How to establish a set "starting time" every day?

[jaycee]

Hi All

I've been using BW principles to good effect with my 14-week old daughter. We are gradually getting from a two-hour EASY to a two-and-a-half to three-hour EASY. She has always fed frequently during the day as she's slept through the night from about 8 weeks.

My question is this: her early morning behaviour differs every day. Some mornings she wakes at 5.00am, chatters to herself (which I ignore) and then goes back to sleep and I feed her at 7.00am. Other mornings she wakes at that time and gets progressively more annoyed until I have to feed her at 5.45am or so. When I do this she doesn't go straight down again because it's light at 5.00am. Also if I jump in and feed her the moment I hear her at 5.00am she seems to think it's the start of the day.

I'd like to have a standard "start time" to each day in order to promote the same routine each day as much as I can. I have thought about going back to giving her a dreamfeed in the hope it would push her past 5.00am, but I stopped dreamfeeding her because she would refuse to feed.

Should I reintroduce the dreamfeed? Or should I try wake-to-sleep? Or should I just feed her every morning at a certain time?

Thanks for your help!

[GG]

Other mornings she wakes at that time and gets progressively more annoyed until I have to feed her at 5.45am or so. When I do this she doesn't go straight down again because it's light at 5.00am. Also if I jump in and feed her the moment I hear her at 5.00am she seems to think it's the start of the day.

It sounds like she's hungry when she wakes up at 5 AM and won't go back to sleep.  The trick is to try to figure out when to give her the extra feed her to satisfy her until 7 AM.  You're obviously doing a good job of feeding her during the day if she doesn't wake up until so early in the morning.

What time is her bedtime?  Also, what time did you try offering her the df?

[jaycee]

Thanks for your thoughts. She goes to bed between 7.00pm and 7.30pm generally. When I used to dreamfeed her it was around 10.00pm. It may be worth trying that again to see if it kicks her through.

[missnmymum]

This is Sara Tracys Eldest daughter, i have been working with newborns and infants now for a few years following in my mums footsteps, can I suggest you introduce a dream feed it sounds like she is just shy of enough calories to hold her till her next feeding...
A good routine would look like this

7am 3-4 oz
9am-11am nap
11am 3-4 oz
1pm-3pm nap
3pm 3-4oz
5-5:45 cat nap
bath routine... around 6ish
7pm 3-4oz

11pm 3-4 oz

I would suggest this until she is take a comfortable 4 oz bottle every 4 hours as she needs to be full to go thru the night...

Keep intouch

Sara

[missnmymum]

This is Sara Tracys Eldest daughter, i have been working with newborns and infants now for a few years following in my mums footsteps, can I suggest you introduce a dream feed it sounds like she is just shy of enough calories to hold her till her next feeding...
A good routine would look like this

7am 3-4 oz
9am-11am nap
11am 3-4 oz
1pm-3pm nap
3pm 3-4oz
5-5:45 cat nap
bath routine... around 6ish
7pm 3-4oz

11pm 3-4 oz

I would suggest this until she is take a comfortable 4 oz bottle every 4 hours as she needs to be full to go thru the night...

Keep intouch

Sara

[jaycee]

Thanks Sara. My daughter is breastfed so I can't be sure what amount she's getting, but I'll try that routine and reintroduce the dreamfeed and let you know how it goes.

[GG]

I was going to suggest the 11 PM feed as well.  That should be a good point to introduce it.  I hope that helps get her through the night.  Thank you for your suggestion, Sara!!