Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Help - 5 month old v v hungry but don't want to give solids

28 replies

podglet · 02/04/2007 21:29

Hi,

My DS is 5 months old (just). He is exclusive breast fed. He has recently started feeding loads more in the day - every 90 mins or so (from both sides as well) and is also waking more in the night - from once a night to twice or 3 times.

I don't know what to do - my HV has said he is ready for solids but I know that I really should wait until 26 weeks. Can I supplement with a couple of bottles of formula during the day to top him up a bit more? Or perhaps a "dream feed" when I go to bed?

Can anyone give me some advice please, just to get me through the next few weeks before solids...

Thanks in advance

OP posts:
pobletsmum · 02/04/2007 21:32

I can't tell you the 'right' answer, but I gave in to solids when DS reached that stage (but ff not bf at the time), and we never looked back!

bobsmum · 02/04/2007 21:33

Definitely a dreamfeed. Worked for dd to get her to 6 months. Just "woke" her at 11pm ish and let her feed. Tickled her feet a little in case she got too comfy though

I also used to give dd 2 goes at each breast. so breast A then B then back to A and B and that seemed to make her last. Not sure why it worked for dd, but she lasted that bit longer IYSWIM.

Ignore your HV - she's already ignoring the most up to date research and advice! Well done you for questioning her - if only more mums would!!

Have a look at the kellymom.com site for great b/f advice and up to date stuff on weaning etc.

FrannyandZooey · 02/04/2007 21:34

Podglet, you must make the choice that is right for you, but even one bottle of formula will have an effect on ds's gut

This is a very normal stage around 5 months and the simple answer is to let him feed more - he will be fine, but you need to take care of yourself of course

Rest whenever possible, co-sleep if it helps you with the night time, eat lots of good stuff and keep hydrated

you could try switch feeding to get more of the calorific hind milk into him? I will return with links

rowan1971 · 02/04/2007 21:34

Is he showing any interest in solids? I tried to hold out till 6 months with ds2, but every time we sat down to eat a meal he would start howling and practically grabbing things off my plate. Thus I knew he was ready for solids and gave in (he was about 4.5 months).

REIDmychocolateylips · 02/04/2007 21:35

i will probably get jumped on here but ... i started my ds with solids when he was 5 months. He too (although ff) was getting hungrier and hungrier, so we started him on solids. He is now 7 monhs old and on 3 good meals a day (plus milk. he loves his veggies and (imo) developing very well. He sleeps through and is very content, i am aware however that the problems that arise from early weaning tend to develop in later life.

He is my first child and i am in no way in a position to talk but i honestly dont see how a couple of weeks can really do that much damage (awaits telling off!)

FrannyandZooey · 02/04/2007 21:38

I think the technique bobsmum describes gets more hind milk into the baby, so that's worth a try

I know your supply is not low but wondered if this page and the pages it links to would be useful. If you can increase your supply and increase the amount your ds is taking then that has got to help...

Forgot to say that as you probably know, supplementing will affect your supply adversely, which could lead to you struggling further

Best of luck

FrannyandZooey · 02/04/2007 21:40

I'm not doing any jumping here but...

"Help - 5 month old v v hungry but don't want to give solids"

"Have you thought of giving solids?"

rowan1971 · 02/04/2007 21:45

Hey Franny! Pounce and grind!

My point was, if her baby isn't showing any interest in solids, then the question answers itself - ds obviously just wants several thousand litres of milk a day. Fair enough - been there, done that! My ds1 didn't have any solids until about 8 months (apart from the odd spoonful) 'cos he couldn't have been less interested.

But if a baby really wants solids, that's a different matter, IME.

Lact8 · 02/04/2007 21:45

How does your DS behave around food?

I knew that the advice had changed to 6 months when I had DD and tried my hardest to hold off solids.

We made it to 5.5 months because we had the same with the constant feeding that you describe and she would also cry hysterically if anyone ate in front of her.

She instantly reverted back to her happy self and hasn't looked back since (she eats nearly the same amount of food as DS1 and DS2 combined Def gets her appetite from me!)

I did feel incredibly guilty about it though but in the end I decided I wasn't going to beat myself up over 2 weeks. I made the decision based upon our circumstances.

bobsmum · 02/04/2007 21:48

But my dc's I could have put a tennis ball/My Little Pony/Remote control on my plate and they would have been hysterical for it;crying, screaming and bawling.

I always understood that reaching for things which were unavailable or tempting looking was a developmental milestone, not evidence of gut maturty?

