5 Month Old Who Won't Eat Solids and Waking up 2-3 Times a Night!

It sounds like he might be teething. My daughter is 6 months and she wakes repeatedly throughout the night as well. She will only sleep through the night once in a while. It took my daughter a while to master eating. She kept pushing the cereal out of her mouth with her tongue. It took about a good month for her to get it. I also mixed the fruit with the cereal so it would taste a little better. But trust me, even if he does master eating food, it does not guarentee him sleeping through the night. Good luck, and know you are not the only sleepless mother out there.

Hi, did you try putting cereal in his bottle? they make a X on the nipple so they can get the thickened milk.

Do not add anything to his bottle! A baby needs to eat food through his swallowing reflex and not his sucking reflex. I wouldn't worry about it, it could just be a phase. Maybe he's teething, maybe he's cold/hot, maybe he's growing, ect. You can try adjusting his bedtime or his nap schedule. My son is the same age and it seems like he is starting to need less sleep. If he continues for more than a week and this doesn't work then you can let him cry and do what you have been doing. He will eat food when he's ready.

Hate to tell ya, but my 2 year old is only eating solids, and she STILL doesn't sleep through the night. Solids don't have anything to do with it.

Your baby is probably going through a growth spurt. Feed him when he's hungry, cuddle him when he needs cuddling, and meet his needs. It's not easy, for sure, but this too will pass.

edited to add: solid foods have fewer calories than breastmilk or formula, and are much harder to digest, so they will not meet your baby's nutritional needs at this point. they may also exacerbate the sleep problems by causing some digestive discomfort. a baby's digestive system isn't mature enough to handle solids until after 6 months.

Hi T.,
My son will be 6 months on 8/12 and he is having trouble eating solids too! He started out with the rice cereal and did well at first, but all of the sudden after about 2 weeks he will not open his mouth when fed. He fusses and cries until I give him the bottle. I even tried giving some friut to entice him, but all he wants is his bottle. I guess he is just not ready for solids from what everyone is telling me. My advice to you is to keep trying and make it fun. Today I was singing and playing with him during his feeding and everytime he smiled, I would sneak a spoonful in.:)
Good Luck!
C.

I have 4 children,all girls 6, 4, 2, and 4 month old, and I know what you need to do. It for me is the hardest thing to do, but you should let him cry for the 12:30 time he wakes up. I would only let him cry for about 5 minutes at first, then I would go in, let him cry longer after about 3 days, he'll soon figure out it's not worth the wait and go to sleep. It becomes part of his routine if you come in he then programs himself to wake up just to see you and get some attention. As far as the 2 am feeding what time do you give him, his last feeding?? Have you tried to wake him up and give him a bottle right before you go to bed?? Also have you tried giving him veggies??? One of my girls loved carrots and really didn't like the oatmeal or the fruits.
I hope this helps!!

Your son sounds completely normal. don't be in such a hurry for him to grow up. Four to five months is tough because there is so much going on that disturbs their sleep. My son started sleeping through the night early too and then started waking up again around 4 months. It usually happened when there was some change, such as a really busy weekend, missed naps or sleeping at someone else's house over night. He could be going through a growth spurt and needs that extra feeding at night. I would give him an extra feeding at night if he needs it. I would also try putting him to bed a little earlier- like around 7. At this age they start to need more night sleep to compensate for the fact that they are staying awake longer during the day. And strangely, an overtired baby sleeps less at night that one that is well-rested. Another thing is that babies begin to be aware of their surroundings, so they start to wake up again. Use the same sleeping routine every night to help him fall asleep. You have to slowly start letting him figure out things on his own. Don't let him cry it out, he is too young, but give him some time. Don't rush in to comfort him the second he makes a peep. Sometimes babies will cry out or make other noises at the end of a sleep cycle and they are actually still half asleep. If you leave them alone for a few more minutes, they settle again, but if you go in an comfort them, they will wake up fully. If he does not settle on his own in a few minutes, then you know he is truly waking up and needs to be fed. Slowly over the next few months he will start to learn to settle on his own, but it takes time. My son goes to bed at 7 pm and still wakes around 4 or 5 for a feeding, but then goes back down easily and sleeps til 7 or 7:30, so it's normal for him to still wake up at least once or twice. By the way, in medical terms, sleeping through the night is considered sleeping 6 hours straight or more. Also, feeding solids has nothing to do with sleeping- there are less calories and fat in solid foods than in breastmilk or formula, so you are not filling him up by giving him solids. In fact, many pediatricians, and the American Academy of Pediatrics say that you should not start solids until 6 months in order to prevent allergies. Don't push the solids on him if he does not want them. It sounds like he is not ready. When he is ready, he will open his mouth for you and eat. If you try to force him to eat, it can make him not able to distinguish between hunger and fullness and set him up for overeating in the future. Try again in a few weeks and only offer about a tablespoon of food at a time, only once a day. At this age, solids should be like a dessert- small amounts that don't take away from the main meals.

