6 month old waking every 3 hours... Like clockwork!

[Louismummy]

Hi,

My little boy is 6 months and until recently was walking every hour through the night. I decided to go cold turkey with the dummy and follow the step by step instructions in the book to get us back on track with EASY.  He isn't waking every hour now (yay) but is still waking every 3 hours like clockwork..... He feeds and goes right back to sleep. He does genuinely seem hungry.... But I could be wrong. He is EBF and we introduced solids a few weeks ago which seems to be doing well. At night he goes down awake and puts himself to sleep very quickly but wakes at 10, 1, and 4. He went to bed half an hour early this evening as he was very tired and just woke at 9.30.

Daytime naps aren't as easy, I have to do PU/PD to get him off, he wakes after 40 mins and I'll do PU/PD to extend.

Our daytime schedule varies due to different activities but we generally try to follow 4 hour EASY. Whatever seems to happen in the day he wakes every 3 hours at night.

I know I should be grateful he isn't waking every hour now (believe me I am) but I was wondering if anyone thought every 3 hours is still too much for a 6 month old??

He has also just started to wake up early for the day at 5:30/6:00am (previously was 7:30/8) I just normally put some soft toys in his cot and he'll quite happily play until 6:30/7)

He sleeps in his own room and is textbook/ Angel.

Anyone have any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.....

Xx

[debo620]

Is it possible that he is overtired for night?

Also, I think that if you feed at every waking, he will continue to wake because he is used to getting the calories then. My only thought it to maybe do a dream feed before he wakes for it, so maybe at 9:30 and then do PUPD at the 1 am wake, feed at the 4 am wake. You will have to swap some of those calories back to the day.

[Louismummy]

Thanks Deb. I hadn't being doing a dream feed because he'd always totally wake up. I'll re-read the dream feed chapter and see if that makes any difference.

I'd do anything for 8 hours kip!!

Thank you x

[debo620]

I don't do the dream feed either. I just thought it might work for you because that way he is getting the calories without the habit. I'm just thinking its kind of a mixed message to feed at 10 when he wake but not at 1 if you know what I mean.
He doesn't need to eat every three hours but I do think that two feeds is pretty common.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

What does his whole day look like typically?  Night feeds aside, the EW bit makes me wonder if he needs longer A times? I have been finding here we get happy EW's when she doesn't get enough A time in the day (she is super low sleep needs though!).

I agree Deb, with an ebf baby night feeds can stick around for awhile. For solids are you feeding them before or after a bf?

[Louismummy]

I'm giving him solids after BF and we're doing baby led weaning (mainly because he won't have anything from a spoon) he wants to pick everything up himself.

Normal day would look something like:
E 7:00am bf, followed by breakfast
A
S 9:00 I'll need to do PU/PD and he'll sleep for 40 mins, (sometimes) i'll do PU/PD again depending on what we've got on.
E 11:00 bf, followed by lunch at 12:00
A
S 1:00 as above
E 3:00 bf
A
S 5:00 sometimes have catnap
E 5:30 bf followed by tea
A bath
S 7:00 bed / 6:30 if did not have cat nap

[Louismummy]

Forgot to say.... If I don't do the PU/PD to extend the naps we have extended A time.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Have you tried bumping the A time by a wee bit? 10-15 min? Do you go by the clock or his tired signs?

[Louismummy]

On the days where I don't do PU/PD to extend the nap the activity time is extended (2 hours 40) and this doesn't make any difference to NW.

I try and read his cues...

[Skadiver13]

Hi Hun, just chiming in. Going back to your EASY. You said he wakes 3hrs like clockwork at night. Hav eyou ever tried not to feed him and just resettle him? Even if it takes a while. Also try BF closer to BT? He's up for 1.5hrs before going to bed after you BF? Maybe do it 30min before hand? Not sure how long he BF's.