Feed for longer sleep

[ava's maman]

I'm also tagging along to this one!  My dd is 12 weeks old and I put her down around 8, having just finished her final feeding, will wake her for a DF at 11, then she wakes on her own around 3, 5 and 7 for feedings each time.  When will she start to be able to go without feedings - she is almost 13lbs and I tried giving her a bottle of formula for two nights in a row and she was very fussy and did not poop for 3 days and when she finally did it was a catastrophe!  I have heard rice cereal is not recommended in a bottle - is that true?

[GraceKellysmom]

I'm so glad you questioned your friends and mother's advice!

The current American Academy of Pediatrics and World Health Organization recommendations say NO solids until 6 months old. "Pablum" was a cereal, here is a link:

http://www.mta.ca/faculty/arts/canadian_studies/english/about/study_guide/doctors/better_foods.html

Ick! Read what it was made of! No wonder all of our kids are developing food allergies from the poisons our parents unknowingly fed us.  :roll:

The truth is that solids given before a baby is developmentally and physically old enough to digest them can actually make night wakings worse for infants due to upset tummy. And like the third poster found, formula can too. Babies are meant to digest their mother's breastmilk. Around 5-6 months their guts mature enough to digest solids. The tongue thrust reflex disappears so that babies will actually gum and swallow food.

If solids are given early, it is usually recommended by a pediatrician for a medical condition. Not all doctors are trained for infant health care and not all doctors are informed of the WHO and AAP recommendations.