weaning and sleep

[calcium]

Has anyone found that there baby sleep has become worse when trying to wean them. I have had 4 days so far of giving baby rice and a bit of puree to my dd and have found her sleep is even worse than normal, is she the only one or is this common? I thought babies slept better once taking solids? She is also still needing to be fed several times a night at 4 1/2 months and good old Gina Ford says she should be sleeping through the night now and even talks about dropping the 10.30pm feed??? Any advice?

[jasper]

No advice, just sympathy.
Ds 7m, started solids at 6m and wakes more than ever!
Don't think the babies have read the childcare books !

[ionesmum]

Calcium, baby rice did not agree with my dd and kept her awake. She was better on puree, but certain things made her windy. She was okay on pear, apple, carrot, courgette and squash. Also, my hv said to expect some disruption when first weaning as the gut is starting to really work - she likened it to us suddenly starting aerobics! My dd is now 7 mo and is much more settled.

[Chinchilla]

I too thought that my ds would miraculously sleep through the night once I started giving him solids. However, the small amount that we give for the first few weeks is not going to fill them up. It is just a taster. It's probably akin to having an extra biscuit with your cup of tea - a bit more filling, but it wouldn't keep you going all day!

As I have said before, my ds did not go through the night until 8 months. I don't care what anyone else says that they SHOULD be doing at each stage, each one is different. Mine had two or three feeds a night at your dd's age, and I was done in, but he now goes through for 12 hours each night.

My advice is just to go through this stage as you have done with them all so far. Try to nap during the day if you can. Eventually she will sleep through. It is too early to try controlled crying, so if she wants a feed, give it to her. When she is 6 months you will know that she does not actually need one to go through the night (although mine did seem to!)

Keep your chin up. This time next year, you will have forgotten all this, and will have a happily sleeping dd. I promise!

[Janus]

My daughter didn't agree with baby rice either (and know a few others that had problems with it), I would try dropping the rice and just keep trying pureed veg and fruit. I think Gina Ford has just brought out a weaning book which may be worth a try. I'm not a fan of hers but I found weaning quite difficult and will give it a go next time around.
Good advice so far, you are just doing tasters so not enough to fill your dd up and also mine didn't sleep through the night until I began sleep training at about 9 months. They are all so different and yours may start next week or in a couple of months but the light is shinning somewhere in the tunnel!
Good luck.

[pupuce]

It is quite "normal" for babies to have a worst sleep once they start solids because solids are harder to digest (so it takes longer) but is in actual facts fewer calories than milk. So I am not at all surprise about this.
Calcium, why did you wean her ?
Are you following GF's routine ?

[calcium]

pupuce - good question, dd she was taking all her bottles/bf and crying at the end, sucking her hands furiously and dribbling like mad. Everyone I spoke to said start weaning her and knowing no difference I thought I would give it a go. I am now not going to continue, I think it doesn't agree with her and maybe she is too young. Last night was truely awful, she was awake from 2.30 - 5pm during which time I gave her 7oz which she drunk, I used to be able to get her back to sleep but not any more, she won't even take her dummy now. We got up at 6.50am she then wouldn't drink anything and I have now put her to bed 9am as in G Ford routine which we usually follow but since returning from holiday although I kept her in UK time routine (and she was brilliant) she has been awful and all over the place. Today I shall try to stick to the routine by the book and hope that things get a little better.

I find bringing up a baby almost impossible, it is so difficult to know what to do, everyone says different things and I am surrounded by friends with babies who sleep and always have slept well, I don't have anyone who can help. I am the only one permantly tired and not supported by my dh who seems to think it is my fault. I go back to work in 3 weeks and am becoming very stressed by the thought of having no sleep and having to run a house , baby, husband and keep a job down. HELP!

If I had known how difficult it would have been I would have seriously thought twice, I don't want dd to be a single child but I can't go through this again and time isn't on my side. I know it is early days but I am truely becoming even more depressed than I was before. I have read other threads and may have to ring GFord or visit a sleep clinic although I have spoken to one on the phone but I see there is a good one in Harley St, but I thought nobody would see a baby under 6 months. My health visitor is useless and just says oh she will get better which may be the case but its not constructive advice., sorry to rabbit on but I have to get it off my chest.

