https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 31 May 2026 22:25:03 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/should-i-introduce-solidspurees#post-476919 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 23:32:50 +0000 sarac 476919@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had almost this same story. Early STTN, stopped at 5 months. Food was eventually the answer, but it's a slow fix. Even if your baby will eat solids this early, the amounts won't be much. It was a while before I could see that the solid food was really making a difference for us. My girl eventually night weaned at 13 months, but now at 15 she still wakes up most nights for a snuggle back to sleep. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/should-i-introduce-solidspurees#post-476903 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 23:19:03 +0000 brownie 476903@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Amelieisme: you will get through this. It can also take time to even out and change. Give it a few days and stay strong. You are a good mom. It's almost the weekend and you have two days to make all the decisions. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/should-i-introduce-solidspurees#post-476666 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 21:35:59 +0000 Amelieisme 476666@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@brownie: so frustrated! I cut down his after daycare nap to 1 hour or so and trying to get him to sleep now for 45 minutes. It's now 835 and I have one very awake baby still. I'm sure we won't be sleeping tonight either :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/should-i-introduce-solidspurees#post-475953 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 15:53:54 +0000 brownie 475953@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Amelieisme: My son was never a good sleeper (nap or night). He didn't take a longer than 40 minute nap until he was 14 months old. What we did is a lot of 40 minute naps. They may just have to put him down more often. They should have some "nap" times which are quieter. I know that at the center here, they did nap time 3x a day for all babies and others napped extra as needed. </p> <p>It sounds so much like overtired to me (it is so rough, I have been there). Use your weekend to try and figure out optimal wake times and such. My son did a lot better with a nap 2 hours after waking in the morning and then added 30 minutes to each wake time through the day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/should-i-introduce-solidspurees#post-475938 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 15:49:05 +0000 Amelieisme 475938@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@brownie: At first it was fine because he still slept really well at night. I would come home and have a couple of hours to get things done for the house, figure out dinner, etc. And then he'd be up for an hour or two for some mommy&amp;me time. But now that he isn't sleeping it really sucks! At daycare there is just too much going on around him for him to sleep well, most days. They do try but if he won't sleep what are they supposed to do? Anyway, I will try to move it up and see what happens! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/should-i-introduce-solidspurees#post-475881 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 15:33:31 +0000 brownie 475881@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Amelieisme: Wow, that sounds really rough. It does sound like more of a sleep problem. You should work with daycare to get a good nap schedule going so that you don't have to do the evening naps. Becuase that will definitely mess up night time sleep. If you do put him down after work, I would take that as his nighttime sleep time and treat the 9 pm feed like a dream feed. I also think you need to make sure he is getting enough milk during the day. That evening nap may be interferring with getting enough in. </p> <p>We personally decided not to fight the sleep battle and brought him to bed with us. He still nurses once a night at 20 months old because he needs the calories. When I want to fight something, I look for a pattern. For example he was waking at 1 for a few nights but he would suck a little and go back to sleep. So, now if he wakes before 4, he doesn't get nursing because he isn't really hungry. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/should-i-introduce-solidspurees#post-475849 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 15:23:03 +0000 Amelieisme 475849@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks for the advice. I'm not sure I'll be able to move his bedtime up. Whenever I try earlier it just seems to start him into the cycle of fussiness. I would love to get some sort of nap routine going but he goes to daycare during the day and does not nap well AT ALL there and its very sporadic. He is usually exhausted when he gets home from daycare so I let him nap for a couple of hours. Then wake him up to feed, etc. and by the time all of that is done...its 9 o'clock. I may try cutting his after daycare nap down tonight and putting him to bed earlier and see if that helps.</p> <p>@brownie: I always try not to give him the breast and just give him his paci, but he just gets more upset and seems to be demanding to nurse. I hate to leave him there hungry...</p> <p>@Bao: initially I thought it was a sleep regression, but it has lasted over a month now and he seems like he's just waking up more and more.</p> <p>I think I will just hold off on adding anything else to his diet and try to get a better nighttime routine going and see if that works. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/should-i-introduce-solidspurees#post-475675 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:31:38 +0000 Bao 475675@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I heard adding in more food to get baby to sleep longer, is a myth. Could he just be going through a later sleep regression? Could you try putting him to bed earlier? I know if LO goes to bed too late, she is actually much harder to put down, and wakes up a lot more. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/should-i-introduce-solidspurees#post-475668 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:30:18 +0000 brownie 475668@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree that it probably won't help sleep to add food. Breastfed babies don't always sleep through the night (that is normal). Things you can do to encourage sleeping through the night include: Makeing sure they are on the breast enough during the day to fill up. You may try cluster feeding before bed. Not addressing every wakeup with the breast (easier said than done I know). I also agree with @Mrs. Wagon that 9 is a very late bedtime and sleep begets sleep. Try pushing it earlier until you are getting what you want.</p> <p>We are finding for our son and our schedule that 7:30 - 7:45 is the perfect bedtime. He still wakes once at night (which we want) and wakes at 7 am and takes over a 1 hour nap at that time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/should-i-introduce-solidspurees#post-475657 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:28:21 +0000 Kemma 475657@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Is there any way you could feed him more calories in the form of his milk during the day or in the few hours before bed? That might help him get through the night.</p> <p>I also read somewhere that waking at the same time each night is a habit whereas erratic wake times is more likely to be actual hunger. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/should-i-introduce-solidspurees#post-475646 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:26:07 +0000 mrs. wagon 475646@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would say push back his bedtime. We start our 5 month old's bedtime at 5:30pm. Everything I've read and heard has said starting solids or adding rice cereal to bottles doesn't help with sleep. It can actually hinder since it introduces something new to their gut which can take time to adjust to. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/should-i-introduce-solidspurees#post-475608 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:20:11 +0000 Mrsbells 475608@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I dont think that offering more food will necessarily fix the sleep issue. It might be a temporary fix but not a lasting one. I posted about this too. My baby wasnt sleeping well either and people would say I should add cereal to her night bottle but I breastfeed her. At that age giving them more food doesnt guarantee they will sleep longer </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/should-i-introduce-solidspurees#post-475594 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:16:53 +0000 chopsuey 475594@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would try solids and see how he does. You can skip the cereal at 5 months old and start off with fruits/veggies.. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/should-i-introduce-solidspurees#post-475570 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:09:52 +0000 Amelieisme 475570@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not sure whether this should be under "sleep" or "feeding", but here goes:</p> <p>My 5 mo old has started to become a poor sleeper. He started STTN at 8 weeks with no feedings and at about 4 months started waking once and wanted to be nursed before he would go back to sleep. Recently, it has become more difficult with multiple wakings and difficulty putting him down at night. For example, last night, I started to try to get him to sleep at 9 pm (our usual) and nursed him. He fought it and was screaming and fussy until at least 1030 before my DH took him downstairs to fall asleep in his swing. He then woke up at 2 am and I nursed him. He woke up again at 4 am (I nursed him). And again at 530 (no feeding that time, but DH took him downstairs so I could get a little rest before work). Thus far, he only gets BM. Of course, I am getting the "rice cereal" suggestion from lots of people who think he is just hungry and this has led to all the wakings at night. I planned to start BLW at 6 months avoiding the cereals altogether. My impression is that BLW is more for exploration of food and won't add substantially to their calories anyway. He can't sit up on his own yet and only shows minimal interest in my food so I'm not sure he's ready. Any thoughts/suggestions? </p>