Quick poll please: when you introduced solids did it make a jot of difference to sleep?

[alipalli]

I have a DS who is 5 months old (24 weeks I think but I've lost count). I have been determinedly excl BF him although his sleep has not been great for the last couple of months. Currently he goes to sleep about 9ish, wakes a few times in 45 minutes stints till about 11pm, then wakes twice between 12 and 6, usually at 1.30 and 5.30. When he wakes he wants to feed. I am fairly knackered but I feel it is just about manageable. It is probably also worth mentioning that he is a large baby: 9lbs 13oz at birth and well over 20lbs now. He has always fed frequently!

My intention is to BLW. I have read the theory that more frequent night wakings from 4 months aren't necessarily to do with hunger. I also understand that when solids are initially introduced the volumes and calories involved are so small that it shouldn't be sufficient to improve sleep. Despite this I am the only person amongst my RL peers who hasn't started weaning yet and it is making me feel quite isolated. Everybody in RL seems to think that breast milk cant possibly be enough, and that solids are the route to better sleep.

At 3am this morning I was wondering whether I am making my life unduly difficult by not starting weaning. So, I would like to know what your experiences of introducing solids were on your LOs' sleep regardless of whether you waited till 6 months or started a bit earlier. Thanks.

Yes, 6 months and yes, once on 3 decent sized meals DD slept much better at night and during the day too. Doing purees though, not BLW, so probably more volume at least initially.

No

Nope. Changing the bedtime routine did, but solids made not one iota of difference.

I started on BLW at 6 months.

Not one tiny bit of difference

about 5 months and no difference that I remember for both.

I stopped giving any milk after bedtime and just did cuddles/rocking (and eventually after being in bits did cc for ds1) both slept well since.

Mind DS2 has reverted to getting a bottle in the middle of the night, just leave it with him.

I think solids made a difference to my DS's sleeping. At around 9.5 months when he started eating a lot more, he also started sleeping better. Could be complete coincidence, could be true. I'll never know.

However at 23 weeks when we started BLW the tiny bits of pear and brocolli he ate made absolutely no difference at all so his sleeping, and even when he started eating 3 meals a day we still saw no noticeable difference.

Exclusively breastfeed my refluxy DD until three days shy of 7 months, when we started BLW(she was 3 weeks early so we were in no rush). Waking schedule similar to your DS - she's a big baby too - 2nd centile at birth to 91st by five months and still following it at 10.5 months) I can't say the weaning has had any effect on her sleeping/wakings as yet. But she loves eating this way - so much more fun!

Though I do think that her night wakings for the past month or so have been more for cuddles as she only feeds for maybe a minute and is back to sleep - I think that's more to do with me going back to work....and the fact that she's cut six teeth on top and two on the bottom in the past eight weeks!

Sorry for the novel - HTH!

Oh, weaning (we did BLW, only starting seriously at 6mo) made a massive improvement to sleep (his and, by extension, mine) -but he had been taking lots of milk at night, and we went to 3 meals/day in the space of 2-3 weeks, and he ate like a horse and jumped several centiles (this has now settled down). He was very ready for solids I think! and only barely getting enough from bf.

The improvement transformed my quality of life and my mood - but I have to admit he still doesn't sleep through! But we co-sleep so it's not a major problem.

nada
zilch
zero

for my DD, her night wakings had absolutely nothing to do with how full her tummy was. weaned at 24 weeks.

No difference whatsoever. I was very disappointed.

No, none at all (4 babies).

no. ds1 woke every TWO FECKING RUDDY BLASTED SODDING HOURS from birth until 15 months - and under hv advisement (bitch ) we started baby rice at, well, tbh I forget how many weeks, but it must have been 14 or under, probably under) didn't make a bit of difference.

ds2 slept right through from birth! (bliss! ) I seem to recall he started waking in the night at about a year or 2 old? I think.

Funny how all these things that seem so vital, so life and death, at the time, just get forgotten totally after a few years. Or maybe that's just me? (hark, do I hear that bad parent siren again? )

nope

DD was sleeping 10pm til 7am before I started to wean her. She hasn't slept through the night once since she started on solids

No difference here either, she's 7 months old and I started weaning as soon as she was 6 months old. We started with purees and are now doing BLW and she doesn't actually eat much, but drinks plenty of milk. Sleeps 6.30/7pm-6.30/7am and did before weaning too. Has always been a "good sleeper" and food never seemed to make any difference. Teething did though!

No, she was a rubbish sleeper before and after. Made no difference at all.

It made a huge difference here.

DS1 had slept from 12-6am from 6 weeks old
and from 7-7 from 12/13 weeks

HOWEVER

once we added food into the routine he STOPPED SLEEPING!! it took him about 8-10 weeks to get back to 12 hours a night.

absolutely no difference at all, for either of my dds (dd1 crappiest sleeper known to man, dd2 average to bad sleeper)

Weaned Ds at 20 weeks because I thought it might help him sleep. Didn't make a scrap of difference. Won't be weaning DD until the reccommended 26 weeks or later.

no, made no difference at all.

no.

Made no difference with either of mine either.
Sorry.
It is hard when you're knackered, but it does get better

Made sod all difference to my DS. Weaned at 6 months - in fact DS weaned himself by taking food off my plate and cramming it in to his mouth - no slop for me to prepare - went straight into lumpy foods, I think that's what is called baby led weaning.

No difference to sleep though.

ah bless your heart -i had exactly the same thing - weaning is dangled like a carrot before us that we might get a decent nights sleep - but i have to agree with everyone else and say it didnt really make much difference to sleep.

the only thing i would say is that once i started weaning HV told me to give DD lots of carbs (baby rice. sweet potato, potato etc) at the evening meal to help them get through the night and i did do that and baby started going from 11am feed through tiill 5.30/6am and she also totally BF.

on a different note - after a month of DD waking at 2.45am every morning and having a big milk feed and then not being interested in milk feed at 7am or 11am i decided not to feed her between 11pm and 6am as i thought she was just looking for comfort - it was really hard for a week as had to get up in for a couple of hours each night with her but paid off as got her feeding in the day again rather than at night. But you have to do what suits you and your lo.

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and advice.

It does seem that the introduction of solids made little difference for most people certainly until they are on 3 square meals a day. Although it would be nice to think there is a silver bullet around the corner, I do feel comforted to know that by not weaning early I am not making things harder for myself.

As one poster said I am sure that once things improve the pain of the current situation will be forgotten: a bit like childbirth I guess.