Advice needed Please

[Fenella]

Ds is now 6 weeks old.  Follows typical 4 week easy to the letter during the day.  We are cluster feeding and he will take a small df at 10.45pm Stretches on average for 3 hours after the df sometimes recently less then when he wakes he takes a good feed.  After the night feed he seems happier to do his longer stretch.  Last night he woke early i got the bottle when i went too him he had dozed off again got him to take just 1oz and had to wake him this morning at 7.30. 

My question is:  Do i encourage this long stretch after the night feed to try and eliminate the early 4/5am feed or should i be working on the gap between df and night feed?  As i understand normally that is when they do their longest stretch. As if i don't encourage this gap he will take ages to sleep through.  Has anyone else experienced this or does anyone have some advice.  I just feel we are making very little progress at night.  The longer stretch after night feed has only appeared since we added the cluster feeds a week ago.

Andrea

[Jaime]

hi,

i think it's kinda your personal preference, and you work with the natural tendencies of the child.  both my kids did their first long stretch from 11pm-7am or 10pm-6am (around 3 months old, so a bit older than your little one), and i was able to slowly bring it earlier & earlier. 

keep in mind too that there is a growth spurt around 6 weeks old - that might be why he is a little unsettled now too. 

HTH 

[Fenella]

problem seems to be sorted .  i offered a dummy when he woke at 2am he went back to sleep till 4 when i fed him then last night he didn't wake at 2 as usual slept till 4 so we seem to have broken the habit.