Eating and Sleeping Advice Needed for My 4 Month Old...

I'm sure you have already gotten responses, but if not, here is mine. I think babies go through a growth spurt at 4 months, which would explain the not sleeping through the night and more often feeding. My son did that as well. He's 6 months now. He also began developing a "preference" for one side. I would try on that side many times. He would arch his back and cry. I have recently gone done to only breastfeeding in the morning, because every other time during the day he doesn't want my milk. He's become very active. Your daughter may be telling you that she's ready to be weaned.

I hope this helps.

I am no expert but mom to 2(19 mo and 2 mo)-- sounds like it could possibly be a growth spurt since its such an 'unusual' change in routine for her- shouldnt last more than a week or so! Feel lucky that you've gotten this far with so much sleep and time between feedings!! My oldest nursed every 1 hr 45 min round the clock for 4 months and didnt sleep thru the night until 13 months! My youngest is still eating every 2-3 hours round the clock so no sleep with this one either! Some babies work their own schedules the way they want!

As for starting solids- 1. it may work to get her back on schedule but in my exp didnt do anything to satisfy him longer(started rice at 12 weeks with oldest) and 2. didnt change his nursing habits at all-- I started him in the bouncy to eat until he was able to sit in either the Bumbo seat or then the highchair.

I'll be curious to see other responses!

Good luck!

E.!!
OH, I feel your pain, I wrote to everyone just three months ago with the same question about sleeping. My son who just turned seven months was a champ at night... just like your daughter and then out of nowhere he began waking at night. At first it was just once, then a couple weeks later it was more frequent. I was exhausted. (I too BF)...
Sooo... turns out (at least for me) it was because he was beginning to teeth. Although his first tooth didnt break through until last week.
About a month ago, we began solids, it helped a bit, we fed him a lot RIGHT before bed, I also did the "twilight feeding", that helped too.
Some other things you might try is getting a specific bedtime and daytime routine. For us, that first nap is crucial... if it is missed, the whole day seems shot!
We also use Teething Tablets from Wholefoods, the brand is called Hylands, Homeopathic Teething Tablets. They really work! They dissolve under their tongue. Totally natural.
As far as worrying about her getting chunky... by the time she begins to crawl and walk, the weight will come off... a little insulation is good for keeing her healthy right now.

Growth spirt. I say start feeding her rice cereal at bed time, in the bouncy seat. I know doctors say don't star feeding them unitl 6 months on solid, but you what, the doc ins't there at 2 and 3 and 4 in the morning. If you know what I mean......anyway I have a 15 year old starting eating cereal when she was two weeks old, I have a 13 year old that didn't need it, I have a 4 year old that was almost 11 pounds when he was born. He started eating cereal in about 10 days as well. I agree text book knowledge is great, but the real deal and old what your mom and grandma say will probably work better.

Have a great day moms!

Other than it being appropriate for a growth spurt, a few things come to mind ...
The first thing is that your baby may be teething already (my last one started showing signs at that age, and cut a tooth at 5 months). Hyland's Homeopathic Teething Tablets are awesome, and might do the trick for settling her; your Walgreens or Walmart should carry them. Next thing is, has your menses returned? Perhaps that has changed your milk (even slight changes can make a sensitive baby behave differently). I wouldn't rush to feeding solids because of potential allergy problems, and your desire to continue breastfeeding (which I applaud).

Sit her in a bouncer or her car seat carrier and feed her that way I would start her on rice cereal to start her off it will give her some substance to help with the growth spirt she is having.

I started my daughter on rice cereal first, and I just fed her by putting her in her bouncy seat. She loved it. I had an angel baby like you, she slept through the night until she was almost a year old. But my suggestion would be mixing the rice cereal with breast-milk if you're pumping. And giving her a little after she breastfeeds. I wouldn't worry about her getting chunky, she is growing like crazy right now so she will need more and more calories that she isn't able to get from breastfeeding.
Hope this helps you get some rest :)
H.

