How to get feeds to three hours

[frankiesmom]

Hi, if I am trying to put my lo on a 3 hour EASY and his awake time is 1 hour and he sleeps for 1.5 hours, what do I do with the extra .5 hours at the end?  If I wait to feed him, he is crabby and then falls asleep when eating, if I feed him, he is on a 2.5 hour EASY.  He is 4.5 weeks and almost 10 pounds.

Example:  wake at 7am, nap 8:00 to 9:30, do I wait until 10 to feed? If so, then he would be tired at 10:30.

Thanks,
Kim

[RachelC]

Kim,
Your lo may only be ready for a 2.5 hr EASY.  Perhaps try extending slowly... 2:30 for a couple days, then 2:35 then 2:40... until you get to the 3 hours.  Some babies (escpecailly young ones) still need the more frequent eating.

HTH

[Brandonsmom]

We had Brandon on a 2.5 - 3 hour schedule for about 2 months. We could never just have one or the other during that time so we used sort of a combination schedule to keep it a little more flexible. And his awake times during that time was only about an hour, hour 15 min. So if it had been 2.5 hours since the last feeding and he was still asleep I'd let him sleep till it was 3 hours. It worked really well and eventually he moved to a steady 3 hour schedule which he was on till he was about 3.5 months old.

[frankiesmom]

Thanks! So if they are on a 2.5 hour EASY, would they get an extra nap in?  Or just try putting them to bed earlier?
Kim

[RachelC]

Kim,
So you would have:
7 feed
A, S
9:30 feed
A, S
12:00 feed
A, S
2:30 feed
A, S
5:00 feed
A, perhaps cat nap then ready for bed
7:00 feed
bed for night

Does that make sense?  You may find that he will can go longer than 2.5 hrs for some feeds... just follow his signs for hunger and sleep.

HTH

[Brandonsmom]

Here was Brandon's 2.5 hour schedule, much like what PaigeJalyn wrote.

6:00 Eat
6:45 - 8:30 - Nap (He'd never stay up very long, just enough for a diaper change and feeding if he woke before 7am. Eventually when he extended his schedule he would sleep till 7am)

8:30 Eat
9:30/9:45 - 11:00 Nap

11:00 Eat
12/12:15pm - 1:30 Nap

1:30 Eat
2:30/2:45 - 4 Nap

4pm Eat
5/5:15 - 6:30 Nap (Later on when you extend the schedule this can become a catnap)

6:30 Eat
7:30/ 7:45 Down for Bed

9:30 Dreamfeed, It didn't work after a week of trying so I'd let him just wake up on his own. And usually he'd wake around 10 or 11. Later on his 3 hour schedule he'd wake up for this around midnight. Up until he was 2 months old he was waking up 2 times during our sleeping hours, once around midnight and once very early in the morning say around 3 or 4)

Keep in mind we only had Brandon on a 2.5 hour schedule for maybe 2 weeks then he transitioned into a 3 hour schedule fairly easy. If your baby is hungry 2.5 hours after a feeding, definately feed him. The schedule is a guide for you. Also, there will be times he wants to eat early because of growth spurts.

[frankiesmom]

Thanks, it is so hard to know with him if he is hungry or not.  My gut tells me he is not most of the time, he is over tired. But, he has reflux so I know that feeding him helps him to feel better at first, so often times I think he is pacifying himself, not really eating a full meal.  so, today I tried to go at least 2.5, but was more at 2.75.  I actually had to wake him from his third nap! 
Hopefully, he will start feeling better with his meds soon and I can get these naps straightened out.

Thanks again,
Kim