Author Topic: Should I tackle the first night waking first? 8mo  (Read 851 times)

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Offline MissusBee

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Should I tackle the first night waking first? 8mo
« on: October 14, 2013, 06:22:06 am »
Hello,

My 8mo has always woken a lot (2-6 times) at night and I have always bf him back to sleep.  I'm going back to work soon and determined to stop this and encourage him to STTN (or at least sleep in longer stretches).

His daytime routine is as follows:

6.30am (often earlier) wake up and bf
8am breakfast
9.00- 9.30am nap 1
11am wake up and milk (formula)
12noon lunch
2.30-3pm nap 2 (always shorter than nap 1 - 30- 60 mins)
4.30pm dinner
6pm bf, bath and bed
7pm aim to be asleep

I have used PUPDto great effect at BT and he now goes into cot awake and normally goes off to sleep himself in about 30 mins (sometimes needs a hand on back)

Naps are a different story and are always in the pushchair or car- another battle I am yet to win!

How should I go about tackling NWs? Is there a particular order?  ds usually wakes about 11.30pm and about 3-4am, the other wakings are random. 

I have tried not feeding him at each to varying success- the 11.30 one has been the hardest so far.  Others I or DH has managed with anywhere between 10 mins and 2 hrs PU/PD.

Any pointers much appreciated x

Offline MissusBee

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Re: Should I tackle the first night waking first? 8mo
« Reply #1 on: October 14, 2013, 06:25:08 am »
Sorry forgot to say, he also has an afternoon milk feed (formula) when he wakes from nap 2. 


Offline jessmum46

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Re: Should I tackle the first night waking first? 8mo
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2013, 12:30:10 pm »
I would take the approach of not feeding more frequently than 4h overnight as he should be able to go at least as long between feeds as he can during the day. 

So make a note of the time you start your BT feed, say 6pm, and then note when 4h later would be (10pm).  If he wakes before 10pm you use PUPD to resettle him all the way to sleep even if it takes you past 10pm.  Even better you get your DH to do it as he isn't able to give in and feed ;).  Once it is past 10pm, if LO wakes you go in and feed straight away and make a note of the next 4h marker, say you fed LO at 10.30pm then the next marker would be 2.30am. 

The reason for doing it this way is that I think it's a bit tough on LOs who have been used to being nursed frequently overnight to suddenly have everything taken away.  But what they need to learn is that nursing is for food, not just comfort, and also that they don't get nursed just because they put up a fight for long enough.  What you should see if you are consistent and using the age-appropriate form if PUPD is that LO should start to wake only when he genuinely needs a feed :)

Routine wise I think you could probably do with pushing your am nap a touch later to discourage the EWs and therefore push out your second nap a touch too, meaning the stretch to BT isn't quite so long after a short nap x