Importance of Set Morning Wake Time?

[Mom to M&M]

Hi there! Things have been going really good with my sweet DD (two months yesterday) since we got the reflux more under control. Since she now has cereal blended into Alimentum formula (doctor's orders due to reflux), we have her on a 3.5-4 hour EASY (she just doesn't want/need to eat sooner than that). We often do a cluster feed around 4-4:30 and her bedtime is between 7:30-7:45.

I'd like to start her day between 7-7:30am. However, two days ago she awoke at 6:30 and today at 6:45. When this happens, I've just gotten her up and started her day early. Is this best way to do it? Or will this confuse her as to her wake time?

What if she were to wake earlier - say 5:30 or 6am? In that case would you give small meal and try to get her back to sleep until 7:30?

[Duckie]

I think it really depends on how you LO is doing at that wake up time....I remember Andrew getting up around 5am for a bottle for several weeks, then suddenly slept until 6 and I thought, "great, he's up and we'll get things started."  He freaked out and was planning on going back to sleep until silly Mommy got him up!  Put him back to bed and that was that, he was out for another 2-3 hrs until HE was ready to be up for the day.  Then, suddenly one night he slept until 7 am and he was up for the day.  Or at least a few hours  :wink: .

I remember the 2 month old phase....it was starting to get easier!  I'm happy to hear about the reflux and hope things are going well!

[Noelle]

I'd like to start her day between 7-7:30am. However, two days ago she awoke at 6:30 and today at 6:45. When this happens, I've just gotten her up and started her day early. Is this best way to do it? 

Yep.  And if she doesn't seem hungry right away, it's ok to wait til 7 or so.  You may need to tweak EASY a bit but that's perfectly ok 

What if she were to wake earlier - say 5:30 or 6am? In that case would you give small meal and try to get her back to sleep until 7:30?

If it were me, I would try to get her back to sleep unless she is up, showing definite hunger signs.  Maybe try a pacifier.  A lot of babies tend to wake between 4-6am on their own, will play a little and go back to sleep.

 

[Mom to M&M]

Thanks!

She has really been doing great sleeping since we got the reflux under control. Puts herself to sleep (with some minor fussing) in her crib, stroller, wherever. And now she is sleeping longer at night.

We haven't been doing the DF because we felt it was backfiring on us and disrupting her sleep (she seemed to wake more often). So she had been having her dinner bottle around 6:45, asleep at 7:30 and we would just let her go until she woke us up - lately around 1-2am, then she would eat and sleep again until about 7am. Which is excellent!

However, last night, due to a family outing, we did end up feeding her at 11:30 last night and she was back asleep at 12:30. She ended up sleeping until 6:20 this morning after a brief stirring at 4:15!

So should we try to reinstate the DF since her reflux is now better under control and see if that will carry her until 5 or 6 am regularly? Or leave well enough alone and consider last night a freak incidence?

As a reminder, she is just over 2 months old - 9 weeks yesterday.

Thanks for any input.

[Noelle]

So should we try to reinstate the DF since her reflux is now better under control and see if that will carry her until 5 or 6 am regularly? Or leave well enough alone and consider last night a freak incidence?

Ultimately, it's up to you to try and reinstate the DF  :wink:  You could try a night or two and if it's interrupting again then you know to let it go     Most likely, last night was probably a freak incident. 

[Mom to M&M]

Thx again Noelle.

If you were me, would you try DF again for 1-2 nights or just not mess with a good thing and let her go from her dinner bottle until when she wants to wake? Remember, she now has cereal in her bottles (thickening due to reflux) for the past week - so that has enabled her to go longer...

Also - if we do reinstate the DF, then we eventually have to phase it out again. Is it maybe easier for her and us if we just keep doing the one night waking until she grows out of that? Can't decide!

[Noelle]

Thx again Noelle.

If you were me, would you try DF again for 1-2 nights or just not mess with a good thing and let her go from her dinner bottle until when she wants to wake? Remember, she now has cereal in her bottles (thickening due to reflux) for the past week - so that has enabled her to go longer...
!

