#6: Solids and Sleep: Maintaining Baby’s Sleep Routine While Starting Solids

In today's episode, it's all about incorporating solids into your baby's schedule in a way that keeps their sleep on track. Introducing solids is an exciting milestone, but it can raise questions for parents who want to maintain a stable sleep routine.
In consultation with infant sleep consultant Abbey O’ Hearn, we've put together some tips to follow when introducing solids. We'll cover practical ways to add solids into your baby's routine, discuss common myths, and help you avoid the pitfalls that could disrupt sleep.

Let's start by looking at how solids and sleep impact each other, while many parents hope solids will help their baby sleep longer, it's essential to separate myths from facts. For instance, a common misconception is that starting solids earlier, say before six months, will help babies sleep through the night. 
Research, however, shows that starting solids too early doesn't extend sleep and can actually disrupt it due to an immature digestive system and can pose an increased risk of allergies. In fact, a 2010 study conducted by the academic pediatric association revealed that babies who began eating cereal before four months of age slept half an hour less each day than infants who weren't eating cereal. 

Although today is all about sleep and solids, I want to also point out that the common practice of introducing baby cereal as a first food is currently under debate. I'll cover infant cereal in a future episode, but until then, as a children's nutritionist, I'd start with whole foods and leave infant cereals on the shelf. 


Here are my top tips for optimum sleep success when starting solids. 

Firstly, routine establishing a feed play sleep routine is beneficial. This approach means feeding milk first, waiting 20 to 30 minutes, and then offering solids. 
It keeps milk as the primary source of nutrition, and allows time for digestion before sleep, which can prevent tummy discomfort. 

Secondly, you want to time your solid's introduction, so start with lunch as your baby's first meal of solids after a morning nap, give a milk feed and wait before introducing solids. Once your baby is accustomed to solids at lunch, consider adding dinner, with breakfast introduced last to prevent overwhelming their system all at once. 


Thirdly, you want to choose digestible first foods, so begin with gentle foods like sweet potato, pumpkin, avocado, apples or pears, which are easier on a young digestive system. Note that while bananas are popular, they can cause gas early on, so they may be best introduced once other foods are tolerated.

And lastly, we need to look at the myth around cereal in bottles, feeding cereal in a bottle to extend sleep is a well debunked myth, and it is best to be avoided. 
It isn't recommended by health experts due to the risks it poses, like chances of choking or aspiration, increased food allergies, habitual overeating, and lower nutrient intake. Instead, keep solids to a spoon and time them away from nap time, as this supports healthy sleep habits. 

I wanted to give you a small example of a schedule that you could follow, so let's say your baby is six months old and has just started solids. At this age they should be having:

•  three naps in the daytime. 
• 1 meal of solids at lunch time, so remember we're still prioritizing milk feeds as the main source of nutrition, so stick to your normal timings, just add solids 30 minutes after the lunchtime milk feed. 
• You're awake hours through the day at this age would be around 2 1/2 hours. 

Hopefully that example helps you as you get started.

That leads us to some of the most common questions when talking about solids and sleep. 


How do I know if my baby is ready for an additional meal? 

Add another meal when your baby is showing signs of increased appetite, like regularly finishing meals and seeming hungry after a meat milk feed. Pointing at or reaching for food, getting excited or loud when they see food, opening their mouth when they see food or are offered some gesturing or making noises to let you know they're hungry. 


What should I do if my babies sleep worsens after introducing solids? 

When babies start eating solid food, it can impact their digestive systems because they aren't used to it. in saying that, it may not be solids that are the culprit, developmental milestones can also play a part in sleep disruptions. 

There are a couple things you can try in your solid schedule that may help. 


• Offer foods rich in tryptophan and B vitamins. 
These help with serotonin and melatonin production. 
• Be sure to offer nutrient dense whole foods at meal times, so it fills them up for longer and doesn't cause night waking, seeking milk feeds. 
• Investigate if the food is likely to produce gas, so that is, bananas, which we have already touched on, can cause gas and bloating due to its sorbitol and soluble fiber content. 


Okay, so we've covered a lot. And I just want to give you the key takeaways as a recap so that you can keep those in your memory. 

Key Takeaways

Today we talked about starting solids in a way that aligns with your baby's sleep needs. 
Avoid myths like adding cereal to bottles or introducing solids early for better sleep, as they can backfire. Instead, follow a ‘feed, play, sleep’ routine. Start with a midday meal and gradually add other meals once your baby adjusts. Offer first foods that are easy to digest to avoid digestive discomfort that it can interfere with sleep. Avoid introducing solids as a sleep solution, so stick with your current bedtime routine and add solids during the day. 

Hopefully, that's helped you. I want to thank Abby for the great tips and insights that she has offered. 
I hope this episode cleared up a lot of misconceptions and gave you some clear actionable takeaways to implement as you start introducing solids to your little one. If you ever have any doubts, you can email me on hello@weanish.com to ask any questions. 

Thanks again for being a part of the Weanish pod community. 
Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. I'll be here every Weanish Wednesday, so please leave a review and share this podcast with friends. particularly a friend who is getting ready to introduce solids. I appreciate you and I wish you many uninterrupted nights. 

Until next week, Weanish and I remain your partners in feeding adventures. 

Happy weaning.