How Much Should My 6 Month Old Be Eating and Sleeping?

It takes a while for them to get "used to" eating. Give him some time. If your still breastfeeding - that's all he really NEEDS so if he doesn't get much food in there yet, it's not a big deal. Just keep at it and he'll get used to eating soon enough. He's just not quite ready for it yet.

On the sleeping... all children are going to have their own schedule. There is no set age for them to be sleeping through. Go to: http://www.kellymom.com/parenting/sleep/sleep.html
Kellymom.com has some of the best information out there on all different subjects for a breastfeeding mom. Good luck and try not to doubt yourself. Your child can sense that you think something is wrong and it will only make it worse. Just trust yourself.

a 6 month old should eat and sleep on demand. there is no right amount of food or sleep.

He doesnt need to eat any amount of solid foods at this age. He gets all of his nutrition from the breast milk. The solid foods are just practice for eating. If he is not liking the baby cereal - take a break and try agian in a week.

My daughter was breastfed and was up eating during the night for 8 months. My son is also breastfed and has slept through the night at 4 weeks. He does not sleep through every night but he will sleep through the night once or twice a week.

Every child is different - One day he will sleep through the night... some day.

I have a 6 month old son as well :-). He is exclusively breastfed and follows the same schedule your son does (more or less). Try not to worry about him sleeping through the night. Technically, 5 hours IS considered sleeping through the night. My son doesn't take a pacifier either so I feel your pain! They get older so fast and soon he will be sleeping longer. You're not doing anything wrong, some adults don't even sleep through the night!
I'd take a break on the solids for now. It sounds like he still has the tongue-thrust reflex. Maybe once a week try giving him mashed up banana or cereal. One day he'll surprise you and actually eat it! They're fine with just breastmilk for a year, so solids are just extras at this point. My daughter would never eat any baby food (and trust me, we tried ALL brands and flavors) so we backed off. Eventually she just started eating table food. Whatever we ate, we just mashed up. Some babies just follow their own schedule.

I would give my daughter rice cereal, then breast feed her and put her to bed. It seemed to fill her up enough to make it through the night. She had always slept through the night, but around that time she seemed to hit a growth spurt and wasnt getting enough to eat. This worked like a charm for her!
My daughter also used my breasts as a pacifier! She gradually stopped that on her own though, so hang in there! I loved breast feeding, but sometimes you do feel like a binky!

It sounds like he is eating regularly, so if he isn't constantly screaming because he's hungry then I would say he is getting enough. At this age he is getting all of his nutrition through your breastmilk. The oatmeal and veggies are just practice for him.

As for the night time, I have no idea. This was about the time that we started cutting night time feedings with my daughter. But most of the time she would only wake up once during the night. We would just snuggle and rock her back to sleep. Sometimes though, she was just hungry and I would give in and give her a bottle (my milk never came in so we had to use formula). Also, you might want to try different brands of pacifiers. My daughter was only content with the Avent pacifiers. She didn't like any other brand. She would go to bed with a pacifier and if she woke up we would give it back to her and she would be content.

Also, if he is starting to teethe, it could be the reason he is waking up at night. I always know when my daughter is teething because she starts waking up frequently at night. Its just a thought.

Of course, if you're really concerned that something is wrong, I would suggest calling your pediatrician. If nothing else, they can reassure you that you are doing nothing wrong.

Hi B.~
My son didn't want to eat solids, either, and he is a BIG boy so I was surprised. I just tried every week or so and when he finally was ready there was no stopping him. He transitioned himself immediately to a breakfast, lunch, dinner routine with an additional bottle in the evening. I would say he's just not ready for the food, but good for you for trying and being aware of his cues. As far as the sleeping...despite my efforts I couldn't nurse very long so I don't know the habits of b/f babies. My baby sleeps from 8pm to 8am without a problem but that is b/c of the methods I used (NOT crying it out...just had to add my opinion on that one!!). It may just be a habit for him to get up and eat, you may be able to work on breaking it with him.
Good luck
~L.

