Very hungry at 5 months - your experiences please...

[cornflakegirl]

I really don't want to start another thread on the pros and cons of waiting till 6 months to wean! But I would like to hear people's experiences, to put mine into context.

My initial position was that I really, really wanted to wait until 6 months to start solids.

However, I started weaning my ds at 5 months, because it seemed that he'd been getting hungrier and hungrier from 4.5 months. It started with just one night waking (having slept through from 3 months), but my breaking point was when he started waking twice in the night and not going his usual 3-4 hours between feeds (which started to throw his naps off too). (For information, ds was a GF baby from the start, and pretty textbook on feed / nap times apart from this one period - which suited and suits us both very well.)

At the time, he weighed about 18.5 lbs - although his weight leapt up a couple of weeks after we started solids. We went back to one night waking fairly soon after starting solids, although it took a while to be getting enough food into him for him to drop that night feed.

I've read other posters (like Hunkermunker) who've said that their babies also went through big growth spurts, but they waited them out, and eventually things normalised, and they made it to 6 months.

I'm not looking to guilt myself or anyone else, but I want to think through what I'd do with any future babies I may have. I'd really like to hear other people's experiences - if your babe had a similar hungry patch, what did you do, and what was the outcome?

[cornflakegirl]

bump

[nailpolish]

i just sat out the growth and hunger spurts im afraid

i thought that milk was more filling and satisfying that solids (bearing in mind that 'solids' start with a few teaspoons of pureed fruit or veg)

before you know it baby will be 6 mths old

good luck!

[LynnC]

Hi cornflakegirl, I weaned dd at 5 months for same reason as she had been sleeping through the night since almost 4 months then started waking for more feeds. I think every baby is different and if you feel you have to feed before the 6 months then thats what you do. I'm not sure about actual pros and cons but the time is just a recomendation and cant expect every baby to fit into exact times set. It was my HV who told me just to go ahead and start to wean and I'm glad I did as dd went back to sleeping right through so it was obviously what she needed and also good for me....well until teething started

[PiccadillyCircus]

I'm just sitting out the feeding often including in the middle of the night times. I think it's actually because I am lazy and find it easier just tp breastfeed.

It probably helps that DD has never really slept through so I am just always sleep deprived.

But I will start weaning soon as DD is 24 weeks tomorrow

[lahdeedah]

I started weaning my DD at 4.5 months for much the same reasons as you, Cornflakegirl. Also she was 99th centile, so I assumed she might be hungrier than the average baby. It didn't have much effect on the night wakings though, and took until 7 months before she started becoming more settled during the night again. Now I know how much extra work it entails once you start a baby on solids, plus I am much better informed about the health issues (thanks to Mumsnet) I'll definitely hold out until 6 months next time. The less time spent on the puree stage the better!

[VeniVidiVickiQV]

I waited mine out - both times.

DD slept through from 11 weeks non stop.

DS didnt.

I conclude therefore that some babies just sleep better than others.

[CorrieDale]

I waited mine out. At 8 1/2 months, still waiting for him to sleep through

[Tatties]

Hi Cornflakegirl

I started weaning ds at 5mths. He had always been a terrible sleeper and it was getting worse, I was exhausted, phoning the hv in tears, etc.. Solid food was the only thing we hadn't tried yet and we thought that would be the magic answer to our problems. It didn't make one bit of difference, except for creating extra work for me. If I had been thinking logically and trusting my instincts a bit more (which due to sleep deprivation and lacking confidence in myself as a mother I wasn't), I probably would have waited longer. What we did in the end was scrap the purees not long after 6mths as ds would not be spoon fed and went down the baby-led weaning route - best thing we ever did. Hindsight is a wonderful thing though! I did what I felt was right at the time, according to my situation and the advice I was given, but if I was in the same situation again I would definitely wait until 6mths. But next time around I wouldn't be so hung up on 'fixing sleep problems' or let myself be affected by other people's 'helpful' comments about it being cruel not to give him food yet...
DS is now 11mths, eats whatever finger foods he wants and still breastfeeds on demand, day and night.

[cornflakegirl]

Thanks everyone. Can I ask - those of you who said you waited it out - how long did the hungry patch / growth spurt last?

[PiccadillyCircus]

DD is always hungry or so it seems. I am resigning myself to the fact that she isn't going to be as good a sleeper as DS...