FrannyandZooey · 02/04/2007 21:49

That wasn't pounce and grind, it was kind of swoop and frown

My baby showed interest and cried for, amongst other things: hairdriers, lawnmowers, woodlice, and gin

didn't mean he needed them or that they were good for him

FrannyandZooey · 02/04/2007 21:49

Ah bobsmum

faster, funnier, and with a sciencey fact in it

bobsmum · 02/04/2007 21:49

maturity

REIDmychocolateylips · 02/04/2007 21:50

Frannyand zoey...reread my post and realised what a muppet i was, was hoping no body would pint it out

FrannyandZooey · 02/04/2007 21:51

Reid at least you bothered posting to try to advise podglet

I am sure it is useful for her to read all kinds of people's experiences

bobsmum · 02/04/2007 21:52

F&Z

Who was it on here who had noticed her child interested in the steering wheel of her car and was having a dilemma over giving him driving lessons at 3 "because he seemed ready" and was "interested" when she was driving even thoguh the guidelines suggested waiting til 17?

Always made me chuckle

FrannyandZooey · 02/04/2007 21:52

Oh I weaned early too in case I am sounding all Miss Goody Two Shoes

about 24 wks I think - he was, like, really hungry all the time, and waking up constantly

and weaning was going to cure that, oh, yes sirree

FrannyandZooey · 02/04/2007 21:53

LOL bobsmum sounds like hunker to me

PippiLangstrump · 02/04/2007 21:54

DD was totally bf up to 5 months when she then wanted to eat every two hours. I couldn't anymore. topped up with formula twice a day and then solids I think a month later.

It's my first child so I am no expert but I am not beating myself about it one bit. I did what was best for us. I wouldn't think a couple of weeks will be such a difference though.

again like other have suggested I am sure there are better methods around.

Lact8 · 02/04/2007 21:55

No it was definately food that she wanted. DD is such a happy baby. Rarely cried for anything. Has tolerated an older brother who took her toys and books off her without a whimper, grinned all day. Except for mealtimes or whenever anyone ate anything in front of her. It was a totally different cry than wanting to be bfed.

I believe that food is what she needed at that time.

But I did do BLW and she fed herself her first meal

Elasticwoman · 02/04/2007 21:58

Reidmy - well done for getting to 5 months without solids! As I understand it, the WHO advice on delaying solids till 6 months is based on research showing that the baby will compensate with lower milk intake if you give solids earlier, leaving the overall calorific intake about the same; therefore no advantage in giving solids early. BUT it seems to me that every baby is different and a sudden hungry spurt and feeding more frequently at night are good indications for starting solids.

My dd1 started solids at just over 5 months and put on 19 oz in the first week. She has been extremely interested in food ever since! Ds got to 18 lb 3 oz on breastmilk alone, but was still a bit under 6 months when I gave in and started solids - because after sleeping through the night for a week or so, he suddenly started waking again for a feed and I couldn't cope with going back to broken nights.

I think the advice is partly to counteract the general tendency of mothers to start solids earlier; when the advice was 4 - 6 months, I knew many who started solids at 3 months. This was often bad news for allergies and food intolerances. One of my friends was given solids on day 4 and as an adult suffers multiple food allergies.

bobsmum · 02/04/2007 21:59

Lact8 - I guess the thing is with BLW that because the babies who do it are6 able to sit unaided and self feed, then that^ is supposed to be an idicator of gut maturity. I think.

Is that what UNICEF are researching atm? Something about torso strength/tummy muscles etc? It's never great seeing babies eating in a bouncy chair I think. If they can't cope with sitting upright in a highchair (assuming NT development of course) then they're too young for solids IMO.

squeakybub · 02/04/2007 22:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Lact8 · 02/04/2007 22:10

That would be really interesting to find out Bobsmum. DD was sitting up, crawling and could pull herself to standing by the time she started solids. It honestly felt cruel to be denying her.

I know what you mean about bouncychairs. A friend said she's planning to start her DC on babyrice after the Easter holidays when they'll be 4 months old. I tried not to let the alarm show on my face and attempted a 'oh, have you heard of BLW? It's fab. So easy. No fussing with spoons and you get to eat your own food instead of it going cold while you try to feed the baby. Wish I'd known about it when I had my boys' But in my head I was thinking 'NOOOOOO!'

Malaleche · 02/04/2007 22:14

If you want to wait a little longer before introducing solids try boosting your milk supply. I started taking fenugreek capsules when DD2 seemed hungrier at 5 1/2 mths and I felt like I was 'running out' of milk. They definitely increased the supply. Only thing is I now smell of curry, but it makes a change from smelling of baby by-products I suppose!
I started offering her solids the day she turned 26 weeks but 2 weeks later she is only just starting to show a real interest in actually swallowing anything.
'Food is just for fun until they're one' - repeat until satiated!