Am curious if anyone has any experience or thoughts on whether cluster feeds will re-inforce my DD's snacking tendencies.
She's 3.5 WO and we've been trying to follow a 3HR EASY schedule. She had gotten into a bit of a snacking habit (and a eat-to-sleep habit), taking 1.5 - 2 ounces sometimes, even though she has the ability to take in more (she would take 3 ounces at other times). So, we've been trying to be a little more structured and distract her for a few minutes when she gets hungry to lengthen the times between feeds to a full 3 hours. Before this, her eating was all over the board and so were the quantities. Things are a bit more consistent now - timing and quantity - so I think it's working.
But, we just started to do evening cluster feeds two days ago. First night was fabulous - she slept from 8:30pm to 1:30am which seemed like eternity to us! (We went to bed right after she did, so we actually got about 4 hours of sleep. Wow!) But, last night was horrible - up every 3 hours again. Both nights she ate:
4pm - 3 ounces
6pm - 2 ounces
7pm - 2 ounces (we did this because this is the normal feed time - should we have skipped it?)
8pm - 2 ounces
I'm really concerned that the 6, 7 and 8pm cluster feeding will reinforce her snacking. Although she's been taking full 3-3.5 ounce feedings yesterday, last night and this morning (it does take some baby gymnastics to keep her awake). Should I be concerned that the CF will lead her back to snacking?
And last night the CFs didn't work - we were still up feeding her at 11:30, 2:30 and 5:30. She took 3-3.5 ounces each time - could this be a growth spurt?
She was up at 3:30 and 4:30 being fussy as well but we didn't feed her. My husband and I were both exhausted, so we opted for the accidental parenting quick fix - her swing. I fed her at 5:30 (the 3 hour interval) and popped her back in her swing. It was the only way we could get any sleep at all.
Thanks in advance for your feedback. It is REALLY appreciated!
