Feeding Solids Won't Make Your Baby Sleep Better!

This was originally written on Monday, October 6, 2008:

*UPDATE: This same thing happened when we moved from baby food and no more formula to adult food. Both times it was just a few days - if this is your case, make sure your baby is getting enough milk before bed, sometimes when you start incorporating other food you think that they are eating enough but they may be waking up hungry! I mentioned a few other tips in the following post. . .

It's 5:45 am and I'm awake surfing the internet for help because Logan has stopped sleeping!

I'm glad I have this blog because it helps me keep track of everything. I saw that starting with the weekend we went back to Iowa in early September, Logan started cutting down from his 11-12 hrs of sleep straight thru the night (which he'd been doing on his own for a month) to the 8 consecutive hrs that he'd first done on his own in July (at three months old). But, we really didn't mind because he'd begun taking an extra nap during the day (since babies this age should only sleep 14 total hours a day), so I liked that better since I only need 8 hrs of sleep myself I could use his naps to get more done during the afternoon. (Whereas when he sleeps 11-12 hrs all at once, I tend to lay around, too, and not get anything done.)

However, his extra nap stopped after Joe's mom came over the last week of September. At first I wasn't worried--I've mentioned before that Logan has always gotten off of his "schedule" whenever we have company. I've heard/read that babies are very conservative and don't like change. They prefer consistancy, so it takes awhile to adjust when their pattern is altered. Generally Logan adjusts quickly (is back to normal within a few days), so when he began getting me up 1-2 times every single night, I thought it was just a phase. But. . .here we are two weeks later and he's still getting me up AND only sleeping 6 hrs at night with just a two-hour nap during the day! Yes, that's right--he's only getting about 8 hrs TOTAL in a 24 hr period!

This morning he awoke at 4:45 and acted like he was ready to be up for good (meaning he was very happy and energetic, not hungry--whereas usually whenever he wakes up in the night it's only for 5 minutes just to nurse. We have been very lucky up until now; from the time Logan was two weeks old there have only been three nights that Joe or I have had to be up longer than five minutes with him during the night. We've never had any of the "screaming" nights that I'd always pictured before I had a baby).

This morning when I googled "my baby has stopped sleeping through the night," guess what I discovered? It is very common for five month olds, especially when they've been introduced to solids, to stop sleeping! WOW--I had thought it was the opposite (that he would sleep better because he'd be "fuller"). Experts recommend keeping track of his sleeping and feeding schedule, just like I did up until he was two months old, to take note whether his most restless nights fall after evenings that we've given him the cereal. (Last night we did.)

I haven't posted an update in awhile (I will next time)--two weeks ago we started feeding him organic rice cereal and we were happy that he acted like it was nothing new. Feeding solids have gone very easily and smoothly, but both weeks we've only given it to him three days each week. This is fine, as according to experts, "pediatricians stress the importance of moving slowly with solids. This time is as much an exploration of texture as it is an exercise in learning how to eat food. Breast milk and formula will continue to play the dominant role in baby's nutrition. Doctors recommend starting baby off with a soupy mixture of single-grain rice cereal and expressed breast milk or formula (1 tablespoon cereal + 2 tablespoons liquid). You want the few bites that actually make it in to go down easily to avoid gagging or choking. Let baby roll the mixture around her tongue and blow it out in gloppy bubbles--this is the time to let her play with her food. Every feeding is successful even if the majority of it ends up smeared on baby and you. She is using all her senses and that's a good thing. A few teaspoons to a tablespoon is about all babies at this age can eat at one sitting. Continue offering that same food for four days before introducing a new food to check for any signs of allergic reaction--excessive gas, diarrhea, rash, or other discomfort. Visit your pediatrician if you think a food may be suspect."

Fortunately, I don't think he's had a negative reaction to the food. Digestively, he seems fine and has shown no allergies. So our plan is to start introducing organic vegetables next week (when he's six months old). My What To Expect book (among all of the internet sites I read) insist that when tested, the organic store-bought food is just as good as if I was to make it myself, so that is what we'll be feeding Logan. Here are tips on introducing solid foods:

*Wait until at least 6 months to start pureed baby foods.

*Start with the simpler foods: rice cereal, simple baby foods--be sure to avoid allergenic foods like citrus, corn, and tomato, and don't introduce honey or karo until after the first year. Eggs should also be introduced later too. When it is time, try egg yolk first, then if there is no allergic response, try egg white. It is the albumen in egg white that people react to.

*Wait three days between each baby food introduction or even up to four to five days to note any adverse response. Typically 1 to 2 tablespoons are given per feeding followed by the waiting period to see how well baby tolerates it.

*The biggest misconception is that new moms think that introducing solids leads to sleeping through the night. That is not the case.

*Please don't be in a hurry. You have a lifetime to introduce foods. The smorgasbord or huge variety at an early stage is simply not advisable. We know now that we can wait longer and longer to introduce solids. There simply shouldn't be a rush to do so.

Tips for Success
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Introduce new foods at breakfast so any allergic reaction will occur during the day and not at 1 a.m.

Use a soft-coated spoon to avoid bruising sensitive gums.

Feed baby when he is hungry but not so ravenous he gulps the food or becomes frustrated.

Baby should be in an upright position, either in your lap, an infant seat, or a high chair.

Start with a pea-sized amount and offer lots of coos of encouragement.

We've been giving him the cereal at night, so I'll also see if there's a difference by giving it to him in the morning. Wish us luck! Speaking of which, Logan's fallen back asleep now--it's 7 am--so I'm going back to bed, too!

(Update: He woke up a half an hour later. . .)