4 month night waking

[tt]

Hi...I have a 4 and a half month old who used to be able to go 9-10 hours without a feed during the night.  For the last 2 weeks since daylight savings time kicked in, she has only been going 5 hours before waking up and crying so I started feeding her thinking that it was a growth spurt.  But now that has gone for 2 weeks so I'm not sure if it's become a habit.  Last night, when she woke up at 1:00, my husband fed her a bottle (I usually breastfeed) to see if she was really hungry and she had 6 oz which is quite a bit but still woke up again at 6:00 am.

I'm wondering:
-How can you tell if it's a growth spurt or if they might need to start solids?
-How long does a growth spurt usually last?
-If it's become a habit, how do I break it? Should I be starting 4 hour EASY? I usually feed her every 3 hours to 3.5 hours depending on when she wakes up from her naps.

Thanks.

tt

[RachelC]

Can you post your daily routine with times?  Does she wake at the same time each night, or is it sporadic?  Do you do a dreamfeed?  Cluster feed?  What does she weigh?
Gorwth spurts are usually 2-3 days, sometimes a week
You do probably want to move to a 4hr easy, which could help the night wakings as well.
Sorry for all the questions, but with these answers we can find out how to help you.
~Rachel

[tt]

Hi Rachel...I'll try to answer your quesitons as best as I can but unfortunately, the routine isn't quite as routine as I would like it to be. 

My baby has just started to lengthen her naps from the usual 45 minutes so sometimes I will get up to 2.5 hours but I can also still get 45 minutes or one hour...it's not very consistent.  She also isn't able to stay awake for very long at a time.  I thought at 4 months, I could have a bit more awake time with her but generally after about an hour, I put her down because she's already tired. I've read the the average sleep is 15 hours or so for her age but she sometimes gets up to 17 hours during the day. I have tried to keep her up for a bit longer but then she just gets fussy so I've just decided to put her down when she gets tired.

As for her wakings...they are about an hour apart. Usually between 12:00 am and 1:00 am is when she'll wake up.  I generally let her cry for about 10 minutes just to be sure that she's not just trying to settle down again but when her cry escalates I go feed her. 

I don't do a dreamfeed. I have tried a number of times but it's impossible to get her awake enough to eat.  And I do cluster feed.  My feeds are consistent even though her naps are so my EASY is just a bit off but I usually feed her at 7:30 am, 10:30 am, 1:30 pm, 4:30 pm, 6:00 pm, and then bedtime at 7:30 pm.

Her weight is 15 pounds right now.

When moving to the 4 hour EASY is there a period where there might be more night wakings as the baby is getting used to less feedings or do they just automatically feed more per feeding because they aren't fed as often.  And with the 4 hour EASY, do you still clusterfeed? And if so, what would be the time inbetween? 

Thanks.

tt

[teezee]

i think that lo's def thrive on routine... and as they get older (for most anyway) it does become more imperative for their lives to be 'predictable'. i do believe that getting lo to a 4 hr routine will help a lot with the night wakings..do make sure you make a slow transition so lo can adapt easily without being hungry, 15 min at a time is a great start - if lo can handle longer than go for longer extend the time every few days until you are there!  if after a week or so (after extending), lo is still waking through the night then you may have to do some sleep training..pu/pd, shh pat, whatever you feel comfortable with trying. also, i had a hard time grasping this when i was transitioning to a 4 hr routine but lo will be taking more at each feeding as the belly won't be as full and will be sustain itself for longer periods (nighttime )  i would not recommend starting solids as of yet - lo is still fairly young for them and you may then have lo waking up crying at night b/c of cramps, gas, tummy aches, constipation, etc..if lo's digestive system isn't fully developed as of yet b/c she is so young.

have you tried giving some gripe water to see if lo is wakng b/c of discomfort??