Breastfed eating schedule and NOT sleeping thru the night

Jo - posted on 10/05/2009

yay ! glad I'm not the only one....my little boy slept through a few times when he was very little but usually wakes every night for a feed, since I started solids he's been waking twice, I spend the whole day trying to get enough food into him so he'll sleep through, I guess it'll happen when he's ready...only one feed last night so fingers crossed.....hang in there ;-)

Lisa - posted on 10/03/2009

My bub is feeding stage 2 solids breakfast, lunch & dinner & sometimes snacking in between! he's still breast fed 7amish...12pmish...3pmish... and then before bed usually 6.30/7pm, he wakes 3-4hrs later for milk (10pm) and then can wake anythime betweeen 2 & 4am for another feed.. I wouldnt let them cry it out - 2nd time round (although I didnt with my 1st either) you realise it doesnt last for that long ... they are still so little and needy - comforting a baby is a very special thing! I just figure they will get a better routine sooner than later .. try and enjoy it'll be over before you know it!



p.s its nice to know not all babies 'sleep' through the night!!

Amanda - posted on 09/27/2009

my bub doesn't sleep through the night and some don't until they are over 1!!! I would try getting bub used to longer breaks away from you during the day so bubs is able to deal with being in own bed at night - ie take longer showers, have a coffee and read the paper instead of rushing through to tend to baby - I believe all bubs need their mums but also a little bit of independence to get them ready for the world!

Rachel - posted on 09/26/2009

DO NOT do cry it out. Google Dr. James McKenna of the Mother / Baby sleep lab at the University of Notre Dame. It's dangerous. Just because its night time doesnt mean baby needs you any less. Maybe she's not hungry - maybe she just needs mommy. I co sleep with my baby and I did with my first too. (Don't worry - they'll be outta there by the prom.) :)

Katherine - posted on 09/24/2009

I am nursing my son. Each child is different. That being said here is my advice.

You may want to try giving her more solids at her "mealtimes."

Also, since my husband is away for his job often, my son will end up in my bed for nursing convenience. I have noticed that if he sleeps close to me he is more likely to awake thinking that he needs to nurse than to soothe himself back to sleep. If you place some distance (a matter of a couple inches to a couple feet) between you and your child, they may not want to nurse as much.

For a point of perspective, my son sleeps from 9:30pm to 2:30am (5 hours) nurses than sleeps until 6:30am and nurses. He normally nurses every four hours and eats one container of stage 2 solids twice a day.

Carol - posted on 09/23/2009

Maybe she is ready for more solids??? Try not to worry about measurements and what is "normal". I always feed my son until he stops opening his mouth!!!! It is amazing how much he packs away sometimes!

Nikki - posted on 09/22/2009

I still nurse Ben and when he is at home with me he eats more often than when he is at the babysitters. I think sometimes that is our first response to comforting our babies because it is so convenient. Try seeing if she will go longer between feedings that way she will eat more in one sitting. Put her to bed at the same time every night and you might just have to let her cry it out for a while- and yes this is very hard! Good Luck!

Fathima - posted on 09/22/2009

Hi there Jen....you seem to have a good feeding schedule and I do know that breastfed babies get hungry quicker but since u started her on solids she should be fuller for longer.......I think you need to figure out whether she is waking up cos she's hungry or is it something else? From what I've read if a baby sleeps for at least 5 hours thats considered "sleeping through"! Also u should try massaging your baby before bedtime.....it helps to relax them. My little girl has a massage at 20:00, a 200ml bottle at about 20:30 or 21:00 and is asleep by 21:00 or 21:30 at the latest and wakes up at 06:30 the next morning. I was breast and bottle feeding her up to 6 months and she is now on bottle and solids. But she had the same routine even when I was breast/bottle feeding. Sometimes its just the routine that needs changing. And if she is waking cos she is hungry then maybe the feed schedule should be changed. But what works for one baby doesn't always work for the next!!! Its all a matter of trial and error it seems! Good luck.....Fathima