Newbie here! Need some help.......

[GagesMommy]

Hello everyone!  Not only am I new to this board but I'm new to "Mommyhood"!  I LOVE it but just as any new Mom would be, I've got some concerns with night wakings at 5 months (as of October 1, 2007) turning into a habit.  Here's a quick run down:  My little rat is slap wore out by 7:30 at the latest (no keeping him up past this time) so bedtime is usually 7:30 sometimes 7:00-7:15.  He has not yet slept through the night on a regular basis, is doing a lot of moaning and grunting at different times throughout the night but mostly between 2 and 5.  I have gone in his room and put his binky in to help him get back to sleep, there has been a coupld of nights where he was actually crying so I did the PU/PD method-took about 20 min but it worked.  He is no longer feeding during the night and no I don't do a DF, should I try it???  I put him on the EASY routine shortly after he arrived, he is a snapshot of his day:
6:45 Wake up
7:00 7oz bottle, then off to his sitter
I pick him up around 5:45, depends on the last time he ate with her as to when we feed him but it's usually like this - feed him a little rice cereal with a little peaches, 7 oz bottle, bath, spend time with Mommy and Daddy and then off to bed.  He goes down easy.  I know he gets naps and bottles at his sitters house but there is no "routine" at this point.  Should I insist on her starting one and sticking to it?  It's probably kinda difficult for her because she has 3 kids of her own and at times they are sick and we all know at that point.........everything changes.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Carol

[Layla]

Hi & welcome

Can you tell me what his daytime schedule looks like? How many naps, how long, etc...

I don't think you need to introduce the DF now if you haven't done in before... it might be that he is waking due an incorrect EASY routine. How often is he fed?

Layla

[GagesMommy]

Thank you so much!  I want to add something, I know my little guy is not hungry during the night because he is not waking up for a bottle.  I cut that out about 2 weeks ago when I realized after feeding him half and then going to burp him, he wasn't interested in the rest of it.  His days are as follows:
usually a nap 1.5 to 2 hrs after getting up in the morning, down for 1.0 to 1.5 hrs. Bottle around 10:00 - 10:30 down again around 11:30-12:00 for another 1.0 to 1.5 hrs, another bottle around 12:30-1:00 and then at this point it probably gets a little sticky.  My sitter has to go pick up 2 children, she has to leave her house at 2:15, this may mess with Gage-I'm not sure.  Lately when I arrive he is either doing another bottle or has just finished one (around 5:30).  I have just introduced cereal and a fruit in the evening about 2 weeks ago and she just this week has started giving him a veggie at the 1:00ish and some applesauce with his morning bottle (the one at 10ish).

I just want to know what I can do to help my little guy out, he breaks my heart moaning and grunting.  I know he's fine but if i can help I want to.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Layla]

Ok so I do think this is more of a routine issue.

I think you should aim for 2 long naps & a catnap. Does she offer him a catnap at all?

Something like this:

7am - wakes (or a little earlier) & bottle
9-10.30/11 - morning nap (1.5-2hrs long)
11am - bottle
12.30/1pm-2/2.30pm - afternoon nap (1.5-2hrs long)
3pm - bottle
4.30/5pm-5:15/5:45 - catnap (45mins no more)
7/7.30pm - bottle & bed

I am also a little on the solids.... is this something that was recommended or are you thinking he is hungry & it will help with the night wakings? If you spread the feeds out to every 4hrs, he will take more in as it could be that he is waking from hunger at night (they also go through big growth spurts around 3-4months). It could also be that he is waking from the discomfort of eating solids. I would stick to cereal in the morning (if you absolutely feel that he needs solids) but not much more than that.

So I would talk to the sitter & see if she can offer the afternoon nap & catnap around those times as well as feeding him every 4hrs.

I just want to know what I can do to help my little guy out, he breaks my heart moaning and grunting.  I know he's fine but if i can help I want to.

You are no doubt doing a fantastic job!!! He's a gorgeous little boy

[GagesMommy]

Thank you SO much for your help.  I will have a chat with her and see if she can do this for me.  The solids were recommended by his Ped so I'm following his advice.  Maybe I should just let her do his cereal in the morning and in the evening when I get him home play, feed him his bottle, bath and then bed.  I'd think he's getting enough to eat throughout the day, he is taking in 35 oz of formula along with some solids.  However, there are days when he only takes in 28 oz.  Anyway, I really appreciate your advice and I will put it to use to see if it works.
Thanks -
Carol

[Layla]

Well if the ped rec then i guess its ok. Also if you are finding you have to replug the paci in to get him back to sleep it could be a prop. Is weaning something you want to do? Would probably have to do pu/pd to help him out.

[GagesMommy]

Last night I gave him a half a bottle of peaches at 6:30 and no bottle (because he had just had 7oz at 5:15), that was a total of 28 oz of formula, peaches, cereal, sweet potatoes & applesauce for the day.  He went to bed just fine at 7:15 but then did his moaning every 2 hours last night.  For the most part I just went in and laid my hand on his back so that he knew I was there and he fell back asleep.  (Yes, Gage sleeps on his tummy - I KNOW, I KNOW - NOT recommended but that was introduced to him when he was 5 weeks old and that's the only way he will sleep now).  I think I will totally cut out the solids in the evening with me and just let his sitter give them to him during the day.  Maybe this will help him at night - gonna try it.
I don't want the paci to turn into a prop but I also don't want to "shock" him with all these changes at once (no more bottle throughout the night, solids.....)  I think I will allow the binky for a bit longer, could be making a mistake but I'll just have to wait and find out.   

Carol

[Layla]

I think he's having too much solids . All that moaning could be from the discomfort. He should really only be trying baby cereal (if that at 5 months). Why did your ped recommend solids so early? Jasmine was in the 25% percentile until she was 12 months old & I didn't introduce anything until she was 6-7 months. She was sleeping 5-6hr stretches at 6 months... so I would back up on the solids & push more for milk

[GagesMommy]

I think you are right, I think he may be getting too much also.  At 4 months he told me to start with rice cereal and once he took to that "the sky is the limit".  He said that people will tell me that he has to start with fruits then veggies....... he says "not true".  Gage has taken to the rice cereal so now we are on to baby food but I think I am going to cut back a little.  He had his bottle tonight, bath and then off to bed straight up at 7:30.  Guess I'll just wait and see what tonight brings!