Overtired at bedtime 4 weeks old

[Carly11]

Hi there,

I’ve read so much advice from this forum over the years and really helped with my now 4 year old DD - have read Tracy’s books (thank god I found them!)

I now have another DD - we have been doing so well on a 3 hour easy. But lately as she has become more ‘awake’ she’s hard to settle at bedtime now. She seems so relaxed after her bf feed at 6pm then bath but after I dress her for bed and put swaddle on say goodnight etc she’s wide awake! Should I do bath before feed? Or maybe feed again after getting dressed? Like 1 side at 6pm and another after bath?

Also if she isn’t awake at the 3 hour mark I have been waking her and feeding her, She takes both sides every feed and feeds efficiently.

E - 7/7.30am
A
S - 8/815
E - 10
A
S - 11/11.15
E - 1pm
A
S - 2/2.30
E - 4pm
A
S - catnap around 5/5.15 for 40 mins (is this too short?)
E - 6pm
A - bath and ready for bed
S - 6.45/7pm goes to sleep but wakes up not long after

For pretty much all naps I can get her down drowsy in bassinet.

Would really love your views on our days!

Thanks in advance x

[creations]

Hello and welcome

I always did a feed right before sleep regardless of how long it had been since the previous E.  If she needs one after the CN and before her bath at 6pm then I'd put in another feed after bath just before sleep. This is kind of like a top up or cluster feed prior to BT.

If she will sleep a little longer for that last nap you might find the bath and BT routine a bit smoother.  It looks like a full A time after that CN which might be a bit too long.  If she won't sleep longer for the CN you might shift BT earlier, I know it's hard to fit everything in but it could help to avoid OT at BT.

Some LOs find a bath very stimulating, if you feel this could be the case you could move the bath earlier in that last A time or even at a different time of day altogether.

hope this helps

[Carly11]

Hey thanks so much for your reply! Will give that a go for sure.

To be honest I’ve been waking her up after that time from her CN I don’t actually know how long she would sleep.. should I let her sleep like an hour or?

I’ve kinda been avoiding a feed right before sleep so that she dosnt fall asleep feeding.. does it really matter at this age? I did it with my first thinking back.

[creations]

I wouldn't worry too much about feeding to sleep at BT (or for NFs), LOs know it's BT or night time and often just go back to sleep, the habit doesn't necessarily shift to naps/day.  Some feed more at BT too, they seem to know they are getting ready for a long sleep and take in more so I'd have that close to the S time.
I'm not sure mine fed to sleep at BT (I think we always had a song after milk and before S) but any time he might have nodded off in my arms for any reason I used to just tell him I was putting him down in his bed so he could sleep properly.  Then it wasn't a surprise to him waking up in a different place to where he fell asleep.  He might not have always understood what I was saying but even so I think hearing my voice was reassurance.

I would let her sleep longer for that last nap. You could make it an hour (and then A from say 6 - 7pm) or you could let her have a full nap and work out BT from there.  I never woke mine up, if he was asleep I was just grateful for the break!!

[Carly11]

Thankyou!

Last night I did the split feed and she went down great! Will try along with the hour catnap today too.

Really appreciate your time!

[creations]

It's great you had a good result straight away

[Carly11]

Can I ask- what does everyone do for that last feed before bedtime  swaddle/sleeping bag on then feed or feed and swaddle/sleeping bag?

[creations]

I think I swaddled first although I only swaddled for the first part of night sleep and put him to sleep in the family room (travel cot) up to the DF time when I transferred up to his night bed in my bedroom where he was not swaddled.
I think it's just personal preference really and what you find easiest but if you wanted to get some more opinions you could post a new thread with the question in the title to find out what others do?  Or you could ask on the birth clubs thread here:
https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?board=103.0

[Carly11]

I think I’m just gonna drop the bath frombedtime for abit. Overtired again last two nights! Waking up after one hour asleep. Def going through a growth spurt too. Cluster feeding all evening but wide awake going to bed 🤔

[creations]

Some people find bath time is just too stimulating for LO.  Mine LO hated it so much I would never have dared to put it in the BT routine. I couldn't bath him regularly until he was over 5 months old!!  Up to then it was cloth washes and a quick dunk once per week because he screamed the house down.
So long as they are clean it really doesn't matter when bath is, or if it's a cloth wash.
Mine did eventually enjoy his bath so much that it was included nightly in his BT routine where it has stayed (although now switched to shower).

Have you tried letting her sleep as long as she wants for that last nap?  Then perhaps just feed, wash, pjs, feed, bed?

[Carly11]

I did today as first morning nap didn’t go great as I had  to take my 4 year old to preschool- this usually happens 3 days a week- second morning nap great but then 3rd nap not so good so then 4th nap at 4.45 let her sleep and she slept till 6pm. So I did feed one side and quick bath into pjs and then another feed and then took a while to settle and woke up hour later and did another little feed to go to sleep.

[creations]

It sounds reasonably good considering she's so tiny.

[Carly11]

Yeah I was surprised that bedtime didn’t go great cause I thought she would have still had enough day time sleep but ahh well I’ll try the no bath tomorrow!

[creations]

How are things now?

[Carly11]

Hey! Thanks for checking in.

Last night I did no bath, she fell asleep feeding and couldn’t wake her up so put her down but she woke up 30 mins later. Managed to ssh and put hand on her and she fell back to sleep and didn’t wake up till 11.30 to feeD yay!

Hoping tonight is same too 😀