6am start 6pm bedtime????

[kellyhushhh]

If your baby starts the day at lets say for example 6am would you put them to bed that night at 6pm???

My ds used to be on 7am - 7pm but has recently started waking at 5am on and off until i feed him at around 6am.

Like today i fed him at 6.15am and he went down for a two hiur nap at 8.15am until 10ish.

Just wondering whether to put him to bed at his normal 6.45pm/7pm or shall i put him to bed at 6pm.

I am desperate to stop these earky wakings and get him back to how he was .

So 6am ... does it mean 6pm( baring in mind he has been awake on and off since 5am) bed time or shall i stick to seven pm bed time??

Thansk kelly x

[branwen]

Hi Kelly!

I love early bedtimes but that is just because it is what finally worked for my dd starting at 5 months.  She was a 5:30-5:30 baby for a long time.  Now she is 6:30-6:30.

You say you are determined to get him back to where he was so you're going to need to try wake-to-sleep.  Go in 15 min before you expect him to wake and pat/shh until you see him stir and nod off again.  Or you can use PU/PD or pat/shh to send him back.

Your wakings could also be developmental- as in- has he learned something new lately? Rolling over perhaps?  He might be waking early to practice and then can't get back to sleep.  5 months was a difficult time for us in general- and the 6 month growth spurt threw everything off!

However, if he continues to wake early you can try a 6:30 to 6:30 routine.  I could not stop the 5:30 wakings so I personally just threw in the towel on it and started our bedtime routine at 5.  Only recently in the 8th month did she push herself towards 7am.  I personally think it is her internal bio-clock and development.

[kellyhushhh]

Hi Branwen,

Thanks for the reply.  I put him to bed at 6.20pm tonight and i think im going to try a dreamfeed which i stopped doing about a month ago because he was waking up loads with wind.

He has strarted to roll over recently but this isnt affecting his sleep as he is still swaddled.

Wake to sleep i tried last night but i have been told it can take three or four nights for it to work.

I will post back in the morning with an update.

KELLY X

[kellyhushhh]

WELL I PUT JUDE TO BED AT 6.20PM , I GAVE HIM THE DREAMFEED AT 10.15PM AND HE DOWNED 9 OUNCES AND WOULD HAVE HAD MORE I THINK.

HE WOKE AT 5.38AM AND I GAVE HIM HIS DUMMY AND HE FELL STRAIGHT BACK TO SLEEP UNTIL 6.35AM
SO I AM VERY HAPPY THIS MORNING BUT STILL TIRED AS I WAS AWAKE FROM 5AM ONWARDS WAITING FOR HIM TO WAKE UP!!!

THE THING IS NOW IM THINKING WAS IT THE EARLY NIGHT THAT MADE THE DIFFERNCE OR WAS IT THE DREAMFEED??? IM THINKING THE DREAMFEED HELPED A LOT BUT ALSO THE EARLY NIGHT.

IM NOT GOING TO GET TOO EXCITED THOUGH AS WHO KNOWS LAST NIGHT MAY HAVE BEEN A ONE OFF......... I SO HOPE NOT :?


ANYWAY FOR KNOW IT LOOKS LIKE IM STARTING THE DREAMFEED AGAIN, SO NO MORE EARLY NIGHTS FOR ME!! :lol:

[Aarismom]

Hi Kelly!

Another thought--have you started him on solids yet? Now might be a good time to try. It might fill his caloric need for the day, and you might be able to phase out the df completely over the next several days. If you've already started him on them, you could increase the amount you give him, making sure he gets his bottle first for now. I know Tracy says give solids first, but honestly, milk is supposed to be the staple of his diet until 6-8 months or so.

Just a thought...

*HUGS*
Sonya =P

[kellyhushhh]

Hi Sonya,

Yes i started him on solids around 3 weeks ago, today he had pear for breakfast, butternut squash for lunch and for dinner i gave him carrot. Plus his 9 ounce bottles!! Today was the first day he had three meals, he adored the squash!!

I always give him his bottle first, like you said, milk is the main source, solids are just an add on.

I,m going to stick to the dream feed until 7/8 months maybe, we will have to see.

I,m just hoping tonight will be a good night again.

Thanks for your advice

[branwen]

I'm glad the early bedtime worked out- at least I think it did!  Were you phasing out the df before? That might have been a little too early.

Also- the df is supposed to stick around until 7-8 months but I do know mom's on the Jan/Feb thread that are just now phasing it out at 9/10 months.  It really depends on your baby :wink:

My dd LOVES the squash too- she could eat it all day long! :lol:

As you introduce more solids and your baby eats more than 2 oz at each solid meal you might find it easier to phase out the dream feed. My dd- at 9 months- now eats 6 oz of solids for dinner and then bf for bed 1 hr later.  She gets quite tanked up!!! :wink: