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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

'She'll sleep better once she starts solids!'

75 replies

deathb4decaf · 07/12/2015 19:34

DD is 5 months old, ebf. Wakes for a feed 3 times a night which I understand to be totally normal. She's crap at napping though. Maybe I'm being a bit sensitive, but comments like 'weaning will help her sleep, maybe the breast isn't enough anymore!' and 'she'll sleep better once she is weaned!' are really grating on me. These people obviously mean well but AIBU to be annoyed by this?

OP posts:
Ughnotagain · 07/12/2015 19:58

My 6mo DD sometimes wakes twice, sometimes more. She's been having some solids for the past few weeks. I don't think it's made the blindest bit of different tbh!

They're twats. Ignore them!

JassyRadlett · 07/12/2015 19:59

I'm sure it was 12 weeks with my 4 year old!!

Definitely not for my 4 year old - it was 6 months then and had been for a while....

Ughnotagain · 07/12/2015 20:01

Although actually the advice is to wean BY 6 months and not before 17 weeks.

No it isn't.

NHS website says "around 6 months" and makes it clear you should wait for the three signs of readiness, which it says rarely present themselves before 6 months.

KatieLatie · 07/12/2015 20:02

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

BeeePeee · 07/12/2015 20:03

I was really looking forward to my ds sleeping better when he started solids. He continued to sleep badly and still does at 16 months.

Shirkingfromhome · 07/12/2015 20:04

Smile and nod OP, and take on board what you want OP. You'll find everyone's an expert when it comes to your child. FWIW my formula-fed baby slept through from 10 wks only to hit 6 months and has never slept through since. He's now 2 and has a good appetite.

If weaning was the easy answer to sleep there wouldn't be so many sleep solutions and books published.

RevoltingPeasant · 07/12/2015 20:08

Hmm it really did make a difference for DD.

I wound myself up reading about baby sleep cycles, inability to self settle etc.

DM said "feed her some mashed potato and don't run to her every time she cries". Within 2 nights she was sleeping 4-5 hour stretches. Within a few weeks, 6-7+. Now at ten mos she typically does 7.30-4.30/5 then milk and down again till 8 am.

For some babies it is not that simple, but for some it really is! Tbh pray they're right as it's so much easier having a sleeper.

HackerFucker22 · 07/12/2015 20:10

Solids havent made a jot of difference with regards to sleep for my 10m old (BLW from 6m) she is an awful sleeper..

Rinceoir · 07/12/2015 20:10

My EBF baby slept through the night from 8weeks to 6 months. Then woke hourly for months!

Boomingmarvellous · 07/12/2015 20:11

Not at all U.

Food is not the mainstay of feeding for the first year, it remains breast or formula milk.

She probably won't sleep through for a whole year regardless of what you do. and even then you will be lucky

53rdAndBird · 07/12/2015 20:12

Mine started waking up more after weaning. After months of my family telling me that weaning would definitely help because it was so obvious she was hungry... Hmm

Original poster
deathb4decaf · 07/12/2015 20:14

Ok I'm a bit U to let it get to me, but it's the expectation from lots of people that five month old babies 'should' sleep through for 12 hours or whatever that I find annoying! I'm ok with her waking for feeds! Totally agree with sleep breeding sleep Bedsheets but am at a bit of a loss getting her to nap at the moment (tips welcome!) I will look up the book recommendation thanks chumbler

OP posts:
MinesAPintOfTea · 07/12/2015 20:16

She will sleep better some time after starting solids. Because special needs aside, children can stay in bed for the whole night (with a non-disturbing toilet visit maybe) by school age, and the majority well before then.

But the act of starting solids makes no bloody improvement, so don't worry about that!

HPsauciness · 07/12/2015 20:18

Solids may not make a baby sleep, but I felt more confident going ahead with sleep training once I knew my dd had eaten well in the day and had lots of breastfeeds, so wasn't really hungry at night. This was at about 8 months.

Junosmum · 07/12/2015 20:29

It did help my niece but every child is different.

BenguinsMummy · 07/12/2015 20:33

My MIL went on about my milk "not being nutritional enough" for benguin from about day 5... I told her to shut the fuck up and that I'll wean when bothe he and I am ready... Had to repeat it a couple of hundred times.... But when I did move him onto solids and his sleep didn't improve... She promptly stfu....

Original poster
deathb4decaf · 07/12/2015 20:39

I would love to be proven wrong and dd to sleep through but I can't see it happening!

Benguins mummy 😁

OP posts:
Bedsheets4knickers · 07/12/2015 20:41

In this order I would try . If she's your only that is . If second child may be tricky
After 2 hours awake . Pop her on your bed and play dead . U might get a few bonks on the head but she might settle to sleep .
2 a swinging chair quite often Knocks them out
3 if you have access to a car going on a little drive or a walk in the pram .
I've lost literally days sleep training . Believe me I know it's at times soul destroying . A bounce in a jumperoo or under play gym to wear her down xx

Tamponlady · 07/12/2015 20:43

It's not bollocks it really help my kids kept waking for milk then it becomes habitual

Once they had a normal dinner in their belly didn't stir till morning

MrsMook · 07/12/2015 20:46

Ds1 slept well until the 5 month growth spurt. He was ready to wean then, but it turned out that he had food allergies which were the source of him waking regularly until he was put on an exclusion diet at 12 months. That was a magical change, although it didn't protect us from the routine disruptions of teething and bugs.

In the early days of weaning, the greater balance of calories is still from milk rather than solids so it doesn't make a major difference to most.

MontyYouTerribleCunt · 07/12/2015 20:46

Didn't make a difference with mine as I recall. Yanbu OP. Unless there is a medical reason to wean early I wouldn't do it; aside from the guidelines saying EBF / ff till 6 months, just on a practical level there's a lot of mess and hassle involved in weaning and they still need lots of milk feeds at that age too. Doing both is tiring at first I found. I have no idea why some parents decide to wean early, as it doesn't seem to make things any easier from what I've seen at least.

Bedsheets4knickers · 07/12/2015 20:47

Also 12 hours at 5 months is a very big ask . So many don't even do this at 18-2 years . Aim for 6-8 hours

Original poster
deathb4decaf · 07/12/2015 20:52

Thanks Bedsheets we borrowed a swing from a friend, she hates it unfortunately. She loves walks in the pram so been doing an hour's walk once a day which helps. Ditto car rides! I play dead every day from about 4.45am when she wakes up (in bed with us- we semi co-sleep) sometimes it works but increasingly it doesn't. Also if I try this at any other time of day she won't be fooled! A lot of the time lately I've resorted to her napping on me for up to two hours just so she gets some nap time 😳

OP posts:
Raxacoricofallapatorius · 07/12/2015 20:54

Guidelines have been 6 months for 12 years!

There is no link between weaning and sleep. In fact most evidence suggests that if there is a tenuous link, it's that weaning makes sleep worse briefly.

Best of luck op. I think sometimes people are just trying to cheer you up!

Peppaismyhomegirl · 07/12/2015 20:57

Jesus so much aggression about when to feed you baby! calm down Hmm