Parent Education

[Decadense]

Hello everyone. First time poster here. I know this is probably a stupid question but I was just wondering if it is our jobs to educate the parents on certain things. I have a parent who recently started putting rice cereal in her 4 month old babies bottle.

I did some research on it and found that it is not a good idea to do that. The research I found said that it could make the baby choke, possibly cause it to aspirate and does not help it sleep through the night (that is the reason she says she is doing it).

I was just wondering if I should say something to her about what I found or if it is not my place. Thanks in advance for your advice and suggestions

[Alwaysgreener]

I do not recall what brand it was but when people tried to tell me to put cereal in a bottle, I would just reference that the box of cereal says not to.

However, even though I totally agree with you and not my mil, some doctors are known for telling parents to put cereal into bottles.

(Mil - put cereal in the bottles to help the infant stay full and sleep through the night. Although she also would put oral gel on the tip of the pacifier and shove it into my nephew's mouth and believes breastfeed infants need a bottle of water daily.)


(I also found a package of disposable diapers that said to dump the poop into the toilet before disposing.)

[Decadense]

Oh, thank you.. I do not know what brand she is using, but I did not know that the cereal said not to put it in the bottle...thank you so much

[Valerie928]

A lot of parents do this. I don't intervene with feeding styles. There's even formulas on the market that are AR ( added rice). This is given to babies that spit up a lot. It's a thicker type formula.

[Decadense]

A lot of parents do this. I don't intervene with feeding styles. There's even formulas on the market that are AR ( added rice). This is given to babies that spit up a lot. It's a thicker type formula.

Thank you. I am learning a lot. I did not know that either. Thanks

[Decadense]

I guess I should have researched better lol

[Sahm121]

For infants with reflux, pediatricians will recommend adding cereal to the bottle. You can ask them why they’re doing it and see if that’s the reason? It used to be that parents would put cereal in the bottle because babies with a full tummy slept better. The studies showed that it wasn’t that the babies were more full that made them sleep better since cereal has a tiny amount of calories, but the cereal would help babies with reflux and that’s why they slept better.

[GirlMomma]

I had to add rice cereal to a child’s bottle because the child had some sort of reflux issue.

Unless I had a doctors note, I wouldn’t add it as there are risks involved if the child doesn’t need it. If the parent is adding it at home, it’s just their parenting style.

[Decadense]

I had to add rice cereal to a child’s bottle because the child had some sort of reflux issue.

Unless I had a doctors note, I wouldn’t add it as there are risks involved if the child doesn’t need it. If the parent is adding it at home, it’s just their parenting style.

She has not ask me to add it yet. If she does ask what should I say? Just tell her I need a doctor's note? Maybe she won't ask if she is doing it to help the baby sleep better at night

[GirlMomma]

Yes, I would. State that due to the child’s age, your state only allows you to feed the child formula or breastmilk unless you have a doctor’s note. This way, you’re not liable for anything.

[Decadense]

Anyway, thank you all for educating me on the subject. I learned something new. I appreciate all your help

[Decadense]

Thank you GirlMomma

[Blackcat31]

Decadense are you on the food program? If so, you can't add anything to a bottle without a doctor's written statement. There may also be rules or guidelines about this in your state's licensing rules too so you may want to check there as well.
Otherwise, yes there are lots of things parents do that I won't or can't but unless I honestly feel the parent wants my advice or will listen to it, I tend to try to control only what I can and that is MY environment. Parents do what works best for them most times so it's a fine line sometimes.

[Decadense]

Decadense are you on the food program? If so, you can't add anything to a bottle without a doctor's written statement. There may also be rules or guidelines about this in your state's licensing rules too so you may want to check there as well.
Otherwise, yes there are lots of things parents do that I won't or can't but unless I honestly feel the parent wants my advice or will listen to it, I tend to try to control only what I can and that is MY environment. Parents do what works best for them most times so it's a fine line sometimes.

Thank you Blackcat31..I will check all that out...thank you for suggesting it I did not even think about that.. I do not usually give parents advice either because I feel like it's not my place but when I did my "research" I became scared when it said the baby could choke, but I have learned a lot on here already. Thank you all for all the great information. And yes, I am on the food program, so I can tell her that I can not add anything if she asks, she may not even ask but it is good to know that if she does

[Cat Herder]

Check your state childcare regulatory laws. Adding cereal is illegal here as suffocation (inhalation injury) and malnutrition risk. This (and bottle doping, diluting) is why they are forcing providers to only provide ready-to-use, sealed, formula.

We are also required to educate parents through our wellness policy.

[Cat Herder]

You can just share this link when you need to, they will mail you brochures for free to hand out as well. https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/Infant...tion/faqs.html

[Cat Herder]

Free brochures and educational material: https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/di...ions/index.htm