Author Topic: Help with 6 month old schedule  (Read 1336 times)

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Offline Drjlv

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Help with 6 month old schedule
« on: May 11, 2018, 15:10:08 pm »
Hi there,

My son uses to give me 9-11 hour straight stretches at night, then a quick feed, and then sleep another few hours. Then he turned 5 months old, started leap 5, and sleep went down hill. Lately he has been giving me 6 hours, then up every 2-3 hours. He eats a ton when I feed him when he wakes. This has been going on for a week. He turned 6 months old on May 8. I considered the 6 month growth spurt but this seems to be going on for awhile!

I am wondering if he is getting too much sleep and so is not tired enough at night. Please help:

7 AM wake and breastfeed
8:30 2 oz solids
930-1130 nap (I always wake him at the 2 hour mark as he is usually still sleeping)
11:30 breastfeed
12:30 2 oz solids
200-400 nap (sometimes he sleeps for 1.5 hours but no shorter than that)
400 breastfeed
500 solids
620 bedtime routine and 7.5 oz bottle of pumped milk
645 asleep for the night


If his second nap is shorter I am able to squeeze in a 20 minute catnap and give him a later bedtime but his naps have been consistently long for a good few weeks now.

Is his nighttime sleep fragmented because he is getting too much sleep? Or possibly a different issue? Any suggestions?

Thank you.

Offline jessmum46

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Re: Help with 6 month old schedule
« Reply #1 on: May 11, 2018, 19:45:27 pm »
It sounds like he is hungry?  If he is eating well when he wakes and then still eating well at all the times you listed in the day it seems the most likely explanation.  He's having quite a lot of solids for a fairly young baby - what sort of things is he having?  Has the amount increased recently?  Many of the early solids can be quite bulky but limited in calories compared with milk - is there any chance they could be impacting his daytime milk intake do you think?

Routine looks good to be honest.  Awake times of 2h30, 2h30, 2h45 are possibly a little on the shorter end for 6 months but not unusually so - especially for a higher sleep needs baby.  You could try pushing just a touch if you feel it necessary over the next week or two, but my suspicion is this may just be hunger-related and something you need to ride out for a while :)

Offline Drjlv

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Re: Help with 6 month old schedule
« Reply #2 on: May 12, 2018, 16:06:50 pm »
Thank you for your response.

I'm not sure why he's so hungry. He is teething, and so breast and bottle feeding have been unpredictable lately. Sometimes he will reject the breast and then it's extremely difficult to bottle feed him because he will arch away and just try to gum the nipple. I suppose he isn't getting enough milk during the day because of this and then feeds more often at night?

Last night he was asleep at 735. Woke up at 1:10 to eat (ate a lot and went right back to sleep after) and then woke up at 630 to eat (darn. Wakeup is at 7). So I suppose it was better than other nights...still missing the long stretches, though.

I guess if the schedule seems okay, I will wait it out until this teething stint is finished and he is nursing better during the day. Oh, and with regards to solids, he showed readiness at 5 months and 1 week, so we started him then. He would have a TBSP once a day for a week, then 2 TBSP twoce a day for a week, 3 TBSP three times a day for a week, and is now at 4 TBSP three times a day. We are not going to be increasing it from there. Of course if he doesn't want to keep eating I stop feeding him but he always devours the solids and again, I only offer an hour after nursing. Right now he has 2 oz of cereal, 2 oz of fruit, and 2 oz of vegetables a day.

Let me know if you think I should change anything up.

Offline jessmum46

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Re: Help with 6 month old schedule
« Reply #3 on: May 13, 2018, 05:49:53 am »
Sounds like you are doing all the right things! Teething can make things unpredictable for a while and could well explain the extra night wakes.  A whole night with one waking isn't bad in the grand scheme of things though  :)  you could try getting a few extra calories in the day by adding a bit of whatever milk he has to his solids?  Otherwise hang in there and hopefully this will pass soon x

Offline Drjlv

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Re: Help with 6 month old schedule
« Reply #4 on: May 13, 2018, 12:31:44 pm »
Last night was horrific. He woke up 5 hours after going to sleep (as he has been doing a lot) and ate a lot and went right back to sleep, but then was awake most of the rest of the night.

I have been giving him Motrin before bed and Tylenol in the middle of the night for his teething.

I already sneak in an oz or 2 of milk I'm his solids.

His night wakings seem to be at the same intervals every single night. And he won't settle unless I feed him. And yet he refuses to nurse during the day. Even taking a bottle during the day has been a real struggle.

How do I eliminate the night feedings if he won't eat during the day (even in a quiet, dark room)??

I'm so tired :(