We just started rice cereal with our 5 1/2 month old. She had been sleeping through the night most of the time, but not consistently and we had recently been able to give her her pacifier and rock her back to sleep in just a few minutes, and she was only waking up once when she did wake up. We have only done cereal 2 nights now and she has done great--anticipating more bites, etc. No immediate signs of allergies, no signs of tummy ache, etc. However, she has now, the last 2 nights, woken up 3 or 4 times about an hour apart from each other (but she does sleep for the first 5 hours without waking up). We have been able to do the same pacifier and rock her to sleep and the last time she then sleeps until her regular wake up time, so I know it's not that she's hungry. She just seems restless or aggitated, but it does NOT seem like a tummy ache or reflux. I am not opposed to letting her cry it out, but had planned on waiting until she was 6 months old (only a couple weeks to go). In the meantime, has anyone else had a similar experience? I don't know if it's really related to the cereal or probably just a coincidence. In either case, it's only been 2 nights, but we miss our sleep! Especially since even as a newborn she would only get up 2 or 3 times but with 2 or 3 hours in between. Any thoughts?
As always, I didn't include quite enough info in my post, so I got a variety of responses. Anyway, baby was getting cereal 2 to 3 hours before bedtime, not right before. With that said, and a new question as to "If cereal is so harsh on the digestive system, why in the world do pediatricians recommend that first????" the real verdict is that I posted my question Monday morning, and by the time I got home from work, she had cut her first tooth! No other signs of teething--perfectly happy/herself during the day! (I know, lucky us!) ANyway, I think she was waking due to teething discomfort; gave her tylenol last night and she slept 10 hours (again, lucky us!) (and no, I'm not one to give tylenol for any-old-thing, so no worries!) Thanks for the insight! Have a great day!
I agree with Elizabeth 100%! Grains are often very hard on the body. Stop the cereal for a couple of weeks and you will probably see a difference!
Cereal is VERY harsh on a developing system! There is no reason to give cereal as long as they are getting enough iron though other means. If they are breast feeding that should be good enough as long as your diet is good. Cheeerios have iron it them if iron is the concern if baby is ready for finger food. The best thing to start a baby on is LOW fiber fruits and veggies. Things to high in fiber also are harsh on a new developing system, which will make them extemely fussy and uncomfortable! Good luck and talk to your Dr.
It sounds like she is in a growth spurt. My son did the same thing at this age. He made it longer at night when I increased his night-time feeding. (I am nursing, but I give him a bottle of breastmilk at bedtime so I know he eats enough).
I'd put my money on teething. My son, who is now 8 months, went through something similar about that age. It has been several years since my daughter cut teeth so it wasn't the first thing to come to my mind at the time. Maybe try a little Tylenol?
could be going through a grwoth spurt.
Hi M., The baby is probably thirsty, make sure you give the baby a bottle of liquid with the cereal.
The verdict is out on bedtime cereal feedings: some moms say they are the key to a good night's sleep, while others say they make things work. Every baby is unique.
I would say 2 days is a coincidence, but 1 week would not be. Also, milestones can throw off a baby's sleeping patterns, and at 5 months, there can be several: sitting up unassisted, crawling, growth spurts, teething.
You could also try switching over to baby oatmeal. We didn't give our son rice cereal. Oatmeal just sounds much more appetizing to me, and I've read that rice cereal is metabolized quickly and in such a way that it does not satisfy hunger very long. Take that FWIW, and do your own research. I've had other moms email me about where to find "baby oatmeal". Gerber makes it and it's shelved right next to the rice cereal. The boxes look identical--you have to read the label.
Hi M.
I would say it is probably not related to the cereal. She is probably trying to master a new skill. But you could try to give her cereal a little earlier and see if that helps.
We had a similar problem when we started cereal for our daughter. She was 6 months old. For us it was obvious that she was gassy. She cried a lot and was up for hours at a time. She would fart or belch a lot before falling back to sleep. Babies aren't born with the ability to digest solids and it takes their bodies sometime to get used to it. I think it lasted about a week and then things went back to normal.
