Tanking up

[Marciesmurf]

I have an 18 week old baby boy who feeds at regular 4 hour intervals during the day.  Around 5 o'clock he used to get really cranky and so i introduced tanking up.  We are still doing this now but wondered if he really needs it at this age?  When he gets up at 7am- feeding every four hrs means he feeds at 3pm and then can legitimately go to 7pm without another feed (breastfed during the day, bottles at night) but sometimes he gets up at 6am which means he would feed at 2pm and 6pm- his last feed is normally at 7pm- do i feed him at 6pm and 7pm??? He currently has been feeding at 7pm and then once again between 11pm and 1am and then thats him for the night.

Just wondered whether to continue tanking up until i wean him at 6 months?

regards

Marisa

[Khalam's Mama]

I think he is getting old (think Tracy recommends only until 8weeks old) for the cluster feeding and if he is managing to sleep through after the 11-1pm feed I would concentrate on a dream feed maybe? Are you doing this as part of the tanking up? If he sometimes wakes at 11pm maybe do it at 10.45pm to catch him before he wakes and so not disturb his sleep.

[Tay]

Hiya,
Just wanted to ask a couple of questions to get a better picture:
- When you don't feed him at 5pm what happens in terms of his nightime sleeping/feeding? Does he wake up in the middle of the night looking for an extra feed or does he STTN the same?
- does your LO still CN at around 5pm? (I'm wondering if maybe it's tiredness rather than hunger, DD#1 was always like that!)
- when he wakes up at 6am- does he want fed there and then or have you tried to hold him off until 7am? (my LO sometimes wakes up at 6.20am but I can hold him off until 6.50am or so to feed him)
- I'm taking that the 11pm/1am feed is not a DF, so, does he wake up for this feed? Have you tried to do a DF?

xxx