Author Topic: 4 month old feeding problems = sleep problems  (Read 1675 times)

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Offline J&Jsmom

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4 month old feeding problems = sleep problems
« on: January 25, 2006, 18:29:01 pm »
Hi

My 4 month old has been a snacky eater since birth. Initially I thought it was just a breastfeeding issue because he would only feed for about 7 mins then stop and then want to eat again in 2 hours. Desperate for a break I changed to bottle feeding and he does a very similar thing. I make up 7oz bottles for him and he sometimes has all of it but usually only has about 4 oz. Very occasionally he can last 4 hours between feeds but usually he just manages to make 3 hours (I've tried holding him off but he screams blue murder). Tracey's book suggests the 4/4 rule - i.e. at 4 months move them to a 4 hour feed, but my LO just can't seem to do it. What's more he has really regressed at night. At three months he would have a feed at 6pm, then one at 11pm and would usually last till about 5.30/6am. Now he has a feed at 6pm and then often wakes at about 9.30 pm and again at some point during the night and then again at about 5.30am. I've tried just giving him water but he will not settle on it and will hungrily take a full bottle.

He is a big baby and is thriving but his inability to last anything longer than 3 hours is driving me nuts as are the multiple night wakings for feeds. He does bring up quite a bit of each feed - maybe that's why he's hungry again sooner than he should be?. Maybe he just needs to eat less more frequently?. But I really want to be able to get him onto some kind of routine instead of having to guess how many bottles he's going to need in a day (the formula tin says at this age/weight he should be having 5 feeds of 7oz a day - he is having about 7 or 8 feeds of anywhere between 4 and 7oz).

I'm now wondering whether I should try to give him some baby rice and start him on solids but the health visitors are saying it's best to wait until he's closer to 6 months old.

Any suggestions? Anyone with the same problem? Thanks in advance for any ideas.
Melissa
Mom to:
Joshua Charles Boleslaw born 14.02.2004
Jamie Edward Christopher born 15.09.2005

Offline Colin Macs Mom

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Re: 4 month old feeding problems = sleep problems
« Reply #1 on: January 25, 2006, 18:37:11 pm »
We had a similar problem with our ds, he's absolutely huge for his age, bigger than most babies a couple months older. He's not fat - ratios are good, just big and will definitely be a big person. So needless to say he's been a ravenous eater. What really helped us was putting a little bit of rice cereal in his bottles - like a teaspoon or less. That stretched things out a bit although there were still days when he would eat every three hours or so. We started him on solids at 4.5 months, and that has gone wonderfully, he's very enthusiastic about it. I had planned to wait until he was closer to 6 months, but then his doc said that when they hit 18 lbs they want and need real food. You might want to keep that in mind too! I wouldn't necessarily start him on rice cereal out of the bottle unless he weighs at least 18 lbs and you've run it by his doc.
Jessica
Mom to Colin Ronald, August 18, 2005
Spirited + Reflux =  :o


Offline Noelle

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Re: 4 month old feeding problems = sleep problems
« Reply #2 on: January 27, 2006, 03:35:45 am »
Hello  :)

His tummy may just not be ready for a 4hr routine yet...that's ok.  I would concentrate on a consistent 3-3.5 hr routine for now until he can go 4 hrs more consistently.  Have you tried clusterfeeding?

Also...do you think going to a faster nipple would help at all?

As far as solids go..the recommendation is 4 months but I would go with your instincts.  I started at 4 months with each of my kiddos.  John took to it with no problems at all!! With Zoe, I should have waited...

Does he have reflux?
**Noelle**  Formerly JohnandZoesMom



Offline J&Jsmom

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Re: 4 month old feeding problems = sleep problems
« Reply #3 on: January 27, 2006, 06:49:16 am »
Thanks for the replies ladies. I don't think he has reflux, he just brings up quite a bit of his milk - but he has no other symptoms. Since I posted, we've actually had two nights in a row where he has slept through from his 11pm feed till 6am (he wakes at around 4.30/5 but he just talks to himself and puts himself back to sleep). So I feel slightly better about his frequent day feeds. I also tried him on baby rice yesterday for the first time. He seemed to enjoy it although he didn't take much in but I'm going to stick with it and see if it helps him. I've also moved him onto 3-flow teats - it doesn't seem to make any difference to how much he takes in or how regularly he feeds, but at least he feeds faster ;)

Anyway, thanks again for your responses. Hopefully he will be sleeping through regularly now.
Melissa
Mom to:
Joshua Charles Boleslaw born 14.02.2004
Jamie Edward Christopher born 15.09.2005

Offline Noelle

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Re: 4 month old feeding problems = sleep problems
« Reply #4 on: January 27, 2006, 14:44:33 pm »
Yay!  :)  Here's to more sleeping through!!
**Noelle**  Formerly JohnandZoesMom