2.5 mths - not sleeping well at night

[dave_n_mag]

hi there!

we have 2.5 mth old son,and here's how it is:

he goes to sleep no problem at about 8pm,after a bath and a feed. he usually sleeps thru till 3am, has a feed,and ...doesnt want to go back to sleep! :cry:

When we eventually calm him down and he goes back to sleep in an hour he starts fussing again and WILL NOT go back to sleep till about 7am!!!he's generally wide awake, sometimes smiling, having fun.it's killing us!

what is going on with him?should we introduce a DF?he's being breastfed every 2,5-3hrs,then activity and naps which last 45mins-2hrs. so wouldnt DFwake him up???and what time should we give it to him?

any suggestions greatly appreciated!

dave

[FrasersMum]

Hi Dave

Welcome to the boards.  Now lets see if we can help you out at all.

Firstly congratulations on getting your 8pm - 3am stretch out of your little guy.  What great sleeping at 2.5 months!!  Sounds like you have a good bedtime routine started already too.

I wonder if your DS is having too much day sleep, leading to these long awake periods in the early morning. 

Are you doing an EASY routine during the day?  What does a normal day look like - could you post it for us to have a look at?

what is going on with him?should we introduce a DF?he's being breastfed every 2,5-3hrs,then activity and naps which last 45mins-2hrs. so wouldnt DFwake him up???and what time should we give it to him?

I think that trying a DF would be a good idea.  The ideal time for a DF is about 10.30pm.  The idea is that by feeding at that time, your DS's long stretch of sleep will come after that feed (instead of starting at 8pm). 

HTH

[dave_n_mag]

thanks for your reply.

our normal daily routine is a bit "untimed". he genenrally eats, has activity, starts yawning, and then gets ready for a sleep. these cycles come in about 2.5 hour blocks, and he's asleep for about an hour, sometimes a bit more (or less, depending on our annoying neighbours  :evil: ). he is even capable of going a bit more than 2 sometimes! should we not allow him to sleep so long???

so, could that be too much daytime sleep? how would we cut it back? afterall, when he gets tired, if we don't put him down, it turns into World War III.

and as for a DF, is this ok to do without burping him afterwards?

greetings from poland!9where it's coooooooold).

dave

[FrasersMum]

Hi Dave

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.  I don't think I've chatted to anyone in Poland before!  It is far from cold here in Australia - in fact it is HOT HOT HOT!!

It sounds like your days are going well.  I don't think there is too much problem with 2.5 hours sleep here and there for such a young baby - if you want to check, there are sample routines etc at the top of the EASY board, and an announcement at the top of this board about average amounts of day and night sleep.  You are right about not putting DS down when he is tired - when they get past their sleep window they are so much harder to settle.  Sounds like you are reading his cues really well.

My understanding of the Dreamfeed (I could never get my DS to take one although I did try) is that because the LO is sleepy/asleep they are so relaxed taking the feed that they don't swallow a great amount of air, and therefore don't require burping afterwards.  I guess if your DS is gassy then he will quickly let you know if not burping him is a problem.  I have also read that they swallow more air during crying than feeding so those night feeds shouldn't be too much of a problem in that regard.

HTH and good luck.  Sounds like you are doing a GREAT job!!