I too, started my daughter on solids at around four months, and I have lived to regret it. She developed food sensitivity issues, because the GI docs feel her digestive system was not ready for solid foods. (60% of children are ready for them at 4 months, while 90% are ready at 6 months) I know it's frustrating when they go from sleeping through the night to not, however, I would discuss with your pediatrician whether or not they feel it could be something else, ie. the nursing issues you are having. I would be a stronger advocate, to switching to some type of formula with her, to supplement, and continue trying to nurse, for one or two nursings a day. It's purely a personal decision, and I know you'd like her to get the benefits of nursing, but by three months, she's gotten the immunity building elements from you, so make it more enjoyable by taking some of the stress your feeling away, and pump for her, to take a bottle, or supplement with formula, if the pediatrician says it's ok. Although, you as the mother know what's best for your child!

My son did the exact same thing at 4mos. He was simply starving. We started solids and he was great. We tried holding off, but our pediatrician also suggested we start the solids so we did. As far as your concern for her being chunky, she is a baby, she will stop when she is full, so I would not worry about that. She is growing more in this year than she ever will in her life.

I started with rice cereal mixed with my breast milk. We would cluster feed him---feed him a little about every hour before bed and then he would sleep through the night. If you are concerned with food allergies simply stick with the rice/cereal combo until 6 mos, then start adding the veggies/fruit etc...

Don't beat yourself up about this, we go with our gut and do our best. No one person will have the right answer, not even the Dr's.

I had the same problem with my daughter.. At about 4 mths I started her on baby food.. It was heaven sent.. Just put her in her carseat and feed.. You can still breastfeed but the baby food will keep her fuller during the night.. The chunkyness will go away when she is walking.. My daughter got alittle chunky but now she is losing the weight by running from me.. My daughter is 13mths old and 25lbs.. the doctors tell me she is in perfect shape..

Hi E.,

I have read about when to feed infants quite a bit lately. My son is 5 months old and our doctor also suggested we could introduce solid food if we wanted at 4 months. But I decided not to for a number of reasons.

I had read that there are certain criteria to determine if a child is ready to eat solids. And here is what I learned from various sources (that I applied to my situation):

1. If the child cannot sit up on their own, she most likely aren't ready.

2. If you try to put a spoon in your childs mouth like you are feeding her and she pushes the spoon out with her tounge, she isn't ready. It has something to do with a natural reflex that newborns have.

3. If there is a family history of allergies (food, medicine or environmental/seasonal) then you would want to wait until she is 6 months old. This is because the acids in the stomach haven't fully developed and could increase her likelihood of developing allergies.

I also read that switching to solids will not guarantee a child will sleep through the night. As many others have pointed out, there could be a number of reasons she's waking at night.

In my son's case, it appears that he is awake, but he really isn't awake-awake. He is just really hungry and needs some food in his belly. He will eat 4-6 oz. at least once every night. I have found if I get up right away and get him a warm bottle, he drifts off to sleep without a problem in 20-30 minutes and doesn't wake again until morning.

The thing that we can't live without is a routine at night. Our daughter is the perfect baby but she too had slept through the night, then decided she wasn't going to anymore. We started her on a nightly routine which settled her down for bed. Bath, bottle (feed), bed. We do these in a row and start it about 5:00pm. She is in bed and asleep by 6:00 and sleeps through the night until 7:30am. She is now 19 months old and we still do this routine with her. She still goes to sleep at 5:30, willingly. Routines helped her know when it was time to settle down for the night.

I have to agree with her having a growth spurt. I noticed my son's eating and sleeping habits would change but would return back to his normal schedule within a few weeks.

For sleeping after a warm bath try massaging her legs, back and arms. I used baby lotion warmed up, I let the bottle sit in a sink full of warm water.

good luck!

