Is he ready ?

[lilly_kitt]

Hi

Well I tried him with a dummy at his 3am wake up and would not take it at all, cried until he had food no matter how many times I put it back in his mouth.  Could he be ready to try baby rice or something ?  he constantly has his hands, and anything else he can get hold of in his mouth, doubled his birth weight, can sit pretty well with support and watches what we eat all the time.  He's 16 weeks on Sunday
Thanks

Sarah

[Lolly]

It's more likely to be a growth spurt, there is a big one at around 16 weeks. Increase his milk feeds where you can and you may have to feed in the night for a few nights until it settles down. Some of the signs like watching you eat are developmental stages as well and don't always indicate readiness for solids. 

The minimum recommended age for starting solids is 17 weeks in the UK but this is in extreme caeses and preferrably under medical supervision (we started then uinder the peads advice for reflux). The WHO guidelines are 6 months to let their digestive systems mature.

Laura

[Chicane]

Hi there - in my opinion he might be a little young to start solids right now. He's four months right? Some babies can start then but usually its recommended to start solids at 6 month. He is possibly going through a growth spurt which could be why he needs an extra feed at night. Putting things and his hands into his mouth all the time is totally normal process - the mouth is the most sensitive part of him right now, its kind of a way for him to gather information about the objects around him and is not necessarily a sign of hunger. However, you might want to start taking note of the type of cry that he gives out when he gets hungry - if you can mange to tell the difference between a comfort cry and a hunger cry you will know what it what. In my opinion I would give him the night feed for the moment and see if he settles in a few weeks (if so then it was a growth spurt). My DS is a big eater and a big boy and still needs that 3am feed at 6 months - I am still happy to give it to him as I think he needs it. And ask your doc if its time to start solids or not - if so then there are plenty of fantastic books that can help you start solids easily and gradually. Everything that you have described is totally normal for your bubba's age...so dont worry!

[Chicane]

oops - Lolly's post got in there before me...but yeah...I agree with Lolly - sounds like a growth spurt.

[lilly_kitt]

Hi Ladies

Thanks, my doctor recommended starting at 17 weeks as he has reflux which is being controlled by meds.  I just wondered as at 3am this morning he took almost a full bottle, but then went through until 6.50 which is good for him.

Sarah
x

[Chicane]

sounds like you are doing the right thing...hugs

[anna*]

One feed overnight in addition to the dreamfeed at 4 months old is totally, totally normal.

[lilly_kitt]

Thanks Ladies, will stick with the bottle.  Last night he went down at 7pm, up at 12.40 with a full bottle and then up for the day at 5.30am.  He's getting better.

[Chicane]

great news!

[MummyToBen]

Also wanted to chime in and say that in my experience solids don't necessarily help with reflux - by lo has bad reflux and it didn't actually make any positive difference when he started solids.  Just wanted to mention it so that you don't feel in such a rush. 

xx