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Cereal in formula to help baby sleep.
Newborn babies eat frequently and sleep in short stretches because their nervous and digestive systems are developing.
Mom s are urged to add a little rice baby cereal and formula to baby s bottle as a way to keep him full and sleep through the night.
So the reasoning goes.
A bigger meal or even the addition of formula or rice cereal will make her sleep longer.
Many even added the cereal to their baby s bedtime bottle.
Studies show that there is no change in the amount of time that a baby will sleep if cereal is put into the bottle.
But the aap along with other feeding.
Some babies will sleep worse due to reactions to the formula or solids tummy ache etc.
Three studies have indicated that adding solids or formula to the diet does not cause babies to sleep longer.
For generations new moms often encouraged by their mothers and grandmothers have fed a bit of rice cereal to their wakeful babies in an attempt to fill their bellies and coax them to sleep longer.
This turns out to be a widespread myth.
But studies have shown that this doesn t work.
Are not uncommon particularly if baby is younger than around 6 months.
Adding cereal to a bottle to help a baby sleep is a myth.
There is no evidence that it will help.
The presumption is that the extra calories from the cereal will help the baby feel full for a longer period of time and thus not wake up so soon to be fed.