To wean or not to wean.

[sophie22]

I'm having some problems, jack is 17weeks, but has bad reflux, sometimes worse than others. He also feeds (formula) barely every 3 hours, it's a miracle if he reaches 3 hours. He was sleeping from about 8.30pm, until atleast 4.30am, then bottle which would only be a few ounces, then back to sleep. But he was so sick, people suggested weaning to try and help. So I gave him baby rice on a tea time for three days. On the fourth day it was baby rice with apple which was a big mistake! Major tummy ache. The pain rice seemed to be giving him tummy ache aswell but he did sleep though a full 12 hours on it. Although during the day the bottles were still close together. The health visitor told me to carry on with baby rice and take him to drs for baby gaviscon. So I did but doc told me to stop weaning, he is too young. So now I stopped he is waking all night and not going back to sleep, longest I get is 6 hours with him sleeping. And he's guzzling his bottles sometimes after 2.5 hours!
Do I go back to baby rice and persevere through the tummy ache or try hungry baby milk? Will that help the sickness? He's on comfort milk right now and I'm reluctant to change.

 

[Rachel_C]

It's completely normal, natural and healthy for babies to feed at least every 3 hours. He's still very young. Both of mine were feeding at least that often at that age. You can trick his body into not feeling hungry (even though he does need the extra calories to grow and develop) by using hungry baby milk or early weaning, but that isn't what he needs, it's just what you want. A baby that age just needs milk. Sometimes early weaning can help *under an expert's advice* but if your doctor doesn't feel that is warranted, I would listen to that. What have you tried for the reflux? It sounds like you have only just tried Gaviscon? If you haven't exhausted all of the usual options (talk to your doctor), try them before weaning. It is my understanding that in extreme cases when early weaning is the best option, you wouldn't be giving baby rice anyway, it would be something more like puréed pear as that is easy on the tummy and less likely to cause digestive issues. Only under doctor's advice though!

Once you get the reflux sorted, try feeding on demand during the day and it may help the nights too. If he is hungry during the day and you're delaying that or filling him with empty calories from solids or hungry baby milk, he's going to want to feed round the clock to catch up on what he's missed. Honestly though, 6 hours of sleep is actually pretty good for a parent of such a young baby. Perhaps you just need to change your perception of it - that is GOOD, not bad! And look at ways to help get through it - nap when he naps, is LO's dad around to do a night feed etc?

 

[sophie22]

Thanks. The only reason I didn't think the gaps between feeds were normal was because the health visitor said he definately should be going 4 hours by now. I'm not bothered in general about the waking in the night but he was sleeping a lot longer so this is unusual for him, that's why I was concerned something had changed and he was needing something else. Weirdly I haven't yet used the gaviscon because she said only use it when he needs it and in two days he's only been sick once. Which is unusual but good. He is just constantly hungry at the moment :/

 

[biglebowski]

Lo could be going through a sleep regression. Our Lo had been sleeping well but night sleep went to pot around 3 1/2 mo. It may just be coincidence that this happened around the time of you trying food. Also I wouldn't worry about when baby "should" be hungry. Hv's sometimes lose sight that babies are little individuals.

 

[salander]

My 7moth old still feeds 3-4 hours during the day Hun. Hv just give a generalisation for the average baby rather than the individual as I'm discovering with my 2nd. My first fed every 2-3 hours till she was about 10 months! Good luck xx

 

[jinglebear]

hey, my lo is also 17 weeks and she feeds on average every 2.5-3.5 hours during the day. she has 5 milk feeds from 7am til 10pm at night and sleeps quite well. iv def found the more milk shes takes during the day helps with her sleep at night. my hv also asked if she was going 4 hours between feeds but shes not. she dsnt follow a schedule like that at all but i dont think thats normal for a young baby neway. they have small tummies and need to feed often. i would personally hold of on the baby rice and try and feed him when u think hes hungry. dnt worry about the time gap. u may find he starts to go longer in the night again just from tht alone. xx