Hi I know it's frustrating but your son may not be ready for solids yet. He may be spitting everything out because he isn't over the tongue thrust reflex yet. Thankfully be happy to know it should be over soon. I just gave up for a few weeks and then tried again because we were wasting so much food. After 2 more weeks my son was ready, he was almost 7 months. Also boys need more calories and tend to eat more than girls so I'm not suprised that your daughter slept though at this age already. I had my son first so I had a pleasant suprise when my daughter came. As far as sleeping through the night my son finally slept 8 hours around 10 months after his solid foods were well established. Good luck.

My pediatrician told me when I nursed my daughter that at 6 months og age they can skip the night feeding because they don't need it cause their getting bigger and can live without it. I nursed my daughter exclusively for 7 months and at 2 1\2 months she was sleeping through the night missing that feeding. Although I never nursed her in my bed and I never brought her to my bed because I didn't want her to associate nursing, me, and my bed, all together. That could very well be the problem. It will take some time but maybe try skipping that feeding or letting him cry for 10 minutes to see if he can comfort himself to sleep. Have you ever done that before. That's why my daughter went to sleep at 2 months. The doc told me to have her cry for like 15 minutes and then go in and comfort her but not pick her her up. It took a month and his prediction was right. So ask your doctor about skipping the night feeding so he can get used to not feeding at night and I can guarentee that your doc would agree that he doesn't need that night feeding anymore!!N. K

Hi Dear,
I think rice cereal in the beginning will be a good choice.

Did you try rice cereal first? I also have an almost 6 month old, but mine is a daughter. We started with rice ceral with purreed bananna, we play while eating. I only started her on solids because she tries to grab everything I eat and drink. I only feed her one maybe two bowls for food a day. We are still on our second ceral mixed with bananna (she would not eat it any other way). I also have heard some babies perfer applesauce over bannana.

On to the sleep, I have a similar situation. My little one was getting up every hour some nights, and also would only go back to sleep if she nursed. I bought "The No Cry Sleep Solution" from Borders. I highly recomend this book to any mom of any aged child who is having sleep issues. I have only been using some of the suggestions for about 3 days and her sleep is already inproving. Feel free to pm me with any questions or just to talk to someone who is in the same situation.

Hi B. - I would skip the night feeling. Your 6 month old is able to sleep all night without getting up to eat (of course, check with your pediatrician). Our son was born a month early so I was really worried about cutting out the night feedings. His pediatrician said he could eliminate the feeding at 3 months!

About the solid food - it just takes them awhile to get used to the texture and what the tongue is supposed to do. Keep it up - he'll get it! :-)

Hi B. -

First of all, you aren't doing ANYTHING wrong! I will say what everyone always tells me...every baby is different! Sure, your son is capable of sleeping through the night (not eating throughout the night would not harm him - as long as he is healthy, over 12# and your pedi has not told you otherwise), but that doesn't mean that it is unusual for him to wake for night feedings. Many breastfed babies do.

As far as solids are concerned, he doesn't necessarily need them at this age. As long as he nurses well, he gets all the BEST nutrition from that. If he is refusing the food, I would keep offering, but when he starts spitting it out (even if it is after a few bites) I would be done and try at another time. I have read it can take babies up to 15 tries before they accept a particular food. Nutritionally though, I wouldn't worry if he won't take it. It can be frustrating, but some babies are more sensitive to taste/texture than others.

If you are wanting to wean from the night feedings, I would start gradually. I would keep whichever feeding he does best at (1 or 4) and start weaning at the other time(s). If he usually eats for 10 minutes, cut it shorter by 1 minute every night, until the feeding is phased out. Also, you can try pushing the time you go to him. For example, if he fusses at 1, try not to go to him until 1:15 and keep increasing the time. I was not able/willing to let my son cry it out, so how you approach the weaning is completely up to you. I would definitely try to wean from the feedings where you know he is pacifying. That will be hard, i am sure. Try rocking or cuddling until he is calm and put him back in his crib or next to you. It may take a few tries, but after some time, he will get it. It will most likely make your nights worse initially, but in the long run it will mean more sleep for Mommy!!!

Good luck.