The Effects of Feeding a Baby Rice Cereal in a Bottle

Weight Gain

• By adding rice cereal to your baby's bottle, your baby will likely drink the same volume but consume more calories. Babies have internal schedules and self-regulating behavior that helps them monitor food and milk consumption. When you increase the number of calories in your baby's bottle, he doesn't necessarily consume any less. A negative effect is that your baby will be more likely to overeat and might become dependent on the higher number of calories. He might even express dissatisfaction when cereal isn't mixed with his milk, potentially leading to excessive weight gain.

Food Allergies

• Feeding a baby rice cereal in a bottle might lead to future food allergies once she starts eating solid foods. Introducing solids, such as cereals, before 4 months of age could cause long-term food allergies, according to pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene on his personal website DrGreene.com. Babies are still developing their immune systems and forming viable digestive tracts, so a premature introduction of cereals could lead to mild, moderate or severe allergic reactions.

Eating Habits

• When you feed an older baby cereal in a bottle, he doesn't learn how to eat with a spoon. As he learns to eat with a spoon and takes his time with each bite, it gives his tummy time to register that it's full. By encouraging him to eat rice cereal with a spoon, rest his spoon between bites, chew, swallow and let you know when he is full, you help him establish positive, life-long eating habits, according to DrGreene.com.

Sleep

• You might think that giving your baby cereal in a bottle helps her sleep longer, but studies haven't shown that to be true, according to "Parenting" magazine. Once your baby reaches 4 to 6 months of age, consult her pediatrician to see if it's advisable to start her on solid foods. Once she's old enough to eat with a spoon, safely consume rice cereal and properly digest solid foods, she'll still appreciate getting her milk from a bottle.

Reflux

• If your baby has been pediatrician-diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux, adding rice cereal to his bottle might help. Add up to 1 tablespoon of rice cereal to 2 ounces of infant processed milk or expressed breastmilk, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. If the mixture is too thick for the nipple size, purchase bottles or nipples with a larger hole or cut a little ̶0;x̶1; in the nipple, suggests NDDIC.