How does starting solids affect baby sleep?
We know that sleep and feeding are linked. If a baby is hungry, they won’t sleep well. If a baby is overtired, they won’t feed well. Infant sleep and their feeding schedule is a delicate balance, one that many parents find difficult to fully understand. (Myself included at times!) There is also this age old wisdom: “just wait until the baby can eat solids, they’ll sleep much better!” But is there any truth to this advice? How does starting solids affect baby’s sleep?
How does eating impact sleep?
Circadian rhythm is sensitive to our environment; light exposure/ darkness cycles and rhythmic food intake. This is why we recommend starting your day at roughly the same time each morning, and aiming for a consistent bedtime each night. It is also for this reason that it’s worthwhile to try to eat on a fairly regular schedule each day. Here’s a study about the effect food has on your sleep!
Not all babies are capable of going 4 hours between feedings and be able to get in a lengthy nap during the day. We also must consider the breastfeeding parent’s milk supply. Milk capacity for breastfeeding parents does vary from person to person. Someone with a larger milk storage capacity could comfortably go ~4 hours between feedings. However, those with a smaller milk storage capacity may have to nurse or pump at least every 2-3 hours in order to maintain a healthy supply.
What to do when feedings conflict with nap time?
Newborns have feedings roughly every 2-3 hours throughout the day, so you may have to continue this pattern until they can take in enough calories in solids. We mention the “eat-play-sleep” routine quite often for young infants as a way to separate feedings from sleep. The reasoning is to avoid a feed to sleep association (if feeding to sleep is not sustainable for the parent), and to reduce any discomfort that may be associated with feeding and then laying down for sleep (gas, reflux, etc.) As your baby gets older and wake windows begin to stretch, they may be in an awkward position of feeding and napping conflicting in their schedule. They might not yet be ready to eat, so they go down for a nap and then wake up shortly after due to hunger.
You can adopt an “eat-play-eat sleep” routine until solids are well established, and they are able to take in enough calories to carry them through the nap to the next feeding. Until 9+ months of age offer milk first and solids 30-60 minutes later, to ensure that baby isn’t missing out on any nutrition from either source.
How do I know my baby is getting enough to eat?
Learning your baby’s hunger and satiety cues can put your mind at ease and give you confidence that your baby is getting plenty at each feeding.
Early hunger cues for newborns:
Rhythmic sounds: smacking, sucking
Seeking behaviors: turning head, rooting towards the chest, looking at caregivers face
Tongue movement: sticking tongue out, licking lips, sucking objects
Body movement: hands to mouth, limbs oriented towards caregiver, fidgeting, flexed limbs, closed-fists
After about 6-8 weeks of age, babies become more mobile and may have slightly different or distinct hunger cues. If a baby is crying or agitated this is considered a late hunger cue.
Satiety (fullness) cues:
Falling asleep/relaxation and decreased activity
Hand display: Fists relax to open palms
Rejection: Head turns away from breast or bottle
Tongue Movement: tongue rhythmically protrudes through closed lips
When to seek expert advice about feeding
I am pro-checking in with your child’s pediatrician about any concerns you might have regarding any aspect of your child’s health. If your baby seems to take a very long time to eat, or never seems “satisfied”, then this could indicate a feeding insufficiency. If things feel off with their digestion (excess discomfort/gas/reflux) you can go in to rule out allergies/intolerances. For older kiddos, you can ask your doc about protein intake as well as other nutrient deficiencies (some may require bloodwork). I would recommend reaching out to your pediatrician or lactation consultant for an evaluation to give you peace of mind that your baby’s feeding isn’t interfering with their ability to sleep.
Do solids help babies sleep?
This is the bit of wisdom I mentioned at the beginning of this blog. With my firstborn, I really held out hope that the day we started solids would result in my son giving us the first night of solid sleep ever. Well, you can imagine my disappointment when this was not at all the case. If you google “will solids make my baby sleep through the night”, you’ll probably bring up a very popular 2018 study that asserts starting solids “significantly increased sleep duration”. This statement is a tad conflated when you consider the early introduction group (EIG-started solids earlier than 6 months), only slept a whopping 16 minutes longer per night than the standard introduction group (SIG-exclusively formula or breastfed for the first 6 months). The EIG also had 1.74 night wakings compared to the 2.01 wakings the SIG experienced. This comes out to be 1 fewer waking every four nights. Not much to hang your hat on in my opinion. Ashley did a further breakdown of this study in her sleep training myths blog!
If you would like to chat more about your baby’s feeding and sleep situation, and how starting solids affects baby’s sleep, book a 15 minute discovery call with me!
