WWA14 do re: solids/cereal and sleeping

hordol · September 2014

Long story short: my kid will be five months on wednesday and doesn't sleep. Up anywhere from 4-8x per night for the last 9 weeks. Every other week or so he gives us a random 6 hour stretch, but I could count on one hand the number of times that has happened in these past 9 weeks. He acts like he is STARVING. For example, last night he went down at 7 and by midnight he had nursed 3 times and had 2 bottles of formula. He eats every 3 hours or less during the day, and he is on the low, low end of the weight spectrum.

I called the ped a couple weeks ago to say I was concerned about how much he was eating and he would scream like he was starving if I tried to hold him off, thinking he couldn't possibly be hungry. His intake has almost doubled. She said I could try some rice cereal with him, and that he was ready for solids and that's probably why he was so hungry.

I didn't take the advice because I was adamant about waiting until 6 months. Still am. Plus he doesn't show any interest in food, isn't sitting up (can't remember if that's a solids rec in general or just BLW but oh well) and I really have no idea about his tongue reflex. But I'm at my wits end and if he truly needs something more substantial, I feel bad making him wait. Not to mention my husband and I have been functioning on less than 4 hours of sleep for over 2 months and we both work full time. It's just getting to be too much. Last night was the first time I lost patience with DS and I felt really crappy, which I know is silly and the fact that I've held it together and had patience for as long as I have is good. I was alone for most of the night cause DH was at work until 2 am and I just felt like I couldn't do this anymore. i know, I'm so dramatic.

Anyway, I'm thinking about taking the advice of the pedi and putting some cereal in his bottle. Just to see. For people who have given their kid cereal, would you recommend it? Did it help? What were your reasons for doing it? Was your kid thinking he was starving all the dang time too?

ksulli · September 2014

We started food a few weeks back, just shy if 5 months. She was sitting a assisted, and dive bombing our plates if we held her while eating. So she seemed to want it. And she loved it- no tongue thrust, she grabbed the spoon and shoved it in further.

No change in sleeping habits, which were admittedly better than your LOs. She's down 7:30-11/12, and then up to eat every 2 hours. Sometimes 3 if I'm lucky.

MommaY4814 · September 2014

I'm sorry! I'm sure your exhausted..DS don't wake up as much as your LO, more like 2-3 times a night and even it's hard! Anyways, I tried the cereal thing (not in bottle, but spoon fed before bed) and I feel like It got me nowhere. But then I started veggies at almost 5 months and it seemed to make him more satisfied. And he loves it. Also, it's more nutrition than cereal. I know this doesn't necessarily answer your question, and you want to wait til 6 months, but it's all I got...good luck!

MommaY4814 · September 2014

mom2boxers said:
How long does it take them to "like" a vegetable?

After a couple tries of avocado(I know technically a fruit) sweet potatoes, & butternut squash..he now opens his mouth and leans in for the spoon. I count that as liking it, since he's not gagging, making faces, etc. At first he is all "what the heck?" Though.

Rrrrrachel · September 2014

1. I do not think it will help with sleeping. This seems to be a common misconception even among peds.

2. Please don't start with cereal. Go ahead and start with avocado, sweet potato, pears, etc.

Lindsay808 · September 2014

I did oatmeal, twice. Spoon fed before last bottle at a very poor & desperate attempt to help her sleep better.

It didn't make a difference, either time. I would just skip it and move on to better food.

Serenla · September 2014

I believe the 6 mo rule isn't hard and fast, it's anywhere from 4-6 if an interest is shown. Also I wouldn't start on cereal, yuck. Try high in fats/calories healthy food like avocados as pp mentioned.

belindahampton · September 2014

No advice but I could have written this exact post.

Tried cereal 3 times... hasn't worked.

The only reason I tried cereal was because of the peds advice and my husband's co-workers who were telling him what we 'need' to do. I gave in to shut him (him = husband - he thinks what everyone else does is what we HAVE to do) up and it did nothing. He thinks we have to keep trying because it will take time lol what?

Anyway, no more cereal for us... moving on to avocado this weekend...good luck!

ksulli · September 2014

Avacado and sweet potato are like Christmas morning for LO. Also, she now starts excitedly kicking and opening her mouth as soon as she's in the high chair.

hordol · September 2014

I would only want to start solids if my kid could actually benefit from them. If he needs to eat every 1.5-2 hours all night then it doesn't seem like he is satisfied. If solids would satisfy him, then I feel like I would go for it. However DS doesn't seem to be interested...he never notices our food or tries to grab it or anything. Well, he does but it seems like he does it in more of a general way, not in a "I want to try that!" way...if that makes sense.

So starting with avocados and some veggies might be more filling than cereal? I will admit I haven't done a ton of research into solids yet because I was in no hurry, but now in just trying to see if they might help DS.

jsoubel · September 2014

With DD1, we started her at 5 months on day 1 with oatmeal mixed with breastmilk (formula). Did that for two more days to make sure she wasn't allergic. Then we added sweet potatoes to the oatmeal for three days, then added apples for three days, etc...We did that from 5-6 months I think. She had no tongue thrust. At 6 months, we did cereal + fruit in the morning but just fruit or veg for lunch and dinner and onward to our happy, healthy saurkraut and fresh vegetable eating 21 month old.

