Does hungry 4 month old need solids?

[chankins]

Not too sure about all this waiting til 6 months - I know they say its best now. (That advice wasn't round with my first two so they were both on solids at 4 months)4 month ds is so hungry, was sleeping through night from 7 weeks, then started waking at 15. Still bf but has 2 bottles formula, one before bed, which did help him sleep through again. But now is back waking every 2 hours or so, really hungry. Stares at our food dribbling and tries to grab it! Is v big and strong for age, in 6-9 month clothes already and everyone says he seems older than 4 months. Not sure what to do as he genuinely seems so hungry but hv all say wait wait. Other kids have eczema so also want to avoid that if poss. Any advice ?

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[naturopath]

my sil just told me that it's because they are less likely to sterilise, which becomes less important after 6 months.

I would also be of the latter camp - ie hold off weaning - give more milk and see if he settles down - but feel a bit silly going against eminent dr's advice

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[SaintJude]

No solids.

More milk - ie more feeds with greater quantities.

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[naturopath]

urrghh might ask him, but again, feel a bit silly questioning his wisdom.

hmm.. will ponder that. not a bad idea. Thanks, it does help.

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[Habbibu]

I think it's ok to question him if the guidelines for the institution in which he works say 6 months, i.e. the NHS. That's a perfectly reasonable question, and it's worth hearing his justification. For what it's worth, I weaned at 6 months (with a huge hungry baby), and that's when she stopped sleeping well!

[naturopath]

well, he works for the NHS and privately, and we are seeing him privately. Wonder what he advises NHS patients

[Habbibu]

Well, the link I posted is Department of Health, not NHS, actually, now I think of it, so I do think you'd be perfectly justified in saying "so why does the DoH recommend 6 months in the UK then?"

[TinkerbellesMum]

Understand why a baby feeds more at four months and it will help you to make your decision.

When a baby goes through a growth spurt they use up more calories. Their body cues their apetite before the growth spurt to cause them to take more milk. This has two affects, 1. it gives them the extra calories they will require and 2. it tells Mum that baby is going to go through a growth spurt and "please have some more milk ready for the bigger baby".

Often what has happened is that stressed and worried parents have gone to the next baby clinic or booked in with their HV or GP convinced something is wrong with their baby. GP or HV says they're hungry and recommends starting solids. They go home, go shopping and start weaning. Within a few days the baby starts sleeping through, magic!

On the other hand if they had done nothing the baby would have started sleeping through then anyway because they were over that phase of this growth spurt.

Think about the last time you went on a diet. Did you use green top or blue top? Did you cut back on icecream or vegetables?

Reverse it. By giving your baby rice or vegetable puree because "they're hungry" you are giving them less calories, in the same way you cut back the blue top and icecream on a diet.

Even if you are not interested in babyled weaning, the research is there to show how a baby developes.

WRT sitting up and feeding. From before a baby is born every part of a their development happens in perfect order. There is no blood supply until after you know you are pregnant so that you don't accidentally harm your baby etc. After they are born they develop in order to take them from one stage to the next. Think about their eyesight, they start by seeing far enough to gaze adoringly at Mum while she feeds them, then they can see further to encourage them to lift their head when they lie on their front, then to encourage them to sit up etc. Their development towards weaning happens to allow them to sit up so they have a lower risk of choking (gravity), their grip coresponds with what they can safely chew, swallow and digest and they don't have a pincer grip at first which means they can't choke on the smaller things.

[naturopath]

thanks - that has really clarified things for me actually. I also feel better about his frequent night wakings (as long as this phase doesn't last too long!).

[TinkerbellesMum]

I'm glad that helped. It shouldn't be much more than a week before the phase stops and then you will be back to normal.

If you are not completely against co-sleeping you may find at this time it is helpful.

Keep your LO cuddled up close to you and remain either topless or with one side unclipped. Baby will rouse and latch without disturbing you too much, you may rouse slightly because you will be aware it happens, but nothing like having to get out of bed.

I remember doing this very early on and waking up to find her trying to launch herself upwards as I had rolled slightly back and she couldn't reach . I also woke once to find her face was completely white where I had leaked over her in the night lol. It was early days though when I had lots of milk.

[TinkerbellesMum]

I just noticed I missed from my first post that a mothers prolactin levels are higher at night, babies are tuned into this which is why they are notorius for not sleeping much at night.

It is something to do with the dark and also for the same reason there has been found to be a link between breast cancer and sleeping with the light on.

[swede70]

I've posted this weblink elsewhere but re introducing some solids before 6 months (still within BLW approach)women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article1961406.ece

Be guided by your baby - if doubled in birth weight, reaching out for food, taking a great interest in you/others eating and mouths everything (i.e. really trying to explore objects fully with mouth) and has done so for some time, it may be that your LO is ready even before the official 6 mo recommendation. Bear in mind also the adjusted age (e.g. if premature/late)....

Also (this is really unscientific) but around the time that I noticed that my DS was showing most of the signs for solid readiness - around 22 weeks - his poo started getting smellier (even before giving him solids)...perhaps the enzyme was kicking in (has anyone else noticed this)?

Clearly before 6 mo don't introduce protein or starchy or common allergenic foods but baby rice, some veg/fruit puree will unlikely do harm.

Alternatively, as someone else has said, just up the milk for the time being..

Good luck

[leo1978]

My bf baby did the same thing at 18 weeks. I tried baby rice on and off for about 10 days which constipated him and ended up making him projectile vomit the following day. It actually messed up the bf for a couple of weeks too. Now he is 22 weeks and we are only just back on track with breastfeeding - am totally leaving solids until 6 months.

[NoviceKnitter]

My dd is 4 months and not super hungry (in fact she's feeding less/more quickly/more efficiently than ever) - but she does seem to be interested in OUR food. She's always responded to the smell of food (ie wanted to bf whenever she smelt our meals) now she's interested in reaching to our plates. We've not let her take anything yet but I just wondered if we should let her start to play with solid food a bit if that's what she's wanting to do?

Also, we're committed to full bfing till 6 months, but a friend who is a speech and swallowing therapist said they are physiologically ready at 4 months. So confusing. Still sticking with 6 months but it's so confusing when so many different opinions.

[Rachel32]

All health professionals should be using the NHS weaning guidelines (NHS Weaning leaflet 2005) when advising on weaning but most don't seem to have read it. They're often giving info to parents that is years out of date.
Doctors seem to know even less about feeding than HV's. I remember an encounter with a paediatrician when my DD (now 9 months) was 8 weeks old, she needed to be rechecked for a possible heart murmur - was given the all clear - but the paed told me she was putting on too much weight and I should give her less milk. I told him I was breast feeding on demand and she was a happy contented baby and I didn't need any feeding advice thanks.

[swede70]

I should add to my previous message that at 5-month-old my DS was the length of an average 8-mo-old, weight of a 7-mo-old & taking >40 oz of milk (!!). He therefore kept posseting massive amounts as he was so hungry although he couldn't actually physically cope with those large quantities of milk.

I did go against my HV on this but feel OK as DS is a very healthy boy who at 7 months (I know, it's only early days yet, will probably change!), he has not refused anything yet, enjoys exploring his foods (mushed or finger) with his hands, and reached for his spoons at 6 months, putting them in mouth (although he enjoys squashing food off the spoon before putting it in his mouth!).

I would have waited longer had it not been for the above and other signs...much easier with the milk..