AP mamas I need advice for dd.

[StaceyinLA]

I really haven't ever had a baby like my dgs, so I just don't know how to help her.

 

Dgs is 9 months. Dd is 9 wks pg tomorrow. She nurses, co-sleeps, etc.

 

Trouble is, dgs sleeps HORRIBLY, and nurses almost constantly during the night. I don't think it'd be a huge issue if dd could sleep through it, and she was doing that, but now she has to get up and pee several times which disturbs him and gets him up and crying.

 

She is just frustrated I think. She does NOT want to do a CIO method at ALL. She wouldn't mind getting him to sleep in his mini crib in their room, but she said he just will not stay in it for any length of time.

 

I was thinking maybe he wasn't nursing as much during the day because he's getting busy, but she said he nurses at least every couple of hours, and he eats twice, plus has puffs for snacks.

 

He has never sucked a pacifier or anything.

 

Dd is exhausted. She does nap when he naps, but she is just concerned about this terrible sleeping pattern.

 

Anyone have suggestions that don't include crying it out?

[Jennifer3141]

DD was like that!!! And she was 5 months old when I found myself pregnant with DS. Oy. Trying to sneak up in the middle of the night to pee was awful.

 

We suffered through it. I actually did take DD with me to the toilet more than once when DH's sleep was critical. It was nuts.

 

But it is one of those things I can look back on now and laugh about - 8 years later.

 

I do think this is right around the time when we started working with DD cuddling up with Dad more often at night. Is you SIL open to doing more night parenting?

[*********]

Well, I'd suggest a pacifier. I know some don't like them. But it really sounds like he's maybe just 'comfort' nursing at night. I mean, he can't really be 'eating' all night long, right?

 

But I don't know, maybe he's too old to take to a paci?

 

That sounds frustrating. I don't really know how she's going to break him of the all night nursing if she's still co-sleeping and doesn't want him to cry it out.

 

Well I'm no help, lol. Hope others have some good ideas. It really does sound kinda frustrating. If nothing else, remind her that when children are small, the seasons are fleeting. Before she knows it, this will change, too.

 

:grouphug:

[nova147]

I like the book "The No Cry Sleep Solution". The author has a lot of recommendations for co-sleeping families.

 

One thought for your daughter's situation would be to get a bigger bed so she could move away from the baby some during the night. Hopefully that would keep him from waking when she went to the bathroom.

 

Tell her it's easier to "fix" the sleep problems now. My youngest is a bad sleeper with bad habits that I keep reinforcing. My oldest had similar patterns and I spent 2 months fixing them. Not so easy to do with 3 older kids interrupting my attempts to get the baby to fall asleep in the crib, or even just to nap on a schedule!

 

Enough whining from me! I hope she gets some rest soon!

[Mrs Mungo]

Personally? I would start with feeding him more food during the day. My kids did not nurse every couple of hours by nine months old. She could try offering solids 5 or 6 times a day in small portions. It doesn't generally need to be pureed at this age, even if he doesn't have many teeth. Small bites of cooked veggies like sweet potato, squash, carrots are good. Small bites of soft fruits, avocado, cheese are also good. Rice or tiny noodles work too. By this age, I did things with egg yolk like french toast as well. Here is a feeding schedule from Dr. Sears:

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/feeding-infants-toddlers/feeding-glance-birth-24-months

 

She might also try feeding something filling before bed like oatmeal with some mashed banana.

 

Annabel Karmel has some fantastic recipes:

http://www.annabelkarmel.com/recipes/babies-6-9-months

 

http://www.annabelkarmel.com/recipes/babies-9-12-months

 

I loved her book and used it all the time when my kids were babies.

 

Does he sleep alone for naps? If so, then he can sleep alone for bedtime. She may want to move his crib in another room where they are less likely to disturb his sleep. If he's taking long naps during the day, then she might consider shortening them up. Leave a gap between when he wakes from his last nap and when he goes to bed. If she's napping with him, then she might want to try rocking him to sleep and laying him down alone to get him used to that before they start trying it at night. edited to clarify: I think you can usually manage this a baby step at a time without crying it out.

 

Does she have The Baby Book by Dr. Sears?

