To give 4 and a half month old porridge

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My DD is 4 and a half month old. She wakes 3 times during the night to feed. I offer her 5 ounce and she drinks 4 - 4.5, so she truly is waking to feed. I have been told that mixing some baby porridge in with formula before bedtime will help her sleep longer. However now a days your advised to wait until 6 month to give baby any sort of food, but baby porridge says 4 month+ on packaging.

Dunno what to do for the best. WWYD? Let baby wake for feeds or try and fill up more before sleep?

I would hold fire on the porridge until 6 months.

DD started on baby porridge at 4 months, and 22 years later started DGS at 5 months. Worked then, works now.

I would check with health visitor / baby clinic / GP before doing it.

Disgrace did it help your children sleep on a night? I'm only thinking about giving it to DD on a night time. I heard you mix it in with their formula in their bottle?

I tried it when he was about 5 months, 2 nights, he was just up with a sore tummy instead. Didn’t help sleep at all. Stopped until he was very nearly 6 months. From then he ate like a trooper, still didn’t sleep, at 17 months still doesn’t sleep. Food is sadly not a solution - at 4.5 months you are probably in the 4 months sleep regression.

I would wait. Introducing solids gives no guarantee of longer sleep - even at 6 months and above.

I’m pretty sure that it definitely shouldn’t be given in a bottle and if they are waking for milk they need the milk for their growth.

And definitely don’t mix it into the bottle - it’s a choking hazard and not advised at all anymore.

Don't mix any solids into a bottle it's a choking hazard and dangerous. If you want to give her solids then give her solids properly with a spoon.

The 4+ on the baby porridge just means that nothing terrible will happen if you do give it to a 4 month old it isn't an instruction that you should give it.

Browsing the Internet (whilst feeding baby in the night) there seems to be a lot of stuff suggesting that the link between feeding solids/baby porridge and sleep is debunked now. Isn't there a growth spurt around 4 months that might cause extra hunger for a while?

I dont think it will help sadly. My DS will be 8 months next week and has 3 meals a day now as well as milk and still wakes up for a feed. We have got him down to 4 ounces but he still drinks the lot.

I'm in the no food until 6 months category!! It's bad for their wee digestive systems, you're not supposed to give babies solids until they can sit up unaided, if they're all slouchy it puts them at risk of choking.

4 months is a sleep regression ages for babies so that could be the reason the little one is waking up more during the night!

Thanks for all your replies. I think I'll just wait until she's 6 month

you really shouldn't put anything into a babies bottle except milk - it is a choking hazard.
it is not advised to give foods before 6 months - especially foods with gluten in, which porridge contains.
milk contains much more calories and is more filling than any food for a baby. if baby is hungry give more milk.

Your baby's organs aren't mature enough to cope with solids. Milk has all the calories she needs if she is hungry =give more milk.

Don't add food to a baby bottle. It's a choking risk. Babies wake because they are hungry and have tiny tummies. They don't wake because they are ready for solids.

sorry i typed slow - lots of replies for you while i typed :)

All baby weaning stuff says 4+ months on the label, to sell more. NHS guidelines are 6 months. I'd wait a few weeks before solids, definitely.
Waking 3x in the night doesn't strike me as that much? They have all kinds of 'sleep regressions' where their sleep patterns change and I remember 4 months definitely being one of those...

It really won't help her sleep. It will probably give her tummy ache and constipation.

She wakes up for milk because she needs milk.

I weaned ds1 At that age but he was famished and we couldn't get anymore milk in him!! So I'm clearly not averse to weaning before the 6 month mark but agree that you shouldn't do it with expectation that it will improve sleep.

Certainly never put anything but milk in the bottle though it's a choking risk

Porridge no as it has very little nutritional value. Avocado would be good as it is higher in calories as well as nutrients. If you really do want to try with porridge first you could blend up some berries and mix that in.

I always offer more than she drinks, but instead of eating everything I'm offering she drinks less but then wakes again in a few hours time for the same amount again.

Don't want anyone to think I'm a bad Mam, I've always been the no food until 6 month mark. This was just a suggestion that I was given. I would rather do everything by the books

It will not make any difference to the baby's sleep. Dd1 was weaned at 4 months on GO advice due to poor weight gain. Dd2 was weaned at 5.5 months after she took a piece of bread off of my plate and started eating. At 4.5 months, you will not harm your baby by weaning but do it properly. Don't put anything in the milk.