BaiBoo

Dear Jennifer,

The twins are on semi solids since they were 6 months+..they had 3 meals. Breakfast (at 9-9.30 am: 2 tablespoon of rusks biscuits mix with water / youghurt)..lunch (12 - 1.00: 2 tablespoon of mashed rice+soups or grinded macaroni or prepared cereals)..and dinner (5.30-6.00pm: 2 table spoon of prepared / instant cereals). I leave at home around 28-30oz of EBM everyday to be consumed while i'm at work..their weight currently 8.3kg (Twin 1) and 8 kg (Twin 2)

So my concern is are they really hungry or something else?

Really appreciate your help.

Thank you.

Dear Yanti,

Thanks for your updated information. From the information provided, your twins are doing well with good weight gain. The 30 oz of milk i guess is to be shared by the two of them. If that is the case, I suggest increasing the amount of semisolids at each meal to eliminate the possibility of hunger. If after increasing the amount of solids, they are still waking up, then we may have to gradually eliminate the night feeds . When you are confident that they are no hungry, you can follow the steps in Asian parenting today on page 258/259 to eliminate the night feeds.

All the best,

Jennifer

Dear Jennifer/ Ai-Ling,

My boy is a healthy 10 mths old weighing approx 12 kg. After I wrote to you in Oct 2009, he was able to sleep through the night (and I thought I would have a peaceful sleep, too) until he turned 9 mths old. My boy is having a hard-time falling to sleep and been crying alot in his sleep.

He is now able to push himself up in a standing position via the cot railing and everytime when he 'wakes' up and cry, he will lift his head up and pulled himself up to stand by the cot looking for me or my husband, crying very loudly (as if someone has given him a smack at the buttock).

He sleeps around 10.15pm (due to the tossing, climbing up & down in the cot). We do have the normal bedtime routine from feeding him milk, wipe him, change him, read a book and then to his cot. He will be doing his usual truants for abt 45 mins before he really lies down & sleep. He would normally sleep from 10.15pm - 5.00am (occasionally waking up and cry but will fall back to sleep with his soother). By 5.00am, he would then cry very loudly while standing up in his cot.

The only thing that can keep him quiet is his milk. Even after feeding him, and by the time I put him back to his cot, he will cry again. What is going on with my boy? My husband said it is the phase he is going through ie. separation anxiety, which I don't think so. I am depriving from sleep as every single sound he made, I would just jump out from my bed to have a look at him.

Please advise.

Thanks so much!!

Jessica

Dear Jessica,

Baby sleep can be affected by a few factors and one of them is when a baby develops new skills.  It maybe just learning to pull himself up and stand or just learning to walk. When he sleeps, his brain is still practising his newly learned skills.

My suggestion is to continue with your bedtime routine. If your baby has had a very busy and exciting day, do ensure he has sufficient time to unwind. You may want to consider a winding down period before bed time. This will help him to be ready for bed and can settle down easier.

If you are sure that he is not hungry when he wakes up in the night, I would suggest that you lie him down when he wake  and stand up. Try to avoid eye contact or talk to him. The message we are trying to send to him is that he needs to lie down so that he can settle himself to sleep again. This may be a very long and tiring process but it will work. You may have to initially lie him down again and again but with time, he will get up standing less and less.

I understand how anxious and tiring this whole episode must be for both you and your husband but staying calm will not only help you but also your baby.

All the best!

Jennifer

Hello Jennifer,

I have twins age 8 months. They are still breastfeeding (thank you for your guides & support). When they were about 3-4 months, my husband and I have developed their sleeping habits so that they will sleep all through the night. However, when they reached 5-6 months, they start to wake up at 3-5 am alternately. At that time, I thought it's due to teething. But it dragged until now. Both of us cannot focus during day time because of that.

When they woke up and cry loudly, we calm them down by holding and cuddling them. But after 5 minutes crying so mad and the effort seems did not work out, I feed them. They sucked like really hungry. So, I confused, whether they are really hungry or just want to snacking. I know i should not feed them, but I just cannot stand their 'crying effect'.

I really hope you can advice me on this.

Thank you.
Have A Nice Day!