It sounds to me like she may be teething. My son, who is now almost 13 months, got his first 2 teeth at 4 months. He now has 7 teeth and is in the process of getting his 1-year molars. Anyway, when he is teething, his eating habits change, as well as his bowels. He eats a lot at some meals, and hardly anything at others. It's really nothing to be concerned with. It also causes him to not sleep as well. He would wake up more frequently at night, but then would go back to sleep on his own. His naps aren't quite the same when he's teething, either. As for the solid foods, I started him on solids (baby food)at 4 months and he has been doing great. He couldn't sit up by himself when he started solids, either, but he was close. We just put him in his infant carrier carseat on the dining room table and had it reclined a little bit... but not too much. He did fine. I wouldn't worry too much about your little one getting too chunky when starting on solid foods because for a while, they don't really take in that much. More of it ends up ON them than IN them. She will be learning to eat from a spoon and learning to accept new flavors and textures for a while, so overeating shouldn't be an issue. With my son, he's always been on the thin side (20 pounds, 8 ounces at 1 year old), so I give him as much as he wants and when he is finished he will let me know. If you become concerned that she is overeating or gaining weight too quickly, then you may have to scale back the amount given each time and supplement it with more milk to cut back calories. Otherwise, she should let you know when she's had enough... at which point you don't push her to keep eating. Anyway, enough rambling. I hope that this info. helps. Good luck! =)

-D.

A Little About Me:

I am a 25 year-old SAHM of a beautiful 13 month-old little boy named Tyler. He is growing and changing so fast. We plan to try to conceive again next summer... hopefully with a little girl. (Fingers crossed!) I'm here to get helpful advice from other moms who have been there and done that (or know someone who has). =)

E., I personally don't think cereal is the right thing quite yet. Academy of Pediatrics says to wait until 5 months for a reason - allergies could develop in your little one. As for the feeding and sleeping, etc. I reccomend a book that has worked wonders for me personally and many friends and clients: on becoming Babywise. Feel free to contact me with any questions, or if you want to talk further about this. I am a Doula, and help clients through birth and then postpartum, so I am experienced when it comes to feeding issues. I breastfed both of my boys, and am always amazed at how truly hard it can be.
website:www.ashleydoula.blogspot.com

I gave my first daughter Rice cereal in her bottles when she was about 6 wks old. It was still very watery so there was no choking hazard but it gave her enough substance in her tummy to keep her full. When the second one came along she was a whole different ball game! She had GERD (although her Ped. didn't diagnose her until she was three months old) so I had to do all kinds of things to keep her full. She was contantly eating and then vomiting not matter how many times we burped her. We finally got her on medication and two months later she was a different child.

My point here is at 4 months old you could add cereal (Rice is easiest on their tummy's) to her formula without any problems. I know you said you still enjoy breastfeeding so I would suggest the following. Continue your daily routine of breastfeeding and for her bedtime feeding before you put her down for the night maybe give that one to her in a bottle, the kind with a nipple that resembles a mother's breast. You put one teaspoon of cereal for every ounce of milk she takes. If she usually takes a 6 oz. bottle then add 6 teaspoons of cereal. You'll probably need to use a stage 2 nipple. The whole is a tad bigger for the formula and cereal to flow through.

As far as getting chunky! Both of my girls (7 & 2 now) were in the 25-50% for weight their entire first year. Once your child starts walking she'll slim down anyway. My girls are both thin now and very healthy. I hope the info helps and adds to other advise from other moms! Good Luck with whatever you choose to do.

Sounds like she is SSOOOO ready for more solid foods. You can mix some water or milk with the baby cereal. It will definately help get her through the night. She just isn't getting enough milk to satisfy her. Just because she eats solids doesn't mean you have to fully take her off the breast.

You might just start her with cereal in the morning and some solids again before bed (breast feeding during the day)
Then add lunch, ect...

