What is the first thing veteran parents ask new parents when they see a newborn? How are they sleeping? After the first 3-4 weeks of waking up every two hours, Darlington started sleeping like a little rock star, between 6-8 hours.

We became those annoyingly proud parents, telling anyone and everyone who would listen, and bam! A week before she turned four months old, she was up again every three hours—ravenous. For some reason, lack of sleep never happens at a convenient time. I kept trying to figure out what I was doing wrong or differently to throw her off schedule.

Then, Mom suggested something that hadn’t crossed my mind yet—It might be time for solids. What? No! According to everything I’d read, six months is the suggested time to introduce solids. But, with a little more digging, I found that Wholesome BabyFood advises, “Watch the baby—not the calendar,” despite whether a baby is breastfed or not (source).

So, to make sure that it wasn’t just the three-to-four-month-old growth spurt, I took this small test:

1) Has my baby doubled in weight? YES

2) Can my baby hold her head up unassisted? YES

3) Does my baby show interest in my food? YES

4) Is my baby losing the tongue-thrust reflex? YES

5) Is my baby waking up frequently in the middle of the night? YES

This helped me determine that it was time to introduce solids into Darlington’s diet.

Once I figured this out, I decided to try my hand at whipping up my own baby food. It may add more to my daily schedule, but I like knowing exactly what’s going into my baby’s tummy. Plus, Dan and I get to enjoy delicious, home-cooked meals on a regular basis. Why shouldn’t Darlington!