Putting cereal in a baby's bottle helps them sleep through the night

What the research found

A 1989 randomised trial of 106 infants gave bedtime rice cereal in a bottle from either 5 weeks or 4 months. Parents recorded sleep for weeks. Neither group had a consistently higher share of babies sleeping through the night.

A 1996 randomised trial of 41 formula-fed infants compared formula plus cereal with formula alone from 16 to 26 weeks. It found no significant difference in sleep pattern. Parathyroid hormone levels (involved in calcium balance) were higher in the cereal group at 26 weeks.

Large French cohort studies point the same way. One of 8,696 infants linked early baby cereal use (5 months or younger) with poorer sleep at age 1. Another study of 1,028 children found baby cereals were unrelated to sleep quality or amount. These studies show association only, not cause.

Health guidance is clear. US public health pages say cereal in a bottle will not make babies sleep longer and could raise choking risk. UK guidance says starting solids will not make a baby more likely to sleep through the night.

What it doesn’t mean

• The trials were small and the main one is from 1989. The finding is consistent across trials, cohorts and guidance, so the answer is unlikely to change.
• Frequent night waking is normal for babies. Guidance suggests a little extra milk can help until they are ready for solids, which is around 6 months.
• Cereal is sometimes used as a thickener for reflux, but only on a doctor's advice. If your baby is unsettled, vomits a lot or won't sleep, talk to a GP or child health nurse.