Rusk in bottle??

[clarsair]

LO is 8 weeks old now and wakens twice a night to be fed and I've had several aunts and other woman of that generation telling me that putting a bit of rusk in her bottle will do the trick. Apparently some of my cousins (who are younger than me, so this isn't years and years ago) were having this from 3 weeks old! I know that solids aren't meant to be introduced until 6 months, and there's probably some leeway on that I would guess for hungry babies, but isn't 8 weeks a bit young? Or is it another guideline that is commonly ignored? I don't have any previous experience with babies or friends with babies so have no clue what happens in 'the real world' as it were!

 

[louandivy]

to be honest i think you are lucky that your LO only wakes twice inn the night! DEFINITELY too young for solids though

 

[JenStar1976]

Milk is all they need - nothing else!! x

 

[shamrockerjo]

Oh my gosh no way! Not only is it a major choking hazard (!!!) but rusks are loaded with sugar, can't imagine what that could do to such a little baby. 8 weeks is entirely too young and only needs milk!

 

[RainbowDrop_x]

Two times in a night?? God if my LO only woke twice in a night at that age I wouldn't have been sleep deprived at all ..Much too young..Not only that but adding any kind of food to a bottle is a choking hazard.

EDIT:There is a growth spurt around that age so just feed as it's needed and it will settle down..In the mean time perhaps avoid telling people LO's sleeping habits to avoid "advice" along these lines

 

[pinkclaire]

I agree with the others it really not recommended these days, I have had a lot of people suggest stuff like that. My LO only stopped waking 5+ times a night at 6-7 months. Use your intuition you may not have experience but I really believe in mum knows best and if it doesn't seen right to you don't do it xx

 

[Sarah10]

Usually at that age they wake up because they need the feed, as babies tummies are so tiny at that age the milk digests really quick, don't worry, it will even out, when Jayden was 3 weeks he was having about 4 feeds a night lol, monkey he is xx

 

[Lara310809]

I know you're sleep deprived, but at 8 weeks old the baby should be waking for night feeds They have such small tummies, and the milk is digested so quickly, that they need to feed again in a few hours. You can't expect your LO to go through the night on one or no feeds. My LO was still waking at 12 weeks, and I would think the majority of babies would even beyond that.

Rusks contain wheat, which shouldn't be given to your baby before 6 months. I'm not sure if there are gluten free rusks available (there aren't any gluten free ones here). An alternative is baby rice, which is safe to give younger babies, but again, solids aren't recommended before 6 months unless there is a medicalo reason for it.

Putting any kind of solid into a bottle is also not recommended. It's something people used to do, but now most HVs etc recommend you don't do it. You get the occasional one that does, but I'm not sure they're following the guidelines if they do. You may also find that the people that tell you to do it became mothers 20+ years ago, or they are new mothers that have been told by their paretns that it's a good thing to do, but they don't necessarily keep up with the medical research.

And research has found that feeding solids before bedtime doesn't actually improve night sleeping. Some mothers will disagree, and yes, your baby may sleep better, but research found it's not because of the solids.

 

[littleone2010]

Yeah hun, ignore peoples silly comments, you need to do what you think is right.
Like others have said I would say waking twice is great going for the age of your baby.
Your lo is still very young and has a small tummy, thats why young babies need feeding more often. Baby rice or rusks still probably wont help, not only because they are not reccomended but your lo will fill up on that and digest it and still probably wake up.,, babies wake less when their tummies are bigger and they can go on longer without feeling as hungry. At the end of the day hun you are her mum and you should do what you think xxxx

 

[bump_wanted]

have you tried upping the oz of the bottles? tbh it is hard getting up during the night but i think its all part of it i def wouldnt be thinking of putting rusk in, and by the tone of your post you know its not really right so go with your gut and try getting naps during the day so you dont turn into a zombie xx

 

[Lost_Plot]

I would have thought rusks would clog up the bottle teet anyway.

 

[jojo2605]

My LO still wakes twice a night at times now at 14 months!!

I say go with your instinct, and judging by the fact that you have posted questioning it, I am guessing you feel you LO is too young for anything other than milk. Also, as others have said, thickening milk with rusk in a bottle is definitely not safe

 

[clarsair]

I would have thought rusks would clog up the bottle teet anyway.

