Moms on social media are debating whether or not they should use what they are calling knock-out bottles to ensure their babies sleep through the night.
A knock-out bottle is a mixture of formula or breastmilk with cereal or baby food and even in some cases medicine. The combination is meant to give babies a full and heavy stomach to encourage them to sleep all night. Moms are debating on the use of food concoctions in baby bottles to encourage their little ones to sleep throughout the night. Moms took to social media to either support the use of knock-out bottles or to proclaim why they are against it.
Look, we've all been there and I know I have. Young babies require more frequent feedings and I am sure it is tempting for some to use measures to get extra rest or just have a moment to themselves. Medical professionals acknowledge this old practice but strongly advise against it unless prescribed by your doctor.
According to Healthy Children, adding solids to your infant's bottle can cause a series of problems. You can risk overfeeding your baby and activating food allergies. The AAP recommends breastmilk or formula for the first six months of a baby's life as their digestive system isn't yet ready to handle solids.
Pediatricians and health professionals advise parents to not put food and cereal in bottles. Dieticians and nutritionists also agree with the doctors. According to Dr. Greene, there are people who have no signs of issues with being fed cereal in bottles there are children that can not tolerate the addition because their sucking and swallowing actions were not yet fully coordinated. The results ended in babies who inhaled small amounts of rice cereal into their lungs, which led to pulmonary problems.
"As a general rule, bottles are meant to supply liquid nutrition in the form of breastmilk or formula to an infant when their digestive system cannot handle solids. Once your baby is old enough for solids, it is important to encourage natural oral functions such as chewing and swallowing food," says Dr. Lilya Horowitz, a general dentist who treats pediatric patients. "This will help stimulate the ideal jaw and facial muscle development that will greatly benefit the child's future dental health. The earlier and more consistently you can encourage your baby to get more comfortable with solids, the better your outcome will be."
Plus, science says it doesn't even work. The research conducted on this knock-out bottle concluded that babies who experienced their first uninterrupted 6-hour stretch of sleep came no earlier in those who took cereal early. Mixing solids in your baby's bottle is also a choking hazard and can cause them to gag on their food.
We all know that nighttime feeds are a struggle and mom needs to rest. Babies are designed to wake up every few hours to eat and trying to get them to sleep longer than they would naturally is more harmful than it is convenient. Even if your baby turned out fine, consider yourself one of the lucky ones. As always, you should always consult your pediatrician for the best advice.