Four Month Old Not Sleeping Well

Hi K.,

I would begin to give rice cereal in the am and right before bed. I'd try via a spoon, pretty soupy. I never put it in the bottle, but have heard many people do. Even if baby only takes two to three bites, it should help. It may take a little getting used to, so keep offering.
Hope this helps!

E.

The reason your doctor does not reccomend it is thst the diestive system is not yet developed enough to digest solids.

Is co-sleeping out of the question? I have a night feeder too & I really find that sleeping with her is the least disruptive to my night. If I had to get up and go to her crib every night, I'd lose my mind. Also, I do find she sleeps longer if I have a great big, fattening, heavy meal at night. I am not one who likes to eat much dinner, so I have to force myself, but I get a much better nights sleep when I do -- because I think the milk is richer. In this heat, your child might also be extra thirsty, so make sure you drink plenty. Good luck!

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Hi K. - regarding the rice cereal - my ped. said that rice cereal is not nutritionally proper for babies before about 6 months - that I should stick with breast milk or formula.
I hope the sleep thing gets better for you soon - babies seem to change constantly, so hopefully he'll change his eating patterns soon and you can get some sleep!! Hang in there.
R.

Hello K.. I had a similar situation when my daughter was young. She was eating so much, throughout the day, that it seemed like she never got full. My mother in law starting adding rice cereal to her bottles, which infuriated me, because my daughter was still very young (I don't remember the exact age because it was 17 years ago!), probably around 2 months or maybe even a couple of weeks. While it never seemed to hurt her, and it truly did help with her appetite, I'm not sure that I'd recommend it, only because I think it upsets their tummies (although we didn't experience that). Also, while I was pregnant with her, my ob/gyn said I had a tapeworm, and that it would pass when I had my baby. I always wondered if it ever did, because to this day, her appetite is still insatiable, and she's not the skin and bones she used to be. I would say, off the record, to do it, but add it slowly, which I know contradicts what I said before, but I just really wouldn't want to give you any bad avice. I also think (sometimes) that doctor knows best, and stick with his/her directives. It's a tough call, and I really feel for you. Good luck to you :)

Aside from all the other reasons already mentioned adding rice cereal too early can also increase the risk of food allergies and diabetes.

Sometimes boys, especially bigger boys, have higher needs. I assure you, though, it is temporary. Their rates of growth do slow down and when they start solids, they are satisfied longer.

My best to you!
M.

Four months is still very very young. Your babies digestive system is really not ready for any kind solid including rice cereal in a bottle until he/she is 6 months old. Additionally, unless you have one of those kids that is a natural sleeper then you must go through the process of getting up to feed. A baby can begin to be sleep trained at about 6 months old as at that point they sometimes able to go through the night without eating.

Hi K.,
Every baby is different. My 3yr old was sleeping through the night by six weeks, my son is still not sleeping through the night, thankfully he is now only waking once through the night. We started feeding them rice (very runny) from a spoon at 4 months. You have to follow your own intsincts, if you notice he is contsipated or upset tummy, stop the cereal and try later. Also, have you tried holding him off for a little while during the day and giving him a larger amount of formula (6oz)? They are growing so fast at this age , as soon as you think you have them figured out, they change:) Good Luck

He's 4 months old! Not all babies sleep through the night. My 4 year old woke up about every 3 hours for about 1 year. I have a 13month old who is still waking up. I never did the cry it out (I think its cruel). If your baby is taking a bottle everytime he wakes, maybe he is hungry! Someday you and your son will sleep through the night. Dont rush it, they are only babies for so long (you will miss it).

please do not give him rice cereal or thicken the formula -- two reasons:
1) he is too young at four months;
2) i did this for my seven month old son because i wanted him to do a longer nightime stretch, and he got soo constipated that he would wake up crying - i felt horrible.

Have you tried soothing him with a pacifier when he wakes? if he takes this at least onnce during the night it will help in ridding at least one of the midnight feedings.

Also, your son may be teething, if so, you may want to try putting an ice cube in a (clean) sock, and letting him chew.

Hi K....congratulations on your son! I also am a 40-something first time mom to a beautiful 10-month old boy in Torrance. My son didn't start sleeping through the night until he was about 7 months old. Every baby is different. Sleeping patterns can be affected by many things. A couple of things I learned...create a bedtime routine that works for you and stick to it. His sleep patterns may change periodically, but sticking to the bedtime routine will help him to eventually come back to his schedule. At four months, you little guy is going through lots of changes. There's a growth spurt around this age, and my little guy started rolling over. We also had a lot of digestive problems and finally learned that he had silent acid reflux. It was a crazy time in our household; some nights I was up every two hours. Just hang in there and create a soothing nighttime routine and don't waver. A book that really helped me was "The No-Cry Sleep Solution." (I just can't do the cry it out strategy.)

As far as the rice cereal is concerned...AAP doesn't recommend it before 6 months of age because the baby's digestive system isn't fully developed yet and allergy risks are higher. Also, there are very few calories in rice cereal, so you're not giving the baby anything extra to help them sleep through the night. You might possibly try giving your son formula as his last bottle before sleep as it takes longer to digest than breast milk.

It will get better, and worse, then better...it's a never-ending cycle. Just fasten your seat belt and enjoy the ride. Best wishes.

well you're really not supposed to give them food so early..but if you do try oatmeal instead of rice b/c rice constipates so then you're going to have a constipated baby on your hands. I had to co-sleep to teach my son how to sleep..that's what i felt like i was doing. Sometimes i would prop myself up with pillows and a comforter then lay my son across my belly so he could nurse when he'd wake and i could sleep through it.
Do you swaddle? is he spitting up? A lot of babies start to spit up more around this age and that's what wakes them...then i would say yes use the oatmeal. Hang in there it does get easier ...read some sleep training books like Healthy Sleepy Habits Happy Child or Sleepy Planet. Good luck*