Apparently the trick is to use a large needle to make the hole in the teat bigger!

 

[clarsair]

I'm glad all your replies confirm what I thought. I hadn't been giving this serious consideration but I think having so many people ask 'is she sleeping through?' and having a couple of others in my baby group having slept through the night since birth (!) has made me feel a bit of pressure to achieve this or at least question why I can't make it happen.

I'll file 'rusk in the bottle' along with 'dipping the dummy in jam' and 'rubbing whisky on their gums'!

 

[pinkclaire]

I'm glad all your replies confirm what I thought. I hadn't been giving this serious consideration but I think having so many people ask 'is she sleeping through?' and having a couple of others in my baby group having slept through the night since birth (!) has made me feel a bit of pressure to achieve this or at least question why I can't make it happen.

I'll file 'rusk in the bottle' along with 'dipping the dummy in jam' and 'rubbing whisky on their gums'!

Oh yes the first tick in the 'i'm a better mummy' box, just ignore them, they're probably lying anyway (my HV told me that a very high percentage of people lie about sleep as it's seem as a big achievement ) you'll get it about every milestone you'll learn to shut the ears off lol xx

 

[Seraphim]

I'm glad all your replies confirm what I thought. I hadn't been giving this serious consideration but I think having so many people ask 'is she sleeping through?' and having a couple of others in my baby group having slept through the night since birth (!) has made me feel a bit of pressure to achieve this or at least question why I can't make it happen.

I'll file 'rusk in the bottle' along with 'dipping the dummy in jam' and 'rubbing whisky on their gums'!

There will be a stack more pressure where that came from I'm afraid
There's something about those old ways which really makes women want other-women to do it that way too
So much nonsense, but you do get used to happily ignoring it



ETA: Babies change! That was my biggest baby shock.
The baby who sleeps through now, might not in 3 weeks or 3 months... it's something we should all keep in mind when we think we've got it licked

 

[hivechild]

I'm glad all your replies confirm what I thought. I hadn't been giving this serious consideration but I think having so many people ask 'is she sleeping through?'

I've found the best way to answer this is to smile and reply, "She's sleeping great!" and then to change the subject by commenting on something inane like loving their LO's outfit and asking where they got it.

 

[aliss]

First, people lie. I can *guarantee* that at least one of those girls telling you that the baby sleeps through is a liar. I have busted one myself on more than one occasion (story changing).

Second, putting food in the bottle to keep them quiet at night for the older generation. A couple of problems:
1. Formula was a lot different back then
2. Baby monitors were not used (can you imagine a sleep deprived mom sleeping through LO's wakings? I can...)
3. Controlled crying/cry it out was very standard and older people often forget to mention that they have used this.
4. BABY AMNESIA! We have a habit (perhaps from evolution) of forgetting the bad and remembering the good. After all, during contractions, did we all not scream that we would never do this again? Yet months later we think it is a smart idea to TTC?

Amnesia...

Some things to think about....

 

[Louise23]

I wouldnt even think about the rusk in the bottle.. but by the sound of it hun nor would you! my lil one slept through from 6weeks. (no fibbing for brownie points ) just a very lucky mummy lol. and even if he woke until 8/9months(as my 2nd did ) or after that i wouldnt mind, but i defo wouldnt give food through a bottle.
your lo will get there hun and like the others have pointed out they have a growth spurt around this age and it'll soon settle down.. jst ride it out hunn x

 

[hannahR]

I'm glad all your replies confirm what I thought. I hadn't been giving this serious consideration but I think having so many people ask 'is she sleeping through?' and having a couple of others in my baby group having slept through the night since birth (!) has made me feel a bit of pressure to achieve this or at least question why I can't make it happen.

I'll file 'rusk in the bottle' along with 'dipping the dummy in jam' and 'rubbing whisky on their gums'!

There will be a stack more pressure where that came from I'm afraid
There's something about those old ways which really makes women want other-women to do it that way too
So much nonsense, but you do get used to happily ignoring it



ETA: Babies change! That was my biggest baby shock.
The baby who sleeps through now, might not in 3 weeks or 3 months... it's something we should all keep in mind when we think we've got it licked

This is so true!!!