How Old Before a Breastfed Baby Sleeps All Night & Eats Cereal?

Hi K.
It's so funny because everyone gave me so many tips on getting babies to sleep throught the night. I have fraternal twin boys (13mths now). Both were breast fed and had cereal at 4mths also. One slept throught the night at 8weeks and the other had to be "Ferberized" at 5 months. It took almost a week, but we've all slept great since. Whether this worked or he was just ready I'll never know!!!
S.

Hi K.!

It's been a while (my son will be 13 in a couple of weeks), but I recall that he nursed almost exclusively until he was actually about a year old! He was a big, squishy baby, too (although he's very lean and trim now)! He didn't display any interest in trying solid foods until he was about 8 months old, and wasn't really seriously into eating until about 18 months!

The sleeping-all-night thing is another story. I can't remember when Liam started sleeping through the night because we co-slept and he and I both got quite used to him just latching on in the middle of the night when he needed to, and neither of us really awakened.

I will say this, though. Now that you're back to work, he may want to shift his connecting-with-you time to the overnight hours. He may even increase his nighttime feedings just for that purpose. You have to do what works best for *your* family, but I would encourage you to factor in that as long as he's continuing to breastfeed, you may want to figure out how you can best meet his needs for connecting with you *and* your need for getting your extremely important rest. Perhaps you can arrange to have a co-sleeper next to the bed so your sleep doesn't have to be too disrupted?

Remember that any changes he is presented with at this stage in his life is totally new ground. Also, it has been said that for a baby under the age of 1 year, his wants are equivalent to his needs. He has a biological need for his connection with you.

Here's a scientific basis for that, in fact. A few years ago (when I was a LLL), I remember reading about a discovery concerning immunity and how a nursing pair could actually "communicate" (for lack of a better word) through Mom's areola. So, if Baby had picked up, say, a cold virus, he would communicate that through the breastfeeding contact to Mom, whose immune system would whip up an antibody and return it to Baby in the breastmilk. Baby would never exhibit cold symptoms (or would only exhibit mild cold symptoms). Well, *that* blew me away!!

And, my son's very, very, very healthy early childhood, I think, bore that out.

One thing that may also help to reassure him and meet his need for connecting with you (if he starts displaying a need, that is) is increasing your skin-to-skin contact with him when you're home.

I really, really admire your commitment to nursing your wee one even though you've returned to work! Your son is a lucky little guy!!

Marji, missing those squishy little legs and arms!

P.S. I would definitely follow his lead, as you are doing, concerning solids. Some babies put off starting solids in earnest until after 12 months of age, and there's usually a good reason for that. There may be allergies, sensitivities, or intolerances that kids outgrow when they reach that 1-year landmark. I think that may have been the case with my son. I am delighted to report now that he has no food intolerances and never displayed any once he started eating solids. In fact, he would eat almost anything I gave him, probably because he was exposed to it somewhat through my breastmilk.

P.P.S. Sorry this is sooooo long!!!

Hi K.,

Every baby, breastfed or not, is an individual and will sleep through the night when they are ready. There is no rule here. My last baby slept through the night the first time at 5 months, did it enough times the first year that I could count on one hand, and didn't sleep through the night regularly til about 14 months. At the time, I had a friend with a formula fed baby who still woke at night for a year, and a friend with a breastfed baby who slept 11 hours at night starting at 3 WEEKS old. BTW, the "official" definition of sleeping through this night is 6 hours, so if your baby sleeps from midnight to 6 a.m., this is through the night - not the parent's preferable definition of 9-10 hours.

About the food, at this point it doesn't really serve a benefit to your baby. It's really not likely to make your baby not nurse at night. The American Academy of Pediatrics' statement on breastfeeding is that all infants should be breastfed a minimum of 12 months, and that the first six months should be exclusive with no supplemental foods or liquids. So when doctors are still telling moms something less than 6 months, it's not the AAP's policy. Remember that in the first year, a baby's milk (whether mother's milk or a substitute) is their primary nutrition and food is just a supplement. A lot of pediatric experts even suggest not bothering with the cereal (esp rice which is apparently highly allergic and low in nutritional value) and starting with veggies.

