6 month old advice desperately needed!

[Cheryl_M]

My lovely 6 month old daughter has blessed us with her sleeping 11/12 hours a night from around 3 months. However, as soon as we started weaning 3 weeks ago, she's ready for her day to begin at 4am! I'm completely exhausted and going back to work full-time in 2 weeks. Can anyone offer any advice or tips as to why this is happening? I am very grateful she still sleeps 9 hours but just confused as I thought they slept longer when they started eating proper food? Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

[Pickle]

Has she decreased her milk intake? In the early stages of weaning you have to be careful to ensure they still get plenty of milk as it gives them what they need in terms of calories, not the food.

[Cheryl_M]

She takes about half the amount of milk she used to. Is that normal? She turns away when she doesn't want more and I try to give her some more around 1.5/2 hours later but she's not interested.

[Pickle]

Are you offering food before or after solids? Personally I always offered at least part of a milk feed first, then solids. Dropping half her milk does seem a bit much, as the calories she gets from early weaning foods will be minimal.

[hellosailor]

Yes I agree with Pickle, I think it must be that she has dropped her milk intake, which will still be the bulk of what is sustaining her at this stage. I think babies are supposed to have about 600ml / 20oz of milk between 6 and 12 months, which is harder to gauge if breastfeeding obviously. Is she still having a big feed - 7oz ish, at bedtime? I think for some babies that's pretty crucial in getting them through to morning even when they're eating large portions of solids later on

[Convex]

Maybe visit the HV? I went yesterday and she said as long as they get over 600ml then that is sufficient.

I don't feel that would be enough for my baby but only because he is not showing signs of wanting to drop any milk feeds despite eating a fair amount of solids.

Otherwise Saffrons suggestion is a good one ie offer some milk first. I do this at the lunchtime feed.

[cashewnut]

Other people's suggestions sound sensible and probably worth following them first, but the other thing to think about is daytime sleep. I had some issues with earlier waking around this age and a slightly shorter morning nap (30mins) and later long lunchtime one seemed to help a lot (12.30). She'd dropped her afternoon nap already.

[Cheryl_M]

Thank you SO much guys! I give her food first then milk and have wondered if it should be the other way around! Will she still want food after drinking her milk? I'm definitely trying that tomorrow. She used to take 8oz each feed then we started weaning and she's down to about 5oz. Saw the health visitor yesterday but she said it was fine and I shouldn't be complaining she sleeps so long! Ooops :-S

As far as sleep goes, she has 30 mins mid morning, an hour early afternoon then 30 mins late afternoon around 5pm. I try to keep her awake so not to sleep so late but bless her, she can't keep her eyes open! Hopefully she won't need that 5pm nap for much longer.

[gillandjoe]

I have to say that it seems amazing to me and probably those in the same boat as me when I hear parents complain about a baby that has slept through for months and then begins feeding once in the night or waking early. Try feeding at least 3 times a night from birth (he is nine months old) plus frequent early wakings, 2 hour periods of wakefulness in the night and refusal to go to sleep after the 'magical' bedtime routine has been in place for months. Count your lucky stars!!

[hellosailor]

Cheryl you can try spacing the milk feeds and solids meals so that she can manage both if she doesn't want one straight after the other?

Lots of babies and toddlers seem to be able to guzzle a bottle of milk and eat a slap up meal 5 mins later, but many, mine included, don't have that big an appetite!

You could give a bottle at 7am, then breakfast at 8am, solid lunch at 12:00, bottle at 2:30, solids meal at 5:00, bottle at 7:00 etc, so that there is always a space between them?

[cashewnut]

That doesn't sound like too much daytime sleeping to me... we usually need a little catch up in the afternoon if we have much less than 1.5 hours at lunch.

Agree with hellosailor about spacing feeds. Weirdly mine seems ready to consume any volume of solids/milk late morning and evening, but won't touch breakfast until an hour or so after her first milk feed.

You might find things get better when you introduce proteins (if you haven't yet). That is supposed to help overnight sleep I think?!

[gillandjoe]

Oops, sorry for moaning! I was having a break from

Sleep negotiations when I read this so wasn't in a good frame of mind. Good luck tonight, goodnight!

[Cheryl_M]

Hello sailor --- I was thinking I might try that today unless she screams for her milk of course! Thanks again everyone, always find this website so helpful!

Gill and Joe --- don't apologise! I felt a bit guilty when I read your comment and thought me saying I was exhausted was a slight exaggeration. I completely and utterly sympathise with you and admire that you sound like you're still smiling through it all! I hope things settle down for you

[Pickle]

From memory I think I did what Hellosailor suggests too (new baby not quite on solids yet and it's been 4 years since #2 was at this stage). I definitely did milk when they woke, followed by breakfast once we were organised, and a milk feed mid morning followed by lunch just before nap time.

Good luck, hopefully re-jigging things a little will help.

[MrsAk]

My baby also cut down her milk intake at around this time. After about a week I realised I needed to use a number 3 teat as she was getting fed up and giving up. Just a thought x

[dulwichgirl2]

Stupid and cheeky comment from health visitor. Changes like this should be investigated for the good of the child and the mother. In this case it seems like it could be insufficient milk, in which case what were you supposed to do? Keep waking at 4am then go to work and have a hungry baby. I'd be tempted to complain about the hv attitude. Anyway, hope increasing or changing the milk offering is working and good luck with starting back.

Gillandjoe, sorry to hear your trials. :-( have you been to the dr? I assume you are bf? Could you or your husband give a (heavier) bottle instead? Some of the babies who sleep well are doing so on formula and it makes the mother's life so much easier. Give it a go for the late feed perhaps?

[Convex]

Cheryl, do you think she is waking from hunger or could it be something else? There is a checklist in one of the books (not sure what one... Sears?) which goes through everything from teething to scratchy sleep suits etc...

I'm pretty sure my baby's 4am waking was teeth pain, as we are mixed feeding and I use the hipp goodnight milk so I think he was not waking from hunger.

But I don't really know.... Just counting my blessings he is waking at 530/6am now which makes me a little bit tired instead of 4 am which makes me insane.

[Cheryl_M]

I'm now convinced its lack of milk because I was stupidly giving her solids first then milk. Have now switched around and she slept 11 hours last night! I know it may not last but a good sign anyway. I've cut down her porridge at breakfast as I think this was putting her off keeping her feeds up during the day.

Dulwich girl -- I'm grateful for you making the comment about the HV. She made me feel awful when I left the clinic!

[Convex]

not stupid!... no matter what a HV or anyone else says.

great news she slept for longer again. hope it continues.

i might try cutting down porridge here too, he drank hardly any milk today and had a massive breakfast.