Edited May 7, 2012 by Mrs Mungo

[AdventureMoms]

Has she tried the "No Cry Sleep Solution"? It has some good strategies to help babies to sleep better without CIO. My experience with the book was that it has a lot of ideas, and some won't work at all for any given mother/baby, but usually you can find a few that will help.

[Sevilla]

I really haven't ever had a baby like my dgs, so I just don't know how to help her.

 

Dgs is 9 months. Dd is 9 wks pg tomorrow. She nurses, co-sleeps, etc.

 

Trouble is, dgs sleeps HORRIBLY, and nurses almost constantly during the night. I don't think it'd be a huge issue if dd could sleep through it, and she was doing that, but now she has to get up and pee several times which disturbs him and gets him up and crying.

 

She is just frustrated I think. She does NOT want to do a CIO method at ALL. She wouldn't mind getting him to sleep in his mini crib in their room, but she said he just will not stay in it for any length of time.

 

I was thinking maybe he wasn't nursing as much during the day because he's getting busy, but she said he nurses at least every couple of hours, and he eats twice, plus has puffs for snacks.

 

He has never sucked a pacifier or anything.

 

Dd is exhausted. She does nap when he naps, but she is just concerned about this terrible sleeping pattern.

 

Anyone have suggestions that don't include crying it out?

1. He is likely HUNGRY and needs more food. I would recommend either formula supplement or additional food during the day. When you are pregnant your supply dips and this can cause the things she is seeing.

2. Has she looked at The No Cry Sleep Solution by Pantley for ideas on how to help him sleep better? Things like white noise, bedtime routine, etc...

3. She may want to try helping him resettle in other ways besides nursing since that isn't helping him sleep longer (though I really do think he's hungry and waking due to that).

4. Is he in pain? Any teething/ear infection/food intolerances/sensory issues at play here?

[NASDAQ]

Can someone else take the baby overnight for a few days? That helped break a couple of mine from midnight nursing -- if daddy or another relative or friend can sleep with baby in the next room, so that baby doesn't get up for snack time.

[kalanamak]

Personally? I would start with feeding him more food during the day.

 

Feed something filling before bed like oatmeal with some mashed banana.

 

Excellent advice.

I had a hard time getting kiddo to sit still long enough to fill up. I learned to do a musical (sing and dance) and I also did animal plays (shredded wheat as hay, raisins as dung, and plastic elephants talking and eating, and moving their bowels) on the tray table of the high chair. He did NOT want to be fed then and took forever to eat enough.

[Unicorn.]

Personally? I would start with feeding him more food during the day. My kids did not nurse every couple of hours by nine months old. She could try offering solids 5 or 6 times a day in small portions. It doesn't generally need to be pureed at this age, even if he doesn't have many teeth. Small bites of cooked veggies like sweet potato, squash, carrots are good. Small bites of soft fruits, avocado, cheese are also good. Rice or tiny noodles work too. By this age, I did things with egg yolk like french toast as well. Here is a feeding schedule from Dr. Sears:

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/feeding-infants-toddlers/feeding-glance-birth-24-months

 

She might also try feeding something filling before bed like oatmeal with some mashed banana.

 

Annabel Karmel has some fantastic recipes:

http://www.annabelkarmel.com/recipes/babies-6-9-months

 

http://www.annabelkarmel.com/recipes/babies-9-12-months

 

I loved her book and used it all the time when my kids were babies.

 

Does he sleep alone for naps? If so, then he can sleep alone for bedtime. She may want to move his crib in another room where they are less likely to disturb his sleep. If he's taking long naps during the day, then she might consider shortening them up. Leave a gap between when he wakes from his last nap and when he goes to bed. If she's napping with him, then she might want to try rocking him to sleep and laying him down alone to get him used to that before they start trying it at night.

 

Does she have The Baby Book by Dr. Sears?

 

:iagree: with all of this. Especially eating something filling right before bedtime. I would also look at security helps, ie a paci or a specific blankie. My oldest had a pacifier til age 3. My twins didn't take pacifiers, but one would twirl her hair around and around her finger (once she got hair) and the other has a blanket that she still sleeps with. Bundling him in his blanket (wrapping tightly) might help. :grouphug: to your dd.

