EASY

[katerj]

Hi, I'm new to this site and to message boards in general but have been looking at this thread and really hoping someone can give me some advice.  I have a sleep problem that I suspect is really a feeding problem.  My six month old Mabel sleeps well between 7.00 pm and midnight/1.00 am ish (dream feed at 10.00pm).  She is then very wakeful for several hours.  For the first few months we co-slept and she breast-fed frequently during the night - since moving her into the cot I have tried to gradually reduce night feeds and at the moment try not to feed her until 3.00 am ish.  This sometimes sends her back to sleep, sometimes not.  She is brilliant at falling asleep on her own, which is what makes me think it's a feeding not a sleep problem.  Her routine is as follows:

6.30 - 7.00 am ish  BF

9 - 10 am  Nap

Between 10.30 and 11.00 am  BF

12 noon - 2.00 pm  Nap

2.30 pm  BF

5.00 pm  Solids followed by BF

6.45 pm BF

7.00 pm  Bed

10.00 pm  dream feed

She is very enthusiastic about her solids and eats large amounts.  She typically has a mixture of veg, baby and cream cheese followed by yoghurt and fruit. 

Please, please comment on my routine and tell me why you think she's not sleeping at night!  Would it help to introduce further solid meals?

[binxyboo]

Hi and welcome to the mesage boards. I am sure you will find a lot of help on here , just as I have over the past few months. I moved your post here, I hope it is the appropriate place!
From looking at your routine, I really don't think any solids would improve the sleeping situation. Milk is the most important at this age, foods are really just an add on.

I have noticed though, that although she gets good naps during the day, she has a very long period of wakefulness from 2 to 7 pm. My lo is just starting to handle that amount of time well, and he is 16 months! So she could be going to bed overtired which tends to make sleep very restless and interrupted. And then she is just getting used to sleeping on her own, a lot going on there. There are some sample EASY routines at the top of this forum for children of the same age, please take a look there. I am sure others will be able to help tweak your routine!

Another thought I had is that when solids are first introduced, it is typically for breakfast or lunch, so that if they have a reaction to something they ate, it doesn't disturb night sleep. Has your paed given the go ahead for eating dairy ? If she is eating a lot at this meal, it may be causing her to reduce the amount of milk she takes in at 6:45 feed. The milk is really what sustain them, so you might consider doing the solids earlier in the day.

All the best, Michelle

[*Mona*]

hi I agree with Michelle here.

if she's not catnapping in the afternoon for you, I'd try to move that second nap forward so that it starts around 1pm. if she naps two hours then she would wake up at 3 and this long period between her second nap and bedtime would be 1 hour shorter, which is a huge difference at this age. plus if her wake up time in the morning is 6:30 maybe it would be better to change her bedtime to 6:30 too? that would definitely help her be less tired before bed and possibly sleep better at night.

and I'd try introducing solids in the morning and/or at lunch, just as Michelle says.

so your routine could look like this:
6.30 - 7.00 am ish  BF

9 - 10 am  Nap

Between 10.30 and 11.00 am  BF followed by solids OR solids followed by BF top up

1.00 pm - 3.00 pm  Nap

3.00 pm  BF plus some solids

5.30 pm  BF

6.30 pm  BF, bed

10.00 or 10.30 pm  dream feed

let us know what you think and how your day and night go

Monika