Hang in there - we ALL need sleep!
My 3 year old, when she was little, slept through the night about 12 weeks old - no problem, great sleeper...
my 2nd, now 10 months old, slept through at about 2-3 months old, then even now, wakes up 1-2 times a night. GRRRR....

She's such a good natured baby that I believe it will pass soon - they're young once! Even though she eats GREAT - she still wakes up.

One option - try to hold him when you feed him - maybe he doesn't like the highchair - my kids needed to get used to being strapped down! :)

Keep trying - it takes time and he may not be developmentally ready...

Hi T.,

My oldest was a big boy and he slept thru until about 5 mos. the doc told me to start solids at 6 mos. So I added about two teaspoons of rice or oatmeal cereal to his bottle before bed. Make sure it is still very liquid and mixed or it will stop up the nipple. I used a bigger size nipple hole also. This worked for me till he ate solid food.
Hope this helps,
R. mom of 5

I wouldn't worry over the solids. Is he possibly teething and that wakes him up?

Hi - I am a mom of 2 boys an 8 and 4 year old. My 4 year old was never a good eater. I have done a lot of investigating on food and swallowing issues. It is relatively new medicine. Most think that babies just automatically know how to eat/swallow from birth. I have since discovered that some babies actually aren't physically able to do it. There are whole centers dedicated to feeding and swallowing issues at children's hospitals. I am not saying that this is what is wrong but, if it persists you may want to look into it. I thought my son didn't have the feeding mechanisms down(oro-motor musculature). I have since discovered that he suffers from GERD (gastro esophagiel reflux disorder). Your son may not be able to hold his food down. There are different ways you may need to feed him. Ask your doctor if you think that this may be what is causing it. My son is currently on pepcid. I have just recently discovered this so, can't tell you that we have solved the problem just yet...Also, make sure your son has a bowel movement every day and that it is soft and isn't constipated. This is also a symptom of GERD. You can look up the different symptons on web-sites to see if he fits a profile. Good Luck.

T.:

Have you talked to your doctor? I know each doctor has there own suggestions. My son who is now 17 slept through the night at 7 days (I know, crazy, but he went to bed at 11 p.m. and slept until about 5 or 5:30) He started cereal at 4 months because he was starving at night. You son doesn't seem starving, so he might be getting used to the belly rub and the binky. Our doctor didn't really believe in the binky and my son never really liked it. Our doctor said to let our son cry for a few minutes to see if he would go back to sleep. It was harder for me and my husband then it was for my son. He cried for 4 minutes the first night and then 3 and then 2 and then 1. By the 5th night he got used to putting himself asleep. Every doctor has there own way to do things. As for cereal make it thin to start and give a spoon and then the bottle, then a spoon again and the bottle. They get used to eating it and eventually realize it is food. It could be just that he is getting used to the attention.

T.

Our 2 boys both woke up 2 times a night for a bottle till they were 12 months old. They were too huge and downed the bottle every time.There is a lot going on within the first year, so change in the sleeping patterns is normal.Sorry to say but sleep is not something that comes with parenting:)Ours are 3 years old and 19 months and we just recently started getting full night sleep again. Hang is there!!!!!
PS I would not push the food, nowdays they do not even reccomend it till after 6 months.