[AdventureMoms]

I was just thinking about the supply thing too - her supply likely went down in the past few weeks and baby might be extra hungry because of it. Some people continue to make enough milk during pregnancy and some people pretty much lose supply entirely. I'd try to give him lots of calorie-dense snacks through the day (cheese! fat! meat!), and make sure he's getting some fluids. I'd also watch the baby for signs that he's not getting enough (not enough wet diapers, not swallowing often while nursing, etc).

 

If she thinks her supply is ok, I'd try swaddling. Even at this age, many babies find it helpful.

[StaceyinLA]

1. He is likely HUNGRY and needs more food. I would recommend either formula supplement or additional food during the day. When you are pregnant your supply dips and this can cause the things she is seeing.

2. Has she looked at The No Cry Sleep Solution by Pantley for ideas on how to help him sleep better? Things like white noise, bedtime routine, etc...

3. She may want to try helping him resettle in other ways besides nursing since that isn't helping him sleep longer (though I really do think he's hungry and waking due to that).

4. Is he in pain? Any teething/ear infection/food intolerances/sensory issues at play here?

 

Honestly, he has always nursed this often. It's just more of an issue now because she has to get up and disturb him whereas she slept through the nursing before. Formula is not an option as she can't even eat dairy without him getting horrible stomach aches. She doesn't want to use soy either.

 

He also has plenty of wet/poop diapers. He weighs 19 pounds. She still has an obvious supply at this point.

[SonshineLearner]

My son nursed at night forever.... He also ate; his metabolism was just crazy :) I did rice milk at night in a bottle a couple of nights, with my husband feeding him, so I could get some sleep. Even though he didn't usually drink rice milk, he would. Perhaps some supplements. Since my son was still nursing a ton, it's not like the milk being just rice milk was a big deal :)

:)

[astrid]

Personally? I would start with feeding him more food during the day. My kids did not nurse every couple of hours by nine months old. She could try offering solids 5 or 6 times a day in small portions. It doesn't generally need to be pureed at this age, even if he doesn't have many teeth. Small bites of cooked veggies like sweet potato, squash, carrots are good. Small bites of soft fruits, avocado, cheese are also good. ?

 

I agree-- he's hungry. Fill him up before bedtime. We didn't co-sleep so I have no advice about the waking/etc. in the middle of the night. Personally, I don't know how anyone gets any sleep with kids in the bed! :D

 

ETA: Oops, when I sent my reply and the thread reloaded I realized that the subject line asked for advice from AP parents. That's not me, so I apologize for butting in. BUT, I did have a kid who ATE, so my opinion that he's hungry still stands.... ;-)

 

astrid

Edited May 7, 2012 by astrid

[StaceyinLA]

Personally? I would start with feeding him more food during the day. My kids did not nurse every couple of hours by nine months old. She could try offering solids 5 or 6 times a day in small portions. It doesn't generally need to be pureed at this age, even if he doesn't have many teeth. Small bites of cooked veggies like sweet potato, squash, carrots are good. Small bites of soft fruits, avocado, cheese are also good. Rice or tiny noodles work too. By this age, I did things with egg yolk like french toast as well. Here is a feeding schedule from Dr. Sears:

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/feeding-infants-toddlers/feeding-glance-birth-24-months

 

She might also try feeding something filling before bed like oatmeal with some mashed banana.

 

Annabel Karmel has some fantastic recipes:

http://www.annabelkarmel.com/recipes/babies-6-9-months

 

http://www.annabelkarmel.com/recipes/babies-9-12-months

 

I loved her book and used it all the time when my kids were babies.

 

Does he sleep alone for naps? If so, then he can sleep alone for bedtime. She may want to move his crib in another room where they are less likely to disturb his sleep. If he's taking long naps during the day, then she might consider shortening them up. Leave a gap between when he wakes from his last nap and when he goes to bed. If she's napping with him, then she might want to try rocking him to sleep and laying him down alone to get him used to that before they start trying it at night. edited to clarify: I think you can usually manage this a baby step at a time without crying it out.

 

Does she have The Baby Book by Dr. Sears?

 

He has plenty of teeth, but the booger will gag himself on a lot of different kinds of foods. He is ridiculous. Dd says it gives her mini heart-attacks. He was doing it a lot with some of the Happy Baby foods that have grains in them, so I suggested she let him try finger foods (he likes puffs). She got him some mixed veggies and he basically ate a couple, then gagged. I don't know if he'd consider oatmeal - the textured things that are kinda pasty seem to really make him gag.

