My 4 month old is waking up hungry?

Question

For 3 weeks now my boy has been sleeping from 7:30pm until 4 or 5 am. After a feed (8 ounces) at 4 or 5 he would go back to sleep until 8 or 8:30 am. For the past 4 nights now he is waking up around 1:30 am, wanting to eat and taking 8 ounces. Then waking up again around 5 am, wanting to eat again and taking about 5 ounces. Do you think I should start him on cereal? He is 16 weeks old and has had a lot of digestive problems, so I was trying to hold off, but he seems so hungry at night now. If you think I should start cereal would you recommend cereal in the bottle or spoon feeding?

I should have said this before....I did call my pediatrician and she said that I could start him on rice cereal if I thought he was ready. She said she would normally say to start with a spoon, but since my baby has bad reflux that a little in the bottle could be done (helps keep it down). She told me it was my decision...I could start now with the cereal to see if it helps or I could wait.

Also...I couldn't care less about the sleep. I don't sleep much anyway, so that is not a problem. I am just trying to figure out if it is time for solids or not. Thanks! I have had A LOT of helpful responses!

Answer 1

Cereal has almost no nutritional value and while it will make your baby feel "full" it won't actually give him what he needs.

4 months is the common age for a growth spurt, so don't be surprised he is eating more. If you are really concerned about getting him to sleep longer during the night. Add a feed or two during the day, mind you he may not take it. Also before bed feed him every hour (for 2-4 hours) or more often and let him take what he will. This way he will both be full AND have received all the vitamins and calories he needs.

Your son has digestive problems and I think you know it is really for the best to wait until AT LEAST 6 months. Also cereal is the LAST thing you should introduce. It may not be allergenic but it isn't digestable either, nor needed, nor nutritious. Also breastmilk or formula are all a baby needs nutritionally until the age of 12 months OR beyond. Many doctors now tell families with a history of allergies to wait that long.

Wait until 6 months and then try him on some fruit. Until then make sure he is eating at LEAST 2oz of formula for every lbs of body weight per day. (Up to 3.5oz/lbs is fine).

And for your baby, I think it is particularly important that you read this:
http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/vast_voedsel/rapley_guidelines.html

If you let your son feed himself, not you putting a spoon in his mouth it is far more likely that he will not do it until his intestines are ready.


About thickened feeds:
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/reflux.html#thickenedfeed
What about thickened feeds?
Baby cereal, added to thicken breastmilk or formula, has been used as a treatment for GER for many years, but its use is controversial.

Does it work? Thickened feeds can reduce spitting up, but studies have not shown a decrease in reflux index scores (i.e., the “silent reflux” is still present). Per Donna Secker, MS, RD in Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease , "The effect of thickened feedings may be more cosmetic (decreased regurgitation and increased postprandial sleeping) than beneficial." Thickened feeds have been associated with increased coughing after feedings, and may also decrease gastric emptying time and increase reflux episodes and aspiration. Note that rice cereal will not effectively thicken breastmilk due to the amylase (an enzyme that digests carbohydrates) naturally present in the breastmilk.

Is it healthy for baby? If you do thicken feeds, monitor baby’s intake since baby may take in less milk overall and thus decrease overall nutrient intake. There are a number of reasons to avoid introducing cereal and other solids early. There is evidence that the introduction of rice or gluten-containing cereals before 3 months of age increases baby's risk for type I diabetes. In addition, babies with GERD are more likely to need all their defenses against allergies, respiratory infections and ear infections – but studies show that early introduction of solids increases baby’s risk for all of these conditions.

Answer 2

I would be careful with the cereal because if he is not ready for it he could have all kinds of problems. My boy is 5 months and not yet on cereal. He also had digestive problems and colic. At 4 months I tryed the cereal because he was waking up screaming because he was so hungry. The cereal worked good for a couple of days and then he started to become colicky again. Good Luck, I know what it is like. I still wake up 3 times a night to feed my little boy. But I would rather that then have the colic start up again.

