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?

In the US the 6-month rule is being reconsidered as introducing foods like fish and things earlier seems to cause fewer allergies down the line.

Whatever the deal may be, not all babies are ready for solids at the same time. We started our daughter when she was about 4 months because she was eyeing our food and she just didn't seem to get enough from milk alone. She took to her 2 meals a day like a champ and looks forward to them.

Just try her on something. If she doesn't like it, she'll let you know. If she does, she'll be a much happier baby for it.

GP advice^

She drinks less than you offer because she has a tiny tummy. She wakes because she's hungry.

Rather than porridge, you’re baby just still needs more milk.
Don’t worry yet about food....increase the number of milk feeds rather than introducing food too early.

There are 3 things which you’re baby needs to be doing before they eat solid food.

1. Be able to sit up on totally their own unsupported or propped up with cushions.
2. They need to have the pincer grip to be able to pick up a piece of food and put it into to their mouth
3. They need to have lost the reflux whereby they push food out of their mouth with their tongue.

It’s unlikely that they will be able to do all three things before 6 months.

If you think your baby might need more than just milk, you really should ask your health visitor....although to be honest, there is no guarantee they’ll know.

Kikibo DD does stare at use when we are eating. I think if I gave her food she would actually eat it she seems really interested. But I want to wait until the 6 month mark as I realised that when baby organs are more developed

Oh and if she is eyeing up your food, it’s just because she is interested in looking at new things. She doesn’t know it’s food .

Waking three times in the night sounds normal to me. 4 months is still very young! Food doesn't magically equal sleep either. Weaned my son at 5.5 months and he was still waking at least twice a night until he was 11 months, then once a night until he was 18 months before he finally started sleeping through. More milk is the answer until you feel your baby is really ready for solids.

Verbena thank you that advice is really helpful!

I don’t want to sound,like I’m teaching my grandmother to suck eggs, but have you tried a dream feed? It was the one thing which bought us extra sleep

*reflex...not reflux

Though usually you start with lunch and progress to dinner and then porridge in the evening.

Not sure if it'll help her sleep though. She will if she wants to and just wakes up because she's hungry. But if she doesn't want to she'll just keep waking. My DD sometimes sleeps through and sometimes doesn't and it's not connected to how much she's eaten.

Here is the ingredients list for a baby porridge. Hasn't even got oats in.
Ingredients
Fortified Milk (64%) [Demineralised Whey Powder (from Milk), Skimmed Milk Powder, Vegetable Fat (contains Soy Lecithin), Calcium, Vitamins (Vitamin C, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin E, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B6, Vitamin A, Folic Acid, Vitamin K1, Vitamin D3, Biotin, Vitamin B12), Iron, Zinc, Copper, Potassium], Milled Cereals [Corn (16%), Rice (15%)], Dietary Fibre [Galacto-Oligosaccharides (GOS) (from Milk), Fructo-Oligosaccharides (FOS)]

Read more at www.boots.com/aptamil-creamed-porridge-4-6-months-125g-10102101#6rMvF7rVulFXCoZk.99

SheSparkles she sleeps in her cot in her own bedroom when I hear her cry on the monitor, I go in a leave her in the cot and feed her while she lay in there. It seems to work for her. Personally I don't see how she likes to eat when lay flat but it's her preference. She always pops right back off to sleep after her feed

I'd love it if my 5month old only woke up 3times a night. I think you're right to wait till 6months. People have been telling me I should start ds on food so he'll sleep better. I don't think he's quite ready (he's not far off) and I doubt it will help with sleeping.

Babies are supposed to wake at night, their tummies are only small that's what I tell myself when he's awake for the 5th time

Definitely don't put it in the bottle, it's a choking hazard.

Mine started porridge at 4 or 5 months because that was the advice back then, but it didn't help him sleep longer.

Whatever you decide (and it is your choice really), as pp's have said do not give any form of food other than milk from the bottle. It's horrifically outdated advice. Food goes on spoons (or in hands if blw), milk and water only in bottles! With water being mostly completely unnecessary.

If it helps, DS woke 3 times a night at that age, but was a champion sleeper by the age of 2, would go off like a dream, rarely woke me ever, and he's been the same ever since. Hang in there, it'll change in time!

Porridge no as it has very little nutritional value.

Was this referring specifically to baby porridge? It's nonsense in relation to 'real' porridge.

Don't mix it with formula to drink whatever you do please. My DS had baby porridge at 19 weeks and then very quickly moved into butternut squash or broccolin or apple. He had no problems and is a fab eater. I only made my own though but I understand that's not always possible. My DS had 3 8oz bottles before 10.30 am and he didn't waken until 8am so he was more than ready.

My ds was waking at least 3 times a night at 4 months old and always had done. My mother and her friends were convinced it was becasue he was hungry, so I gave in (he is nearly 10 and the guidelines were just changing from 4 to 6 months in our area) and started weaning him. All it did was give me something else to do. Previously I’d just breast fed him and then When I started weaning him, I had to make actual food for him, which was a right pain and there was no point as it didn’t help him sleep at all.

Please don’t be so stupid and selfish.

Did you mean to be so rude?

@showgirl - the thread said porridge....I wasnt sure which the OP meant.
I waited to wean till 6 months and used porridge, baby porridge is like wallpaper paste

Bratsandtwats probably, I just ignored it. There's always one arsehole. I was simply asking for opinions not for insults

Hi, my son is 5 months and we’ve just survived the 4 month sleep regression phase. It’s so hard! You’re not a bad Mum, you need sleep to function, that is not selfish- it is survival!

I wouldn’t give solids yet. The current advice is to wait and that it doesn’t help with sleeping.

But don’t accept the broken sleep as a given. 4 month olds really can go longer without a feed. Try some other things first. Try giving less in the bottle, so she isn’t used to getting a significant % of her food at night. She’ll eat more during the day.

What was revolutionary for us (went from 4 or 5 wake ups a night to just 1) was instead of me just feeding bubs as soon as he chirps at night, my husband takes him out of the cot and changes his nappy before each night time feed. Bubs doesn’t like that one bit, so now only bothers crying to be fed if he is hungry.

Good luck, it’s so hard to feel good when you are sleep deprived.

Oh and @selftitledalbum your comment is just ghastly, whatever is wrong with you?

I don't think anyone but a dickhead would think you are a bad mum for asking for advice.

It's actually the sign of a great mum.

Do you get any help with the night feeds?

op The U.K. guidelines are based on the unicef infant feeding advice I believe.

If you try your baby on food at 4 months it’s going against what we are told about infant feeding. The baby food companies are still allowed to put from 4 months on their labels but they’re currently allowed to do it even though it goes against nhs advice.
Waiting as long as possible and just giving more milk really is the best advice.