Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Dreaming of sleep and contemplating solids

A summary of last night:
  • Little E went to bed about 8pm, and had a dream feed about 9.30pm
  • Mummy and Daddy went to bed at about 10pm
  • Little E (and therefore Mummy) got up at:
    • 11:50pm
    • 1:30am
    • 3:00am - this time requiring a feed and a round of the pink singing seahorse to get back to sleep
    • 4:50am
    • 6:20am - at which point Mummy gave up and brought E in to the big bed.
Mummy is particularly unamused about the 3am feed as we haven't done a true middle-of-the-night (as oppsoed to early early morning eg 5am) feed since about 6 weeks!

We are visiting the community nurse this afternoon for E's 3-4 month checkup and Mummy plans to interrogate her about whether it is ok to start solids soon, in the hope that this might promote longer sleeping sessions. Fingers crossed!

6 comments:

Emily said...

Am interested to hear what the nurse thinks. I would definitely not be impressed with that routine!

ANB said...

She was very nice but said that the Health Dept still recommends waiting until 6 months, and so accordingly that is what child health nurses are told to recommend. She did say that www.allergy.org.au (Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology & Allergy) advise 4-6 months. I had a quick look and it says some studies suggest delaying solids can increase not decrease likelihood of allergies. I plan on getting some rice cereal and seeing how she goes with that, perhaps on the weekend so David will be around if anything crazy happens.

Emily said...

Sounds like a plan. Henry hated rice cereal mixed with water but was a bit more compliant when it was mixed with breast milk, a bit sweeter I suppose.

One thing to get ready for is the change in poo!!! Not so much with rice cereal but certainly with carrot etc : )

_vTg_ said...

Fascinating! Between M (2006) and J (2008) there was a switch in Melbourne nurses from definitely 6 to 4. The argument (supported by M's paed fwiw) was that there is a window for acceptance of lumpy food so 6 months leaves you little time to progress to lumps. Who knows! Baby Love has lots on the topic. She is also very much in the sleep-is-unrelated-to-solids camp, but I guess it's case-by-case. She's 4 months so in Victoria you'd be given the advice to start solids!

Recommend being prepared to add pears onto rice cereal if needed (rice cereal is, erm, anti-poop. Solids gets parents pondering nappies like you wouldn't believe!!)

Not wanting to confuse matters... But... Have you heard of baby-led solids? Another trend to emerge post-M! Friends swear by it!!

ANB said...

A friend with a 7 month old also enthuses about the baby led weaning thing. I have had a book about it on order at the library for ages, may just have to give in and buy it! Am glad to know the Victorians think 4 months is ok. Reinforces my coclusion that there is no hard and fast "right" time. We acquired a box of Farex earlier in the week but are yet to try it.

_vTg_ said...

Look forward to hearing the outcome!

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