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.

alipalli, FWIW, DS was also a large exclusively breastfed baby that woke every two hours, we solved it by putting him to bed at a different time and making his last feed about an hour before bed rather than him falling asleep on the breast or just after a feed. It took about a week or so and he started sleeping from 6-8 with one wake up for a feed about 4/5am. Might be worth looking into rather than the weaning

Nope

None whatsoever.

no

Yes it has made a difference, they now sleep two hours at lunch (45 mins before) and sleep pretty much all evening when they were very unsettled and feeding lots in the evenings before I introduced solids.

I think you probably have to get the balance of food right tho. If you just feed fruit/veg then maybe not enough calories to make a difference esp as milk has more calories, but once they are 6mths and you can introduce protein (meat, beans, lentils etc) you should see a difference.

No difference AT ALL!

Neither did introducing a formula feed before bed at about 8mths, crawling at 9mths, walking at 10mths, etc, etc. He slept through when he was ready - at about 14mths.

Stick with your instincts and try to ignore RL people, all of whom will probably find something else to worry you about once the sleeping thing has sorted itself out.
Not sure if that helps

Nope.
Some background - DS was breastfed until 10 weeks. He started sleeping really well, ie. last feed at about 9pm, would sleep until 5-6am ish at about 7 weeks old. He hasn't had a feed in the night since then, except on very odd occassions where he would not settle without a bottle.
This pattern (including the early wakings) continued after weaning (at 6 months, purees, 3 meals a day by about 7 months I think)

Teething, illness and developmental milestones have had much, much more of an impact on his sleep than food.

VS interesting what you say about changing the bedtime. What made you think to try this? At what age did you do this? DS mostly feeds to sleep, so your approach would be a bit tricky. Not impossible though as although he has never been able to self settle, he will go to sleep if he is bounced (at least the birthing ball is getting use now ). When he gets tired he winds himself up and up unless we intervene with a feed or motion.

Books, allipalli, millions and trillions of books I read about DS not sleeping! (My eldest two were fab sleepers so I think it hit me harder than I was expecting)
The reason DS was waking up in the night was because he was unable to self-settle.
All babies wake up roughly ever hour or so, but they wake for a moment, move around a bit (like we do when we fluff our pillows or roll over) and go back to sleep, babies that nurse to sleep or use any other kind of crutch (rocking, dummy, stroking etc) need that crutch every time they wake so we had to change that.
Once we did he started sleeping through almost immediately. It was a hard week or so but it was well worth it.

Sorry for hijack but VS, what did you change bedtime to? Dd2 is still waking every 45 mins til a feed at about 10, then every 2 hours after and I'm going out of my mind.

To answer the OP, weaning has made no difference at all to my terrible sleeper, but then my terrible sleeper is also a terrible eater so not actually eating in any meaningful sense.

Weaning made no difference to dd's sleeping habits. Crap sleeper before and crap after.

It wasn't until she started walking that her sleeping got noticably better.

Nope

Only once dd was on 3 meals a day...

Yes. Once DD went on to 3 meals day she started sleeping for 12 hours solid.

Piccallili, I wrote a more detailed version of what we did on the post-natal thread but basically i started putting ds in his cot awake for quite times when i noticed he was tired (watched real careful for cues) then started doing his feed before bath and put him down, awake, and read him a story in bed at about 6pm.

thanks VS. I found the Sears sleep book good for taking some creative approaches to naps. Today I saw quite a detailed post from you on a NCSS thread so will investigate buying that. DH complained about my baby book habit at the weekend though.

Yes, up till she was weaned DD slept all night straight in her cot. Since she was weaned she refuses to sleep anywhere but in my armpit bed and wakes twice for milk. Wish i'd never bothered...

VS, I think you have hit on a really important point... if your LO is waking because he/she can't self-settle, food will not make a difference, but if s/he is waking from hunger, food can make a difference if they have all their nutritional needs met during the day.