Hi! I’m Sophie, a New Yorker in London, mother of 2 and founder of Mamamade - we’re a direct-to-consumer brand specialising in infant and toddler nutrition, with a focus on supporting parents. What started from my home kitchen in 2019 is now a community of 40,000 - all of us sharing the highs and lows and offering a listening ear for everything life throws at us.

One of the most common questions we get at Mamamade is, perhaps unsurprisingly, around how to know when a baby is ready for solids. Whilst most parents seem to know the WHO and NHS recommend waiting until 6 months to diversify a baby’s diet with solids, there are always questions around whether or not a baby might be ready earlier.

And on that note, one of the major concerns we hear from our community is that their baby’s sleep has changed - are they hungry? Well-meaning (or not...) in-laws and mothers from other generations may encourage that solids be introduced earlier than 6 months in an effort to improve sleep.

I know how confusing and all-consuming worries about sleep and feeding can be as a parent to a new baby. I’ve answered some of our most commonly-received questions below. I really hope my answers help to make sense of it all.

I’m definitely not a sleep expert, but I can speak from my own experience and knowledge of introducing solids.

In any case, come join the conversation with us over at @hellomamamade and let us know how your little one is getting on!

How do I know if my baby is ready for weaning?
 
There are typically three signs to look out for, and they’re not usually seen in combination until about 6 months. Your baby will be able to:

• Stay in a sitting position, holding their head steady

• Coordinate their eyes, hands and mouth so they can look at their food, pick it up and put it in their mouth

• Swallow food (rather than spit it back out)
 
Night wakings, chewing fists - these are developmental, and not necessarily a sign of readiness (sorry!)

 

Just tell me what I want to know, will starting solids help my baby sleep?

Literally, this is the number one question. As parents of young babies, we’re all waiting for that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow - an uninterrupted stretch of sleep. The feeling of going to bed at night and waking up in the morning, with nothing else happening in between - ah, the dream (no pun intended).

I remember my own mother telling me when my daughter was just 4 months, ‘I’m sure at this age I was giving you a bit of cereal in your bottle to get you to sleep at night’ (for the record, please don’t put anything but milk in a baby’s bottle!). I was desperate. Unfortunately, the short answer is: Don’t count on it. Solids could help sleep. But they also could not help. In the end, there are loads of reasons why a baby might wake in the night. And not to be the bearer of bad news - but solids could also make things worse, as tiny tummies adjust to new foods.

Great, so now what?

In my experience, the best way to weather these unpredictable stages that can affect a good night’s sleep - the developmental leaps, teething, the introducing of new foods - is to stay firm with good sleep hygiene and a predictable rhythm to the day.

So, like a routine?

To be clear, I don’t mean a strict routine - with my daughter we followed a really strict schedule, and it worked for us. My son is now 1 and still doesn’t have a schedule (more of a ‘rhythm’ - more on that below). I mean habits that are implemented throughout the day and before sleep so that your little one knows it’s bedtime and feels secure in his or her bed throughout the night.

Usually, this includes a period of winding-down, perhaps a warm bath, a bit of massage (how good is the life of a baby, by the way!), a book or calming music, milk and then bedtime. I’ve also found that a predictable daytime rhythm (again, not a strict routine!) can help a baby feel happy and secure, which leads to a happier night's sleep. We all like a bit of predictability, don’t we?

How solids can help with the rhythm?
 
My daughter was on a strict routine from her first week home. As a new mom, I was overwhelmed and under-supported and it helped give me a sense of control. She thrived on her routine and was always a brilliant sleeper. When it came time to introduce solids, I was able to clearly identify times in the day to do so, and we very quickly had a predictable routine of sleep, meals and milk.
 
Arthur was a different story altogether. We always had a bedtime routine with him, and he was always a ‘fine’ sleeper - he was reliable for a good 3-4 hour stretch at night. But a daytime routine? Forget it. He catnapped, fed on demand - I never really knew what to do with him. When I started introducing solids, I couldn’t get over how clueless I was - I started asking the same questions our community asks us the whole time. When do I do it? When do I give him milk, when does he nap, when does he eat?

 

In the end it took a lot of trial and error - a reminder to all parents there’s no right or wrong, only right for your baby. Arthur was slow to take to solids. Some days he’d want milk first, then solids. Other days, solids then milk. Other days, no solids at all. But by about 10 months, he was firmly on 3 meals a day. And as a result, he was more or less on a predictable rhythm (though timings would vary): wake up, milk, breakfast, nap, play, lunch, milk, nap, play, dinner, wind down/bath, milk, sleep. And for the first time EVER, Arthur slept through the night - 6.30-6.30. Without me doing anything different. No sleep training, no pat-shush - just a contented little baby who was happy to sleep.

Don't worry. It will all fall together. But good sleep hygiene matters.

There’s a lot of trial and error that is part and parcel of weaning. Your baby is learning a lot in a short period of time, and while things may go haywire, in my experience a predictable routine nearly always consolidates by about 1 year. And in the meantime, don’t underestimate the power of a good bedtime routine to help your little one get ready for the evening. As I get older, I realise I also sleep better when my days are predictable and have time to wind down before bed. Babies, they’re just like us!

Want to know more? Head over to the Mamamade Blog here, where we explore the ins and outs of parenting.

And whilst you’re there, get £10 off your first subscription with code THISWORKS10.

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