Good luck!

Hi K.! My son did not sleep through the night until 6 months. I started giving him food around 5 months. He wasn't a big fan of cereal- so I gave him apples or bananas and then mixed a little cereal into it. Make sure its ok with your doctor. By six months I couldn't stand getting up 3 times a night, so I let him cry it out. So hard to do, but I knew I had to. He got the hang of it and started to sleep a little better. We were stict about his routine at night- bath, story, rock him and then lay him down around 7:30 or 8. He may get up around 11, but you will already be up, so may be easier to deal with. He still gets up now and is 16 months, but figures it out and goes back to bed. Good luck- :) and hope you get 6 hours of sleep in a row!!! :)

hi K., here how it is with most breastfed babies, they really don't start sleeping through the night until you stop breastfeeding ( it's the sucking reflex, is totaly natural if he's brestfed, not bottle fed). Our solution was co-sleeping- that was great for us, i always got enough sleep- don't really remeber when and how long she would nurse, since it was happening in our sleep. My daughter is 21 months and i just stopped breasfeeding, so i don't know if she'll stop waking up , but she's waking up ever since she was a newborn. About solids - of he's content and happy - he's probably getting enough of your milk, i didnt start adding anything until 6 mns, but when i did my daughter absolutely hated anything new that i tried to offer. by 12 months she was a bit better, by 1,5 yrs she was much more exsepting. i hope u find what's best for you guys, congratulations on doing an amazing job breastfeeding and having two more kids! plus working, i don't know how u do it!! if co-sleeping is noty an answer for you, then i can not offer anything else, but if it's would be something u want to try, then it would be great for both u and the baby (you both will get sleep, peace and comfort) , but eventually it would be hard to get him out of your bed. but i hope u find your solution. good luck and dont give up!

Hi K.. I nursed my daughter exclusively until she got sick and we had to start supplementing with formula around 8 mos. She slept throught the night at 3 mos though. I read one women say the nursed babies dont sleep through the night and that just isn't always true. I hated to hear her cry at night, but I also knew that as exhausted as I was I was not being a good mother. At your sons weight he should be able to sleep through with some training. I hate all the sleep methods that say 'all' this or 'never' that. We went into her room. We rubbed her back or sang her songs. And she still self soothes just fine. Do you use a pacifire? That might help the sucking reflex that the other mom was talking about.
My daughter hated all solids too. Everyone was telling me I had to do it every night, but I waited a few weeks and tried again. Then waited another few weeks and tried again. Now she loves cereal. She still hates most other things and dinner is a challenge every night, but we go at her pace. She pukes every time we give her peas, so we don't give her peas any more. Trust your instincts. He sounds healthy at 15.5 lbs so I wouldn't be too worried. The only thing he needs after 6 mos is more iron than breastmilk has so keep trying the cereal, but don't worry about every thing else just yet. Most dr's agree that cereal at night doesn't always help them sleep better, but might it worse. Their little bodies then have to work harder to digest that food than they do breastmilk. Good luck, I hope you get some sleep sooon!!!

Hi - my kids are now 13 and 14 - both breastfed - I didn't co-sleep with my first - but did with my 2nd and that was great - both my kids slept through the night at about 3 months old- they slept about 7 hours - as time went on there was always one reason or another that somebody was awake during the night - sickness, bad dream ....etc........

