The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that parents start introducing solid foods around 6 months. Solids should compliment, not replace, breastmilk and formula. However, if you have an infant who doesn’t sleep great, chances are a well-meaning family member or friend has suggested trying solids. It seems to make sense that offering your baby solids will fill her up and keep her full all night long. But…
Will Starting Solids Help Your Baby Sleep Better?
The short answer is most likely no. Why? Because hunger is just one of the many reasons a baby might wake during the night. There’s no evidence that starting solids helps a baby sleep any better than she did before. In fact, sometimes starting solids will make sleep worse.
Reasons why your baby’s sleep may actually get worse after starting solids
If you start solids too early, your baby’s digestive system may not be ready to adapt to the change from an all-milk diet to one that includes solid foods.
Regardless of the age you start solids, you may find that your baby has bowel movements less frequently than before and/or the stool is more formed. This is normal and shouldn’t impact sleep. If your baby is experiencing pain and a firm belly she might be constipated. This can interrupt sleep and you should call your pediatrician to discuss.
On the other hand, some foods may cause your baby to have more frequent bowel movements. When these poops occur at night or during the early morning hours, it will impact sleep. Keep a list of what your baby eats and what time. If you notice a pattern with what she is eating on the days she poops at night, try moving those specific foods earlier in the day. This issue typically resolves fairly quickly as your baby becomes more accustomed to eating solids.
If you are offering solids before milk, sleep can become more disrupted because your baby is not getting enough milk any more and that should be the primary source of nutrition for the whole first year. Many of the foods babies are offered first are very low calorie foods.
Sleep disruption after starting solids should be a temporary disturbance. If your baby has never slept very good and continues this way after introducing solids, it could be the time to think about other reasons why she may be waking frequently.
Tips for introducing solids:
- Start with a milk feed.
- Offer solids 30-60 minutes after the milk feed.
- Introduce new foods earlier in the day, ideally at breakfast.
- Feed your baby milk until she is full and start with smaller portions of solids until your baby gets used to them.
- Offer a sippy cup of water every time you feed solids.