Or if you don't mind being sleep deprived and don't mind her setting a potentially long term habit of waking up, you can continue to only breastfeed. Sorry...just a little humor I know you are probably tired and aware that you can't nurse forever!

Also, you can confer with your doctor, but it is my understanding that the majority of calories come from the milk. The cereals and basic baby foods does not have the calories that your milk does. So "Chunky" shouldn't really be a concern unless you are throwing burgers at the kid.

Good luck
M. H.

E.,
I started my daughter out on some cereal at 4 months. She couldn't set up either, but I bought a bouncer and set it on the table and feed her in that. It worked great. She started sleeping through the night again. Good Luck.
K.

E.,
I am a new mom here at momsource, I dont usually dive in this fast but I felt I could help in this question. I am a mom of a healthy 16 year old BUT..your problem happened to me...exactly like what u are having problems with..almost the same age for my daughter. First do u pump? if not then u need to some how test that side she wont feed on...it maybe dry, which means that she is not getting enough from the other side...this happened to me and it scared me and I figured it out, the doctor told me it was not possible. BUT it was, soo I got some formula rich with good stuff...and feed her at her feedings, half me half formula. Then in the mornings and before bed I added a little rice to her bottle...I breast feed my daughter til she was 2 years old after that problem she started sleeping thru the night again. I never got milk back on that side so I just supplamented when she would act hungry...the rice was enough but not shocking her to fast with solids..
hope this helped u. Pls let me know k?
Cherie'

Hi E.--
You've had a lot of responces, but I felt I could add a little. I had some of the same experiences with my son Parker(now 25 months). I breastfed him exclusively for 12 months-no formula. I also didn't start him on solids until he was 6 months old for allergy reasons. In my opinion Sophia is going through a growth spurt. I think that's why she's waking up at night. As far as only wanting to feed on one side-Parker did that too. I nursed him in the cross-cradle position most of the time, but if he didn't want to lay on his other side I tried the football hold on the other breast. Just slide her across with her feet under your arm. She'll be lying on the side she prefers but nursing on your other breast. Hope this helps.

Hi E., I had the exact same problem. I didn't want to stop or lessen breast feeding. But sleep is just as important to our good health. That's when my Mother in Law told me about Bomber Bottles. I made a bottle of breast milk and added some baby cereal to it. Just a couple of teaspoons. You have to enlargen the opening of the nipple to accomodate the thicker liquid too. And gave it to him before bed time. His tummy was fuller and he slept longer. The cereal also made for an easier transition to actually eating cereal and then moving onto solids. But I agree with you, its too early to start on jars of baby food. Maybe in another couple of months or so. You'll know when she's ready.

At first he didn't want the bottle of course. If yours absolutely won't take the bottle, try feeding her the cereal. I think routine is important but babies are also very adaptive.
And listen, don't worry about a baby getting chunky. Every thing I have ever read and every Dr I have ever talked says don't worry about weight gain for the first 2-3 years. Let your baby naturally evolve and grow. Not that good nutrition shouldn't always be followed.

My sister was so worried about her first baby getting over weight that Hannah, now 15, has so many issues with food.

Good Luck!
G.

Sounds like you little girl is going through a growth spurt!! Think about it we go through phases too when we eat alot. Try the baby food as your Dr. says and see if it helps.

It's not unusual for babies to go through major growth spurts and need more nurishment also she may just be needing more time with you, feeling insecure...

Try to look at it as an opportunity to slow down and enjoy your dd without the distractions of the day.

As for solids, you certainly *could* start them now but I have a theory that there are reasons for developmental stages. I mean babies aren't born with teeth because they are ready to eat solids so for us before a child gets solids they need to be able to sit unassited (lessens choking hazard) pick up things and put them to thier mouth (shows that they are interested) and have teeth (to me a sign that the body is ready for solids)

You should start feeding her some solids. Everything will be fine.