For DD2, I tried oatmeal two weeks ago and she tongue thrusted it out. I am going to try again this weekend though and will do the same thing as with DD1.

If your DS is hungry, feed him! Whether it's a bottle only or you want to try to start food. Like PPs said, food is not always the solution but a full baby is a happy baby (generally). Good luck.

kimberpoo · September 2014

I agree with everything PP's said. if you want to start, start. if you don't, then don't.

Our LO has been insatiable the last few weeks and has shown signs he wants to try our food, so just a few days ago I gave in and made him sweet potato 'soup' (1 tbsp. sweet potato and 3-4 tbsp. breastmilk). he loved it! and it seemed to keep him fuller longer. He's not digesting all of it (bits of sweet potato in his diaper = gross!) but that's to be expected. he drinks about 38-44 oz per day, and just slightly less on sweet potato days but he seems more satisfied and doesn't go as crazy when it's time to eat. We're going to try just a bit of oat cereal over the weekend to see if he likes that, and if so then I might give just one bottle a day with a tiny bit mixed in to grandma to give him at lunch time since he is so hungry.

Have you increased his oz at all? my lo eats a bigger bottle just before bed and right after waking up, but smaller bottles in between.

you can always try a solid or two, then stop if it doesn't help or you are uncomfortable with it. I was set on that 6 month timeline but I'm glad I gave in. I was scared at first to give him solids but he seems happier because of it.

hordol · September 2014

Oh believe me, I always feed him when I figure out that's what he wants (I know that's what he wants every time he wakes up now, but when he first started this I thought he was up for other reasons because he had just eaten. Now he gets fed at every wake up. He will nurse and idk how much he gets but if he gets a bottle, he gets 4 ounces at a time. Think he had 12 ounces of formula alone last night MOTN plus the 3 or 4 times he nursed.

Laroo0220 · September 2014

@hordol‌ sorry you're having such a rough time with the sleep thing still

you know I feel your pain. We were at that shit since July and now finally this week she started sleeping long stretches. I'm talking 9-10 hrs. Maybe he will still come out of this crap sleep thing and decide to sleep. I have no advice on solids since we haven't started yet but good luck with whatever u decide!

steph1977 · September 2014

@hordol‌ I'm in the same boat. My
LO is still a terrible sleeper, and everyone (including DH) is pushing us to begin solids in hopes that it will improve his nighttime sleep. Are you
sure he's waking out of hunger? I honestly don't think my DS is necessarily waking b/c he's hungry, although nursing him is the only way I can soothe him. I think it's more of a sleep cycle issue that's become habit.

juniper75 · September 2014

Laroo0220 said:

@hordol‌ sorry you're having such a rough time with the sleep thing still you know I feel your pain. We were at that shit since July and now finally this week she started sleeping long stretches. I'm talking 9-10 hrs. Maybe he will still come out of this crap sleep thing and decide to sleep. I have no advice on solids since we haven't started yet but good luck with whatever u decide!

This gives me hope - we've had crap sleep since July too!

MamaFantastic · September 2014

If your goal is staving off hunger, avocado (and its high fat content) is your best bet. The higher fat and calories will slow digestion. Something sugary like a typical fruit would taste good but blow through the system much quicker.

hordol · September 2014

So after reading some replies yesterday I called the triage nurse at my ped's office to see if they would give the green light to start with something like avocado rather than cereal. She said starting fruits and veggies too early could cause food allergies and starting rice cereal is the only safe solid to start. When I mentioned I wanted to skip it because cereal seemed a little pointless, she was all "pointless?!?!? It's iron FORTIFIED."

So...yeah. But she did correct me about what I thought the cereal rec was before (to give it in a bottle) and that I'm actually not supposed to do that, but make it really thin and spoon feed it. Still haven't done it yet though...

Zachysmommy · September 2014

This was us from July to August. My doc suggested the same thing. We started with very thin cereal spoon fed before bath/bed. He loved it! The sleep improved gradually but he can now go 10-12 hours per night. We have added fruits and veggies which he loves!! I think a full and well rested baby is a healthy happy baby. Cereal might not be for everyone but you have to do what works for your baby (and you!).

Jodash24 · September 2014

I've found even by introducing food hasn't made a difference to my LO sleep pattern, I've tried food early in the day, later on In the day, he does fall asleep after food, but no change during the night, he makes all the rules. Hopefully your LO will be different.

Jodash24 · September 2014

I've found even by introducing food hasn't made a difference to my LO sleep pattern, I've tried food early in the day, later on In the day, he does fall asleep after food, but no change during the night, he makes all the rules. Hopefully your LO will be different.

Jodash24 · September 2014

I've found even by introducing food hasn't made a difference to my LO sleep pattern, I've tried food early in the day, later on In the day, he does fall asleep after food, but no change during the night, he makes all the rules. Hopefully your LO will be different.

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