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Bedtime routine

Hello all, a little bit of advice please.

Our little man will be 6 weeks on Saturday. He's currently taking 6oz 5 times a day. We give him his last bottle about 6.30pm, he's then usually in bed for 7.30pm. his next feeds are roughly: 2/3am, 6/7am, 10.30/11am, 3pm (ish) and then 6.30 ish. (bviously times are not exact)



A few people have suggested ver the last couple of days (including the health visitor) that we should think about giving him his last bottle later so that he sleeps right through. We're not sure about this ... will it not disturb the routine he is in for now? We're quite happy with these feeding times as it gives us time in the evening to catch up with eachother and with what needs doing in the house.



What are people's thoughts?? I've not really done enough reading on moving his feeds and just gone with what he wanted really.



Katy image

Replies

  • I'd say his feeding is fine Hun.

    Aleia has a similar routine and times vary day to day.

    Hers are normally 7am 11/12pm 4pm and 7/8pm. She will usually then sleep untill 2/3am!! Last night though she went until 4.45am!! Lol!!

    On average she's going 4/5 hours a feed.

    Baby will sleep through when they are ready. I don't think it can be taught. Changing a feed time to later might work but then it might not.

    He is still only 6 wks so still little. Aleia is 8wks tomorrow and she's doing well sleep wise but I'm not going to force it!!

    Hope this helps!!



    Xx
  • It sounds like your little man has found a nice little routine for himself and his mummy and daddy....and I would say, if it ain't broke don't fix it. As you're demand feeding anyway, changing the times he feeds would be nigh on impossible, I would think, and wouldn't achieve much in my opinion. How do you delay his last bottle? Leave the poor mite scream for a little lobnger every day? Heartbreaking for you, surely. Try not to listen to the people who 'offer' their 'advice' without you asking for it....what works for you and the little man, works for you and everyone else should butt out! Enjoy the free time you have in the evenings...



    Mia thinks that the time between her 7pm and 10pm feeds are for laughing and playing and receiving absolute and total attention from us.....so a 7pm bedtime is the stuff of fantasy! And she still wants a 1am feed, so I wonder what the point of even going to bed is sometimes! I get a lot of flak from family about her 10pm bedtime, and also the fact that she's "not yet on a bloody bottle"....I ignore them as we are happy and Mia is happy and thriving...good enough for us! (However, should Mia choose to ditch her 3hour metronome and feed every 4 or 5 hours I would be MOST grateful!) :lol:



    Do what you and your OH feel is right by you and the little un...and I'm looking forward to seeing you all soon....it's been too long.



    Love to you all....you're doing a fantastic job, kiddo, you should be very proud of yourself! xxx
  • I certainly wouldnt delay the last bottle either, if he is hungry for it then he neds feeding. I would thinkyou only try tostretch them out if they were feeding less and after short time periods. You could however try a dreamfeed to see if he sleeps through to the 6/7am feed if you want to avoid the middkle of the night wakeup. You can do the dreamfeed at 10/11pm - it's way easier on the bottle IMO. I did this with my son when he was 4wks and it worked a treat with him sleeping through til 7am by 7wks. Tried it with Lili but it was when the 6wk growth spurt suddenly kicked in and she is feeding more through the night at the mo so I will try it again once we're through it next week.

    Do whatever you feel is right, mum always knows best image x
  • Hi. I've been trying to do the dream feed but not having much luck. My little one usually feeds about 5pm/6pm then i try and bath her and have a little play and put her to bed when she seems tired. She used to wake herself for a feed at 10ish but doesn't seem to want to anymore.



    I've tried the dream feed but last night it just woke her up coz she has a lot of wind. so by the time i got her wind up i seemed to have unsettled her. She went back to sleep fine but i felt bad for waking her. She did sleep until 4am though. Any suggestions?
  • Usually (I use this term lightly!) they are more relaxed with a df cos they are essentially asleep, so they are less windy (it was the only feed my son didnt get bad wind!) The wind issues will usually pass by 12wks. You could keep experimenting with the df now but if it continues to cause a prob with wind then wait til the 12wk mark to try again if she still isnt sleeping through. The dreamfeed can be unsettling to some but it works for others. It's a matter of experimenting. I personally find it better and less disruptive to them if they take it from a bottle - so if bf use ebm. But many do it from the boob.

    Im actually trying something new this time round. Lili hates the dummy and I feared she would never take to a bottle if I didnt get her to take one early on (she is bf). So I cluster feed her in the afternoon, then hubby baths her (they are in the big bath) at 630pm and he gives her 2oz of ebm in the bath. Then I bf her again after her bath and she is full to the brim. Since starting this she went from going down at 8pm and waking at 3am, to then waking at 5am. My theory is that if I do a df for her she will go til 6 or 7am! So I will test this out once the growth spurt passes. Alternatively, as she gets older and takes in more feed she may naturally just extend her sleep herself without the df. The key is to ensure they stock up on their feeds throughout the day so that they need less at night.

  • Hi ladies.



    I'm another that wouldn't change the feeds...I believe in working to what the baby wants and they all usually find their own routine, which you guys seem to have worked out.



    Westill don't get her sleeping right through, usually wake up at around 2-3am and I don't intend to change it.
  • Hi there



    Interesting thread. Lottie is 10 weeks now and seems to have found her own little routine, going upstairs at 7pm for clean nappy, cuddle, feed and story then bed by 7.30pm. She is settling wonderfully with this little routine so I have no intention of changing it!



    She generally sleeps til 11pm for another feed, then 2/3am, 6am, 10am, 2pm, and 6pm again. Sometimes she will sleep a little more, sometimes less, but usually naps around 11am for a couple of hours and perhaps another nap in the late afternoon, especially if we have been out since the car seems to send her to sleep image



    So it's still fairly full on since we are still BF but for the moment I'm just grateful for a little bit of routine. image



    Hope everyone else is well and enjoying your babies xx
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