Can I use cooled boiled water or cows milk in baby rice?

[helenlouisey]

Quick question - is it ok to use cooled boiled water or full fat cows milk when mixing up baby rice? Thanks

Not full fat cows milk until 12m, cooled boiled water is fine...

Why not cows milk charlie?

I don't agree with you but was wondering at your reasoning.

Thank you, sorry, was just getting a bit confused as read that you can use cows milk in cooking but also read, like you say, not to give cows milk till 12 months, so wasn't sure what best thing was to do. Thanks.

How old is your lo?

What do you intend to put in their weetabix at 9 months?

Cows milk isn't as nutritious as bm and doesn't have the added vits of fm, so you don't really want to replace them, but, depending on quantities, it is fine to give.

He's 5 months old, was born prematurely though and current guidelines are to start weaning process at around 5 months. Problem is that I am already struggling to keep up with him with my breast milk supply as he is constantly hungry at the moment, and I don't want to waste expressed milk on baby rice that he may not eat (sorry if that sound stupid!!) My husband is completely against using formula (another story) and so was looking for alternatives to start using in his food. Do you think full fat cows milk would be better than water, taste and nutritionally wise? Thanks

helen - don't want to get into a huge big debate about weaning but the guidelines are wait until the baby is 6 months, also being premmie his gut might not be ready for solids.

IMVHO baby rice is like wallpaper paste and tasteless, I would be tempted to start with carrot and sweet potato.

If you do want to give baby rice, you only need about an oz of expressed milk, this is what I started out with as you really don't need much EBM at all for a few spoonfuls of rice. Expressed milk would be better to start off with, once he has reached 6 month you can use cows milk in cooking, I doubt you will use baby rice for very long.

It sounds like he is going through a growth spurt and wanting more milk

Sweetkitty, not sure whether you've had a prem baby or not, but all the guidelines relating to weaning a prem recommend starting at 5 months, if you are interested in reading the reasons for this have a look at the Bliss website where there is plenty of information on weaning a premature baby and why they recommend starting from 5 months (it is due to prem babies missing out on some of the normal nourishment that occurs in the womb during the latter stages of pregnancy which it isn't possible to match this supply of nutrition in the early weeks of life )

www.bliss.org.uk/publications.asp?itemid=32&itemTitle=Weaning+your+premature+baby&sectio n=578&sectionTitle=Download+or+order+Bliss+publications

Even the current NHS guidelines state that parents of premature babies should discuss timings of weaning prem babies with health visitor which I have done along with my GP (who was previsiously a SCUBU doctor)

There is also a very interesting chapter in annabel karmel's book "Top 100 baby purees' on weaning pre-term babies.

Don't mean to sound defensive but I am just following advise given to me by the prem baby charity and also my GP and health visitor.

Thanks

Am I being cynical, or were you just waiting for someone to come along with the standard "guidelines recommend 6 months" so you could come back with your alternate research!?

Formula is based on cow's milk, so can't see why your dh would be ok with cow's milk but not formula.

You are being very cynical, all I asked for was some advice as to whether I could use cooled boiled water or cows milk in baby rice, I didn't even say the age of my baby in my original post if you look back, I was asked my baby's age later and replied that my baby was 5 months old, and was then told my baby's gut might not be ready for wearning, I hadn't realised I would get the third degree as to why I was weaning at 5 months, thats not why I posted in the first place !!!! I wasn't looking for an argument, just some advise, which I thought I'd be able to get from here.

I know Habbibu, I've already tried that aguement with him, unfortuantely I was very poorly when our baby was born prematurely and my husband had to make the decision as to whether our DS had donated breast milk or formula, it was very much pressed on him the benefits of breast milk and he's had a 'thing' about formula ever since !!!

helen - sorry as I said I didn't want to get into the whole weaning debate, we all do what we think is best for our babies and as long as you are happy thats all that matters. As I said previously, I used to express about an oz and mix it with some baby rice, takes minutes to do and as he knows the taste so to speak he might take to it better IYSWIM rather than use cows milk or water. I used a little BM mixed in with banana or some pureed carrot at first too. They seemed to go down better than baby rice.

