When will the night feedings decrease?

[jezni]

Hi! I have a 2 1/2 month old son and he was generally going to bed at 10:00-11:00 at night and sleeping for 4 hours before needing to eat. Then is back down quickly but back up in 2 hours and generally then for the day. However the last few days he is up every 2 hours to eat. Well at least I think that is what he wants. I offer the boob and he takes it. He is not crying or anything just awake and eating his hands. Although he does that constantly now so hard to tell the cues. He is not underweight by any means so could he just be having a growth spurt at this time and hence the increased wake ups? Also with regards to "bedtime" if I put him to bed at 7:00-8:00 after he has eaten and had some activity time he is up at his usual 2 hour mark to eat. Generally anything before 10:00-11:00 is not a true bedtime for him. How can I increase this time span so I can have an evening to myself without entertaining him.

[Jaime]

hi,

i think that's the point where i started slowly cranking bedtime back for my kids.  i was doing a feed around 10pm, and then off to bed.  to make bedtime earlier, i would start the feed about 15 minutes earlier (9:45pm) and then off to bed.  i'd do that for a few days, and then move it back 15 minutes earlier.  by around 3 months old bedtime was around 8pm and has been ever since.

if he wakes in the middle of the night and isn't crying, i'd leave him.  it may be that he will just drift off to sleep by himself.  i always kinda waited until they demanded attention at night before i would go in there (though if there was crying involved i went right away).

HTH   

[jezni]

So eventually he will make a bedtime for himself I guess is the answer. If I feed him at 8:00 lets say he will play or abit then go to sleep but is not down for the count. He will be up again by 10:00-11:00 looking for food again. So should I just stick with the usual routine and hope soon he himself will change it? Yes, I think when he wakes at night I need to leave him and see if he will go back to sleep. Although if it is after 4 hours I think he is hungry so I go in automatically. Little ones are so hard to read at times. They need a manual....LOL..
Thanks for your response.

[Jaime]

i guess i wasn't too clear either 

by cranking back the bedtime myself, I was the one who was setting the biological clock, as it were.  i did it the way i did because it was much better for my mental health to have them learn to sleep 11pm-7am (or 10pm-6am) first and then slowly crank bedtime back earlier, keeping that later wake time.  both kids were voracious eaters during the day, and i cluster fed in the evening to tank them up.  but i was the one who was setting bedtime, if that makes sense.  if luke could have picked i think he would've been happier as a night owl (i foresee many arguments when he's a teenager!  LOL)

[jezni]

Well his schedule varies but generally he eats every 2 hours during the day unless he is in motion... car, stroller for example then he can go longer. I have attempted a DF recently and he would not eat just slept. However lastnight for example he went to bed around 9:40 and I fed him at 11:30 and then he was up at 4:00 to eat. It is just that if he goes to bed at 8:00 he will generally wake himself up to eat in time for the 2 hour time liit. His routine is eat, play and then sleep for about 30-40 minutes then up to eat. All this in the 2 hour time span. That is his ritual all day regardless of wake up time.

[The Vern]

Just a comment re: the dream feed - you might have better success with you lo taking food while still asleep if you express milk and feed in a bottle. It's very hard to do a df on the boob. I agree with prior comments that it's you that have to decide when bedtime is. I think at that age, our dd's bedtime was 7:30, df at around 10:30 or 11 and then up once in the night around 3, awake at 7.  I did boob and bottle.

[jezni]

No he was not premature and was actually 8 days late weighing 9lbs 1oz at birth and is now at least 14lbs. Just yesterdy he started going 2 1/2-3 hours between daytime feedings!! This is exciting! However at night he is going 4 hours before needing a first feed and then generally one more 3 1/2-4 hours. So for example lastnight he was to bed at 9:30 after eating at 9:00 and up at 1:30 for a feed. Then he was back up at 4:00 for another then up at 6:30 for the day feeding at 7:30. So I think he is getting on track slowly! But this new time frame could have just been a good day. I would like to cut one out at night but is it too early?