How can I get to 4hr feeding?

[maraya]

LO is 17weeks old and we're having 3-4 sometimes 5 NW which are driving my eyeballs batty, and he is only having 3x45 minute naps during the day. I try to push him past the 45 min mark, but he's hungry so it doesnt work.

What is the best way to push him out to 4hrly feeds?

Sample routine looks something like this: (nights are never consistent so its not worth entering any info about them)

E 7am
A
S 8.40 for 8.50 sleep approx
E 9.30/45
A
S 11.20/30 approx
E 12.45/1pm
A
S 3pm
E 4pm
A
E 6pm
A Bedtime ritual
E 6.30 (top up)
S 7pm

At night when he wakes I am still feeding him back to sleep, so sometimes he takes a ful feed (approx 2xnight, and the remainder its just a 2 minute topup to resettle him... I've been too tired to try shh/pat during the night).. Could that hold us back from achieving 4hrly feeds?

 

Many thanks,
Maraya

[Tay]

Hi Maraya,
have you cheked this info out yet?
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=120362.0

What I done with DS was to start streching out one feed at a time. So say he would have fed at 7am and would have usually fed again at 10am. I started pushing it by 5 or 10min (whiever he could cope ok) and kept the other feeds at 3hrs intervals.
When I was feeding him at 7am and then at 10.45am I started pushing the second feed by 5 or 10min and so on. Does that make sense?

About his NWs...?
Does he sleep independently for his daytime naps and BT or do you feed him to sleep?
How well does he feed during the day?
xxx

[mberry]

I used the same guide Tay suggested, which is a great starting point, except did 10 minute increments only because DD is so easy going and flexible.  However, she wasn't able to get to a 4 hour EASY until she started solids at about 5 1/2 months.  So we stayed at a 3 1/2 hour EASY for quite a while.

[~ Vik ~]

Was going to mention the same thing as mberry - breastfed babies often need more frequent feeds than their formula fed counterparts because breastmilk is so easily digested.  For example, my ds was on a 3h routine until 4.5mo, then a 3.5h routine until 5.5mo.  He really only made it to 4h between feeds when we started solids, and that's not unusual!  Just remember to follow his cues - if he's giving you clear hungry signs then you should feed regardless of the clock

Tay's suggestion for how to stretch feeds is fantastic, and by starting one feed at a time it allows you and your ds to adjust to the new routine gradually