.

• The cereal takes away from the amount of milk in the bottle (adds carbohydrates and dilutes the nutrient density), and baby may not get adequate milk volume for proper growth and development.

• Baby is being given a higher concentration of calories without being able to regulate her own intake. This can lead to weight problems in the future.

If baby?s doctor suggests thickened feedings for reflux, consider asking about alternatives, as many doctors question this practice and it has the potential to cause more harm than good.

Seona 1973
Thanks for the above links I will print and collate the advice, may even try to pick up the article cited on the one link.
xx

For all those who are interested just had the follwing reply from nhs direct:

Thank you for your enquiry. We have provided several references to bottle feeding cereal to babies which we hope you find useful. Please be aware that this is an information service and we are unable to give medical advice. If you have any further concerns regarding this matter we suggest you contact either The Department of Health, the National Childbirth Trust your own GP. Please see links provided.

www.bhnft.nhs.uk/dietetics/docs/0-5_update_versionl.pdf

Please note that this a PDF file and you may require an Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the document. We have attached a link to the Adobe website where the viewer can be downloaded for free.

www.adobe.com

Please refer Item 3 ?artificial bottle feeding? bullet point 3.

www.eatwell.gov.uk/agesandstages/baby/weaning/

Please refer ?Why wait until six months??

www.eatwell.gov.uk/info/contactus/#elem233563

www.clinicalanswers.nhs.u k/index.cfm?question=6035

www.dh.gov.uk/en/ContactUs/index.htm

www.nctpregnancya ndbabycare.com/info-centre/helplines

NHS Direct is applying to become an NHS Foundation Trust. To find out more and get involved by becoming a member, visit

www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/Foundationtrust

We hope you find this service beneficial and would appreciate any feedback you may have.

The NHS Direct Online Team.

it's recommended in spain too, by doctors

who the hell does ImnotMamaGbutsheLovesMe think they are?!?!!? whats wrong with asking for advice when it comes to your baby any and your babies health?
its a daft and unecessary thing to do? scuse me for going on my common sense put when you have a screaming child that milk wont satisfy why would you not consider it?

sorry but this made me really angry! this is mums net, i presume people come on here for help and advice, what a brilliant way to make themselves feel bad about them!

ImnotMamaGbutsheLovesMe, you should be ashamed of yourselfs. Unfortunately children dont come with a manual, which is why forums like this exsist- not for you to insult a caring mum who is asking a genuine question about her baby!!!!

And dredging up a thread from Oct last year achieves what exactly?

just to add to the above- sorry about the poor spelling it was a quick message bashed out in anger!
my mum suggested baby rice in a bottle to me and gave liam a couple of oz in a bottle last night. had no problems at all, but health visitor said today that apparently its not advised, something to do with a babies kidneys?
anyway, i wont be giving it him in a bottle again unless i feel i need to- if milk is not satisfying him at all and he wont take it off a spoon. i really dont want to have to and will try avoid it- if its bad for him i dont want to risk it.
but i think sometimes being a mum is about your own judgement. and i think we should all be confident in knowing whats right for our baby, and asking questions when we feel we need to. which is why comments from people like ImnotMamaGbutsheLovesMe are totally uncessary!

It's important to listen to people with more knowledge though too.

sorry I don't understand . You say "unless i feel i need to- if milk is not satisfying him at all and he wont take it off a spoon. i really dont want to have to and will try avoid it- if its bad for him i dont want to risk it." Surely the point is you don't need to and it is a potentially harmful practice.

But this conversation is over a year old , why revive it with such a vehement response to an individual comment ?

Have to say its something Iv always wondered about.
Intresting to note that this is not the only old thread thats been coxed out of the vault today.