Can you help tweak please?

[Laineybobs]

Looking for some help with our EASY please as I feel it's a bit off but I can't see how to change it! Baby is now 6 months (26 weeks) old and EBF. We stared solids 2 weeks ago - just breakfast and lunch for now. He took to it will and seems to enjoy his food.

The problem I am having is his nighttime sleep and some totally erratic waking and I'm not sure how to deal with them! The other issue I have though I'm not necessarily sure if it's bad or not is that his A time in the morning does not allow me to stay on 4 hour easy?! Though at the 3.5hr wake time we do get a full 2hr nap from him!! I'll post yesterday (though it wasn't a tupeical day and we were out and about)and today below for an example:

Yesterday:
Woke @5am so fed to get back to sleep and slept til 710

E 710
A solids @ 830
S 1045 (40 min nap in car)
Y

E 1145
A
S 1400 (30 mins in car)
Y

E 1430 and then solids @ 1500
A
S 620pm

We then had waking at 930 ( which hubby dealt with) and then 1am where I fed - so he had gone nearly 7hrs between feeds); then waking at 4am where again wouldn't settle without a feed:

Woke 650 - BF at 715
A - cereal @ 830
Gave him a top up feed at 10am as was worried he wouldn't be full enough for nap
S 1035 - slept 2 hours
Y

E 1230
A - lunch at 230pm
Top up feed at 330
S 4pm (capped at 45 mins)
Y

E 5pm
A - bath @ 6pm

He will probably go down about 715ish I would think?

I have been trying to phase out the 10pm feed as when he goes on it's for a few mins at a time at the most!! So been reducing that one by a min or so every couple of nights with hope to drop it in a few days time! He really doesn't take much in the night feeds either - 5 mins max i would say! For most part I think he is using it a a self settling tool!

My problems are the top up feeds - I feel
Like they put me wrong as he is never really hungry enough for a full BF! Also I'm going back to work soon so it's not practical!! Any suggestions you can make??

[creations]

Hi

Your EASY looks pretty good really.
A couple of questions:
1. I take it there is a BT BF in there which you just forgot to record? So last feed of the day is BT.
2. Is there a reason you are capping the afternoon nap at 45 mins?  Most 6 month olds will sleep two full naps of 1.5-2hrs - have you found this not to work for your LO?  Is he well rested on the one long nap and one CN?
3. When you go to work what do you plan for the milk feeds in the day? Will you express BM for a minder to give in a bottle or are you planning to move to mix feeding with formula during the day and BF at WU, BT and NFs?

I'll try to answer some of your questions, the additional information would help us get an overall picture and perhaps answer you more individually.

The problem I am having is his nighttime sleep and some totally erratic waking and I'm not sure how to deal with them!

I'm not really seeing a lot of NWs in the EASYs you posted, perhaps there are other nights it is worse?  If there are lots of NWs in the early part of the night sleep it can be caused by some OT, letting LO nap longer for nap 2 might help, have you tried that second nap a bit earlier? Say 3.30?.

The other issue I have though I'm not necessarily sure if it's bad or not is that his A time in the morning does not allow me to stay on 4 hour easy?! Though at the 3.5hr wake time we do get a full 2hr nap from him!!

It's fine for milk feeds to stretch longer than the 4hrs now that solids come between. The longer A times and naps mean that many will move to 5hr E for milk but it depends on the individual, how long an A tiem they need, how long they sleep, how they take to solids. it's fine. Your LO obviously likes a long A time in the morning before that first nap so he sleep well

He really doesn't take much in the night feeds either - 5 mins max i would say!

I can ask someone with more experience of BF to stop by if you like but it is my understanding that at this age they can be super efficient eaters and 5 mins may well be a full feed.  It is normal to have 1 or 2 night feeds.  You're getting at least one long stretch between E at night which is normal.

My problems are the top up feeds - I feel
Like they put me wrong as he is never really hungry enough for a full BF!

The feeds you labelled "top up" on your EASY I consider to be normal feeds at roughly the right times.
Although your LO has started taking some solids his main food is still milk. He will need 4 full milk feeds per day (roughly 7,11,3,7 but obviously moved to fit with naps) plus 1 or 2 during the night.  You have given the "11am" milk at 10am because you knew his nap was coming so you fitted it in a bit early, this is exactly right   When you return to work it will be these two feeds which need to be given by the the child minder either expressed breast milk or first stage formula in a bottle.  it is your choice.  Your LO is too young to drop any milk feeds or replace them with solids though, if you try to reduce day milk feeds the chances are you will see increased night feeding when LO tries to catch up on missed calories.