 

I'm checking with her about the naps.

 

Yes, she does have the Sears book. Anything in particular she should look at in there?

[StaceyinLA]

I agree-- he's hungry. Fill him up before bedtime. We didn't co-sleep so I have no advice about the waking/etc. in the middle of the night. Personally, I don't know how anyone gets any sleep with kids in the bed! :D

 

ETA: Oops, when I sent my reply and the thread reloaded I realized that the subject line asked for advice from AP parents. That's not me, so I apologize for butting in. BUT, I did have a kid who ATE, so my opinion that he's hungry still stands.... ;-)

 

astrid

 

I mainly asked for AP because she doesn't want to have him crying it out.

[StaceyinLA]

her supply isn't an issue. He has a lot of wet diapers, and he gets no other fluids besides breast milk. She said she can tell when he nurses that the milk comes in and he's gulping just like always.

 

It seems like its more for comfort/sucking needs, but he will only play with a pacifier, and he sucked his thumb one day.

[mommymilkies]

I would look into a cosleeper to sidecar onto the bed. That way he will have a little more space to sleep better. It could also be a teething phase. That always happened to my kids at about that age.

 

I would also read the No Cry Sleep Solution and work on giving more filling foods before bed-things like avocado or other filling fattier foods. That will help more than fruits or grains.

 

Does he have reflux? My youngest does and she always had crazy gagging and nurses a lot, too. It might be worth checking out. Sometimes it's "silent" so there are no obvious signs.

 

I would also see if her husband can cuddle with baby at night in bed, too. Maybe if he can snuggle up to him he won't feel the need to nurse as often or won't wake up when she gets up as much. This is what I had to do when pg with my youngest and my 2 yo was in my bed and still nursing. I was not ok with weaning or pushing her out of bed when she was not ready. It ended up working well.

[Farrar]

My ds twins were like that... and it's worth trying a co-sleeper, some of the routine things in No-Cry Sleep Solution, more solids if she's eating some, a paci... You can look at medical things too - change in diet, allergies, etc. But with mine, we did ALL that and in the end we just had to wait it out. And it was, sadly, a long wait... So hugs to her...

[blondeviolin]

He has plenty of teeth, but the booger will gag himself on a lot of different kinds of foods. He is ridiculous. Dd says it gives her mini heart-attacks. He was doing it a lot with some of the Happy Baby foods that have grains in them, so I suggested she let him try finger foods (he likes puffs). She got him some mixed veggies and he basically ate a couple, then gagged. I don't know if he'd consider oatmeal - the textured things that are kinda pasty seem to really make him gag.

 

I'm checking with her about the naps.

 

Yes, she does have the Sears book. Anything in particular she should look at in there?

 

Part of gagging sometimes is just their way of realizing they can't swallow whatever piece right away, but it has to be chewed or gnawed a bit. If he's never been around non-mashed food, he won't have learned that fairly quickly. At least, that's been my experience with babies who gag (two of mine). When he does gag, does she sit back and see if he works it back down after a bit or does she immediately take the food out?

 

I agree with trying to get him to eat more during the day.

 

I had this same issue with my oldest when I was pregnant with number two. I ended up having to stay up MORE so that I could actually nurse her down and scoot over a bit so she wouldn't be right up next to me. She was less likely to nurse as often and she was less likely to wake up if I got up if I did that. Sometimes as cosleeping moms, we fall asleep and the baby has an all-night buffet. :D

[StaceyinLA]

that she sits a sec and makes sure he's not actually choking, and if he's not, she gives him some time to work it out then she'll pat his back to help if he doesn't stop.

 

She has never really fed him just puréed foods - he started with fork-mashed avocado and banana. He should have adjusted somewhat to texture, but you'd swear the child had never eaten in his life. He gags himself til he pukes sometimes. He's a bit of a drama queen. :tongue_smilie:

[Unicorn.]

that she sits a sec and makes sure he's not actually choking, and if he's not, she gives him some time to work it out then she'll pat his back to help if he doesn't stop.