Answer 3

If he's taking 8 ounces in a bottle and still wants to eat then I would say yes give him cereal. I found that spoon feeding was better. I could get the right consistency and it was better, I thought so anyways, to let them go ahead and learn to eat from a spoon. I found also that my son really didn't like cereal so I mixed a little of the Gerber fruit with it. Soon after that he was eating fruit and veggies. I always used Gerber or Beechnut baby food. My grocery store didn't have such a great selection. Your lucky, it osunds like he's sleeping pretty good. My son still woke up twice a night even at 11 months. He didn't sleep all night till 12 months when I took the bottle away.

Answer 4

All of my friends started their infants on cereal way before 6 months, personally my daughter started at 3 on doctor's advice. Do not put in bottle though. Buy the little inexpensive baby spoons and just do a little at a time till they get the hang of it. Each child develops differently so to have a hard and fast rule about cereal like not having it until 6 months isn't correct. My daughter also had major gas, constipiation issues and her pediatrician, a highly respected one in our city, suggested starting out with cereal and diluted baby apple juice mixed in as vitamin C helps absorb the iron in the cereal and makes it easier to digest. A lot of women don't even tell their doctors because some are of the old school with the rules and if it works. Also, have you thought about the low iron formula to ease digestive problems? My daughter was on low iron after her first month to ease her discomfort and at 9 months her iron tested just fine, it was amazing how many problems the iron in her formula created, and I'm talking several different types of formula as well. Let your maternal judgement kick in -- you only want what is best for your child and cereal is not going to kill him. If he won't take it consistently, then you know he's not ready for it. Good Luck

Answer 5

At my daughter's four month exam I was told that we could begin cereal. We were told to start with rice cereal and spoon feed her once a day. After 3 or 4 days we then switched to a new cereal and went 4 days then switched again. This is to determine your child is allergic to a certain food. She did wonderfully. I would probably start him if I were you, but go slow. He might not like it the first few times he has it. I had to give my daughter gas drops after she ate otherwise she would cry. If you have never used gas drops, at your sons age he should can be given 0.3ml every two hours as needed, no more than 12 times in one day. Insteads of switching cereals every 4 days maybe try every week since he has had digestive problems. Good luck.

Answer 6

I am a mother to 3 boys (10-16-18), I started my middle and youngest son on cereal when they were around 3 months old. You can put cereal in a bottle as long as it is not too thick. There are bottle feeders that you can buy to put the cereal in. Watch him close when feeding him to make sure he doesnt choke. Once I stated this, I had no problems. No more waking up in the middle of night. Good luck!

Answer 7

Talk to your pediatrician, especially if your baby has digestive problems. I would not trust "voice of experience" from anonymous boards, as the advice will be all over the map on this. Not to say that some of the advice wouldn't be sound, but none of them know your baby and his health like your pediatrician does.

My daughter's pediatrician recommended holding off on cereal, then starting with rice cereal, as some of the previous posters suggested. He stated that more and more children are developing childhood asthma, triggered by food allergies, from pushing foods at them before they are developmentally capable of digesting them properly. Are you looking for nutrition or just "filler"?

If your child is going through a growth spurt, and it sure sounds that way, they need nutrition even if it is more inconvenient for your sleep schedule to get them full of filler.

Again, talk to your pediatrician!

Answer 8

Putting cereal in a bottle is a choking hazard for your baby. Your baby may be hitting a growth spurt and just needs to eat more often. If he has been having digestive problems, I wouldn't start him on cereal until you get an ok from your pediatrician. Most parenting books claim that cereal won't help your baby sleep longer anyway. It never seemed to change my children's sleeping patterns. Hang in there, mommy, hope you can get some sleep soon!

Answer 9

It is never recommended to feed cereal in a bottle. It could just be he is going through a growth spurt right now and will soon settle back to his normal schedule. I started both my kids on cereal at four months and they did just fine. Since he has had digestive problems , check with his doctor first.

Answer 10

I have a lot of friends who have had this problem and my son did, too, so I will just tell you what I know from experience. I would start him on cereal. I have heard from quite a few doctors and other people that it isn't good to give it to them with a bottle. Start with spoon feeding. It can be a little hard at first, you just have to keep working with him. It takes them awhile to figure out how to use their tongues to get it down their throat. Be patient! When you do make the cereal make it very thin. That will help with the digestion and with them liking it better. They're used to thin milk, so thick cereal they're not too fond of! We definitely noticed with my son (and so did my friends) that he slept better once we got him eating cereal. I hope this helps! Good luck!