So different, so confused.

[lauradj]

I'm glad to hear things are going better.  I do have two suggestions that might help.  #1 Tracy recommended doing the DF between 10-11pm, no later.  After 11pm, the interruption, though minor, risks interrupting baby's sleep.  That may be what is causing the 3am wake ups.  #2 If you offered her more ounces during the day, would she take them?  For example, a 7 or 8 oz bottle instead of 6?  That way she would be getting the calories she craves but during the day time.  Just some thoughts, let us know how it goes!

[sce]

I'll give that a try.  I can try and move the dream feed up more regularly.  Sometimes it's around 10:30-11, but it depends.  I don't know if she'll take more during the day, but I'll see.

Thanks!

[sce]

So she won't take more.  We've started her on a bit of rice cereal, but only before her morning bottle.  Doesn't seem to make a difference though.

She's been struggling lately actually.  She won't go to bed on her own anymore.  If she does, she'll wake up around an hour and need to be rocked otherwise she won't go back to sleep.  She just cries and cries, but if I hold her for a bit and put her back in then she'll sleep or another hour.

She's also waking up around 6 as opposed to 7-7:30 which is throwing off her entire schedule.  Not to mention that now both my kids aren't napping at the same time which sucks!  AT least I knew I had an hour or so to get things done before. 

Suggestions?

[lauradj]

Hmmm, how old is she now?  How long has she been having difficulty going to sleep on her own?  Might she need an A time stretch?

[sce]

She's just over 6 months now and is still having trouble going to sleep on her own.  Her schedule is pretty regular at this point, but putting her to bed at night is starting to take a decent amount of time.  That's really tough when my husband is away on business and I have both kids.

Here's her schedule:
6:30-7:30 wake
8 bottle 5-6 ounces
8:15 rice cereal
9-9:15 put down for nap
11-11:15 wake
12 bottle 5-6 ounces
1-1:15 down for nap
3-3:15 wake
4 bottle 5-6 ounces
5:30 cat nap
6-6:15 wake
7 bottle 5-6 ounces
7:30-8 bed time
11pm dreamfeed 5-6 ounces
2:30-4 wakes for another bottle 5-6 ounces

She seems to have so much energy sometimes at night.  It takes sometimes an hour to an hour an a half t get her to bed.  Any suggestions?

[newkidontheblock]

It might be time to drop the CN and move to a 2 nap routine.
All about the 3-2 transition- 5/6 months

[sce]

Okay!  So we dropped the catnap.  That seemed to help a lot.  Thanks.  Now she's on a lot of solids (just loves them), but she usually still wakes up around 3-4 for a bottle.  Very rarely she'll sleep until 5:30-6, but not regularly.  Should we not give her a bottle when she wakes at 3 or 4?

[lauradj]

Great news!  Regarding the 3am WU; is she taking the whole bottle or just an ounce or so? (sorry, can't recall if you're BF or FF).  If she's still drinking 3/4oz, I'd say don't worry about it, she'll stop waking up when she's getting enough calories during the day.  However, if she's just sipping an ounce or so, she's probably waking out of habit, not hunger.

[sce]

No, she's having a decent amount at that 3-4am feed.  She's so awake and alert though.  Sometimes it takes an hour to get her back to bed.  Anything I should do about that?

My first daughter was so tiny (and the best sleeper on the planet) that we kept her dream feed until around 10-11 months.  It was a great way to help her get extra calories.  How do we know when to stop the dream feed with this one.  She has no weight or eating issues.  She's huge!

[sce]

And what about if she wakes at 5.  It's too late to give her a bottle, but too early for her to wake up.  It throws the whole days routine off.  That happens a lot.

[sce]

More questions.  I'm struggling and I'm not sure if there's something else I should be doing.  She's waking up so early lately.  I'm a business owner so no mat leave for me and my husband commutes to work so I don't have help in the morning.  I'll post her day and maybe I'm missing something.

6:30-7 wake
7:30 bottle (usually only has 2-3 ounces)
9-9:15 down for nap
10:30-11
11:15 bottle (3-4 ounces)
1 lunch - solids (3-4 cubes of food)
1:45-2 down for nap
3:30-4 wake
4 bottle (3-4 ounces)
6 dinner - solids (3-4 cubes)
7 bottle (2-3 ounces)
7:15-7:30 bedtime
10:45-11 dream feed (4-5 ounces)
3:00-4:00 bottle (4-5 ounces)


Lately she's been waking up at 5:30 or 6 which is tough and it messes up the whole day.

I'm just not sure what to do. Help!

[sce]

Is there nothing to suggest?  These 5am wakes are getting really tough.

The other night I slept through the dream feed and she woke up at 12:30 so I gave her a bottle and she slept until 6:45.  That was great.  So I thought maybe it was time to drop the dream feed.  But the next night she woke at 1 for a bottle and then 5 and we couldn't get her back down.

What should I do??

[Kfro]

Hi,

I think you need to push back that first nap as it is likely causing the ew and potentially some of the other nw's. Ideally she would do at least three hours on a two nap routine. How old is she? X

[newkidontheblock]

Oh, I'm so sorry honey. I've been away from BW for a while. I'm dont have access to a computer this moment but I'll be back in a while to read through all you've posted.

Thank you kfro for helping

[lauradj]

Hi hon!  Sorry I missed your last few posts, I don't know how that happened. 
I would agree with PP, a push on the A time might help.  2.5 hrs of A time would be very doable and might be just the thing to help her sleep through until at least 6am.  My LO is 6 months in a week and I've just now brought him up to 2.5 hrs.
May I suggest starting a new thread?  It would be great to get some fresh eyes here to see if we can work together to help iron things out.  Sometimes when threads get quite long, new people/eyes don't jump in with their suggestions because they don't want to interfere.