Well, that's fair enough, but it doesn't make cows milk any better than formula now. Tiktok's posts about formula are good - have a search for some of them, and see what your dh thinks after that.

Also, have a look at Tinkerbellesmummy's posts about weaning prem babies - might have useful tips for you. She did BLW, so not quite the same, but it might be of some use.

Thanks Habbibu, will have a search for those posts. Good point sweetkitty about the taste of BM, hadn't thought about that

going back to your original question. I wouldn't use cow's milk as yet because your LO might not digest it properly. Bearing in mind that prem babies need to start solids earlier, I think there are some baby cereals that already contain milk and these are safe to use, because the protein they can't digest has been removed.

helenlouisey, if the rice you are planning to use is intended to be in addition to his breastmilk, then mixing with water is just fine - you are adding calories to his existing diet, without taking away any nutrition.

If you wanted to use milk instead, then cows milk would be fine too - guidance is that it's fine from 6 mths but not as a 'main drink' and I think common sense would urge you not to worry about your baby being 5 mths and not 6 mths. It's not that cows milk is harmful before that age, and the amount you would be using to mix baby rice is pretty small.

Full fat cows milk has less vits in than formula, because the vits are added in to the formula - maybe your dh is a bit iffy about formula because it is a processed, manufactured product? In a baby who is still predominantly breastfed, I can't see it makes much difference either way, nutritionally - do what seems most convenient to you, and that's probably water, or expressed breastmilk, in the end.

However, my understanding is that the reason many authorities suggest weaning a little earlier for prem is because of iron - they didnt get the iron stores boost that comes towards the end of pg when the baby is in utero. So if this is your concern, then you could ask your HV about the relative iron content of your proposed options and, of course, whether it matters or not.

Thanks everyone

Tiktok, yes I am planning on using the rice in addition to his breastmilk and I think you are probably right, I think it's the fact that formula is processed and my husband sees cows milk as more of a natural product! I will have another chat with my health visitor about iron content of the various options

I apologize Helenlouisey, these weaning threads always seem to be such a war zone and I guess that's what has made me cynical about them. People seem to come here for a fight! I was v tired and grumpy when I posted.
Sorry, and best of luck with the weaning.
Make sure you get the video ready for those first few mouthfuls - the facial expressions are often priceless!

Hi Helen

I too have a premature baby (born at 33 weeks) and was told very clearly by my paedetrician NOT to start weaning before 6months. I was particularly interested as my baby has reflux and I thought weaning might help.

I can't seem to make your link work and the advice I can see on Bliss.org.uk indicates between 5 & 7 months for a prem baby and only to go for 5 months on medical advice. I'm not sure if the thing you were reading was advising 5 months due to lack of iron etc... - am curious about other reasons?? If it is about iron my situation may be different to your's as my baby was prescribed iron, folic acid and vitamin supplements to have everyday until 6months which presumably get around this problem. Therefore I am waiting until 6-7months as my baby doesn't seem ready at all. I like you don't want to waste breastmilk so am hoping that by waiting until this point can use cow's milk in the baby rice and other cooking to make the breastmilk last a bit longer.

Fi

Another mum of a prem here.

In my view... baby rice might be dull for term babies, but it has lots of iron which is important for prems so it's worth giving it, along with other stuff, I reckon.

I think you should use Nutriprem or expressed milk myself. Or a mixture?

You can use normal milk after 6 months but I'd use your LO's corrected 6 months age for that. Don't use water - you want your LO to keep putting on weight, not fill up on watery (and therefore less nutritious than it is meant to be) rice so he takes less milk.

That's my thinking, but you know your baby best

How early was your DS? If it was only a couple of weeks maybe it doesn't matter so much.

I think cooled boiled water. Cows mil is a no-no until 12months.
Expressed milk or formula is fine too.

Cows milk is fine after 6 months (think this is an allergy protection thing), but not as a main drink. You don't need to wait until 12 months.

Hi BabyFi,

Try this link instead

Hope it works, where abouts on the Bliss website does it say that to only wean at 5 months on medical advice? Seems weird to give conflicting advice to the leaflet they've produced! It does say in the leaflet though that the booklet is endorsed by The Paediatric Group of the British Dietetic Association (whoever they are, but sound impressive ) Is so difficult to know what to do for the best!