Sub for cereal with 4 month old

[knitknitknit]

My 4 month old son has recently decided that 3:30am is a great time for a bottle. When I mentioned this to his PA, she suggested giving him cereal with his last bottle of the evening. Obviously, we don't want him to have that icky stuff! Any suggestions for seeing him through this stage? I've tried giving 2 extra ounces with his evening bottle and also feeding him later, but neither change worked. I'm okay with the early morning feeding but on days I work, I have to be up at 4:30, so losing that extra hour really effects me. Any advice is greatly appreciated

[AmyS]

Is there another adult in the house who can handle the 3:30 a.m. shift?

[Mom2A&M]

Adding cereal will not help him sleep better, thats an old wives tale. Actually it can make it worse with new things to digest and tummy upset. My best baby resource was Mayo clinic guide to babies first year, I believe you can get tips online too. Unfortunately, it's probably just a phase that you need to wait out best of luck

[Holly]

I thought 6 months was when babies could start solid foods? Unless things have changed since my teens were babies.

Seems young for food to me. My babes woke up more when they were growing or teething.

[tclass]

I agree---too young to start solids. In another month or two try giving a soft boiled egg. That has some staying power. Your baby may just want your company right now. I really liked reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weisbluth. It was a lifesaver for us with our first.

Tricia

www.expatpaleo.com

[knitknitknit]

Thanks! I'm just going to wait it out. Hubby has agreed that the nights before I work, he'll take the 3am feeding.

[CaseyD]

Do you swaddle? That helped my daughter a lot at that age.

[loubee]

I think you're doing the right thing - it's just a bit young to have dropped the night feed. Mine only did that once they had started on solids at 6 months. I did find however that I could phase it out quite quickly once on the solids - I just fed slightly less each night (I used a timer as I was bf but easier with a bottle!) over 7 nights and then stopped. I had to go in a couple of times and say " Go back to sleep, bye-byes now" etc but it was done by 7 months. I found it really helped to establish a good appetite for solids by cutting back on the milk.

It's really good that your husband is helping you out - hope you find it easier. I do think it's so tough in the States when you have to go back to work so early (I'm UK based and so got 12 months maternity leave) - hats off to you!

[Evelyn Benchimol]

First... what time is his last feeding? 4mos is still young to go too long without a feed so say he's in bed by 9pm, 3:30 would be normal to wake for food. You gotta figure a 6hr stretch at the most. At least from my experience. Some ppl say not to wake to feed or not to feed them when they are half asleep but in order to get them more on your schedule, a feed at say 11pm might give you those couple hours you need. My daughter was a big eater and she bf'd really well (plus my doc said my milk must be super cream cause she was packin on the lbs) but she went 4hr stretches almost from the get go. 6hrs was a great night! Either a later feed or an earlier one and back to bed was required at that age.

Your doc must be really old school. I've always heard never to put cereal in a bottle! My kids' ped was mine and so he is old school too but he said no cereal in bottles, instead start them on solids once they hit a certain weight (approx 4mos). I didnt know what I do now back then and started on cereals but as meals during the day and continued bf'ing. If you decide not to do solids, then for sure 4mos is too young to drop the night feed. I know many ppl say no solids before 6mos here but in other parts of the world babies start solids earlier and they don't do cereals first.... the Canadian Ped Society just changed their first foods recommendations recently and now suggest, eggs, liver, etc.... All 3 of mine went on solids early and thankfully no issues, In fact, they are great eaters and eat pretty much anything.

Good luck!

[Beets]

Kids are crappy sleepers at four months. Pretty much a universal rule! My kids were so awful that waking once at 3:30 sounds like heaven. If your husband can take the feed then I would ignore the ped and do what you are doing. It is a cultural myth that four month old babies can, as a rule, sleep through the night. Some can. Most cannot.

The advice is to hold off on solids till 6 months. There are a number of reasons but early introduction of solids is linked to childhood obesity and other issues.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/25/health/many-babies-fed-solid-food-too-soon-cdc-finds.html?_r=0

[SpinSpin]

When my son was going thru the 4 am bottle/snuggle my husband and I traded off--course that was usually when he was getting ready or just about out the door for work! We held off on solids until he was 6 months and we started off with avocado--and we only ever gave him oatmeal and that was actually when he was almost a year--we kinda did things backwards. I never gave him that wall paper cereal yuck. And even now, at 2 he isn't that much of a fan of cereal, so we just don't have it around. lol! he is more interested in drinking the milk out of the bowl! If you do eggs, only the yolk until your little one is a year old! Good luck!