Weaning help !! 8 month old still not sleeping through night!

[DaisysMummy17]

Hello, I’d really like some advice. My 8 month old little girl is still waking several times throughout the night. I’m exhausted. We are still breastfeeding and I try giving her her dummy sometimes it works other times she will still want two feeds throughout the night. Is this comfort or hunger ? I’m thinking probably hunger.

She currently has baby porridge in the morning. A homemade fruit purée and toast for lunch and a vegetable purée for dinner. We’ve had big issues with constipation so hence trying to go slow with foods. Her constipation was bad when we started doing purees with lots of mixed veg so we stopped that. Her poos were coming out like a big tube of toothpaste and causing her so much pain and upset. We tried porridge with cows milk but have a feeling full fat cows milk causes her issues like it did with my older daughter. We are worried about giving her anything too binding.

Do I need to add a protein ? I’ve tried eggs which would have been a good protein source but she had an allergic reaction and got a red rash round her mouth.

She’s not overly keen on yoghurts. We’re trying to avoid jars if we can (not saying there’s anything wrong with them just preference).

Please can you help me with food ideas. She is just starting to get her bottom two teeth through hence not giving meat yet.

Thank you I really appreciate your help

@sputnikbear thank you so much , I didn’t realise the gp could do allergy tests . I will look into that. I’d like to give her peanut butter but apparantly with an egg allergy and mild exzcema it increases their risk of nut allergies.

@feb2018mumma I really think that a bigger meal at bedtime has been helping. Also we are putting her down to bed around 7 now instead of 8 which I think helps with her sleep cycles in relation to ours. We actually manage to get a few hours sleep now before she wakes.

@sputnikbear A health visitor told me that babies past 6 months shouldn’t have to wake for night feeds ! Shows what they know!

Thanks again for everyone’s replies. Since my original post we have started feeding her some meat and we do think that is helping. Also the earlier bedtime even just an hour earlier -7 instead of 8 , is really helping. X

My 8mo doesn’t sleep and hasn’t done since the 4 month regression. She eats 3 solid meals a day (whatever we are eating) and sometimes snacks. She drrinks a couple of beakers oh water and breastfeeds 4 or 5 times during the day still.

On a good night she wakes every 2-3 hours wanting to be fed to sleep, on a bad night she’ll wake every hour. I didn’t sleep in pregnancy either so it’s safe to say I’m a mess My bigger DD slept 13 hours a night from 3 months in her own space

I don’t think it’s anything we’re doing though, I certainly don’t think it has anything to do with food although it does sound like your little one isn’t eating quite as much as others. When I think about my DDs personality and the personality of her sister, they are vastly different. DD2 is much more clingy towards me and sensitive. So in conclusion, I just think they’re different and I know by talking to people, that this is quite a normal scenario for a lot of kids. Not that that’s going to help when I have to be at work at 7am very soon

You’ve got to love how the advice online, in books and from HV is very black and white. Shame babies can’t read and follow it eh?

@DaisysMummy17 The GP will refer you to hospital for tests, which is what they did with my DS, who also has mild eczema and an egg allergy. I was advised to try feeding him all allergens before the hospital appointment so they hospital could diagnose all allergies in one appointment. They said it’s best to introduce all allergens early, including peanuts - the longer you wait the more chance there is of an allergy developing. My DS hasn’t reacted to anything except egg. The hospital said 90% of kids grow out of their egg allergy by age 3 but I must not feed eggs until they give me the all clear.

Apparently 8mo don’t NEED milk at night, they’re physically capable of lasting through the night without it. That doesn’t mean they don’t WANT it though, or want the comfort of bf during the night.

The first HV we had used to tell us stuff like that too - they were just quoting from whatever text book they'd studied from lol. No kids, no actual experience. Babies are little souls, all to their own - of course no one baby will be the same. Your little bundle will sleep through eventually - you're doing so well coping with the lack of sleep, it;s such torture xx

We night weaned at 9 months. DD was waking up every 2 hours for a feed but now she's got the idea that night is for sleeping and she sleeps 6-5.30 (not ideal but better than it was). It took controlled crying but everyone is much happier now (except maybe at 5.30am).

That doesn't seem enough tbh. DC has eaten today porridge + raspberries / salmon and potato and squash + toast and apple / shepherd's pie pouch plus loads of milk.

Although DC still wakes 3/4 times a night!