Regards,
NORFARYANTI KAMARUDDIN

Dear Faryanti,

It is good to know that you are still nursing your twins. However, you did not mention as to whether they are on semi solids. And if they are on semi solids, how many times a day are they eating and how well they are tolerating the semisolids. From the information you have provided, it sounds very much to me that the twins are hungry.

The change in the sleeping pattern appears to coincide with the weaning period. Sometimes, when babies  start to need more food, they will start to be wakeful at night. Although most babies do not need any night feeds at these age, there are no rules that say you cannot and should feed them.

My suggest is to monitor their meals; ensure that they are eating about 2 if not three semisolids meals  and are having about 3  to 4 milk feeds
a day. I think you will probably find that once they are eating sufficient during the day,they will start to sleep better at night.

All the best,

Jennifer

Dear Jennifer, Ai-Ling or Jocelyne,

My boy is 5 months 1 week 5 days old, weight approximately 8.3kg (last check-up in Aug 2009 was 7.9kg) and 68cm - 69 cm in length.

I was not thinking much about whether my boy should be sleeping through the night until my in-law told me that her friend daughter's son who is only 3 months has already been trained to sleep through the night.

My boy's last feeding is normally between 9pm - 9.30pm of 5.5ounce. His feeding interval is approximately 3.5hr- 4hr. For the past 1 week, his waking time for the next feeding is around 2.15am - 2.45am and the subsequently between 6.15am - 7.00am.

Is this normal? Is my boy should be able to sleep through the night? As much as I want him to sleep through BUT I do not want him to be hungry and ignoring his cry for milk just to train him. I am going to introduce him rice cereal when he is going to be 6mth old. I wonder can I add a tablespoon of rice cereal into his milk to feed him for the night feed so that he can sleep longer?

Please assist me on this as I am having a hardtime to train or to wait naturally.

Thanks a lot

Dear Jessica,

As you know, every baby is an individual and no two parents are the same. What is important is that both you and your baby are happy. From your information, it seems that your baby is doing well and you are happy with his feeding pattern. Some babies feed more during the day and have a longer stretch in the night, others will feed at regular intervals throughout the 24 hours."sleeping through the night" is also subjective. In this instance, I think you should not concern yourself too much with his one night feed.

As with your second question, it is alright to introduce your baby to rice cereal when he is 6 months old. . However, i do not encourage adding a tablespoonful of rice cereal into his milk. Rice cereal should be fed with a spoon as it should be eaten. If you think he may need more food, you may want to consider offering him a little more milk instead.

Jennifer

Hi Jennifer/Ai Ling/ Jocelyn,
I'm a first time mum and 100% breastfeeding my baby now. She is 2 months and 14 days old now. She weight around 5+kg. She looks a bit small compare to other babies at the same age. She only weight 2.36kg when I deliver her. I don't know how much breast milk did her consume a day as I will feed her when she feels like drinking. May I know if 100% breastfeeding sufficient for her daily food intake or do I need to combine some milk for my baby girl? I wonder if my breast milk really good for her if I don't eat enough because I hardly eat meat? I do take some supplement and milk (especially for breastfeeding mum).
By the way she refuses to drink milk using feeding bottle as she can sense the different between my nipple and the feeding bottle. May I know is there any method that I can make her to accept the feeding bottle?
Besides, I wonder my period is being delayed if I am breastfeeding?

Would appreciate your advice! Thanks!
Have a nice day!

Cheers
Phyllis

Dear Phyllis,

First of all let me congratulate you for doing so well. To be able to breastfeed 100% is brilliant. Keep up the good work.
Baby normally put on around 800gm to 1kg per month during the 1st 3months, so you are doing very well.
She is 5+kg!

Remember breast milk is the best milk for baby. If you are able to breast feed her 100%, you are giving her the best ever nutrition.There is no need for you to supplement your baby.

There are vegetarian ladies who has successfully breastfeed their babies up to even a year old. So not eating a lot of meat is not a problem. Eat a well balance diet. Since you are also taking supplements and drinking milk, I think you are on the right track.

Breastfed baby generally would not entertain bottles, especially if you are the one feeding her.
Tricks to get her to accept the bottle:
1. Get a helper to feed her
2.Do not be around when she is been bottle fed.
3. Use soft teat.
4.Give her a bottle at a set time of the day.
last but not the least, persevere .Patience is the key issue here, It might take you up to 2weeks to suceed
Be prepare for tears and fight.

