Will starting solids help my baby sleep through the night?
Probably only a little. In a large UK trial, babies who started solids from about 3 months slept on average about 7 minutes more per night and woke slightly less than babies exclusively breastfed to around 6 months. The AAP advises against cereal in a bottle. When to start solids is a feeding decision for your pediatrician, not a sleep tool.
What the best study found
The Enquiring About Tolerance (EAT) trial randomized 1,303 exclusively breastfed 3-month-olds in England and Wales. One group started solids from 3 months while continuing to breastfeed. The other followed the standard advice of exclusive breastfeeding to about 6 months. A 2018 analysis in JAMA Pediatrics looked at sleep.
- Across the study, babies in the early group slept about 7 minutes more per night on average.
- At 6 months, the difference was about 17 minutes per night.
- Night wakings were about 9% fewer in the early group.
- Parents in the standard group were more likely to call their baby’s sleep a very serious problem.
The authors called the effect small but significant. Only 42% of the early group fully followed the feeding plan, sleep was reported by parents, and the trial was designed to study allergies, not sleep.
What that means for you
A few minutes more sleep and a small drop in night wakings is real, but it is not the jump from waking every two hours to sleeping through. If your baby wakes often, solids are unlikely to be the fix.
If you are hoping solids will end night waking, the research suggests a small effect at best. The waking itself, usually about how your baby falls back asleep, is what Actually Sleeping fixes.
What the AAP says about timing and cereal
- The AAP’s parent site recommends breastfeeding as the sole source of nutrition for about 6 months, and suggests waiting until 4 to 6 months, when the time is right, to start solids.
- It advises against putting cereal in a bottle unless your pediatrician recommends it. Early cereal from a bottle or spoon can increase the chance of gagging or inhaling the thickened mixture.
- When to start, and how, is your pediatrician’s call, especially for babies born early, with reflux, or with allergy risk. Milk feeds stay the main event in the early months of solids unless your pediatrician advises otherwise.
Why babies keep waking after solids start
Most night waking after about 4 to 6 months is not about hunger. Common reasons:
- Your baby falls asleep feeding or being rocked, and needs the same help between sleep cycles.
- Bedtime or naps are mistimed, so your baby is overtired or under-tired.
- A habit feed: a baby used to eating at night will feel hungry at that time.
A baby who is truly hungry at night usually takes a full feed and goes straight back to sleep. A baby who feeds for a few minutes and falls asleep is more often waking for comfort. That distinction, and whether night feeds are still needed, is worth discussing with your pediatrician. See the feed-to-sleep association and why a 6 month old wakes every 2 hours.
The fixable part
Parents often look at solids, or cereal, because their baby is not sleeping and hunger seems like the obvious reason. Most families who come to Actually Sleeping have already tried things on their own. When the waking continues, it is usually because the baby relies on help to fall back asleep, and that is what Actually Sleeping fixes.
Dr. Sam writes a plan for your baby, with bootcamp-style coaching before the first night and daily 1:1 check-ins. The plan never forces dropping night feeds; feeding decisions, including solids, belong to your pediatrician. Parents of babies this age describe the change in reviews from families of 4 to 6 month olds.
We guarantee that your baby will sleep 8–12 hours through the night within 14 days of consistent, correct implementation of your sleep plan. If it does not happen, you get a full refund.
If you were hoping solids would end the night waking, book a free consultation with Actually Sleeping.
Want this fixed for your baby?
Actually Sleeping is 1:1 coaching: a sleep plan written for your baby by Dr. Sam, bootcamp-style coaching before the first night, and daily check-ins until it is working. 700+ families coached, 129 video reviews, and a written guarantee: 8–12 hours through the night within 14 days, or a full refund.
Frequently asked
Will rice cereal in a bottle help my baby sleep longer?
The AAP advises against cereal in a bottle unless your pediatrician recommends it, because it can increase gagging and the risk of inhaling the mixture. It is not a safe or reliable sleep aid.
Should I start solids early to help my baby sleep?
That is a feeding decision for your pediatrician. The best trial found only a small sleep difference, about 7 minutes a night on average. Most frequent night waking has other causes that solids don’t fix.
My baby started solids and wakes more. Why?
Many things change around the same age, including new motor skills and nap shifts. If a new food seems to upset your baby’s tummy, mention it to your pediatrician, along with any ongoing tummy trouble.