Hi E.! I have a 4 month old too. I also have a 3 year old so i know all too well what you've described. My first piece of advice is DON"T START SOLIDS IF YOU DON"T WANT TO NO MATTER WHAT YOUR PED. SAYS. Also, breastfeed, breastfeed, breastfeed...stay with it...especially if you both are getting something from it!

As far as sleep issues, you will see that at about 4, 6 and 9 months babies change their patterns for various reasons....the main one being teething!! Just because you can't see teeth doesn't mean they're not there! My 4 month old son has recently started doing what you've described Sophia doing! It could be teething, growing pains, etc. They are going through tremendous growing spurts right now. So, just relax and know that it just comes with the territory...they will change every few months as their development does. I hope this helps!

C.

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C. Tai
Jockey Person to Person
Independent Comfort Specialist
www.comfortparty.com

I started all 3 of my kids on rice cereal at 4 months. I mixed it with breast milk and made it very very thin. It sounds like a growth spurt to me, but it could also be teething. All 3 of my kids got the two bottom teeth at almost exactly 4months. If you don't want to start cereal, then I am afraid YOU are going to have to keep up with her breastfeeding. You will produce what she needs/wants. If you get engorged..pump it away and store it for grandma. It stinks that she keeps you up at night, but that's what babies do. Maybe she was talking to other 4 month olds and discovered she was supposed to keep you a zombie, sleep deprived mess the first 3 months (like the rest of us). Now she is just making up for lost time! :) Hang in there. It WILL get better.

Hi E. -
I have two daughters and I started both of them on solids at 4 months. I just put them in the bouncy seat and sat it on the table (or floor) and just fed away. I honestly don't think she will "chunk up" by introducing her to solids. (I strongly believe it is from the breast milk/ or formula). She may not even take to solids at first. Rice cereal to start out with, and then add the oranges/yellows to it (I think that's right...it's been over a year). Just put a bib on her and watch out. But as always, you should talk to the Dr if it becomes a real issue!!!
Good Luck!

Hi, E.,
Stress! I know. Does Sophia always prefer the same breast with you? Occasionally children can pick up on a slight infection on one side that you're having & reject a side. I'm wondering if the night-waking is just a growth spurt coming on or a developmental stage that will pass. Does she have a new motor skill that's just coming? My daughter Lily Sophia :o) would wake more when working on something motoric. We too nursed when needed, so I know how nights can go.

Another thought is the possibility of an ear infection. If she's on one side, that fluid would settle, and be made worse during nursing because each time she swallows she is messing with her eustachian tube. Switching sides could be very painful as that pressure/fluid shifts. An early-developing ear infection could have been missed at an exam. Just a thought. It would explain an increased desire to nurse as well as frequent night wakings as well. If not that, maybe something related.

As for solids, I'd hold off if I could. That business about being satisfied longer/sleeping longer often proves to be a myth for many people and then you've introduced solids before you wanted to for nothing. The benefits of waiting till 6 months are pretty good. I know that I was sure I was going to have to give in & give Lily solids at 5 months, because I was in so much pain and my supply dropped due to a massive case of thrush (brought on by antibiotics due to ear infection, by the way), but I held in there and we made it 6 months before she had even rice cereal. She's the picture of what exclusive breastfeeding is supposed to do now, and I guess you never know if it worked & only if it didn't. But I say it worked.

Hang in there. Congrats on making it so long with nursing! I hope you keep us posted.

G., mom to Lily who will be 3 very soon...

Get rice cerael and mix it with your milk. The cerael should be a very wattery consistany at fist thiner then tomato soup. That was it will still taste the same and she shouldn't have a problem continueing to nurse. Also as for the not sitting in the high chair yet. When we strated to feed her we used her bouncer/ rocker chair (it has a leg so it doesn't rock for little one). It held he at an angle she could "sit" but up enough that I could feed her. We also have a highchair that reclimes for infants so as she got a little better and as we moved to more solid foods we used that.