Routine!!!

G-j-91 · Aug 4, 2010 5:15AM

This is going to be a bit of a ramble so bear with me ..

I wasn't so keen on putting my baby onto a routine, I was going to go along with feeding on demand. I had a bed time routine for him but that was about it. I understand that he has a little tummy and needs to wake in the night for food, and I by no means want to rush him into sleeping through the night. Howeer, it is getting a nightmare, throughout the night he decides he is hugary eery hour and a half - two hours, but will only drink 1-2oz of formula. It is driving me bananas because I know he is caable of drinking more and gong longer between feeds because he used to do it.
Sooo, I have decided I am going t put him onto a feeding routine which hopefully suits his needs and will make everyone happier! It is going like this .... does anyone think this seems reasonable??

7.15 - wake up
8.30 am 6oz formula
9 - napfor 45 mins ish
12- 60z formula
12.30 longer nap 2 ish hours
3.30- 6oz formula
5 - nap for 30-45 mins ish
6.45 bath
7- 6oz formula
7.30 - 8 - bed time
10 pm - fream feed 6 oz

thenn .... ONE 6oz feed in the night aroud 3

Is it okay to expect him to only have 1x6oz feed between 10pm and 8.30 am???

I gt into the habit of bringing him ito my bed for a better nights sleep, but now I am trying to pick up put down method which seems to be working a treat he is getting himself off to sleep! It is very hard though as means I can be up alot in the night getting him to settle. I refuse to do CIO or CC because I do not want him to feel abandoned and have researched it alot and it is something I am not comfortable with. I have nothing against anybody who as used these methods tough, babies can be very tiring and hard work!!!

Also, he settles very well on his tummy i discovered, so I am puttig him down on his tummy, and keeping a very close eye as he can't roll ove yet, ( but does have very good head control). Then, when e is in a deep sleep i roll him over onto his back so I can relax.

Right sorry for the essay! Just was hoping for somebody to tell me I'm not going about this all wrong or expecting too much? I just want a little bit of stability and predictablility i my days!1
Thanks for ay replies .. x

Muffin_Mammy · Aug 3, 2010 5:25AM

Is this based on his rough pattern anyway? I normally feed Lucas (well, try at the moment anyway!!!) as soon as we're dressed for the day, so if we're up at 7, he feeds about 7.15 etc, that way we can fit in all his feeds (he's every 4-5 hours now, although that could be changing once he's treated, and I have to wake him normally at the moment). I would say going from 10 till 7 is totally achievable, and it sounds like his night wakings are habit more than hunger, so the routine might help that, you just need to make him realise he's not hungry. You might need to keep with a night feed for a bit though...maybe resettle him the first couple of wakings, then on the third feed him. If he takes a full feed, he obviously needs it, if he snacks, try the 4th waking next night iyswim?

Before Lucas got poorly routine was working great for us, but it was a routine he fell into more than me designing it. Lucas also sleeps a lot more than that, 2-3 hrs in the morning, 2 hours in the afternoon and an hour before his bath, but I'm guessing you're judging those naps on what currently works for you.

Hope it works for you!!!

Hxx

G-j-91 · Aug 3, 2010 5:42AM

Yeah it is based on his routine, only diference really is the night! I plan to give him one full feed between 10 and 8.30 which will probably be around 3 i hope. But I will try resettling and experimenting with the feed time until i find a time he takes it! Thanks for the advice!

And yeah the naps are based on how long he sleeps anyway, just hoping to get the times a bit more regular.

I really hope Lycas gets back on track with his feeds poor mite must be dreadful x

G-j-91 · Aug 3, 2010 5:43AM

Lucas**Excuse my bad one handed typing

Feebs76 · Aug 3, 2010 7:09AM

Our routine is led by grace but not on demand if you see what I mean. So the first feed is dictated by when she wakes up (I usually feed her straight away)) then I go 4 hours between feeds with usually an hours nap mid morning and early afternoon. I always feed her at bedtime (6.45ish) regardless of when her previous feed was (usually 5 or 5.30) to top her up. She's currently waking at about 2 or 3am for a feed and then at around 6. I'm hoping the night feed will be dropped soon but she wakes most nights for it at the moment and does have a good feed so obv needs it...