Tee hee, I was trying to decide what I would do in your situation in your last post, but couldn't really decide either. :lol:   At first I was thinking, the one night waking is a good thing and just leave it.  But I'm one of those moms who really likes not having a night feed so I'd probably try the dreamfeed.  But of course, eventually you'd have to phase it out...which I don't have a lot of experience with as I dropped it cold turkey with both my kiddos. What's the lesser of two evils?  Eek!! Let us know what you decide and how it goes.  Of course if you do reinstate it and it doesn't work, then you would know....ugh...I need to stop thinking. :wink:  :lol:

[Mom to M&M]

See I really don't mind the one night waking at all. But of course I would prefer no night waking if it were possible! I'm just really scared to disrupt her... maybe we will try 1-2 nights and see - will discuss with DH. I'm assuming though that if the dream feed never really worked for her before it probably won't know - last night she was actually awake for the feed - hence not a dream feed and her sleeping patterns not disrupted... Hmmm

[Noelle]

THey always keep you guessing 

[Mom to M&M]

Totally!

DH and I were just discussing... We think the DF may be useless in her case... Instead we'd prefer if we could push the dinner bottle back to 7 pm (instead of 6:30/6:40) and maybe get her bedtime closer to 8 if she'd let us (not sure - she likes the earlier bedtime). That way maybe she'd consistently make it until almost 2am and that is a homerun to me!

Even though she is only two months old she is on 4 hour schedule because of the reflux and cereal in bottle. I can try to play around a little with the time of her cluster feed and late afternoon naps - maybe we can stretch her bedtime out by even 15-20 minutes?

[Noelle]

Yes, absolutely!!  You'll know if it works    

[Mom to M&M]

We will see! She is such a wonderful butterball... Will keep you posted.

[Mom to M&M]

No dream feed last night.. she had her dinner bottle at about 7 and was asleep by 8:10 and slept until 2:45 (!) with just a brief stirring at 2:10. Then she ate a full bottle and was back asleep at about 3:45 and slept (albeit restlessly) until 7:20. Excellent!

So I've adjusted her schedule as follows and this would be ideal if I can get her to generally sleep to almost 7:30:

- Wake and eat 7:30
- Activity until 8:45/9
- Nap from 9:15-11:30

- Wake and eat 11:30
- Activity until 12:45 (sometimes bath here)
- Nap from 1-3:15/3:30

- Eat 3:30
- Activity until 4:45
- Nap from 5-6:15/6:30 (restless catnap - lots of wakings/stirrings)
- Quiet Activity - try to hold out for dinner

- Dinner - 6:45 or ideally 7
- Quiet activity/windown
- In Bed 7:45
- Asleep at about 8

Does this seem reasonable? Is it OK that it's 4 hours between all the other feedings except before the dinner bottle? She seems hungry earlier then - partially because she doesn't nap as well then and is a bit cranky and tired... I can usually hold her out a bit with her pacifier but don't want to rely on that too much...

Thx again.

Karen and Marisa (9 weeks, 2 days)

[Noelle]

She did great!!  And looks like a good schedule to me. It's definitely ok if it's not 4 hours.  In general, it doesn't have to be exact. Actually, right now at 10 months Zoe eats every 4 hours but in the afternoons/evenings it goes like this:

11:00 Lunch with sippy
3:00 Snack with sippy
5:30 Dinner with sippy
6:30 Bottle (anywhere from 5-13oz)

So it's not really 4 hours in between but it works great! 

If baby is happy then all is well!!  :wink: 

[Mom to M&M]

Craziness! Last night she had her dinner bottle at 7 and was asleep at 8. And she slept until 3:30 (!!!) She was then so hungry that she downed 6.5 ounces (!!!) with cereal blended in and fell back asleep at 4:15 until 7:15 today. Very impressive.

What age do they generally drop the evening/late afternoon catnap?