Hello,
i put my three month old son, down for a nap at about 1130-12 o'clock. He can sleep for about an hour to an hour and a half. After he's sleeping, i do things i need to do, around the house and for my education since im graduating this year. But lately, he's been sleeping for about a half an hour and the way he wakes up, he starts crying and screams on the top of his lungs. I wait a few minutes to see if he'll go back to sleep just because im not sure, if he had a 'night mare'. He'll stop and then 5 minutes later he'll start screaming again, that he gets bright red, and is gasping for air. Has anyone been through this? If so, what did you do?
My other question is, i've been giving my little man baby food. His pediatrician said we can start giving him baby food. We started giving him food in the evening so he could start swallowing on his own. When im in school, my dad has increased his eating; so he would give him food during the afternoon hours (11-1, somewhere around there) and then i would feed him when i would eat dinner (at about 5-6pm). Once it's time for his diaper change, he poops about 4 times a day and i feel like he's constipated. I push his legs up to his chest to get some of the gas out. It works sometimes; I also bought gas drops to decrease the gas. Are we overfeeding him? Should i just give him food in the evening? What about Oatmeal, give him oatmeal during morning hours or night hours? any suggestions?
Thanks! :)
Hello Moms,
Thank you so much for all of your advice. I couldnt have done it without you! I have stopped giving him baby food, and started 1 tablespoon of cereal (rice). he seems to take it well, actually. now with his pooping, he's still pooping a lot, and it seems like sometimes, it never wants to come out, but he's doing pretty well. He's doing good, sleeping wise, also. I put him to bed around 8, and he usually sleeps until 2 am, when he wants to get his milk so i have enough rest that i can go to school. i Rock him back and forth, but i am going to try the baby sling, to see if that works out better. I want the best for my son, and i thank you all once again for your advice. :)
Take Care and God Bless you all
I agree about cutting back on the food and maybe getting another Dr's opinion. My son had issues like this long before we started him on solids - I added small amounts of prune juice to his milk once a day and now (at 6 months) he's on cereal and I add a little to his cereal every couple of days to keep him regular!
Good luck!
Maybe 3mo is a little young for regular baby food. Food his belly is not ready for will constipate him. I would take him off the food for right now, except maybe for a little cereal once a day if you want. They really aren't ready for food til they can sit up well and have really good head control.
Add another couple ounces to his bottle to make up for it, or add another whole bottle to his schedule if necessary. He may be going thru a growth spurt,or teething. Also, if the baby food is disagreeing with him, the gas and belly pain may be waking him up. An extra bottle may be your best bet to make sure his belly is full and won't cause him any gas pains! :)
S.:
Change Pediatricains immediately!!!!I just called a friend of mine who has been a Ped for over 20 years and said that the Ped who told you to give a three month old baby food is either over age 70 or should have his medical license revoked! Is he NUTS?! A baby's intestines are far too immature to process anything other than breastmilk or formula. PLEASE stop giving him food...there is the whole problem right there. Your baby is most likely in a lot of pain. Please switch Doctors immediately and get someone who actually knows what he is talking about!!
(p.s This is not your fault..you were just following directions...unfortunately you got very BAD advice)
I never heard of feeding them baby food that early. I started rice cereal only at 3 months. Just a tiny bit watered down is fine. I am really surprised that your pediatrician gave the ok. I would concentrate more on the breastmilk/formula.
Good luck with your schooling and baby...i give you a big thumbs up for staying in school!!
Our dr told us that a baby only needs formula or breast milk for the first 6 months of life. That they get everything they need from that. We only started cereal at 6 months then moved on to fruits and veggies.
I think 3 months is too young to be eating baby food.
Hi S.,
Good for you for using Mamasource-there is tons of great and valuable info here.
You need to hydrate the baby. Be sure he's getting plenty of breast milk or formula. I believe you have introduced "solids" a bit too early. Solids at 3 months should only be in the form of rice or oat baby cereal, mixed with breast milk of formula. Other first foods are avocado puree, sweet potato puree.
A 3 month old does not have the digestive system developed enough to handle anything else. Nor will he have the ability to eat off a spoon yet-he needs a bottle/breast.
Get a print out from your pediatrician on how much formula he should be taking in on a month to month basis.
I have some guidelines from an excellent book I think you should get:"Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron.
