Growth spurt or needing solids?

[Gillso]

Need some advice please! My 17 wk old dd has been taking her milk on a set routine for 10+ wks but has just started demanding her feed earlier and earlier with blood curdling screams. Starting to wonder if she is hungry and if I should give some solids (I know best to wait until 6 months but if she is hungry....). Is it just a growth spurt and if so how long might it go on for??

Why can't you just give her more milk or up the frequency of her milk? There's more calories in the milk, anyway, than in most early solids.

Sounds like a growth spurt - feed her as often as she needs it until she settles down. FZ is right - milk is far higher in calories than weaning foods so you probably won't help by starting her on solids.

she is purely breast fed so I have no idea how much she is taking at each feed. Just strange she has gone from really regular feeding to demanding more feeds much closer together. Also advice from anyone I have spoken to (HV, Mum, Friends) is to give her food and so I am doubting myself!!

She's getting bigger, might just need more, it is prob also a growth spurt. I wouldn't go for solids just yet. I know it can be hard to resist HV/mum pressure but try and stick to your guns.

thanks, that website was really helpful and has a good bit on growth spurts.

Gillso, ask your HV if she's got a copy of the latest weaning leaflet from the Government. There's a thread in the Weaning section with a link to it if you would like to read it.

FWIW, I think it sounds like a growth spurt - go with it and I'm sure she'll settle. This growth spurt can last longer than the last ones though, so bear that in mind!

Thanks hunkerpumpkin, I have seen the link and read through the article recently. Don't have a constant HV in this area so makes it hard to build any sort of a relationship with them to discuss things. My mum did things very differently and always thinks I should do different to what I am doing which makes it hard

My DS did exactly the same thing at 17 weeks. Was on a good routine during the day and feeding once in the night at roughly 3.00am. Suddenly started waking at 1.00am and then again at 5.00am and wanted feeding more regularly during the day. It lasted about 2-3 weeks and then settled down again.

I know loads and loads of people this has happened to.

This is really, really normal at four months - honestly it is. And it WILL settle down. DD slept her very best (eg all night) just before I started giving her solids at six months - and then it went totally haywire as she found food a bit much to cope with. Btu she also went through a big spurt at four months. Lots of other mumnsnetters have found the same thing. DD was breastfed too.

my ds did this too!