Yes, some ladies experience a delay in their period, while breastfeeding, but remember no period does not mean that you cannot get pregnant. This delay can be up to 6-8months while you are breastfeeding 100%.

Once again congratulations you seem to be doing well, Keep it up.

Ai Ling

Hi there,

my son is already 1 years old and i'm a working mother.
I normally drive my son to his granny during working days. Sometimes my son can sit still in his car seat but there are also times that he cry and try to get out from his car seat.

What can i do to overcome this?

Thanks

Dear Hazuwani,

It is so good to hear that you are trying to get your son to be seated and strapped down while travelling. It is very common for toddlers and children to try to get out of their seats while the car is moving. This is especially so if they have seen other young children jumping in the car.However, it is not safe at all.

To encourage your son to be seated when travelling in a car, you can :

1.show him pictures of young chlildren seated in the children's car seat or strapped down when travelling in a car.

2.explain to him before getting into the car what he is suppose to do.

3.explain to him that you will be seated and strapped down with a seat belt and he is expected to do the same

4.give him a few of his favourite toys to keep him occupied when travelling

5.be consistent. Everytime he gets into a car, he should be seated and strapped down. This way he learns what is expected of him when travelling

6.Be firm. If he cries or try to unbuckle himself, find a safe place to stop the car and gently explain to him again. Once he has calmed down, you can proceed with the journey.Repeat if process if you have to.

7.If he has been good and has sat quitely throughout the journey, remember to praise him with a big smile and a huge hug!

with your encouragement, before you know it, your son will be sitting in his car seat when you are driving. Happy driving!

Jennifer

Hi, Jennifer,

My daughter is approaching 15 months & she has no weight gain since 13
months onwards but the weight dropped when she felt sick.

She has reduced her milk intake from 8 oz in less than 4 hours to 6 oz
within 4 hours. Now, she took less than 6 oz after 5 to 6 hours from her
last milk intake. She took the same quantity of solid food (porridge) since
12 months old. Sometimes, she refused to finish the porridge as well.
This make us ratherworry. She is now down with diarhoe & food intake is even
lesser.This has make the situation worst. We have given her multivitamin but
it didn't help with her appetite at all.

I would appreciate your advice on this.

Siew Mei

Hi Siew Mei,
I do understand how worried you must be. Since your little girl is currently unwell, it is only natural that she has poor appetitie. Her appetite will gradually get better as she recovers.

You mentioned that she is not keen on her porridge. Children around this age very often get 'bored' with the same food. She may want more textured food including finger food. You may want to try giving her rice cripies or bread with butter and cheese for breakfast; she may also have some meehoon soup with minced chicken or some pasta with soup for lunch. For dinner, you may try soft rice with stewed chicken or fish. Try to include a variety of fruits and vegetables in her daily diet. the fruits may be cut into small bite size while the vegetables may be chopped up. She could also have baby or children yogurt for tea time. Although many toddlers at this age have only a few teeth, they will happily 'gum' on their food provided the food is not too hard and cut into small bite size.

Eating together with the family will also encourage her to enjoy her meal.Toddlers want to be part of the family or have company while eating. Do not be too concerned that she is eating the same amount as before. What is more important is that she is enjoying her food, has a good appetite and is healthy. Giving her smaller portions may actually encourage her to eventually eat more. As she finishes the smaller portion, both you and her will be pleased with each other. With a little bit of praise and encouragement, she is more likely to have a second helping.

At her age, she should be having 3 meals and about 3 milk feeds per day. Although milk is necessary in a child's diet, it is only part of her diet . The recommended amount of milk at this age is about 500 to 600 mls per day.If she is drinking less than the recommended amount, you may want to try to include milk in some of her food and have her "eat' the milk in food such as cheese, yogurt and milk shakes. Do ensure that she is closely supervised at all meal times.

Although weight gain is necessary, it is more important that she is healthy.If you are still concerned about her weight, do talk to your paediatrician. He or she will be able to let you know more about her health.