P. 12 Signs of Readiness for Solid Foods
Weighs 13-15 lbs.
at least 4 months old
Drinking at least 32-40 oz.of formula per 24 hrs. and still wants more
You need to stop giving him baby food at 3 months. Please don't take offense. I want you to have a happy and healthy baby which will make the rest of the family happy.
-please call your pediatrician and discuss it with them. Tell them about the 4 poops-which should not be very solid yet. Tell them how much formula he is eating.
Keep a log of everything he eats and how many wet & poop diapers he has. Ask your caretaker to write int he notebook log too.
Example:8am-Wet diaper, Ate 3 oz. formula
9:30am-Poop diaper-was solid-very fussy
10am-Ate 2 oz. formula
12pm-wet diaper
Hang in there. Having an infant is an enormously time consuming and stressful thing, especially when you are in school too. Thank God you have help. I wish you the best and feel free to email with other questions. But I really want you to keep records and talk about that info with your ped.
I am shocked your dr gave you the ok for food. He is too young. I have never heard nor read of food being recommended before 4 months. I think he might have painful gas. My husband started sneaking cereal in our sons bottle when he was young. It back fired (as well as upset me) bc it just caused him to have painful gas and disrupted his sleep! I recommend you wait at least a month before starting food again. Start off with cereal once a day and then increase to twice a day and finally to three times a day.
Hi S., when we started my son on food he was also constipated but it didn't last very long. His body is just getting used to more solid foods. One thing my pediatrician recommended is giving him baby prunes but I must warn you, don't give him too much, I would just start with a quarter or half of a jar because things can get pretty messy! I hope this helps. Good luck.
I totally agree with the prior post by Shelly. Sleep problems in babies are usually caused by them being over tired. You might also want to try to wear your baby in a carrier (my favorites are the Mei Tei or Eurgo Baby). They love to be close to their mommy and I truly believe that if you wear them for at least an hour a day, they will be able to sleep better.
I love your attitude and send you many blessings to finish your high school education and further it by going to college. It won't always be easy - keep your support system close to you and don't be afraid to ask for help. God Bless.
Hi S.
Just wanted to chime in. I won't comment on the food issue because it looks like you got lots of great advice on that. I want to comment on sleep schedules. Babies that age can start a schedule. A 9:00am nap and a 1:00pm naps are great. A nice early bedtime of 6:30-7:00 is ideal. You will find that the baby will sleep great if he is not over-tired.
This issue may be food related but I also believe that behaviour can be that of an over-tired baby. "Good Night, sleep tight" is a good book I have heard. I swore by "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." You can get them on amazon.com for next to nothing.
Good Luck and keep us posted.
Hi S.. I have two young boys who acted the same way. It turner that they were allergic to milk. We had to put them on hypoallergenic formula (nutramigan) and with in a week were doing much better. It's expensive, but worth it. My boys also didn't start baby food until 5 months so maybe that isn't agreeing with your little mans belly also. Hope he starts feeling better! Good luck!!
I'm surprised your doctor recommended solids at three months. Most say between 4 and 5 months.
However, every babies tummy is different. We had problems with my fourth and he wasn't able to start till 7 months. We just keep trying until he was ready. I would totally pull him off and wait a month or two more.
There is no proof that solids make them sleep better. The only time solids is reasonable at this age is putting a small amount in a bottle for a child who has severe reflux.
The food could be related to his waking also. His tummy may be sore. We only had luck with mixed grain cereal for my fourth as everything else made him constipated.
Just my opinion, but I think you've startd him on real food too soon. Our ped. said to wait until at least four months if not five. We started my duaghter when she was about five months, and then only the thin cereal. I think you need to cut back the solids. Babies that old are not ready to digest the soldi food quite yet. Wait a month or so then try it again.
The screaming/not sleeping could be because of the baby food. Is there a reason that you are feeding him baby food? Like does he have reflux? weight gain issuse? at his young age of 3 months he really should only be getting formula or breast milk. His little system is not developed enough to eat and elimanate such foods. Which is cuaseing his constapation and most likely his problems sleeping. My daughter who is almost 9 months old had the same problems (she was 6 months when we started babbyfood)so we backed off the babyfood and she was/is back to her normal self.
I think you really need to stop feeding him baby food and see if htat helps.
