Considering starting DD (16 weeks) on solids! Help me decide please!!!

[Getthekettleon]

DD 16 weeks old and always intended to BF only til 24 weeks but after another restless night I've got it into my head that a little babyrice might help her to sleep better? She is a big baby and got her first teeth at 13 weeks. I just don't know?
I didn't give my 3 yrs old solids until 5 and half months but just feel a bit lazier second time round.

It's too soon. No food is going to help her sleep longer.

Milk has more calories in it than baby rice. It will not help her sleep.

Weaning made absolutely no difference to my ds's sleep.

Why do you think it would help her to sleep better?

There's no evidence that it will make her sleep longer. And if you fill her up on baby rice, she'll actually be getting less calories than she would be if she was receiving milk alone.

4 months is a classic sleep regression time. Lots of babies go through it. Have a scan through the sleep threads if you want the evidence! Overwhelmingly, they don't seem to sleep any better when weaned. Therefore the benefits of baby rice at this stage are questionable, whereas the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding at this stage are well proven. Sorry.

My ds was the perfect baby until 17 weeks - then he just stopped sleeping. We never did figure out why!

Weaning onto solids won't make any difference to the sleeping. In fact it could make it worse as baby rice contains less calories than breastmilk. Could your dp/h give a night feed of expressed milk or take over the children in the day to let you get some more sleep? I know sleep deprivation can be such a killer!

Reasons for not bothering with solids yet :

there is no evidence at* all that early solids help with sleeping better...the little evidence we do have is the other way (it makes no difference or else the baby wakes up more)

• it is a hassle - you need to buy the baby rice and prepare it and wash up after it (as well as it being a bit messy sometimes with the baby!)

• nutritionally and healthwise, your baby is better off on milk alone at this stage

To me, it does not seem 'lazy' to give rice at 16 weeks. It seems like a willingness to do more, for very little (no?) return at all.

Size of your baby and her teeth make no difference in all of this

Thanks guys! I know you are all right. I'm defo not going to give her solids! Breast is Best!

Thanks again!