D.L.
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Phoenix
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You should teach him to tell time. LOL
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My son is 5.5 months old and I originally followed the Babywise method of nursing him. It worked beautifully except he still wasn't sleeping thru the night even at 14-16 weeks. Then read 12 Hours Sleep at 12 Weeks Old (great book, easy read and very practical). Followed those methods and it was working. He was very predictable and close to sleeping thru the night, occasionally doing os. THen vacation for 10 days. Did Ok on teh trip except hit a growth spurt and was inconsolable unless he ate. Totally needing food every 3 hours instead of every 4 and eating 1-2 times per night. Figured I'd get him back on track when we got home. Home 3 weeks now and he is all over the map. I know I need to be flexible, that all babies are different, but between teething and growth spurts, I am not getting nearly enough sleep and his aptterns are totally unpredictable. Brief example: 2 nights ago he only ate at 4am (although had me up at 11 and 5:30 needing teething med/comfort. Last night he was inconsolable at 11 and ate quite a bit then again at 2:30 and then insisted on breakfast at 6:40 (instead of normal 7am time) Every time I think he'll move out of it and get more routine again, we have another bad night, or 2-3. HELP! If you have any helpful suggestions, such as advice on starting solids or a sleep method geared for his age, I'd love the input.
THanks,
A.
You should teach him to tell time. LOL
who is in charge here? it seems like he has your number and he is already geting what he wants.
Most of my kids were predictable about how old to give solids, etc. But, one of my sons grew fast and early. I ended up giving him solids much earlier than the others, and it was the best thing for him - he was just hungry. It sounds like that is what is happening to him, with the growth spurts, etc. I would go ahead with some rice cereal. Good luck!
A., I know you are tired, but your sweet boy sounds like a normal growing baby! With all the research today, try to wait it out 2 more weeks if you can to get to tge 6 mo mark for solids. They have found that lifelong allergies can be formed by starting earlier & to me it wasnt worth the risk. At 19 lbs, hes a great weight. My 9.5 mo old girl is 16lbs & healthy!! We dont do set schedules at this young age & our pedi & Naturopath told us to demand feed. We as adults dont eat on a set 8am, noon, 5 pm schedule & they wont be hungry at exact times WE chose either. When you say he was hungry at 6:40 instead of 7, what is 20 min? My 9.5 mo old still nurses twice a night for 10 min & yes, i'm tired, but she's only a baby once & I'm cherishing every moment. But, yes, sometimes very tired!
Good luck, it must be hard w/ your hubby gone at nights & a 3 yr old. You are super-mom!
The Super Baby Foods book mentioned earlier is FANTASTIC! Get it used on amazon..& we skipped the rice..NO nutrients..avocado was her 1st!
I, personally, am not a scheduling mom for many reasons. It took my son longer to sleep through the night. My friend, though, had to start feeding her son a few solids during the day to get him to continue because he just needed so much more food at one point. I wouldn't necessarily start with rice cereal, as there is very little nutrients. The Super Baby Food Book is a great guide for knowing what to start with. It actually recommends avocado and banana, I believe. Good luck!
If you're okay with letting your baby cry (I am) get (or borrow) the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" which is by a doctor with lots of research.
If you don't like crying, then try "The No-Cry Sleep Solution" by a mom which is rather popular.
It is normal for a baby to wake up 1-2 times a night. Personally I prefer once, but you can't always get that. Try just going to him to feed and spending less and less time with him each time, try not to be tempted to fall asleep for an hour with baby (which I really need to work on!)
Keep in mind that babies make noise at night, even cry, but are really not awake and don't need you. Try to wait 10-15 minutes before going in and see if he goes back to sleep.
As far as the solids go, I started my first daughter on rice cereal the day she turned 4 months and it wasn't long before she was throwing it up, so this time I'm waiting until 6 months.
BTW I'm totally for schedules, I want everything to be predictable, which kids thrive on too, but it's really hard with a baby. My 4 1/2 month old usually only takes 30 minute naps (which I'm trying to work on) but sometimes it's more and it throws everything off, plus I take the 3 year old to things and with this time change its all out of wack!! Try not to stress... it will be normal again soon.
First rule of babies: their sleep patterns change constantly. No one told them about schedules. That's something we learn when we grow up. And unless forced, most babies won't sleep through the night until they are 2 years old. Until then they are teething and going through LOTS of developmental changes, or separation anxiety. Don't push solids until he is showing signs of being ready (begging for your food being one of them). Good for you for nursing!! Keep it up! Your baby just may be needing some extra comfort from the change of the trip. Or he may be teething or going through a developmental change. In which case, he needs the comfort. It may not be a hunger thing at all. And if you force solids on him instead of giving him the comfort he needs, where do you think he'll find comfort? From you or from food?
Anyways, a good general rule is that what kids want and need is the same thing for the first year. You can always find good support from your local La Leche League leader. Go to www.llli.org to find the leader and group near you.
And remember - it's all temporary. This stage will pass, too. :)
I know exactly how you feel! I am also married to a firefighter & the nights can be very long when they are gone & the baby isn't cooperating. :) When my son started having sleeping issues I talked to the pediatrician. He told me that if he was eating around 40 ounces a day (we bottle feed since I am unable to nurse, so it's easier to keep track) that we should start him on solids even if he isn't 6 months. It helped so much in getting his sleeping patterns back on track. He is my fourth child, but each one has been so different that it was like the first one all over again each time. :) We started feeding him rice cereal before bed at about 6:30 & then a bottle around 8:30 & he'd be down for the night. Then we added baby oatmeal in the morning. After about 2 weeks we started intoducing various other foods (2-3 days at a time for each to watch for allergies)The only time we've had nighttime trouble since (he's 11 months now) is when he's cutting a tooth.
I would definately talk to your pediatrician & start the solids slowly. Good luck!:)
P.
Ok, I'm not a text book parent, but I do believe in mother's intuition. I have two kids, 5 and 3. I breast fed both and was "on-demand." Both my kids found their own schedule and I just tweeked it to fit for the rest of the family. My daughter wasn't a big eater of solids and while I did start giving her rice cereal once a day at about 5 months, she still preferred to breast feed. My son on the other hand started with solids the day he turned 16 weeks. It was obvious he wanted more that he was getting. By the time he was 6 months he was eating what the family was eating, just mushier. I also kept breast feeding both of them for longer than average, so I was able to make sure they got all their nutitional needs met.
You could try to give your boy a tablespoon of rice cereal in a bottle of breast milk and see what his reaction is. If you pay attention, you'll find out what this child of yours is wanting. Good luck. You'll be just fine, and so will he.
Just a side note, my son woke up at night every 90 minutes no matter what I tried. This went on until he was 11 months-old. Then one night it just magically stopped. For no good reason.
