Does weaning really improve sleep?

[Heloise1982]

So, 7 mo twins, not the best sleepers (been on this forum looking for help a few times already!). We've had quite a lot of success night weaning one of them (smaller one, oddly) by giving him his dummy instead, so he hasn't really eaten much in the night all week (yay!). The other one is still having 2-3 substantial feeds every night. Tried dummy, stroking, the works, only thing that will send him back to sleep is a feed. I honestly don't know if he is hungry or if it is just a sleep association, but I am still trying to stuff him full of as many calories as possible during the day.

We've been baby led weaning with a bit of success for about 2 weeks (they're prem, so started a bit late) - lots of licking etc but obviously only tiny amounts actually being swallowed at the minute. I'm toying with the idea of giving him a bit of a spoon feed in the afternoon to see if it helps at night, but don't know what to feed him or if it will really help. (Did baby led with my older child too, so bit of a 'traditional' weaning novice!)

So my question, I guess, is does a bit of solid food in the afternoon actually help with sleep, and if so, what kind of food? It seems strange to me because most of the stuff people give babies (puréed veg and the rest) has got far fewer calories than milk, so I don't see why it would fill them up more! Is it just that it takes longer to digest so they feel full for longer? Or is the whole 'solid food = better sleep' just a bit of a myth?

[TheHubblesWindscreenWipers]

No. made zero difference. He still wakes every twenty minutes.
It did help with his general condition and stopped him losing weight though.

[IAmAPaleontologist]

Nope. What milk your baby has or what solids they have makes no difference at all to the number of night wakings. Google research by dr Amy Brown or look at Isis online (infant sleep information source not terrorist organisation) for more information.

[DartmoorDoughnut]

Nope!

Made it worse due to little tummy trying to cope with food and trapped wind

[podmax]

Hasn't here, I see no connection between how much dd eats and how well she sleeps.

[YokoUhOh]

No, as PP have said, it's developmental. DS1 (nearly 4) is still working it out...

[CobsAhoy]

It's made absolutely zero difference to my DDs sleep, she's just turned one and been eating a big dinner for a while now.....

[BadToTheBone]

Ds formula fed, weaned at 4 months on purée. No, didn't aid sleep.

Dd breastfed, weaned at 6 months on finger food. No, didn't aid sleep.

No my massive sample of 2, no joy! Lol

[arielmanto]

Protein before bedtime (salmon purée, liver in sweet potato purée etc) knocks our 8mo out for 8 hours.. Which from the day we first gave it to her got rid of the 11pm feed. She still has a 3am feed then wakes for breakfast at 7am.
I suppose it could be coincidence but it didn't feel like one..!

[scrumptiouscrumpets]

Solid food made no difference to my DS's sleep, but stopping all his night feeds did - for a blissful four months. Then he went back to waking multiple times a night and hasn't slept through since

[wherewhere]

Made it a gazillion times worse for us - with both children

[PikachuBoo]

No, solid food doesn't help with sleep. It's a myth.

It's a developmental thing and they all develop differently. Some of the little angels wake at night for years.

Obviously solid food is an essential part of their growing up but it doesn't make them sleep better!

[VictoriaRoses]

I started weaning my 8 month old twins at 6 months, I'm doing purée though. At first they still woke about three times a night but about a month ago I switched from breastfeeding to sleep to formula and they now sleep 7-7 most nights. Not sure if because of the formula or food.