Their sleep patterns will change as they grow. As they are going into another developmental stage and learning something new they seem to wake more. I liked "Heathy Sleep Habits, Healthy CHild", I don't remember the author's name at this moment.

Five months is a bit early for solids. Breast milk or formula should be his main source of nutrition. Wait till he is 6 months to INTRODUCE solids. This doesn't mean he will eat right away but you start to give him different types of foods so he can check them out. My son was not interested in solids till 9 months. He would just play with the food and turn his head away. Then one day he decided it was time to eat. He liked to feed himself, even his oatmeal and yogurt. He didn't like to be spoon-fed. I gave my daughter a good amount of pureed foods; my son just was never interested in it.

Don't push the solids. He'll eat when he's ready.

He's probably just not ready for solids. I would wait another month or so, we started ours at a little over 6 months. Sorry you're so tired, but 5 months is still really young to be sleeping all night long anyway. I have friends who have toddlers who have YET to let them sleep get a good nights sleep.
Good luck!

my daughter has never slept through the night. She always has woken up at least once. sometimes five times. Sometimes she's consolable with her pacifier, but if she's not, I pick her up. as others will say, there's a growth spurt at 4 and 6 months, so he may be hungry and need you to feed him. Also, lots of research shows that most babies won't actually swallow food until 6 months. I have done baby led feeding from when she was 5 months, but she only recently started swallowing at 6 months two weeks. Not until she was ready. also, some babies sleep less after starting solids because of the new digestion. Is he breastfeed? if yes, have you mixed all of this stuff with breastmilk?
Its tough, but all I can say is it will be over soon. Hang in there!!!

dont add anything to the bottle!!! i think the 12:30 rubbing his back and giving his binky is fine. when he is a bit older, he will find his own binky. i wouldnt worry about it, and although i dont believe in crying it out anyway(research the subject and you would find all the negative effects), in his case he goes back to sleep with the comfort, so there is not need to allow him to cry and get more awake and upset. that will be harder to get back to sleep.
he sounds like he is truly hungry and 2 so just feed him his bottle like always. once you actually have him eating solids in the day, he may, or may not, need the bottle. my daughter is breastfed, not on solids of any kind at 6 months, and wakes up at 2 or 3 to eat as well. she is probaly 17lb+ by now. if he is hungry, just feed him.
for the food issue itself, it sounds like he isnt ready. take a break and then try again in 2 weeks. dont stress out. all of a sudden, he will be interested. if you push and he isnt ready, the feeding session will become an unpleasant time of the day for the both of you. just dont force it.
you may want to research feeding solids. although they say 4-6 months, the consensus is at 4 months babies START to be ready for solids, but in reality, they arent truly ready till closer to 6 months so you should wait till then. does he show all the signs? the most important is the pincer grasp.
have you looked into baby led solids as someone else mentioned. its where you feed the baby food, not baby food. the idea is that babies wont "eat" anything until they are ready. so if you were to give a baby a piece of avocado, they would knaw on it, but they wouldnt actually swallow it till they are ready, closer to 7 months. remember, the babies nutrtion should be coming fully from the formula/breastmilk. the food is to compliment it. rice cereal is awful and completely unneccessary. only 4% of the iron in it is actually absorbed. it has no other nutritional value and is quite binding. its really something you may want to look into, esp since he shows that he doesnt want to be spoon fed. giving him the control may be the answer. hoewever, i wouldnt start till at least 6 months and if he is showing all the signs.
that all being said, some babies actually sleep worse when they eat solids as there bodies need to digest all the food, and some things are gassy. im not sure about his teeth, but that could totally be a contributing factor. also growth spurts, learning new things(rolling, sitting, ect), or just being more aware of his surroundings than he used to could be additional things. good luck, they are only this little for such a short time.