 

She has never really fed him just puréed foods - he started with fork-mashed avocado and banana. He should have adjusted somewhat to texture, but you'd swear the child had never eaten in his life. He gags himself til he pukes sometimes. He's a bit of a drama queen. :tongue_smilie:

 

He may have sensory issues. Ds could eat ground beef mixed w/ rice, spit out every grain of rice intact, and would eat the meat. Dd would do the opposite w/ spaghetti and meat sauce. Every bit of meat would come out of her mouth, but the chopped up bits of noodle went right down.

 

She might want to try pureed foods, and she might want to check w/ her doc to make sure he doesn't have a pallet, tongue, or swallowing problem.

 

ETA: Wanted to add that if he does have sensory issues, swaddling him at night might help, but might not. For some people w/ sensory issues (like me and ds), swaddling/weighted vest type things would have been torture.

Edited May 7, 2012 by Unicorn

[happypamama]

I've not transitioned one as young as your dgs, but I transition my toddlers to snuggling up with Daddy when I'm pregnant, so that's where I'd start.

 

Also, is she comfortable putting him on his tummy?

[StaceyinLA]

It might be something to look into.

 

When co-sleeping he's on his side, but when he used to be in the actual co-sleeper here (before they went back to HI he'd sleep the first half of the night in the co-sleeper), he was on his tummy (she had an angelcare monitor) due to him spitting up.

 

There was some talk of reflux-y issues, but a lot of that settled down when dd cut out dairy.

[Alenee]

It might be something to look into.

 

When co-sleeping he's on his side, but when he used to be in the actual co-sleeper here (before they went back to HI he'd sleep the first half of the night in the co-sleeper), he was on his tummy (she had an angelcare monitor) due to him spitting up.

 

There was some talk of reflux-y issues, but a lot of that settled down when dd cut out dairy.

 

The swallowing issue sounds like it could take further shape later on... I have friends who have 4 out of 5 dc with LDs and one of their main issues from babyhood was/is a swallowing issue, followed by speech delays.

 

I would switch to pureed foods to help bulk up at night and see if daddy can step in and help settle the baby. I had a dd who would nurse all day and all night if I let her. Not sure if this helps but she is also my dd with sensory processing disorder w/ anxiety. Her issues showed up as early as 4 weeks of age. :grouphug:

[Pippen]

He may have sensory issues. Ds could eat ground beef mixed w/ rice, spit out every grain of rice intact, and would eat the meat. Dd would do the opposite w/ spaghetti and meat sauce. Every bit of meat would come out of her mouth, but the chopped up bits of noodle went right down.

 

She might want to try pureed foods, and she might want to check w/ her doc to make sure he doesn't have a pallet, tongue, or swallowing problem.

 

ETA: Wanted to add that if he does have sensory issues, swaddling him at night might help, but might not. For some people w/ sensory issues (like me and ds), swaddling/weighted vest type things would have been torture.

 

I had a constant nurser who had sensory issues and had similar thoughts. I had the best luck with pureed sweet potatoes mixed with breast milk as a starter food.

 

He also went through periods where he did best falling asleep swaddled on a bed alone with music playing constantly.

[Wabi Sabi]

My ds was that way. What worked was to have him cosleep with dh and let him handle the night wakings for a few days- dh could hold, snuggle and offer ds a drink of water from a cup w/a straw. I slept in another room.

[Melissa in Australia]

He may have sensory issues. Ds could eat ground beef mixed w/ rice, spit out every grain of rice intact, and would eat the meat. Dd would do the opposite w/ spaghetti and meat sauce. Every bit of meat would come out of her mouth, but the chopped up bits of noodle went right down.

 

.

I had forgotten about babies amazing ability to sieve through food in their mouth and spit out things they don't like.

thanks for the memories.

My babies were so long ago....:crying:

[ssavings]

DD(baby) was 9 mo on the 2nd...

 

If she co-sleeps, she will eat ALL night. And she's not that hungry. It seems to be access to the "food source" prompting comfort eating. She wakes less, and therefore eats less at night, when I put her in her own bed at night. We don't CIO, either... Rock her, feed her, wait till she's asleep, put her in her crib and rub her back type of thing works for her...

 

And she is just now, with tons of practice, getting better at not gagging on finger foods. She's not ever choking - she just gets a piece that is slightly bigger than she thinks it should be, and she freaks out. All my kids have been like that, somewhat, and all have outgrown it with more practice (other than DS, but he had specific food/sensory/tone issues).

