First step..?

[nancy_lanthier]

HI,

My 4 month old has been sleeping through the night since 2 wks old, I am very lucky. She is starting to change and get older....she is still on a 3 hr feedings (fourmula), 6 bottles of 5 oz, solids (about 1 tbs twice)  which we are working on increasing to 4 hr, by waiting it out for 15 min etc....till she gets there.

My concern is (I do still rock her to sleep) or in swing. have tried the PU/PD method for her naps, which result in her sleeping the famous 45 min, I do wind her down in her room with soft music etc....She is now waking up so far only once during the night, usually after 4am.,(still in a bassinet at the end of my bed) I try to pat or at the end rock her back to sleep, which she gets up 20 min later again. I try not to feed her till at least 6am.  Her usual wake up was around 7 and last bottle around 9:30. So I am thinking step 1 should be getting her on a 4 hr feeds before I change how she is put to bed for naps. She is usually a very happy baby during the day for sleeping so little. I realize that an overtired baby can make nightime sleep difficult..? I have recently reversed on naps by putting her in her crib after rocked , then swing for her middle nap so she catches up on sleep, then crib.

So please suggestions on step 1 would be very appreciated! 

[Erin M]

It wouldn't be totally unusual for her to need another feed again at the 4 month mark (even if she was sleeping through prior to that - many moms have similar experiences at that point in time).  There's a huge growth spurt at 4 months and if she's settling only to wake again 20 minutes later, my guess would be that she's genuinely hungry.  The fact that she's sleeping so soundly until 4 AM tells me that she's ok for now with the rocking.  I would try to wean it as you are already doing, but I don't think that it's causing your wakings.  Is the swing moving?  You could also try slowing the swing and then just having her in it stopped, and eventually moving her back to her crib.  I'd probably focus on getting her to sleep independently for one of her naps, and do what you need to for the other ones.  I'd also work on pushing her A time towards the 2 hour mark which should help with the 45 minute naps.  What do you think?