As a new parent, you're likely getting tons of unsolicited advice from family members, friends and even strangers on the street. Fussy baby? Trouble breastfeeding? There's a dubious hack for almost everything parenting-related. One such tip that just won't quit? Putting rice cereal in your baby's bottle as a way to "fill her up" and help her sleep longer at night.

This is an old wives' tale that is frequently passed on new moms. But is it safe? Read on for the full details — and why leading experts do not recommend this practice for the vast majority of children.

Is it safe to put rice cereal in your baby's bottle?

Putting rice cereal in a baby's bottle is an old-school parenting tip that claims to help babies sleep better at night. In a survey of nearly 400 parents published inPediatrics, 43 percent of respondents said they have tried this "hack" at some point to help their babies sleep better.

However, leading experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) do not recommend this practice, pointing out that there's no evidence it improves sleep. What's more, it could increase your child's risk of choking.

Some experts also worry that putting rice cereal in a baby's bottle could contribute to excessive weight gain, as it's essentially adding extra calories to each meal that baby might not need.

Rice cereal also contains small amounts of arsenic. While consuming moderate amounts of rice products as part of a varied diet is not considered harmful (more on this below), if your baby is consuming lots of rice cereal (say, frequently in her bottle), that would increase her exposure.

On rare occasions, there are medical reasons why parents might be told to put rice in their baby's bottle. For example, doctors might recommend adding a thickening agent to a bottle for babies with very severe reflux (although oatmeal is now preferred for this issue). In this specific instance, however, it would be administered with a doctor's knowledge and recommendation.

How to safely introduce rice cereal to your baby

Although you should never put it in your baby's bottle, rice cereal is a popular first food for babies and can be safely introduced once your child starts solids, usually sometime around 6 months. Prepare the cereal according to the package instructions and spoon-feed it to your little one (or give her a preloaded spoon and let her try to feed herself!).

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To make the texture easier for her to manage when she's first starting solids, mix rice cereal with breast milk or formula. Offer small portions that are easy for her to handle, and watch carefully for signs of choking.

While seeing the word "arsenic" might make you panic, rice cereal is largely considered a healthy food for babies once she's old enough to start solids. To limit your baby's exposure to arsenic — from rice cereal or other foods — experts recommend that you keep your baby's diet varied, avoid fruit juice, and avoid offering foods that contain brown rice syrup or rice milk. You can also experiment with other single-grain cereals such as oatmeal or barley.

In other words, once your baby is eating solids, rice cereal shouldn't be served at every meal — no matter how much she may love it. This ensures she's getting proper nutrition from a variety of delicious foods as well as limiting her arsenic exposure.

The bottom line? Prepared properly, rice cereal can be a safe food for babies who are eating solids, but you should never put it in your child's bottle, no matter how desperate you are for her to sleep longer at night.

Instead, talk to your pediatrician for recommendations on how to improve your child's sleep, and save the rice cereal for when she's old enough to safely eat it from a spoon.