Feeding FAQ: 4-6 months – Weaning

I am not sure if my 5-month-old son is teething or hungry

My 5-month-old son sleeps exactly at the times that the CLB book recommends; the problem is: he seems ratty about 10.10am every day and remains ratty until after his 11am feed! He did cut his first tooth last week but this has been going on since he was about 16-weeks-old. This was the reason I started weaning him and he presently has 3 spoons of rice at 6pm and 1 cube of carrot at 11am. I did think that he may need more, but he refused more today at 11am, despite crying since 10.15am. Yesterday and today I also gave him rice at breakfast but this didn’t seem to make him any happier. Today he had Calpol before his 9am nap, this didn’t make a difference and I do use Ambesol liquid on his gums. I’m confused; I don’t know if he needs more food or he is teething. He is having the amount of milk suggested in the book. I did wait until now to wean, due to the health visitor saying that the recommended age was now 6 months. I also have a 20-month-old son so I really need to establish what is causing this crying and resolve it ASAP as it is making my other son unhappy, which makes him start seeking attention! Also, I don’t want to be overfeeding him or introducing food too quickly, if it is his teeth that are bothering him.

At present my son weighs 17lbs 13oz and feeds at 7am 7ozs, 11am 7ozs, 2.30pm 5/6 ozs, 6.15pm 8ozs, 10pm 4ozs. He takes 2 tsp rice at 7am, 1 cube of carrot at 11am, 3tsps rice at 6pm. He may have 1oz of water at 4.30pm.

One last point: when my son has his 11am feed, he doesn’t drink the milk like he is starving, he stops after about 5oz and then takes ages to drink the remaining 2oz. With sleep, I do find that he can’t quite make it through the afternoon, so he usually has about 30 minutes between 4.30- and 5pm to prevent him from crying at bath time and falling asleep with his milk.

In the early stages of weaning, which coincides with teething, it can be difficult to know what is bothering your baby. If he is in pain from his teeth, giving him Calpol at 9am should have calmed him down in 20 minutes. That is how long it takes for a pain reliever to work. If he continued to be distressed, then hunger is the most likely cause. As this seems to be the only time of day he is distressed this also would point to hunger rather than teething problems.

Add an extra oz to his 7am bottle to see if this will settle him better in the morning. Also begin to introduce some pureed fruit [pear or apple are ideal first tastes] to his rice, as on its own, it can cause constipation. Be aware of increasing the rice too much at breakfast, as this can have the knock-on effect of him cutting back too quickly on his lunchtime solids and milk. This could also affect his lunchtime sleep as he may begin to wake early due to hunger.

If you do not have a copy of The Complete Weaning Guide, it may help you to look at one, since the book goes into: the introduction of foods, at what times of day and what quantities, in great detail. Since your son was five months when weaned you may have to speed up the introduction of different vegetables and fruit as the Guide was written when it was usual to wean at 17 weeks. It may well help you see though, how to balance his milk needs which are still very important with the introduction of solids.

Another way to help your son over this period is to split his 11am feed. This may not be too practical as you have another child but giving him 3-4 ozs at 10.15am and then offering the rest before his solids at 11am could help him over this difficult time.

As regards to his afternoon nap, it is quite normal for a baby of this age to need a short cat nap in the afternoon to help him enjoy bath time better. If he continues to settle well at 7pm, to sleep well in the night and not wake early in the morning then let him have this short sleep for as long as he needs it.