How to Feed a Baby Cereal in a Bottle

Babies are typically fed nothing but breast milk or formula until they are four to six months old. At that age, they get to start on rice cereal. Some babies need it even earlier if they're underweight and need to catch up on some calories for nutritional purposes. However, some babies can't eat cereal like everyone else on a spoon, so you may have to feed it to them through a bottle. This sounds simple enough, but improperly feeding a baby can cause him to choke or prevent him from getting all the food he needs to properly grow.

Things You'll Need

  • Bottle
  • Breast milk or formula
  • Rice cereal
  • Scissors
  • Bib

Instructions

    • 1

      Get a clean, sterilized bottle. Fill it halfway up from what you normally would. So if you'd normally feed the baby 6 oz., fill it up with 3 oz. of either breast milk or formula.

    • 2

      Add 1 tsp. of cereal for every 2 to 4 oz. of breast milk or formula. As the baby gets used to it and starts to need more calories, increase the amount of cereal to 1 tbsp. Attach the nipple. Shake the bottle gently to mix the cereal in and help it dissolve into the milk or formula.

    • 3

      Cut a slightly larger hole in the nipple to allow the cereal to pass through, or use a larger size nipple than you typically would as it will have a larger opening in the nipple.

    • 4

      Sit the baby up so she can swallow properly and put a bib around her neck as she will likely spit up.

    • 5

      Feed the baby the bottle as you normally would, teasing his bottom lip to get him to suck and take it in his mouth. Take the bottle out of his mouth if he stops sucking for more than a few seconds to give him a break. Then, if the baby still seems interested resume the feeding and give him the bottle again.

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