Feeding - Jacksonville,FL

Two weeks old is WAY too young for cereal!! Her digestive track is not developed enough to handle it at this age. Minimum 3-4 mos before babies should have cereal. Waking up every 2 hrs is what newborns DO, for goodness sake!

Absolutely not, her digestive system is not ready. Even at 8 or 10 wks with my son I made that mistake and he was screaming and throwing up all night. They are supposed wake up about every 2 hrs to feed, that's normal, it will get better with time. Tell her to hang in there.

The first few weeks are very hard! Baby should definitely be eating that often until they have at least doubled their birth weight. Once that happens you can talk to the pediatrician about adding a little cereal. My daughter was 3 months when this happened and her doctor allowed it as long as it didn't make her super gassy or constipated.

Hang in there!

NO cereal whatsoever at 2 weeks old. She is waking up every 2 hours because that is what newborns are supposed to do. Didn't the pediatrician or nurses at the hospital explain all of this to your daughter? Babies do not usually begin sleeping through the night, regardless if they are breastfed or formula fed until at least 6 months of age. It could be soon, could be later. ALL babies have a different time table. Please, DO NOT encourage your daughter to give her infant any food other than breast milk or formula. Babies should NOT be given solids of any kind until they are at least 4 months old but it could be later with some babies. Their bodies are not designed to handle real food just out of the womb.

I say no to the cereal. It can make them really fat. They go through a growth spurt at 3 weeks and will suddenly be hungry a lot more for a couple days and then go to eating every 3 hours. I would just ride it out for another week.

NO NO NO
A newborn's digestive system is not fully developed yet. It will do more harm than good.

A baby wakes... that is normal.
She should be fed on-demand....
Is your daughter breastfeeding or giving formula?
If breastfeeding... make sure she is producing enough milk... if not baby will always be hungry, not happy, wake and cry and not be able to sleep well.
AND make s ure the baby is latching on properly... if not the baby will not be getting enough intake either.

If giving formula... feed on demand as well.
Often times, a baby wakes because they are HUNGRY. You need to be sure to feed on demand, NOT according to a "schedule." Otherwise the baby will not be getting enough intake.

Sometimes a baby also wakes because of gas. You can use infant gas drops which helps.

This is how it is... the baby is only 2 weeks old... they wake and cry. Mostly because they are getting used to this world, are hungry, uncomfortable, need to bond with Mom and get comforting, or they are too hot or too cold....

She could also try to swaddle baby for sleeping or use a sleep-sack... which you can find on www.amazon.com

A baby also will go through what is called "cluster feeding." This means, that a baby needs more intake and feedings will even be every single hour. This means the baby is growing and needs more intake. All normal.

Do NOT give a newborn cereal.

A baby wakes, that is just the way it is.
For the 1st year of life... that is the way it is.
And even 2 year olds wake at night.

All the best,
Susan

Babies' digestive systems are not able to digest anything but breastmilk (or formula) until they are 6 months old. New studies have come out that state that babies who are fed anything but before the age of 6 months could have major digestive problems for a long time, even into their adulthood.
Suggest to your daughter to keep feeding the baby as needed. It's a great time to bond with baby.

Oh, please don't let her give rice cereal for several more months. The baby's digestive system won't be able to handle it, and there's no evidence this helps babies sleep.

It sounds like she either isn't eating large quantities (babies do not know how to over feed) or that, perhaps, the breastmilk isn't filling enough at this time. Your daughter might want to consider having a sample analyzed to see if the consistency is correct (as one nurse told my husband, "some women make skim and others make cream - obviously, your wife makes cream")

Here's what the American Academy of Pediatrics says about how long a baby should be sleeping:
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/s...

No way, 2 weeks is to early. I go by the idea that when the baby gets teeth then they are ready for something more than breastmilk or formula. or else they could get allergies or cause bloating, etc. My son (5th child) is 2 months now and he gets up now about 2 times @ night. I am breastfeeding. It helped ALOT to give him a bedtime routine. At 8pm, I give him a bath and turn off all lights in the room except a night light. Dress him in the darkened room and then feed him. Everything quietly with only soft talking. After a week of this routine, he was sleeping about 4 hours at a time. now he goes to bed at 9pm, wakes up at 1am, then at 5am and if my kids let us again until 9am! Make sure your daughter gets up when she first starts humming, dont let her get to a cry or it makes it harder to get her back to sleep- have bottles ready in fridge or breastfeeding is even easier! Have a bassinet in the room so its easier to hear her before she starts to cry and wakes herself all the way up.

Think of it as memories in the making! Good luck!

to add to that, make sure she knows preemies can be more difficult to breastfeed but they need it even more than full term babies. If she is having any difficluties with latching (the baby is not sucking well) then make sure she gets help asap (from hospital or La leche league), before it affects her milk and her decision to breastfeed.

yes, a little rice cereal mixed in with her milk won't hurt her.

Updated

oops my bad, I guess it wouldn't be a good idea to give her rice cereal, especially since she is a preemie.

She's way too young for cereal, she would probably just spit it up anyway. Waking every 2 hours is perfectly normal, just remember its a phase and she won't do it forever. In 2 weeks her sleeping patterns could be much better without doing anything. Just tell your daughter to hang in there, in a couple months these sleepless nights may be a distant memory.

Here's a helpful blog post that discusses newborn sleep up until 6 weeks, and then from 6-16 weeks. It sounds like your granddaughter is doing exactly what she should be doing at this point in her wee life, hang in there, it will get easier, slowly but surely.

[url]http://www.secretsofbabybehavior.com/2010_03_01_archive.h...

It is too early to give her rice cereal. Have her talk to her pediatrition for suggestions.

