$Unique_ID{BRK01347}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Would it Hurt to Give a Baby Something Solid to Eat Before Bedtime?}
$Subject{baby night feeding child care children babies infants infant sleep
solid eat bedtime diet behavior behaviors sleeping eating food foods diets}
$Volume{S-23, S-26}
$Log{}

Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


Would it Hurt to Give a Baby Something Solid to Eat Before Bedtime?


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QUESTION:  My mother has this thing about giving a baby something solid to eat
just before bedtime as a means of getting the child to sleep through the
night.  My physician never heard of this, and poo-poos the whole idea.  Do
you think that I would be hurting my 3 month old baby if I tried this feeding
solution to the problem of waking up in the middle of the night?

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ANSWER:  I doubt that you would be doing any serious damage to your child's
health by offering a feeding before bedtime, (although the American Academy of
Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition advises holding off on solid food until the
baby reaches the age of 4 to 6 months), but I guess I come down on the side of
your own physician.  Over the years there have been many reports that such a
feeding, usually a cereal prepared with either breast milk or formula, could
aid in encouraging an infant to sleep from 4 to 6 hours.  However, when the
idea was put to a scientifically conducted test at the Cleveland Clinic
Foundation Pediatric Primary Care Center recently, analysis of the results
failed to demonstrate any difference between children who were fed before
bedtime and those that were not.  They concluded that a child's ability to
sleep through the night was a development and adaptive process that occurred
regardless of diet composition.

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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.