baby & toddler
L&L | SEPTEMBER 2019 | 39Appetite alert
One of the first signs of a growth spurt is
your baby or toddler suddenly having
a massive appetite. Rather than being
satisfied with her normal amount of milk
or food, she wants more − and more! “In
the lead-up to a growth spurt, a child can
get crazy hungry,” says Michelle. “That’s
a tell-tale sign of growth. If she’s not yet
weaned, your baby might want double
the milk she usually does. And while
this might feel really draining if you’re
breastfeeding, it’s only a short-term event,
lasting for a day or two before her growth
spurt and then maybe a day afterwards.”
She’s likely to want to eat more
frequently than usual, too. “Watch your
child and her hunger signals,” advises
Michelle. “No matter how old, she’ll
tell you when she’s extra hungry.”Disrupted sleep
Don’t panic if your child, who was sleeping
perfectly well, is suddenly waking repeatedly
at night or refusing to nap in the day −
that’s another sign of an imminent growth
spurt. She may be waking because of her
increased hunger, or she may be struggling
to sleep because she feels out of sorts.
She’ll make up for all that lost sleep very
soon, though, as after all this disruption
beforehand, she’s likely to want to sleep
more when the growth actually happens.
“Research shows there is a definite
link between growth and sleep,” explains
Michelle. “It’s known that the secretion of
growth hormone increases during sleep,
and longer sleep periods correspond
with greater growth in body length.”
So, your child might very well sleep an
extra four-and-a-half hours a day for
two days during a growth spurt.
The number of naps she has might
increase by up to three extra naps for a
couple of days. Or your toddler, who »
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