7mth old questions

[Colin Macs Mom]

We offered 60mLs of half strength formula (a little stronger than usual) and she drained it quickly.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but consistency is the biggest piece of the puzzle and if you even once go backwards it sends mixed messages to LO. Going back and forth will stretch out the process and only make things harder.

What needs to be determined now is whether she's one of those rare LOs who genuinely just needs a night feed for longer than normal, or if it's an issue with daytime intake. It does sound like she was genuinely hungry. Personally, I would go to water and be prepared for a few nights of protest.

[FionaS]

Thanks for your response.  I do defiantely understand re: consistency.  Last night my husband prepared and gave the bottle and he thought he put a little more in than me but I'm not sure.  I had previously been preparing the bottle before bed. 

She does seem hungry but it could be that she "expects" food.  She's getting better at taking solids so that should help too.

Our day officially starts at 7am...if I'm offering only water, what time should I be prepared to start the day?  Between 6.30 and 7am?

Thanks so much

[Colin Macs Mom]

I would expect between 6:30 and 7. It will take a little time to make the transition to where she's not expecting the feed.

[FionaS]

Last night we tried something a little different.  We tried a dreamfeed.  It never used to work for us so we didn't do it.  I know BW says to drop it by 7months but a sleep consultant we spoke to said it can be good to use as a short term measure to cut out 5am feeds. 

It actually went well...she didn't wake (well, her eyes opened a bit but I'm sure she didn't wake or see anything).  She took the full bottle.

She slept until 6.15.  It does seem a bit odd to give a 10pm feed when we know she can sometimes go from 7pm to 6am but at least that way if she does wake we can be 100% sure she is not hungry.

Our plan is to df, resettle without any feed for any night wakings and then drop the dreamfeed once she has slept through for a week or so OR until she is resettling easily in the night without a feed. Do you think it is ok to keep doing the dreamfeed for a week or two until she is routinely sleeping through? Or is it too risky? 

[Colin Macs Mom]

Do you think it is ok to keep doing the dreamfeed for a week or two until she is routinely sleeping through? Or is it too risky? 

You have nothing to lose, right?    As long as it works just go with it!!

[FionaS]

Since we've started this night weaning process, our girls daytime naps have shortened...e.g. she was doing a 1 hour 20min one and a 2 hour one...now we have a 40min one and a 1 hour one.  Should I expect this to settle down once she is sleeping better at night?  I presume the disruption to night sleep (being awake longer due to no feeds) is disrupting the days??

[Colin Macs Mom]

Yes, absolutely. Things will iron out, but try to get both naps to be a minimum of 1 hour. Less than that, and LO doesn't get what she needs out of it.

[FionaS]

We hadn't had a 40min nap for a couple of weeks so I was surprised to get one 2 days in a row.  I may try to extend her morning A time but it's hard to know what to do as she wakes at 6 but doesn't start the day until 7.  Our set nap time was 9am (I found putting her to bed within 15mins of the same time each day created a biorhythm which helped her to sleep better) but it's hard to stick to that with these early starts.  We're back to her needing a longer 3rd nap in the afternoon now.

We did the dreamfeed again last night and she slept until 6am.  It seems so crazy that an additional feed at 10pm will only buy 30mins extra sleep in the morning but 6am is better than 5.30.

We gave about 90mLs at the dreamfeed...is that enough or should we give more?  She definately opens her eyes but I don't think she actually wakes as she would cry if she had actually registered seeing me.

Is it likely that she will eventually learn to sleep until closer to 7 or to at least amuse herself in her cot?  She is a grumpy / touchy so when she wakes she cries - end of story - no playing or talking in her cot.

[Colin Macs Mom]

With a grumpy/touchy LO it might take a while for her to be ok with playing in her cot by herself. Not impossible, but she'll be more likely to object!

I think 90mL is fine - it's obviously helping her so I wouldn't change anything.

[FionaS]

Well firstly another big thankyou to Colin Mac's Mom for your help and support.  It's  been great knowing I can come here for advice and help!

The dreamfeed is working well.  Our lo has slept through until between 6 and 7am 4 nights in a row.  She generally wakes once between 4 and 6 but resettles herself after a few moans.

How long should I continue with the df before trying to drop it again?  Gabrielle is now 7mths and 3 weeks old and we are succeeding in getting more solid food into her.  I am finding she doesn't feed as well at 7am any more (will only take one side, if that, and I am not even getting as full anymore) and I'm wondering if the df is causing her to redjust to getting most of her calories between 11am and 11pm??

[Colin Macs Mom]

Wow, that's great to hear Fiona!    Good job!

I wouldn't necessarily stop the DF altogether just yet, but maybe offer less instead. Like maybe 2/3 or 1/2 the amount you are now. Then it would be less likely to interfere with the first feed.

[FionaS]

She's woken at 6am every day for 5 days now but 2 of those days she's settled back to sleep until closer to 7am.  Do you think the 6am wake is a habitual thing that we can change or could it be that she is just a lark and we have to learn to accept? 

I feel mean to begrudge her a 6am feed since she's basically sleeping through but 6am seems so early !

[Colin Macs Mom]

I'd give it a little more time before you decide if it's habitual or not. It might be a blip in the transition process KWIM?