T.,
I really never had a problem w/ my girls eating now 5 & 8 years old, but I do remember making sure the texture of the oatmeal cereal was slightly on the milky side not firm they gag and reject it. My Doctor told me to take one food and stick to only that one food like oatmeal and feed it to them everyday for a week at least twice a day. It takes them around 10 tries to begin to get the taste for it. Have you tried putting the cereal into his night time bottle, it works for some Moms I know, but it never did for me. Also this is a weird question but what kind of foods did you eat while pregnant? See if there was something you always had to have and if its something he can try I'll bet he eats it. My daughters were born one in winter the other in summer and both of them til this day love what I ate when I was pregnant. The oldest loves my in-laws cooking because I practically lived there every night and being an Italian family we ate pasta with every meal so she loves her pasta and the younger one loves her fresh vegetables, she's 5 and eats plum tomatoes with garlic, basil, oregano and olive oil, and they are my favorite too. Something to think about maybe it's coincidence maybe what we eat when we're pregnant is the foods our kids tend to enjoy the most go figure. I hope this helps!

Since he is not eating solids, you should check with the doctor to ss if he needs more formula than what you are giving him? Most formula fed babies start solids at 4-5 months so he just may need another bottle during the day or a few more oz. at night to satisfy him.

Also, if you are only going in a few times a night to give the binki and rub his back for a few minutes, you're lucky. I considered my daughter a great sleeper but she'd cry a bit a few times at night and I would do just what you're doing and get back in bed. My friends will bad sleepers wish they had it that easy!

Also, put more than one binky in his crib (I used to put then in the corners). He'll then remember it's there and pop it in his mouth himself. Good luck!!

Hi Terri, I am sure you need some sleep with a 2 year old but your 5 month old needs you too. He may be teething which could be why he only wants to have a bottle. Try to hang in there and follow his lead. Try the foods every so often and you will find the time when he wants them. Grandma Mary

I'm sorry your son is waking up more than you'd like but keep in mind most babies DON'T sleep through the night and you were lucky to have the month and a half you did. He also shouldn't need solids until 6 months as his digestive tract probably isn't ready for them. Seems to me like he is trying to tell you now isn't the time for him to be eating solids.

Why don't you give him some time and let him be a 5 month old who needs reassurance you are there? Perhaps he is teething and uncomfortable. Perhaps he is going through a growth spurt. The time will pass and you will get more solid sleep soon I'm sure.

Something I found to work with my 2nd daughter was mixing different foods - sometimes it's the consistency that they don't like, not only the flavor so if you mix one or two things in with it, you may have better luck.

My youngest was a big girl as well, but she is now on the skinny side - we are all going to be so happy the day she hits 40 lbs again - she'll be 5 in nov & is 44 inches tall & weighs 39! Good luck!

Hi,

Slow down and be patient!! Wow only 5 months old and you expect the baby to sleep through the night??? Baby systems do not take in solid food for ore than 5 months! All babies are different, but count yourself lucky the first 5 months. They need food-formula or breast milk to grow and they need it often! My Twins were fed every 4 hours around the clock and then when they were 1 yr + they slept trough the night (5-6 hours at the stretch!), but went to bed at 11pm like I did. We set the habits also I learned. So have some patience and make sure your son eats or has his nutrition often enough to sleep too! He probably is HUNGRY! And solid foods is not what he chooses this young. Respect your baby's schedule, he may be different than your other boy (don't compare), but they all are individual. would you have it any other way? I do not think so.Good Luck and God Bless! M. G

i got my son to eat and try different baby foods by mixing it with the rice cereal...increasing the baby food each time until he was able to tolerate the baby food alone. it's also i time saver i found...mixing it all together
good luck 2 u!

5 months old is way too young to be eating solids!
Their digestive system isn't developed enough to handle anything else other than breastmilk or formula.
Sometimes they just need that cuddle....that reassurance.
In the long run, it's no big deal. Relax and enjoy the time with your child....they grow up too fast and before you know it, you'll be wishing for a bit of cuddle time with them.

I had a mucus baby and the dr said get her of of straight formula as fast as possible so at about four months, I fortified her formula with cereal. Keep the mixture liquid so it will flow thru the nipple of the bottle. This may help. Did you put a small amount (a pinch) of sugar on the cereal. Sometimes that will help.