Advised to increase amount of solids during day.

[plj]

My HV has advised me to increase my DT's intake of solids during the day with a hope to improving how well they sleep and to get them off night feeds. I can't seem to get them to eat more food at each mealtime though, so in betwen meal times I am giving them an extra yoghurt or finger foods etc. Have I made a rod for my own back as I seem to be feeding them all day? I do think they are sleeping better, but is this the right way to be doing things?

how old are they?

They are 9 months. The weaning process has been a bit of a struggle anyway, with them both getting ill, and refusing solids at the beginning.

Sounds like you're doing a fine job to me!

I think they should be sleeping better at night though, and spoke to my HV as I thought I wasn't feeding them enough or giving them the right things during the day.

IME babies and toddlers do need to eat far more frequently than older DC and adults simply because their stomachs are small therefore fill up - and empty- more frequently.
My DS is still a bottomless pit at 4 but then he is growing a lot.

hmm

well

if you need them to sleep better and they are waking at night purely through hunger then I think this isn't a bad way to do it (better than cc for instance)

but if you are happy with the night feeds and it's all the HV's idea I might not be so keen

TBH it's me who is completely sleep deprived. I am on my own with DT's most of time as DP works away, and really struggle with the disturbed nights. As DT'S were barely taking any milk during night before going back to sleep, I began to question if the really needed it.

I would think if they're barely taking any milk, then it might not be hunger that's keeping them up. How many times are they waking?

They wake 2-3 times each during night. I have been trying to get tham back over without milk by giving them a drink of water and their dummy. DD is teething, so I put calgel on her gums and give her a drink. This may be what is disturbing her, but not sure why DS doesn't sleep better.

her advice sounds pretty sensible then - eating little and often suits babies and toddlers as their capacity is so small

I think adding snacks at this age is probably a good idea, DS is nearly 9 months, and I'm planning adding an afternoon snack soon.
But if they're not having much milk when they do wake, I wouldn't hold out much hope of it improving their sleep.

DS is ill atm, but before he caught this cold, I had DH go up and rock him back to sleep when he woke before midnight one night, and the rest of the week he didn't wake before 2.
So, I think it might be worth persisting with dummy/calgel etc. as well as they do wake out of habit sometimes.

Was beginning to wonder if the night waking is habit, and for long enough I was giving milk as I thought they were hungrt, which is why now I am trying to stop it. Just wanted to make sure though that I wasn't trying to settle hungry babies back to sleep.

Well, from noting what his behaviour was like at each waking, I figured that when DS woke during the evening, he wasn't really feeding for very long, so it was fine to try settling him without. However, when he slept til 2/4, he had a good feed then.
I think for us, that, (please God!) it won't be long til he can go all night, and I'll try the same technique for that waking.
Hope you get some more sleep soon.

Hi plj, I have 9mo twins too (born 6 May). I also had 2-3 times waking each recently but have now got them to sleep through.

How do they sleep in the day? Do they have a routine of naps?

Are they BF and FF?

What food are you giving them?

I found when I dropped down from 5 to 3 BFs in the day they started to wake at night so now I always try to give them 5 BFs a day (first thing, 10am, after lunch, 3pm and before bed) as well as porridge with fruit, a protein lunch plus yogurt and then a veg/potato tea then Oatibix for dessert.

They nap for 30-45mins in the morning and 2hrs at lunch and they sleep 7pm till 7.30/8am.

Are they warm enough? Don't be scared to layer them up cos it is cold at the mo.

If you think they are teething, dose them up with Calpol for a few nights to see if it makes a difference. I know you might not want to use Calpol all the time but you should try it to rule out teething pain. You don't want to be thinking they are crying with pain.

As well as making sure they had lots of food and milk in the day I also used CC but it wasn't too bad at all. Just 50 mins crying first night, 20mins the second and then they slept through. But they have always settled themselves to sleep for naps (never had the time to rock them to sleep!) so self-settle quite well. CC is controversial but I looked into it and was happy that a baby who is well cared for but just can't self-settle will come to no harm through three nights of cc.

Hi neenztwinz,

They wake about 7ish every morning. They have porridge/Ready Brek and a yoghurt for breakfast and a drink of milk at about 8am. I am no longer bf.
This is their routine for rest of day(roughly!)
Nap from about 9am-10am.
Yoghurt/rice cakes and bottle at 11am
Savoury and dessert for lunch and milk between 1-2
Nap 2-3/3.30
snack of finger foods and yoghurt at 4ish
nap 5-6
tea-veg/potatoes/chicken and dessert and milk 6.30ish
bath and bottle about 8ish
bed about 9ish

Does that sound ok? Can you see any adjustments that I could make?