ETA: I did ask DS's OT about baby gagging on solids and was told that it's reasonably normal, and just something some kids do.

Edited May 7, 2012 by ssavings

[welovetoread]

[He should have adjusted somewhat to texture, but you'd swear the child had never eaten in his life. He gags himself til he pukes sometimes. He's a bit of a drama queen. /QUOTE]

 

I had a baby that was like that. Turns out was not a drama queen as I had thought, she has MAJOR (she's 8 now) sensory issues. She just couldn't deal with texture.

 

I've nursed through 4 pregnancies and have had a tandem team for years. I'll pm you :)

[Sevilla]

Honestly, he has always nursed this often. It's just more of an issue now because she has to get up and disturb him whereas she slept through the nursing before. Formula is not an option as she can't even eat dairy without him getting horrible stomach aches. She doesn't want to use soy either.

 

He also has plenty of wet/poop diapers. He weighs 19 pounds. She still has an obvious supply at this point.

 

He may have sensory issues. Ds could eat ground beef mixed w/ rice, spit out every grain of rice intact, and would eat the meat. Dd would do the opposite w/ spaghetti and meat sauce. Every bit of meat would come out of her mouth, but the chopped up bits of noodle went right down.

 

She might want to try pureed foods, and she might want to check w/ her doc to make sure he doesn't have a pallet, tongue, or swallowing problem.

 

ETA: Wanted to add that if he does have sensory issues, swaddling him at night might help, but might not. For some people w/ sensory issues (like me and ds), swaddling/weighted vest type things would have been torture.

It sounds like there might be some gut health issues and/or sensory issues at play that are preventing him from learning to regulate his body/systems/discomfort/comfort age-appropriately. He is behaving more like a newborn/young infant vs. older infant and that is NOT a 'behavior issue' but a sign to look deeper at what is going on to get it resolved sooner vs. later.

 

How was his birth, and did anything occur in his early days/weeks that could impact his gut health (medications, birth complications, NICU stays, formula supplementation). Do the parents have any history of food allergies?

 

Dairy issues point to reflux - and he may still be in pain from that. The constant sucking need especially at night points there. The issues with gagging on food point to sensory stuff and that his body is NOT ready for solids yet if he's progressing to puking.

 

Is she willing to look into gut-healing stuff now before it gets worse in a few years? How are his other developmental markers? How is their overall health? Does he have *any* other health issues (that seem related or not - skin issues, growth issues, stomach issues, healthy bowel movements or weird bowel movements (green, too often, not often enough, wrong color, etc...)

Edited May 7, 2012 by Sevilla

[VeganCupcake]

My DD was like this--she wanted to comfort nurse about every 45 minutes until she was 18 months old. Yikes, it was hard.

 

At 18 months old, I started nightweaning her. Usually it's not recommended until 12 months old, but your DD could do a partial nightweaning for certain hours. Babies are smart; they will figure out when mama will let them nurse and when she won't. Basically you choose certain hours during which you will not nurse, and eventually baby sleeps through those hours (assuming there is no other medical issue going on), or wakes briefly and resettles easily.

 

Nightweaning does involve crying (at least it did for us), but it wasn't CIO because we coslept, so baby wasn't crying alone. I was there to pat, sing, shhhh, snuggle, etc. I also offered a sippy cup of water (which was launched at my head in fury several times :)). Once my DD was nightweaned, she started sleeping through the night without any trouble. It took us several months because I kept losing resolve and nursing her when I had previously decided I wouldn't.

 

Here's the link to the nightweaning plan we used, which is commonly referenced in AP circles: lhttp://drjaygordon.com/attachment/sleeppattern.html

 

[StaceyinLA]

It sounds like there might be some gut health issues and/or sensory issues at play that are preventing him from learning to regulate his body/systems/discomfort/comfort age-appropriately. He is behaving more like a newborn/young infant vs. older infant and that is NOT a 'behavior issue' but a sign to look deeper at what is going on to get it resolved sooner vs. later.

 

Honestly, other than nursing often and gagging himself on certain foods, he has zero issues. The way he comforts himself is by nursing. I am sure it wouldn't be an issue for dd except that the sudden disturbances with the early pregnancy (constant) urination are causing her to wake him in the night.

 

How was his birth, and did anything occur in his early days/weeks that could impact his gut health (medications, birth complications, NICU stays, formula supplementation). Do the parents have any history of food allergies?

