Another question for the BTDT Moms - NEED HELP!

Ryan is still waking up twice a night - around 1 am and 5 am. At his well care visit today, the ped recommended cutting out the 1 am feeding - saying he needed to start getting through the night. I should just pick him up, settle him down, give him a binky, etc. and not feed him. Additionally, he needs to start getting on a schedule. For reasons too numerous to list here, I'm just now home with him on a more full-time basis.

What are your opinions on cutting that feeding?

And how the heck do you start a schedule? I'm sure we'll both be pretty miserable...any advice and support is MORE than welcome! Suffice to say to this point, we mainly function on Ryan's timetable, not mine. I'd love to hear what your schedules were/are like at around the 4 month mark...

BTW - his checkup went GREAT! 16 lbs. 12 oz already - and only 15 weeks old!! I'm so proud of my big boy! And it has been confirmed -- he's teething - the gums are swollen! Poor boy - I think we're both in for a rough couple of weeks!

Please help! I'm panicking a bit here!!

First of all, I will say that trying to develop a schedule is easier said than done. So, at any point through this process, you need to keep in mind that sometimes (not all the time) you just need to do whatever it takes to get you through the night.

That said, start small. Maybe instead of taking away the 1am bottle (cold turkey), you just reduce the amount of formula that you offer Ryan. Than slowly decrease further, until he's just offered a binky. Then you have work on not picking him up when he wakes.

Have you thought about getting a book to help you through this? The No Cry Sleep Solution might help a bit. My son's pediatrician recommended Ferberizing - but this is not for everyone. It totally depends on your parenting philosophies and what you are most comfortable with.

Lee, Good luck And congrats on your healthy little man - he's getting big so FAST!

No advise - but I hope you find a method that is comfortable for both of you.

I'm interested in this as well!! What time does he go to sleep (before getting up at 1 a.m.?)
How many hours does he sleep (what's the longest stretch)? How is he during the day?

Sean is not a good napper... some days he'll take several catnaps and some days he'll take a 3 hour nap!! Now, if he would only tell me when he was going to be down for 3 hours, then I could get something done!!!

Since 5 weeks my little angel has been sleeping 7 - 8 hours!!! He sleeps from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m..., so he has only one nighttime feeding which is pretty darn good for a 6 1/2 week old!

It was recommended to me to wake him up at 10 for another feeding and *hope* that his 8 hour sleep goes from 10:30 - 6:30. I tried it for the first time 2 nights ago, I felt horrible waking him from a sound sleep. He could barely stay awake to eat 4 ounces (he usually has 5)... I put him back down at 10:30 and he woke up at 4 instead of 3!! Big deal...

I'm going to give it another week or two... he's moving into his crib after Labor Day , so we're going to try to get a routine going for him then!!!

Let me know what works for you!!

Kathi- you may find that once you move the baby to a crib that he will sleep later. That is what happened to Julianne. First night in the crib she slept 7 hours straight! yay! (after being up 4 times a night in the bassenette)

regarding the ? on night feeding. I agreed 100% w/ Claud..see if the binky or their thumb is enough to comfort them back to sleep.
I always recommend reading whatever books you can as well...if you have the time

Thanks guys for the ideas - maybe a gradual decrease is better than cold turkey - although last night the big guy ate at 9 pm and didn't wake up until 4:30 - which is perfect. Problem is, there is no consistency. Kathi, Ryan is the same as Sean during the day. Somedays I get a 2 hour nap and others I get 20 minutes!! Of course when he does the 20 minutes he's definitely crankier later in the day. Also, while he's fine sleeping in his crib at night, during the day, he seems to have issues. He sleeps better on my bed for example, then in the crib. Of course now that he is rolling over, that's no longer an option...

Ryan actually tries to keep himself awake - it's the funniest thing for a 3 1/2 month old! Like he's afraid he'll miss something if he sleeps! He doesn't have a problem sleeping after a feeding at night - its just that it seems he is eating too much at night.

What I have to do I guess is figure out how I'd like my day to go and then work in naps, feedings, etc. Does that sound about right? Thanks for the support - I really need it - sometimes I feel so stupid!!

You know, Lee and Kathi....it just occured to me after reading your replies that your guys are still very little to have such 'strict' schedules. Are your pediatricians really recommending enforcing (or forcing) a schedule at these ages??? Just curious.

Been there, Done that

I agree with Claud that sounds kind of young to be so strict

Claud, I'm glad you mentioned that! My ped is not recommending a schedule per se, just trying to see if we can get him through the night, and trying to start some kind of daytime routine. This is the one ped in the practice that I am not thrilled with - I probably won't see her again. Turns out she is a neighbor of a friend of mine, and I found out that she doesn't even have kids so all of her advice is 'from the book', which in my opinion doesn't always work in reality...

So, I've been thinking about your advice and speaking to some other Moms and I'm starting to think that he is still a little young for a rigid schedule - day or night! He's only 15 weeks old and I think he and I need to take a little time to figure things out without stressing ourselves out, I'm hoping in another month or two a 'routine' will kind of fall into place...does that make sense?

I'm glad you had that thought Claud! It reaffirms what I was thinking in my own mind - maybe I'm starting to get the hang of this Mother's intuition thing?!?!

Lee and I have the same ped.. . I haven't even discussed Sean's sleep patterns w/ them. A daycare director who I interviewed suggested the 'wake him up at 10' idea. I don't plan on doing it again.

He still is very little...just 6 1/2 weeks old , and we LOVE the fact that he sleeps 8 hours straight during the night... at this point, I don't care what 8 hours it is!! Of course, it doesn't hurt that he's almost 13 pounds so his tummy is big enough to sustain him that long.

Anyway, as far as a schedule goes, I'm being patient w/ him. I know it will happen on it's own. Right now, I'm just enjoying his 'tinyness'!!! They grow SOOOOO fast!!!

Kathi, FM

Kathi, I agree with you. I think it's great that he sleeps through that long! Let him be, that's for sure!! I think you are right - it will all work out on its own - this is the time to enjoy!!