Hi S.,
I agree with the other responders who feel your son might be too young to handle the baby food. I know when I started my kids on food we started with Rice cereal or oatmeal, maybe a few teaspoons per day and slowly increased that. I don't think my son started fruits and vegetables until he was at least 4 or 5 months. Remember when you start fruits and vegetables that it is very important to only introduce one type of food every 5-6 days so you can watch for allergic reactions, gas, etc. Not all babies handle foods the same.
I would increase his formula and stick to cereals for now.
If you go to the Beech Nut or Gerber websites they have TONS of guidelines for how to start introducing baby foods.
I wish you luck and keep up the good work with your little guy!
L.
a baby needs only breastmilk or formula for the first 6 months after that you can start with solids slowly to adjust their system. give him a bottle before his nap so he goes to bed with a full, easily digestable, belly. do some research, check out kellymom.com, I think you are indroducing solids way too early and that it was bad advice from your ped...maybe look at a new ped that is more up to date.
Hi S.,
I don't know what the other moms think, but I believe 3 months is too young for baby food. I think at that age either breast milk or formula should be enough....maybe with a small amt. of cereal per day.
Hi there- first off I just want to say that admire you greatly for all that you are doing for your baby! You have a lot to juggle as a teen mom and it sounds as though you have taken on your responsibilities with the help of your parents well. Congrats!
My pediatrician gave me a chart when I first had my son and it said not to start rice cereal (or any other solids) until 6 months. It can cause stomach issues when given too early. aka gas and constipation.
As for the sleep issues I do not think that they are food related. I think your baby is totally normal for this point in his life. Does he depend on you to get him to sleep (rocking, feeding?) If so he probably has not yet learned to get himself to sleep. Again- normal for this age, be patient he will get it. He is probably gasping for air because he is crying- do you have him in a positioner to sleep- it might help. When he wakes up, he may still need you to get him back to sleep. So until he does learn it, he may sleep for half and hour (for my little guy it was 45 minutes) and then wake. Other times he would sleep for an hour to hour and half.
I would suggest a book: Good Night, Sleep TIght. It was my bible to getting my child on a food and sleep schedule. They also have a website with that has a board where you can also talk to mothers with the same sleep issues you are going through- they have it broken into 0-3 months, 3-6 months and so on. It worked amazingly. It really helped- but since your folks do the duties in the daytime, you should try to get them to read it also.
Best wishes!
Lots of pediatricians are still going by the old standards that say you can feed baby real food at 3 mos. The academy of american peds now says wait until 6 months. It may be that your baby isn't quite ready for baby food. Maybe he needs more milk. If he's getting breastmilk feed on demand. As for the nap time. Have you tried a sling? I found that my baby would only nap in a sling and he would nap for hours. I was still able to do things around the house with him in the sling. I used one made by nojo. Or you could try the swing for naps. Sometimes they need to be cuddled while sleeping. Good luck. I think it's great that you have so much support and that you are finishing school and plan on going to college. Best of luck with that too! feel free to email me if you have other questions.
Call another pediatrician and get a second opinion, because my kids are ages 3 months and 4 years and they were NEVER allowed to eat baby food at 3 months. You can start baby cereals in their bottle at 4 months, no earlier, even though some moms do start earlier. They can't properly digest solids yet, and that is most likely causing your child's sleep problems. Also, is your baby getting any formula/breastmilk? If baby is getting solids with no liquid, that can cause constipation. No juices at this age because their bodies can't process sugar yet. Sometimes when our daughter seems constipated we give her 1-2 ounces of cool water to drink, which helps.
As for feeding times, babies this age take a 4-6 ounce bottle every 3-4 hours. At 4 months, add in some baby cereal last feeding of the night to help with sleep and again during the day if baby is hungry quicker than 3 hour. A good pediatrician will tell you if baby isn't spitting up, you're not overfeeding. We use Good Start formula with our daughter and have practically no constipation issues. We had lots of problems with Enfamil and Similac constipating our son until we found Good Start.
Good luck getting your little guy's issues worked out!
I think he is too young for baby food. He may not be able to digest it. most babies do not eat baby food until there 4-5 months old at the earliest. he may be having digestion issues. you should start the baby off with rice cereal first then gradually start with the baby foods. it sounds like he is having gas.
