5 w/o & Rice in Formula

[GatorRN21]

I've taken care of a few infants in which the parents added rice to the formula becuase they believed their infant had GER. The parents believed it helped treat the GER. None of the infants were dx with GER. I was taught to not add it to formula until at least 6 m/o. Even if the infants had the dx of reflux, would it be ok?

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

It's not OK, and if does not help reflux. The infant digestive system is not mature enough to process the cereal, so they may sleep longer(fuller bellies), but they do not get the benefit of the calories.

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

What Canoehead said. The only sure way to diagnose GER is to do a pH probe, and most GI docs are reluctant in the extreme. Breastfed babies will upchuck if they eat too fast and are overfed. Bottlefed babies will upchuck if they eat too fast, swallow a lot of air and aren't burped properly or if the formula doesn't agree with them. None of that means they have GER... but there are lots of babies out there being treated for it. So many of the kids I see in our PICU are on omeprazole. Why?!