any red flags in this schedule?

[legend_018]

Ok Chaunda just turned 5 months. I think I try most days to get her on some kind of schedule and try very hard to get her to nap. She has reflux and for "ages" during the day, will only eat between 2 and 4oz. She also eats anywhere between 2-3 hours. Sometimes more. Here is her schedule starting at bed time last night:

Note*Had 18oz so far today, so definetely expecting a wake up tonight.
Every since I moved her bed time more toward 8pm instead of 9pm - she's been getting up 2ce. Even with a dream feed, which in some ways she's doing on her own "11:30pm one night", 10:30pm another night". She's almost 13lbs and is gaining weight just great. She has also been on neocate for 3 days now, prior was Alimentum. She was in a fairly good mood today and I didn't think her reflux was too bad. I did end up having to use the swing for 2 of the naps. One was because I was busy and the other - well she was getting so mad at me while trying to put her down and I knew she needed one, or at least I thought.

bed 8:00pm
11:30pm - 5.5oz
back to bed

4:15am - 2oz 'really wanted this'. many mornings I have decided she didn't need to have more formula until a little later in the morning and because of her being a little unsettled will get her to sleep in my bed with me for a little while -usually with pacifier at this point.

back to bed
up 6:15amish
7:15am 3.5oz
8-9:45am nap. Boy did I luck out "lol"
eat 10:15am - 3oz
1/2 hour nap somewhere in between here - actually less I think. She was rather crabby. I was on the phone. I put her in the swing and she took a short nap.
up I think 12:15
eat 12:40 - 2oz
sleep 2:40pm
up 3/3:15 and eating by 3:15 "3oz"
sleep 5:15-5:45 - I woke her
6:15 - 3oz and cereal
7:40 - 2oz. She seemed to really want this. Even finished the bottle. But since we stopped - when I tried to make one more oz for her - she didn't want it. Lots of times, once she stops or the bottle runs out - she won't have anymore. I can't be wasting the neocate either ya know?
Sleeping by 8:20pm which is a bit later than usual.

I've been getting her into bed usually between 7:50pm and 8:10pm lately.
She seems pretty happy when she eats her cereal most of the time. It's looks like she's enjoying it. Even after she doesn't want to drink anymore of her bottle.

Any red flags sleeping wise or eating wise or in her schedule in general. She doesn't necessarily have the same schedule every day, but fairly similiar.


small update: 12:10am - eating now, had 4oz so far

[MJMom]

To me the red flag is how often and how little quantity she is eating at her age, but I do not have a lot of experience with Reflux and I know that throws a little monkey wrench in the works.  I'll see if I can get a reflux mod to take a look too and see if we can work this out together.  I don't feel comfortable giving advice on a routine when I know your child has reflux.

[donna_issabella]

Hi Mary,

WOW, Chaunda 5 months already?? Time sure does fly!!

Can you just run by me how her reflux is being managed at the moment? Is she on the neocate because she is MPI?

When Henry was 5 months old, he was on a 4hour EASY, or mostly his A times were never longer than 2 hours, bearly 2 actually. But then again he is a young man who always loved his sleep. especially daytime sleep. He was on two naps a day and a catnap. he dropped his catnap at 6.5-7 months.

I always go by if Henry sleeps 30 minute naps, it shows me he is overtired. If he naps 45 minutes and wake up crabby, I know his A time needs tweaking. I usually do it with 5 minute increments.

Do you feel Chaunda's reflux is under control?

[MJMom]

Generally, I think she has a habit of snacking and it is interfering with her napping and generally having a good routine with enough rest.  When she eats every 2-3 hours at this age, she doesn't have enough time for both a good solid A time and a good 1.5 - 2 hr nap.  At this age she should be able to go 4 hrs between feeds and eat 5-7 oz at a time.  I know sometimes that is a little difficult for LO's with Reflux, but I would think at least 3.5 hrs between feeds.

How is it going?

[eilla05]

Hi there. i have a 6 month old who also has reflux and his been on meds for it since he was a month old. Anyway..

My son used to do the same thing as yours snacking it seemed all through the day. He would eat about every 3 hours and about 3 oz. but then it was like pulling teeth to get him to eat even then and there were days he would only eat 15 oz a day. He also did the if you didnt make it in his bottle then he didnt want it. he couldnt stop and then start again.

 Numerous doc trips later I decided to try and feed him less often instead of more often and guess what it WORKED!! I just started to increase the time of him eating by 30 minutes each day until we were going 5 hours which we are now... I know its not the standard Easy but it works for us. Now he is eating 6-7oz every 5 hours and sleeping through the night(7p-7a) no wakings after his last bottle of the night around 8. Although we have been having problems with him waking and not wanting to go back to sleep for a little over week now.

Anyway you LO sounds just like mine.

She seems to catnap to much to. You might want to work on making sure she is getting true naps and not cat naps during the day and then try pushing her feedings 4-5 hours apart.
We are on a predictable routine now and I wont feed him before 5 hours now and it seems to have worked. I am less stressed about his eating and he seems to do great to.

OH and the solid thing. Greyson eats them 2x day about 2 hours after his bottle. Since he doesnt eat enough formula I dont do them at the same time as he will fill on one and not want the other.

[legend_018]

I know her naps are horrendous today, although yesterday they were pretty good.
here is my best attempt at holding her off

7:15pm bed
11pm eat - 6oz
5am eat - 4oz
7:15am up
8:50am + cereal - 3oz
SLEEP 10:50am to 11:30am
EAT 12:30 - 3oz
12:55 still up

[legend_018]

Well she fell asleep at 1:10pm and as usual, she woke up 50 minutes later. Luckily Chayse was sleeping and I got her back down within mintutes. It's 2:20pm now and she's still sleeping so hopefully I can at least get one nap out of her.

[legend_018]

well this was her schedule today. Not too bad right? I really tried hard to hold her off but just sort of went with the flow at night, as I want her to be nice and full for bed time. I think the UP time this morning was quite long. Usually it's only 2 hours. Man every day is different with her:

7:15pm bed
EAT 11pm - 6oz
EAT 5am - 4oz
UP 7:15am
EAT 8:50am 3oz + cereal
SLEEP 10:50am to 11:30am
EAT 12:30 - 3oz
SLEEP 1:10pm - 3pm
EAT 3:30 - 4.5oz
SLEEP 4:50pm to 5:25pm in swing. Wanted a cat nap because I didn't want her up time to be too long again like it was this morning.
EAT 5:45pm - 2.5oz + cereal
EAT 7:10pm - 1.5oz. I would rather a 7pm bed time, but I thought I'd see if she wanted any.
SLEEP 7:30pm

[MJMom]

Do you generally have her morning routine start at 8:50ish? Or is that variable based on what time she eats in the middle of the night?

The times between feeds look a lot better.  She has time to get some decent napping in between feeds.  When you feed her cereal, is it at the same time as the milk?  Or before or after?

Also, you did point out that she had a long wake time.  At that age, the A time should be about 2 hrs-ish, so ideally it would look something like this:
7:15 Awake and Milk
8:15 cereal (at this point it is just for practice, so you want to make sure she gets mostly milk)
9:15 sleep
10:45 awake
11:15 milk
12:15 cereal (optional)
1:15 sleep
2:45 awake
3:15 milk
4:30 catnap
5:15 cereal (optional)
6:30 milk
7:00 bed

HTH – albeit a “Schedule” is an idealized version of reality, something about like that is what you should be shooting for.