Most babies don't sleep through the night until they are 6 mos. My son was 7 mos and we had to force him to do it. If he's still getting up 2 times a night he probably still needs it. Here is what I do. Bring the baby into bed with you lay on your side so that your belly to belly with the baby. "Hook" him up and rest while he nurses. I do this every night with my daughter whose 3, almost, 4 mos old now. I'm not totally back to sleep but I'm not wide awake either. I wouldn't plan on him sleeping through the night anytime soon.
Next have you tried pumping milk and mixing the cereal with that. The familar flavor of your milk mixed with the cereal may make it more interesting to the baby. I always mixed mine with formula so I'd try the breast milk. Also, though many people will tell you "Give him cereal and he'll sleep." That isn't always true. I know LOTS of kids, including my own, that it made no difference. More times then not I hear it not working at all.

My son was not ready to eat solids until he was 7 months old. We would try every once in a while starting at 6 months, but he kept spitting it out, or closing his mouth. Some people are lucky, their kids sleep through the night sooner. Me, I was not so lucky. He did not sleep through the night until he was almost a year.

You need to first figure out why the baby is waking up. Is he waking up starving, or just simply waking up? Try getting him back down without nusing which will get him out of the routine of eating 2-3 times a night. If he is waking up truly starving, you will have to just let him eat obviously, and deal with the interrupted sleep, but if he is just waking up and wanting the attention, you can break him of that. I got lucky with this one. My breastfed daughter starting sleeping through the night at 6 weeks old and still does now(she is two now) with the exception of teething or not feeling well.

dear K.;

you've posed many issues here and i will keep this short. you should try the La Leche League Intl. website and consider going to some meetings if you can, they will provide many answers to this problem; do not feel that you have to emulate all thier parenting advice. As far as a few quick answers; my breast fed children are now 29 months, and 9 months respectively, and they do not sleep thru the night. breastfed children rarely do. weening is no guarantee that any child will sleep thru. but it is normal to expect a child to go down to 1 waking per night within the first year; when in the year? impossible to say. if you would like to discuss this further email me at ____@____.com best, J.

Hi K.! About the solid food, babies shouldnt be given ANYTHING but breastmilk for at least the first 6 months. I dont, for the life of me understand why some peds still tell women its ok...maybe not up with the times? I mean, just like someone else stated, their own national group states NOTHING before 6 months! LOL. I dont get it....

Anyway, babies cant digest anything but breastmilk until around 6 months. They can become constipated and gassy and have all sorts of digestive issues, which in turn will make them uncomfortable and surely they wont sleep through the night then! And for what its worth, breastfed babies dont need any food other that Momma's milk for the first YEAR...not 6 months. Though its common to give solids at 6 months and its perfectly fine, you dont have to. And if baby isnt interested, its fine. As long as they are thriving on your milk, there is no need for anything else. Its all inferior to your milky goodness anyway! :)

Here is a good link for starting solids with a breastfed baby:
http://kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/index.html

As far as sleeping, every baby is different breastfed or not. My first 2 kids (breastfed) slept through the night weeks home from the hospital. My 3rd (also breastfed) is 11 months and does maybe once every 2 weeks. What we do is when he wakes, we bring him back to bed and nurse him back to sleep. He stays with us until morning. Its the best of both worlds...co-sleeping and not co-sleeping. Personally, I dont know where I'd be without co-sleeping...he slept with us the first 6 months, then we began putting him to sleep in his pack and play next to our bed. Thats where he is now and where he'll stay until he isnt nursing through the night anymore. I hope this helps. I know everyone has a different opinion and not everything works for everyone, but the more info you have the better decisions you can make. Good Luck!

Hi K.,

My daughter just turned 2 and is finally sleeping throught the night!! Keep in mind that every baby is different, but I would check with your pedeatrician to find out when its okay to limit your childs feeding. Breastfeed babies need to nurse more because the milk is so easily absorbed by their bodies. Breastfeed babies also need to increase the mothers milk supply to ensure they are getting enough, they do this by nursing often. As far as solids, I waited until my daughter was 6 months old to introduce any type of sollid food, and even at that point she wasn't completely ready. From what I have heard, and experienced, introducing solid foods does not help them sleep any better or longer at nightime. Anyways, just remember that every child is different. - C.