If you are adding rice cereal in your formula then regular flow nipple sizes will not be suitable. So what size nipple for rice cereal? The best nipple size for rice cereal would be a y cut nipple if your baby is 6 months and older as they would be able to regulate the fast flow.
For babies under 6 months the most suitable nipple for rice cereal would be a medium flow nipple size.
Generally, getting the nipple size which your baby will prefer is a trial and error method. Nonetheless, a medium flow nipple size is a good place to start depending on the bottle brand that you are using.
What Size Nipple for Rice Cereal
The most suitable size nipple for rice cereal is a Y cut nipple size as it is specifically designed for thicker formulas. However, the caution is that Y cut nipples can be fast flow and will be hard to regulate for a baby under 3 months.In such a case consider using a medium flow nipple.
We will discuss some of the nipple sizes you can consider for different bottle brands in the market and also suggest what bottles are good for rice cereal.
What Size Nipple for Rice Cereal Avent
You can use the medium flow nipple size for Avent bottles for babies under 6 months. For babies 6 months + you can use the Avent variable flow nipples which are specifically designed for thicker formulas.
What Size Nipple for Rice Cereal Dr Brown
You can use the Y cut nipples for babies older than 6 months for Dr Brown bottles. For babies under 9 months consider using a medium flow nipple.
What Bottles are Good for Rice Cereal
The best bottles for rice cereal are bottles which are wide necked for ease in adding the cereal, those with few parts to clean and have nipples that will let through thickened formula easily.
We highly recommend the Tommee Tippee Natural Added cereal bottles as the best bottles for rice cereal. They are wide necked and available up to 11 oz size. More importantly they have Y cut nipples which allow the baby to feed without struggling.
See also Best Bottle for Oatmeal Cereal
How To Make Nipple Bigger for Rice Cereal
The best way to make a nipple bigger for rice cereal is to look for small clippers or kitchen scissors. Sterilize them and make a small cut on the nipple hole.
However, we highly discourage making a nipple hole bigger for rice cereal. Reasons being that the nipple will wear out really quickly. In addition, the likelihood of your baby feeding on the parts of the nipple are high.
We encourage use of a fast or medium flow nipple size if your baby is under 3 months. And for babies 6 months plus Y cut nipple will be most suitable for rice cereal.
See also Best Bottle for Enfamil Ar
Conclusion
If you are adding rice cereal to your formula, the most suitable nipple size is a Y cut nipple specifically designed for thicker formulas.
However this will depend on how old your baby is, for babies under 3 months you should use medium or fast flow nipples which will be able to regulate the flow.
See also Best Nipple for Oatmeal Cereal