G-j-91 · Aug 3, 2010 8:46AM

Yeah I see, are you following the easy routine? I've took lots of advice form baby whisperer, but Dylan never wanted feeding after waking up from a nap so ours is sort of adjusted. To ..
Eat
Awake
Sleep
Your time
Awake
Eat ...

I don't feed him to sleep though and it works well for us. He has been waking up at 7.15 on the dot for over a month now, regardess of what time he goes to bed, funny boy must have an internal alarm clock ...
So that's my logic behing making our routine at speific times.

I also cannot get him to go 4 hours no matter what , I think he is probably capable of taking more less often but not going to push it.

Isn't it awfull how you get used to ight feedings!? I never thought I would say that x

Feebs76 · Aug 3, 2010 3:30PM

I've sort of based things around the baby whisperer but only fairly loosely. As I don't usually fit in the Y and sometimes she needs a nap rather than a play after eating so I take her 'babies never like to sleep on a full stomach' theory with a pinch of salt. Grace def does! I never feed her to sleep though. Even her last feed and night feeds, she may be sleepy but She always wakes up as I wind her and then settles herself in her cot. She's a pretty easy baby though - just a hungry one, hence the night feeds!!!!!

I keep reminding myself it's still early days and waking for a night feed is still fairly usual at this stage. I am so used to it now though too!! It is weird how your body adjusts

TriTread · Aug 3, 2010 3:55PM

The only thing I would query is why you aren't feeding him when he wakes up at 7.15. Seems a long time to go from waking up to eating at 8.30am unless I've read that wrong.

Amelia is 18 weeks and is on a loose 'routine':
7.00am Wake up and 6oz milk
8.30am - 9.30am Nap
10.30am 6oz feed
12.00 - 1.00 Nap
2.30pm 6oz feed
4.00 - 5.00 Nap
5.30 Bath
6.30 60z feed
7.00 - 7.15 Bed
10.00 6oz feed
Then she goes through the night until 7am again. So that's 5 feeds a day and about 3 hours sleep.

Her feeds are generally around that time but sometimes she goes for 3 hours and is hungry and sometimes it's 4 and a 1/2. I'm very much led by her on this.

G-j-91 · Aug 3, 2010 4:25PM

No, you read correctly, I have tried feeding him when he wakes up but he only takes about 2oz and that is difficult to persuade im to take! SO I tried waiting half an hour and the same thing ... he wasn't interested in his food until half 8. He doesn't even take the full 6oz then he only takes 4 so hopefully he is happy with this!

It is just as if at 7.15 he is like right I am fed up of being in bed lets play, he is very smiley and wakes me up shouting and cooing not crying. I could probably leave him in his cot a while but I think 7.15 is a very reasonable time to get up at

That is good Tritread doing from 10 until 7am without a feed, she is 3 weeks older than Dylan.

It seems to be working really well had less tears than ever and put him down to bed at 7.30 and he has never settled himself so well! No crying at all I am fascinated so impressed with him

TriTread · Aug 4, 2010 4:34AM

Mmmm wonder if I should try that. Amelia does only take about 3oz at 7am, then I have to wait about 45mins and she takes another 2oz. Some people have told me to try and drop the dream feed but I don't want to end up only giving her 4 bottles a day. Unless she ups to 7oz at each feed.

Oh decisions decisions.

G-j-91 · Aug 4, 2010 5:15AM

Oh I know so many decisions it drives me mad! As long as our little ones are happy i guess it doesn't matter too much. I do wonder whether to incease his bottles to 7oz and try and get him to drop one somewhere but he is happy at the moment so not sure whether i should risk it

Routine!!!

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