DD used to sleep through the night. Would starting solids mean sleeping through the night?

[germin8]

My DD is 5.5 months and she used to be a good sleeper.  We would sleep 3, 4, 5, 7 hour stretches sometimes!  Through the growth spurts she has eaten more often through the night (like every 2 to 3 hours) and that would only last a few days.

But in the last week, she has been waking consistently every 2 to 2.5 hours to eat.  ...which we are not used to and we are missing our sleep.  What Happened?!?!

We no longer get as much rest as before.  Is it because she is bigger and just needs to eat more?  I actually haven't counted how many ounces she eats in a day now... (which I can do b/c we supplement w/ donor's milk).  I'd like to think it's still about 32oz a day.

Would starting solids help DD sleep through the night?

We were going to wait 'til the new year... but if this will help us sleep, we'll do it!

[RaeDyCo]

Here is some scientific info on this -- http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-sleep.html

Personally, it didn't make a difference in my house.  DS1 is a fantastic sleeper, slept 10-12 hours / night from 4 months on.  Solids made no difference because he was already sleeping fine.  DS2 was a less than fantastic sleeper, even after starting solids at 6 months (2-4 wake-ups / night) up until 9 months.  After 9 months, he started sleeping longer stretches and now (at 11 1/2 months) usually wakes up just once a night. 

Your DD could just be going through the 6 month growth spurt, teething (that impacted DS2's sleep big-time!) or is hitting another developmental milestone (crawling, babbling, etc.) that she wants to practice at night.

[Bokonon]

Ha, no.

My youngest didn't consistently STTN until she was about 17 months old, and it had nothing to do with food and little to do with nursing, as she would go back to sleep when DH slept with her.

My oldest nursed every 2 hours around the clock until he was 11 months, and had been on solids since 8 months (he was 2 months premature).

In the beginning, your baby probably won't be taking in much food anyway - a tablespoon of food is not going to make a huge impact on feeling and staying "full", and giving too much too soon just displaces the good stuff (breastmilk).

[Knitting Mama]

Didn't help at all here! Too much going on in the baby's brain these days for tons of sleep, if you ask me. Mental leaps left and right, learning how to sit, learning how to crawl, learning how to pull up and cruise...

[germin8]

Thanks for the advice.  We will hold off on solids for a few more weeks... I'm not quite ready for the diaper changes anyway.  :)

My DH's chiro thought she could have a mild ear infection b/c she wasn't sleeping through the night... hmmm.  She does tug on one ear... but only a few times a day.

[Peony]

Solids helping sleep longer is a myth. Almost all children who sleep for longer at night or STTN, stop at some point just due to life. Developmental, teething, etc....