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Parenting

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Original poster

5.5 month old baby crying - do i give her a feed ?

45 replies

OnEdge · 14/02/2011 02:23

I really want my 5.5 month old baby to sleep through the night now. She woke up crying just now, I cuddled her and she burped, snuggled in to me and went back to sleep. I put her back down, she is now niggling away, half heartedly crying, then going quiet for a minute or two and then having a wriggle and another little cry.

Do you think I should give her a bottle, or percevere and try and help her back to sleep without it ?

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Original poster

OnEdge · 14/02/2011 02:51

bump

OP posts:

Flossie69 · 14/02/2011 09:02

What time did she feed before you put her down for the night? Does she have a dream feed at 10.30pm ish, or are you putting her down at 7ish? She may be too little to go from then.

Roo83 · 14/02/2011 09:21

I usually give my dd a bf whenever she wakes up (similar age) it's the quickest way to settle her,and then I'm not second guessing if she's hungry or not. She has slept through when she was younger but now wakes at least once a night. She's my second so I know from experience she will sleep through eventually. If I were you I'd just go with it for now and grab your sleep when you can

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Original poster

OnEdge · 14/02/2011 18:19

Well, I didn't feed her in the end because when I cuddled her she stopped, if she was hungry she would carry on. She did do a burp and then eventually settled until 7 so I am going to persist and try not to feed her because I don't think that it is hunger that is waking up, I think she is being an opportunist IYKWIM.

I would be truly over the moon if she could sleep through because then that is all of my 3 under 4's sleep problems sorted out. Oldest has been bribed with a Jessie doll to go back into her own bed, 18 month old has stopped using a bottle to get to sleep (it used to make him wake up with terrible wind pain )

So I am going for it tonight, wish me luck, and thanks for your replies.

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aPixie · 14/02/2011 19:55

Well, she's still a little young to be sleeping through the night but it sounds like she's doing well so good luck.

If she does start waking up, I would 2nd (3rd?) the dream feed at around 10pm where she might be able to go through to morning better.

Original poster

OnEdge · 14/02/2011 23:18

yes i just did a dream feed at 11, and put a bit of baby porridge in it. She has crashed out, and the whole house apart from me is now asleep. Could this be the one ??? it would be a miracle !!

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Original poster

OnEdge · 14/02/2011 23:20

Even if it was just the once I would have a sense of achievement . I took them all onto the beech today, twas a bit bracing and sandy chips, but all crashed out now.

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Munaka · 14/02/2011 23:25

You put porridge in her bottle?

OhForBoonessSake · 14/02/2011 23:28

i burp excessively when i am hungry so i would necessarily take the burp as a sign taht she isn't hungry. the going back over to sleep could be that she just doesn't have the energy to keep crying because she hasn't fed. also, why are you putting porridge in her bottle? if you are weaning why not give her it for supper in a bowl?

OhForBoonessSake · 14/02/2011 23:28

wouldn't necessarily.

thebrownstuff · 14/02/2011 23:36

Munaka · 14/02/2011 23:45

OhFor, I would agree about the burping. If she has been crying she might have gulped some air down, which would have resulted in the burp.

OnEdge, you do know that nothing except for milk should go into a bottle? Don't you?

Did you make the holes bigger so the porridge got through the teat by any chance?

Original poster

OnEdge · 14/02/2011 23:46

I can tell when she is hungry because her cries are quite urgent, and cuddling her does not help. Also, the cries largely stopped when she burped, and faded out as she drifted off.

She didn't stop crying because she was exhausted, she stopped because her needs had been met and she fell asleep.

Yes, I could have fed her porridge from a bowl, but I put it in the bottle, what is wrong with that ? ( She has only started weaning this week. )

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Original poster

OnEdge · 14/02/2011 23:50

I'm thinking that she is used to waking in the night due to wind, or just the sleep cycle, and we fed her because it stopped her crying, not because she was hungry. I'm not convinced she woke up due to hunger.

My 1st slept through from week 7, and my 2nd never did until 3 nights ago, all so different.

hmmmmm.......

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Munaka · 14/02/2011 23:53

It's a choking risk, afaik

Original poster

OnEdge · 14/02/2011 23:53

Munaka I didn't make the hole bigger, she is just on fast flow teats now anyway. You can buy a milk that contains cereals for night time, what is wrong with adding baby porridge?

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Original poster

OnEdge · 14/02/2011 23:54

How is it a choking risk ? And surely it would be aspiration they were at risk of if anything.

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Munaka · 14/02/2011 23:55

What milk is that OnEdge?

Afaik, no UK formula has added cereal.

OhForBoonessSake · 14/02/2011 23:56

"I'm not convinced she woke up due to hunger"

so what are you asking then?

Original poster

OnEdge · 14/02/2011 23:58

Hang on, I will find out, I bought it for my son. I can't remember the brand, it is in a small navy and white tub, I just chucked the empty one out so I can't go and look. I think its called something like Nighttime Milk, its for 6m +

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Munaka · 15/02/2011 00:03

If you mean the Cow and Gate one that definitely doesn't contain any cereal. No UK formula does.

Original poster

OnEdge · 15/02/2011 00:06

Right found it [http://www.hipp.co.uk/products/our-baby-milks/good-night-milk/hipp-organic-good-night-milk here]] and it does contain cereal.

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Original poster

OnEdge · 15/02/2011 00:06

here

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Original poster

OnEdge · 15/02/2011 00:11

OhForBoonessSake Well initially, last night I was just asking for advice about whether or not to feed her, or to try and encourage her to go back to sleep. My HV said that she didn't need a feed in the night, and I wondered how people went about not feeding them when they woke up crying.

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OhForBoonessSake · 15/02/2011 00:12

you are aware that porridge put into milk is not the same as a baby powder made up of 3% cereals and blended so that it is totally liquid when water is added. porridge doesn't liquify in milk the same as formula.

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