 

His birth was fine. She had to have some pit during labor, but she had no pain meds, he nursed quickly after births and has never had a drop of formula. Dd has no food allergies, and neither does her dh. Dgs reacts with tummy aches when dd has dairy, so she doesn't consume dairy.

 

Dairy issues point to reflux - and he may still be in pain from that. The constant sucking need especially at night points there. The issues with gagging on food point to sensory stuff and that his body is NOT ready for solids yet if he's progressing to puking.

 

He eats some solids just fine. Dryer solids and those with certain textures cause him to gag.

 

Is she willing to look into gut-healing stuff now before it gets worse in a few years? How are his other developmental markers? How is their overall health? Does he have *any* other health issues (that seem related or not - skin issues, growth issues, stomach issues, healthy bowel movements or weird bowel movements (green, too often, not often enough, wrong color, etc...)

 

I'm sure she would look into anything that would seem to be a problem. Honestly though, I just don't think he has health issues. I think a lot of this is just habit and behavior patterns. This baby has never been sick - not even with a cold. He has zero health issues. His skin is perfect, his bowels are fine. He is 9 months old and he crawls, stands, cruises, waves, says a few words, does some signs, etc. He is very much developmentally on, or above, level.

 

 

My responses are in red.

[lmrich]

He sounds adorable. It is so hard for a sweet momma to stop the constant comforting all through the night. I would try a co-sleeper crib so that she can get out of bed without waking him. Even though her milk supply is fine - it may not have enough fat in it to fill him up. Perhaps a puree would help with the food issue - this all sounds so familiar. It takes a lot of time. I remember soaking foods for my little guys so that they could get really soft.

 

She is lucky to have such a kind mother. You are a blessing.

[StaceyinLA]

to make some adjustments to the mini crib so they can use it as a sidecar.

 

He wound up with two more teeth coming through yesterday, so she is hoping maybe that will relieve a little of this. She also picked him up some more foods to try and she's been looking into the sites Mrs. Mungo posted as well.

 

Hopefully they can make a little progress!

[5forMe]

I agree that she needs to feed him more during the day, and give him a filling meal before bed.

 

If he has teeth, he really shouldn't be nursing all night, it is bad for his teeth. I had a friend who did this with her baby (allowed him to nurse all night) and by two years old his teeth were rotting and had to have porcelain caps.

 

I am an AP parent, and we co sleep, but I didn't allow my kids to nurse all night. When the baby fell off to sleep, I unlatched him/her from the breast and rolled over. They may wake up during the night to nurse again but only for a few sucks and then fell off to sleep again at which time, I unlatched and rolled over. Usually by this age the nursing during the night is for comfort. I agree to training him to a security object, like a blankie or teddy bear.

[Sevilla]

I agree that she needs to feed him more during the day, and give him a filling meal before bed.

 

If he has teeth, he really shouldn't be nursing all night, it is bad for his teeth. I had a friend who did this with her baby (allowed him to nurse all night) and by two years old his teeth were rotting and had to have porcelain caps.

 

I am an AP parent, and we co sleep, but I didn't allow my kids to nurse all night. When the baby fell off to sleep, I unlatched him/her from the breast and rolled over. They may wake up during the night to nurse again but only for a few sucks and then fell off to sleep again at which time, I unlatched and rolled over. Usually by this age the nursing during the night is for comfort. I agree to training him to a security object, like a blankie or teddy bear.

 

Yes, I agree with this (except the rolling over part as you should be facing the baby for safest cosleeping in the C position). There is a big difference between a baby that nurses a few minutes every 2-4 hours and their mouth has breaks inbetween for the saliva to clean the teeth and a baby that is wanting to suckle literally all night - the teeth don't get a chance to recover and it does lead to higher incidences of decay. Breastmilk in and of itself isn't cariogenic, but otherfoods are and when those are together in the mouth it does encourage decay to form.

Edited May 8, 2012 by Sevilla

[astrid]

I mainly asked for AP because she doesn't want to have him crying it out.

 

I understand completely. But...:001_smile: Hmm.... I don't think of dh and I as AP folk, but I did nurse. And we didn't let dd cry it out, ever. So I guess I'm a hybrid? Never really thought about that! :001_smile:

 

astrid