There is NO correlation between feeding and sleeping at that age. It is one of maturity and self regulation. Feeding cereal will set the child up for severe allergies (like we all have from being fed young). Wait till 7-8 months to feed food. Get baby on tummy 4x a day for 30 minutes each time.

Can someone else get up with the baby, and bring her to mom to nurse, or take every other with a bottle so that she can get some sleep? 2 hours is pretty normal for this age, although I did feed, and try to keep my son awake for about 30 minutes (feeding and awake) before letting him go back to sleep. It is hard at that age, but it worked, and the feedings spread out and he developed a good, consistent routine. Yes, that early (I know I will get heat for that). And he started sleeping through the night at 8 weeks. I'm sure that she is exhausted right now, but it will get better, and as she starts to smile and interact, it will be so worth it to keep up with the nursing.

Absolutely not. She is supposed to wake up every 2-3 hours to eat.

I know you have a lot of answers and you have updated but I just wanted to add that she must not be given rice cereal yet , she has to be at least 4 months , and as she is a preemie maybe a little older still before rice cereal is given. She is 2 weeks old , and they need to be fed every 2-3 hrs , their stomachs are so small they cannot take much food at once and so this is why they wake so often day & night. Yes your daughter is tired but she will get past this stage. My 3rd child was 6 wks early and we had to feed her every 2 hrs whether she woke or not. Can your daughter pump???? If yes then can't someone else feed the baby while she get's some sleep?

Too early. Babies eat often! If she wasn't, then be worried!

From what I understand babies digestive system isn't ready for cereal until around 4 months. At that age thru 6 months my son breastfed every 2 hours. I started cereal with him at 6 months.

Babies that young need to eat about every two hours. Mine did for the 1st few weeks. I know she needs sleep but I would NOT recommend giving a baby that young cereal yet. Their systems just can't handle it. I had to give my son special formula that had rice cereal in it. (for spit-up reasons) and ended up having to take him off of it. He was so constipated. Hope this helps a little.

No - two weeks is way too young for any food. Talk to your doctor.

I personally would not be comfortable feeding a 2 week old cereal. I believe it's perfectly normal for a baby that young to be waking up very frequently to eat. Is she bottle or breastfeeding?

No, no, no, do not give her cereal...do you want to mess her stomach up? It's a proven fact that babies that are fed to early in life develope stomach problems later in life. Also they develope allergies that they would not normally have. It is normal for her to wake up every two hours to eat. My oldest woke up every two hours to eat for months....my youngest slept through the night from the start. Every baby is different. Your daughter just needs to get up with her and feed her when she is hungry. Don't let her give her any food or your granddaughter will pay for it the rest of her life....if you love your granddaughter you will tell your daughter not to give her cereal!!!!!

Your granddaughter is waking every 2 hours to feed because that is perfectly normal! You don't say if she is breast or formula fed but for a breast fed baby every 1 /12-3 hours is perfectly normal. Babies have very tiny tummies and need to eat frequently. It helps them grow, keeps them nourished, content and comforted. And you don't want a baby that tiny to go more than 4 hours between feeds. Their blood sugar can drop and that's not something you want. If your daughter is breastfeeding she needs to feed on demand. Right now is the time when the milk supply is being built and regulated. Most moms make enough milk so don't let that be a worry but she needs to feed on demand for that to happen. Even if she is formula fed she still needs to be fed on demand. Pediatricians don't want babies going for long stretches without feeds until they are at least around 6 weeks old.

DO NOT give a 2 week old cereal. It probably won't help her sleep any longer and it will deprive her of the nutrition that she needs! Please take the time to look up "open gut" as it relates to an infant. This is why it is recommended that babies not get solids until they are 6 months old. Yes-6 months old!

Here is a link with info on it:
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/early-solid-food-feeding...

Babies wake to eat and they do it often. That is part of the deal when you have a baby! I hate to sound harsh but it's what you sign on for. Your daughter needs to nap when the baby naps. And it sounds like you can offer her some help so if she is able to catch a nap while you watch the little one that is what she needs to do not give her baby something she doesn't need and can't process.

no way!!! She is too early grandma - you don't want to bloat her stomach. I had to carseat train my son - people will probably disagree - if she's bottle fed - give her a bottle at 9/10 at night. put her in the carseat go for a quick drive - if she falls asleep leave her in the carseat unbuckled but in her crib and make sure she's not sitting up completely though. see if that helps her with sleeping longer - i did that for three nights and it taught him to sleep every 4 - 5 hours he was bottle fed though. now if she's breastfeeding it is okay to give her formula at night in place of breast milk so that mom can have her rest. but if she's breastfeeding at night i'm surprised she's not up every 1-1/2. because breastfed babies wake up sooner because of the digestion of her milk. Don't give her cereal - also, try giving her a massage at night before she sleeps - that might help. and be sure mom is producing enough if breast fed. easy way to do this i learned in lactation classes after my second one was born. weigh the baby completely naked before her feed. if you have a scale that has ounces and most scales now do have them. have her feed and then weigh her after she eats. if she's got an ounce on her she's feeding well. if she weighs the same then she's not getting much milk.

No I would not start this early-baby is 2 weeks old they are supposed to wake up every 2 hours. Its rough the first month or so, but it will get better. I would wait a while on the rice cereal-and it doesnt always work. Plus with baby being soo young you dont want to cause other issues like gas and other things. She should talk to the doctor prior to doing so if she is set on trying the cereal.

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the baby is way too young to digest cereal. Waking every two hours is normal, it's what her body needs to grow. Every baby is different with their appetite, and they only wake and feed what they need and their bodies can handle.

All two week old babies need milk every 2 hours. It'll get better so hang in there but do not give her cereal. Her belly can't handle it yet.