[prufrock]

Calcium
I really do sympathise - I have been incredibly lucky that baby rice etc has really agreed with dd - she loves food (I know I was going to try to go to 6 months on exclusive bf but she was waking up 3 times a night and is now back to sleeping through)
On your point about going back to work - others may not agree, but I found it easier to be at work than at home. If you have good childcare (my dd is at a wonderful nursery) it is a huge relief to get back to some semblance of pre baby normality. You can take breaks at work and have proper lunchs rather than grabbing something. Your responsibilities at work are far less onerous than at home with a baby, and when I pick dd up in the evening I am recharged and really looking forward to everything about her - even the crying!. Another good thing is that dh can't say that childcare is all your job if you are back at work and you will have complete justification for telling him to buck his ideas up.

[manna]

calcium - i'm so sorry - you sound like your getting it from all angles atm. How old is your baby? If you're doing gf and want to get it right, and need to concentrate on it before going back to work, call her! This idea that we can cope and will know what to do instinctively is rubbish, especially at the beginning! Both my mum & mil say 'don't ask me, I can't remember, it was 30 / 40yrs ago' So, gina is my new mum (so to speak!) |Just think of her like the wise old lady in the village in days gone by

[ionesmum]

Calcium, just want to add loads of sympathy. I never thought dd would go through the night but she does, and without sleep training. She went through a phase recently of waking up as she rolled over but she's got used to being on her tummy now and settles herself back to sleep. It does get better. Keep strong, you are doing fantastically well. xxx

[calcium]

dd is 41/2 months old. I have decided to keep going with the weaning but not give baby rice, she seems to like the puree so will continue to give it at lunch time. Tonight I am putting her to bed later than usual in the hope that she will sleep longer. It was said to me today that if a baby goes to bed early it is not surprising that by 4am she wants to get up as she has had her quota of sleep, I can see their point. Also she maybe teething and having found her voice (albeit annoying to me) it is new to her so she wants to exercise it! Lets hope tonight is better than last night.
prufrock - I can see your point on the going back to work, I have to go in on Monday and so dh is looking after dd hopefully it will shock him into how much hard work it is!! I am looking forward to going back to work but am concerned I won't be able to function.

[Clarinet60]

Hi calcium.
You seem to be having a similar time to me, and my ds is also 4 1/2 months. I really do sympathise. You sound just like I feel, with it all getting on top of you, sleep deprived and with an unsympathetic dh. Snap! I am back at work, although I work at home on the computer, so never really left. I'm paid for 3 days/week, but some weeks barely manage 3 hours. My ds has also started waking at 3am since I introduced solids, and seems to b/feed all night (morning ) long thereafter. I'm exhausted. Like you, I used to be able to get him back to sleep easily, but it might just be a phase. He seems a little happier in other ways since introducing them. I know from DS1 that this horrible time will pass, but it's still very hard getting through it. I think that this time, more than last time, I have been closer to giving up and feel that I can't be a parent any longer! I hope you feel better knowing that you're not alone, but other than that, I don't really have the answer. Agree with prufrock, going back to work is a break, but it is worrying not knowing how you will function on no sleep. Hope you have better luck with your ds than mine. He does the same amount of housework/childcare whether I work full time, part time or not at all - ie, precious little.

[calcium]

Droile - sorry you to are going through this but yes it is a comfort to know I am not alone

[Demented]

My DS2 is 4 1/2 months and we do seem to be having a better time feeding wise and I do not have to go back to work but I thought I would just add my support about solids and sleeping.

DS2 is now on a small amount of puree at lunch time and a tiny spot of baby cereal at breakfast. He is very much enjoying his food (great excitement when he sees the spoon coming and impatient grunting when another spoonful doesn't come quick enough, the biggest problem is limiting the amount he has so it does not replace any milk) but I feel he is having a slight problem digesting it which is interferring with daytime sleep (cue guilt trip about not exclusively b/f to 6 months). We are keeping going as each day he seems better and seems to be settling into more of a routine, he is still up once through the night but I wasn't expecting him to sleep through although he has done the odd night since starting solids.

[muffles]

Calcium-you are not on your own and your feelings of frustration,desperation and tiredness are just the worst.
At 4 months my dd's sleep started to get worse and worse(it wasn't great to start with) and I felt that my life was awful.To get some control back I started to do 'a Gina' (which we nicknamed bootcamp!) and things gradually started to get better-we now do a very vague and watered down version. I have no family near and at the time desperately needed something or someone to help me get control back into my life.Don't forget that you are your dd's number one influence and it is possible to change things if you have enough encouragement and support.
Keep believing in yourself. You are doing a fantastic job.

[Demented]

I've just re-read my first posting and it doesn't sound quite right. Just to say Droile and Calcium, I am not having as tough a time as both of you but I understand what you mean about solids interfering with sleep as this is what we are experiencing at times during the day. Although from Jasper's post it seems as if the problem can occur whenever you start solids. Hopefully things will get better for you both soon!