Starting solids is disrupting sleep

[frodojodo]

I started my 5 and a half month old on solid (purées) a couple of days ago. Peads said she seemed ready. Only a couple of spoonfuls twice a day, she seems to LOVE it!

She's had banana, avocado & baby rice so far. Banana seems to be the favourite.

Anyway, since starting solids she's been really really upset throughout the night, wakening up crying and I'm unable to comfort her back to sleep.. She is perfect through the day so unsure why she's so upset at night all off a sudden.. maybe it's just a coincidence, I'm not sure 🤔
??

Ps- she suffers with acid reflux & is on a special dairy free formula for CMPA.

My cmpa/ silent reflux babies were the same - I think it's due to change in the amount of acid being pumped which peaks when they lie down ofcourse and at 3am for the 'acid dump'. It jus took a couple months to settle down - my advice would be to go very slow, same food for 3 days so the body gets used to it and also so you can spot any intolerances

Some gaviscon just before bed may help and we found colic calm helped too.

@needtogetfit21

My cmpa/ silent reflux babies were the same - I think it's due to change in the amount of acid being pumped which peaks when they lie down ofcourse and at 3am for the 'acid dump'. It jus took a couple months to settle down - my advice would be to go very slow, same food for 3 days so the body gets used to it and also so you can spot any intolerances

Some gaviscon just before bed may help and we found colic calm helped too.

That's so interesting! I did wonder if it maybe had something to do with the acid reflux.

She doesn't sleep through the night fully anyway, I think the reflux wakes her up as when she does wake she's crying but trying to fall back asleep. I'll need to read up on the 'acid dump'

When did your acid babies sleep through the night without a fuss?

My DS (who had zero issues) used to wake up all the time once we started weaning. We used to go up to wiggle his legs round to help him trump and then he'd go back to sleep.

Give her the solids in the morning rather than afternoon or evening. Dd had severe reflux and we didn't manage purées again all. They just made her gag. We moved to BLW and never looked back.

And she started sleeping through the night around her first birthday

We started at 5.5mo on advice from the hospital, DD has CMPA and reflux and We had the exact same problem.
Start very slow and do a very no pressured approach. Meals early as possible.
DD is 12mo now and is under feeding consultants and specialists, as she still won’t eat much if anything. She has a food aversion and will scream NO at every meal time and get very upset, even under hospital assessment (been like this months so not a phase) until the food is removed. If she eats (anything) it can be projectile vomited out as soon as she’s put to bed, making her even more upset. So we are waiting further tests.
We have taken a very laid back approach, and so have nursery. The food is there and if she wants it she will eat it herself. And in the last 6 weeks she is slowly eating a few spoonfuls / snacks. But they have been a few nights where she is sick and the process starts again.
But I feel the early months of her being given food and it causing upset, without her being able to communicate this, has had a long term effect.
My DD slept through until weaning started. Now she will only sleep though if she’s not eaten or has projectile vomited every out before sleep.
Every baby is different.

@frodojodo dc1 was sleep trained around 5/6 months just as we started weaning. We stopped and delayed the weaning and restarted very slowly. He dropped his milk feed during the training and slept through so it was from around 7 months. We gave millet porridge in the evening or veg mixed with arrowroot which is used in countries where ppi's are not used in children. It makes a jelly like thick substance so it settled well in his tummy. I agree with pp to start with meals early in the day initially.

Dc2 also terrible reflux and multiple allergies didn't sleep through until 8 months. He dropped his milk feed around 6 weeks old but used to wake crying in pain from reflux. And then when we started Weaning , it had him up every hour for about 6 weeks 😰 once I saw he started sleeping longer periods I sleep trained him out of my bed and into his cot and he slept through straight away.

It's tough but if you can get the reflux under control she will sleep through quicker.

My almost 7 month old has been waking every two hours or so at night ever since he started solids three weeks ago. He now sleeps in the bed with me because he won’t settle in his cot any more. He used to be a good sleeper except for a few issues during his four month sleep regression.

I don’t know whether to blame the solids or whether it’s teething. He started pulling on his ears at around the same time that the sleep disruptions started. His ears look normal so I don’t think it’s an infection. Lately he has also become more unsettled during the day and started pulling off the breast screaming during a lot of his feeds. He has a history of reflux but does not have CMPA. He has been chewing like a maniac and drooling like the Niagara falls since he was three months old but still no teeth. He got a bit constipated once after I gave him banana but the rest of the time his stools have passed easily.

@seaborgium - I think he may have an ear infection / inner ear infection. Their ears don't always have to look sore. Sometimes the only symptoms are an unsettled baby & pulling at ear.

I'd defo take him to the doctors to get it checked out, just incase

Pulling at ears is also a very common teething symptom too though.

In case it helps, I used to give the purées in the morning and around lunch (just super basic ones!) and didn't introduce fruit until about 7/8 months and even then, it was only every other day with baby porridge in the morning. No baby rice for us either. Never had any night issues, but obviously I'm not sure if it's anything to do with that but thought I'd mention. Good luck :)

@seaborgium may I ask what ended up happening with your baby? My dd is having these exact same issues. Identical … and I don’t know how to help her. Thank you!

Same here!