My 6 month old gone 16 hours without a feed! is this normal?

[Samiibaby]

Hey everyone
So my son is 6 months old and last night he went 16 hours without a feed!
he normally wakes up around 8am but he woke up this morning at 9:30am and still wasn’t that hungry
the longest he has been without a feed is 8 sometimes 12 hours but I’ve been told this is normal and his weight is fine
he last fed 7 hours ago and I gave him a dream feed as to me this just seems off - he’s on solids but he refuses food other than banana porridge for his breakfast!
is this normal or should I take him to be seen by the doctor asap?

I think you're overthinking this. Kids eat when they're hungry. Even babies go through phases of being ravenous milk monsters to having longer stretches.

16 hrs is a long time but if he has dirty and wet nappies as normal I'd say there nothing to worry about here x

@whatthebejesus thanks for the reassurance I probably am overthinking this
he has had his normal wet nappies but I spoke with my mum about this too who really scared me saying this is not normal for a baby etc..

My first thought is that he might be teething - both of my children went off food to some extent or other when their teeth hurt (and if really bad, that would include an aversion to milk feeds as well).

16 hours is a long time, but it's not so long that I'd be desperately worried if it's a one off. Just keep offering food/milk and he'll take it when he's ready. I'd only start worrying if his nappy output decreases dramatically.

@Poppins2016 thanks for your comment
come to think of it, his nappies have been wet but not super wet and heavy like they normally are
when I fed him just now, his last feed was 7 hours ago and when I changed his nappy it was bone dry or not much urine in it
would you say that 1 wet nappy in 24 hours would be a dramatic decrease?

What time did he not feed from? Breastfeeding or bottle. What else did he eat in that 16 hours? Did he drink water cos if he didn’t that’s a long time

If it was my baby and they were otherwise fine in themselves, with no other signs of illness or dehydration, I wouldn't be immediately concerned about a slight decrease in urine output, especially if he's had fluid since you noticed it. I'd personally only start to worry if the pattern continued and/or he started to show other signs of being unwell/continued to refuse fluid and food.

If in doubt, I tend to refer to the NHS advice as a guideline.

Trust your instincts, too. You can usually tell if something is just not right. It's easy to start second guessing yourself as a new mother when other people make comments (you mentioned your mother) but if you know that your baby seems OK in themselves and you wouldn't otherwise worry, then try to cast those doubts out of your mind. All babies are individuals and react differently to different things (i.e. pain, illness, etc.) and at 6 months old, you're still very much on a learning curve together. Having said all that, don't be afraid to seek advice (e.g. pharmacy, 111 or GP) if you think you need it... I have yet to meet a GP who thinks seeing a 6 month old baby for suspected illness is a waste of time. They can go downhill very quickly and they'd rather be safe than sorry.

P.s. I'd assumed that the 16 hour stretch without food included when he was asleep overnight - is that correct?

I'd be slightly more concerned if there was a complete refusal of food/fluid during the daytime... but then again, as I said, it wasn't uncommon for my oldest child to refuse food like that if he was teething (he even went on 'nursing strike'), so I wouldn't have called the GP unless there were other signs of illness.

If it was one of mine, I'd see how it goes with food and fluid intake tomorrow morning and take it from there...

Morning guys
thank you for the advice

I was worried for absolutely no reason as he’s now woken up screaming for a feed! His nappy is back to the normal wee output he has which is a much needed relief

thank you again for the help :)

@Poppins2016 - yes the 16 hour no food stretch was overnight, he would normally scream blue murder for his milk at around 8am but I got myself in a panic when he didn’t wake up but he’s back to normal now
I guess I should have counted my lucky stars for the generous lie in! Haha
never thought I’d be so happy to see a full wet nappy too as yesterday morning his nappy was ever so slightly damp - thank you for the advice I really so appreciate it
if things had not gone back to normal by today my panic brain would have kicked in and I would have took him to the gp for checks

Really glad he's back to his usual self OP!

Glad he's back to normal. At around that age if DD was acting out of sorts and had a decrease in wet nappies I would try some calpol then feed her 15/20 mins later once it should have taken affect. Obviously you shouldn't do this all the time but young children can be in pain through teething or ear infections and it can help.

I think I would be a little worried about the dry nappy to be honest. 111?