question about cluster feeding

[smck]

I have started the 3 hr easy routine and is going pretty well.  I just wanted to check what happens between the 4,6 and 8pm feeds??  Do I just reduce ds sleep time and awaken him early to feed ie 2 hrly instead of 3 hrly?

[momofclaire]

Hi,
Could you post how old your baby is and his current routine?  Generally there would be a cat nap in the evening not a regular nap, depending on his age.

[smck]

He will be 10 weeks old on xmas eve.  Generally he awakes about 630/7am.  He then has 3 hrly feeds, which take about 1/2 hr to 40 mins and he has up to an 1 hour activity after this, depending on mood. He then sleeps for 1/2 to 2 hrs. This was day and night as I haven't cracked the cluster feeding yet. When I've tried the 2 hrly feeding, he has some activity and then its almost time for feeding again, eating into sleep time and resulting in a cranky baby!
Hope you can help!

[momofclaire]

At 10 weeks his routine could look something like this.

E-7:00 wake and eat
A- until 8:00 (all awake time counts as activity) then begin windown
S- 8:30 (1.5 hours)
E- 10:00 wake and eat
A- until 11:00 then begin windown
S- 11:30 (1.5 hours)
E- 1:00 wake and eat
A- until 2:00 then being windown (do you see a pattern here  )
S- 2:30 (1.5 hours)
E- 4:00 wake and eat
A-
S- 5:15 cat nap (30-40 minutes)
E- 6:00 eat
E- 7:00 eat then bedtime
E- 10:00 dream feed

I think he is probably cranky because he is overtired.  As you can see, he needs a lot more sleep during the day than he is getting.  His A time should probably be no longer than 1.5 hours which includes the feed.  Do you have a windown routine?  Have you tried to extend short naps?

[smck]

Haven't started a windown routine. Usually just put him in his cot when he starts yawning and he may coo there for a while and then fall over.  How long should a windown be??
I'm not sure how I would extend short naps, just shush him back to sleep?? I also use the hairdryer to help him fall back over when he wakes too early.  Though, sometimes its time for feeding so I pick him up and feed him, resulting in hinm not feeding too well.

Thanks for your input so far.

[momofclaire]

The length of your windown routine really depends on the child.  Some children need 30 minutes and some need almost nothing.  The idea is to do something consistantly every night to signal that bedtime is coming.
For short naps you can try shh/pat or wake to sleep.  The first thing I would try is to get him on a routine that helps him sleep at intervals that prevent him from becoming overtired. 
Does your routine look at all like what I posted? 

[smck]

My routine is not too far away from what you posted.  I have started to put him down after an hour of being awake now. As I said I just put him down and he falls over himself.  Should I just use a wind-down routine at bedtime and not for naps during the day?  When you talk about a wind-down, is this lullaby,songs,bath ?
I wasn't feeding him at 6pm and 7 pm per your routine. I was leaving 2 hrs between feeds but will change this and see how we go.

[MJMom]

You should have a wind down routine for both.  As day sleep and night sleep are organized differently in the brain, you can have slightly different routines for both, as long as they are consistent.  i.e. nap wind down the same, bed wind down the same.  I found it easiest though to have a curtailed version of the evening routine for the nap.  So for naps, you would leave out the bath, but perhaps a story and a lullyby.

HTH

[smck]

Thanks for that.  Can I just confirm something else with the routine!?  Am I cluster feeding at 6pm then 7pm, then DF at 1030pm?  Can their stomachs handle the 6 and 7 feed so close together?

[MJMom]

That last feed is really just a top up before they go to bed.  They don't tend to eat much, but just a bit before going down.  as our DD was going from 3 hr EASY to 3.5 hr EASY, I never knew what the end of the day would look like so some days it would be a 2 hr Cluster, other days it would be the one hour.  KWIM?

HTH!

[smck]

Thanks for your help.  I'm sure I'll be posting more in the future!

Will keep you posted of how we are doing. Thanks again.