Jennifer

Dear Jennifer,
My 3 month plus baby girl was always refuse to drink the formula milk and most of time wil take 1 hour to finish the milk. She take 4.5ozs for every 3 hours and 5 time per day and her weight is 5.7kg now . She didn't feel hungry if over the time. She was drinking very slow since she born and now started to refuse the milk sometime but she like to drink the water. Below I have some question about my baby:-
1.How to get her to drink the milk? Will be the milk issue? Shall I change the milk? Last time I was give her Snow before change to Frisolac.

2.When shd I start to count the time for every 3 hours to give baby milk? After finish milk or started time?

3.22oz per day will be enough for her? her born weight is 3.2kg, 2nd month is 5.7kg

4.Will be her weight is normal?

Best Regards,
Lin

Dear Lin,

From the infomation provided, it sounds like your baby is doing well. Her weight gain from 3.2 kg at birth to 5.7kg at 2nd month is good. The 22 oz per day is also acceptable.

There are a few things we need to look at when it comes to baby feeding pattern and habits. As you know, every baby is an individual and as such, she maybe one that takes a longer time to finish her feeds. She may also not be very hungry when you feed her.


She should by now, have a faily regular feeding pattern. It is not necessary to have 3 or 4 hour feeding intervals and not necessary to have 4.5 oz at each feeds. It is usual for a baby to have more frequent feeds during the day and less in the night. Some babies at her age can sleep for about 6 hours in the night without a feed and then 'compensate' the next two or three feeds by having them at 2 to 3 hours interval.

My suggestion is to monitor her feeding habits and patterns and let her give you the cue. If she is alert, active, happy , passing plently of clear urine daily and is putting on weight, she is well.

Regards,
Jennifer

Hi Jennifer,

Can I feed my 4 months baby boy mix cereal and milk? or Can I feed him the baby heinz nutrition mix fruit? For 4 months baby what soft food can I feed him?
Thank you and best regard

Sharry

Dear Sharry,

Thank you for your question. It is recommended that babies begin weaning after 6 months. In the first six months, babies are recommended to have only milk.

You can begin to wean by giving baby small amount of the rice cereal. Generally, it is recommended that when introducing semi solids, it is advisable to start with one new food at a time repeat the new food for three days
start with only two small teaspoons of the food introduce the new food at an earlier part of day, namely breakfast or lunch.

The above guidelines allow the baby to be tested with the food. Any allergies or reactions will be minimised. It is also recommended to introduce food that are least likely to cause allergies initially. These include rice, fruits and vegetable. Rice could be rice cereal or if you like, rice porridge. Fruits such as apples, pears, bananas,papaya be mashed very finely and generally well tolerated by babies.

There are a wide variety of vegetables that you can introduce to baby. Carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, cauliflower, broccoli, sweet peas, bayam, french beans and long beans are just a few examples. Having a wide variety of food in baby's daily diet will help ensure that baby gets all the necessary nutrients that is need for growth.

Once baby is eating and tolerating these food well, you can then introduce other grains and animal protein. This can be a very exciting time for both you and your baby.Imagine all the new and exciting tastes.

Have Fun!

Jennifer

Hi Jennifer,
Thank you for your reply and solve my problem. Also apologize that I'm provide incomplete information. I have few more question for inquiry:
1) Actually my 3 months++ baby boy is formula feeding for 4ozs in 3 hrs time. Wheather the feeding time and the amount is correct?
2) I will feed my baby at night around 9-10pm, he can sleep untill morning around 5-6am morning crying awake, when i feeding him milk but he refuse. The long time without feeding can be problem?
I'm was enquiry my doctor before, but the doctor said some baby can facing such problem is not big deal.
Now I'm facing problem is hard to feeding milk for my baby I notice that my baby seem like not feel hungry even the time is over. However I have follow your advise that not follow time but feed him when he shown sign hungry. I affraid it will be more longer time my baby also not feel hungry.
Your advise is much appreciate.
Thank you & best regard
Sharry

Dear Sharry,

From the information you provided, it appears that your baby is having about 7 feeds in 24 hours.That works out to be about 28 oz of milk in a day. Provided your baby is gaining weight, is happy and healthy, it is alright for your baby to sleep through the night. Baby will ask for milk if he is hungry. in fact, many parents will only be too pleased if their baby can do what your baby is doing. So, enjoy your baby.

Jennifer