E 1230
A - lunch at 230pm

I would just bring this lunch earlier so that solids come around 1hr after milk feed. Either:
- give the solids lunch at 12.30 rather than milk because LO had a milk feed at 10 prior to nap (without a nap being in the way milk could be at 11 and solids at 12 ish) and then the next milk feed is roughly 3pm
or
- if LO is too hungry at 12.30 having woken from the nap and really wants milk then do an additional milk feed at 12.30 (as you did) and lunch at 1.30pm.  The next milk feed comes at 3pm
(young babies can easily refuse solids when they are very hungry and want milk instead, so it depends how your LO responds to being offered lunch right after nap)


hope this helps

[Laineybobs]

Thanks for your reply!! A quick update from last night : had a bath at 6 and then fed one side, was still quite awake so let him be up for a while and then took him up at 715 and he fed the other side and was asleep by 746. He then slept through until 410 when he had a feed and went back to sleep until 645?

To answer your questions!! Yes I Bf just before bed, he normally Falls asleep but I try to rouse him slightly betore I put him down;

I capped the second nap as he seems to need a 3hr awake time before bed and I am trying to maintain a 7/730 bedtime and worry if I give him longer he would  woke up happy a wee while after bedtime? Or bedtime would be too late? What do you think?? He seems to manage ok to Bt on the sleep he's getting but then maybe  It contributes to the NW?  They can often happen at 10,1,4,530...with last night being a first where he slept through that long!!

When I go back to wok I plan on expressed milk! When would he be dropping to three feeds roughly? And when would I introduce dinner?

I might try the nap earlier today and give him an hoUr? He woke at 645 today and went to sleep at 1020? So hoping for 2hrs just now! So could try for 3hr awake time and go for 315 nap??

Thank you for your reassurance about time between feeds! That was my main worry!!

[creations]

I capped the second nap as he seems to need a 3hr awake time before bed and I am trying to maintain a 7/730 bedtime and worry if I give him longer he would  woke up happy a wee while after bedtime? Or bedtime would be too late? What do you think?? He seems to manage ok to Bt on the sleep he's getting but then maybe  It contributes to the NW?  They can often happen at 10,1,4,530...with last night being a first where he slept through that long!!

If you are absolutely sure he needs 3hrs A before BT and do not want BT to move later then you can continue to cap the nap, ending it at 4pm, but I would try to start the nap a bit earlier so that he gets a bit more sleep. It's possible if you put him down earlier he will do an UT CN anyway and you won't need to wake him but he will wake naturally, then do the 3hrs to BT.
For us BT changed a few times, when naps were dropped it went earlier and when sleep needs changed and A times were longer BT moved later.  Swings and roundabouts really, sometimes they do better on a longer nap and a slightly shorter night rather than the shorter nap and longer night.  I wouldn't go past 8pm if BT moved later but I was flexible up to that time for his changing routine.
It's a balance of what suits your LO and what you'd prefer for your family routine.

When I go back to wok I plan on expressed milk! When would he be dropping to three feeds roughly? And when would I introduce dinner?

Solids meals will usually increase to three meals by 8 months. If your LO is interested earlier and milk intake doesn't drop it's fine to introduce the third meal earlier.  You then have 4 day time milk feed plus 3 solids meals plus a night feed. The night feed is the first to drop although some continue one BF at night until 12 months.
Dropping milk feeds in the day - I would suggest dropping night feeds first.  If there are no night feeds then you can see 1 or 2 of the day feeds (the mid morning and mid afternoon, so roughly 11am and 3pm) switch to a solids snack plus a drink of water at around 10 or 11 months, this is drop of one or both of those milk feeds is usually signalled by LO, they might show little interest in one of the feeds or drop the intake across more than one feed at that time switching one to a snack can help to keep milk intake up on the other milk feeds. Hope this helps.
You might also want to try introducing a bottle well before returning to work - it can take some time to adapt.  A post on the BF board could be very helpful to get experience, tips and support from those who have already done this.