Can starting solids affect your baby’s sleep? 🤔
Although there is limited evidence to support that starting solids directly impacts your baby’s sleep, we need to remember that their tiny little tummies are only used to milk 🍼. As you gradually introduce new foods, flavours, and textures, their gut microbiome needs time to adjust 🥰
During this transition period, some babies may experience digestive discomfort, such as gas 💨, constipation, or diarrhoea 💩, as their tummy and gut microbiome adjust to new foods 🍌🍓🥑
Therefore, to minimise potential disruptions to your baby’s sleep, we recommend introducing new foods in the morning or early afternoon at the latest ⏰. This timing allows you to monitor your baby for any potential allergic reactions or tummy discomfort during the day, rather than at bedtime, which could negatively impact their nighttime sleep 😩
Please also be mindful that until solids are well established, around 9-10 months of age, we want to continue offering milk 🍼 before* solids 🥩. This ensures that solids don’t displace their milk intake, which could cause your baby to wake frequently overnight due to genuine hunger, trying to make up for the lost calories during the day 😩🆘
Overall, it is best not to rush the process of introducing solids and to be mindful of your baby’s capacity. Take your time and enjoy the process, and all the mess 🫗🤪
With that said, if you need support in consolidating your baby’s sleep to say goodbye 👋🏻 to catnaps and overnight wakes, please reach out to Ash at @settletosleep for a consultation or download their Sleep Essentials Guide at www.settletosleep.com.au 😴. For additional support and guidance on introducing solids, please contact Elise at @heranutrition_ 🍎