4 hr EASY + very hungry 5 mo + longer "A" time = confused

[nona]

confused on how all of this fits together...

my lo is doing great on 4 hr EASY BUT he seems to be VERY hungry. he will be 23 weeks this saturday.  first of all, he seems to need a longer "A" time (ie > 2 hr). he is not showing tired signs and he likes to be active. he is rolling over, etc. He usually takes great naps (avg 2 hr) and last week his naps were getting shorter (1 hr-1.5 - not much to complain about i know) AND i was having the hardest time getting him to settle for a nap. after extending "A" time the past few days, he is going down for naps easier and taking longer naps. so, not sure how to handle longer "A" times w/ 2 hrs naps = > 4 hr EASY?? he still wakes once a night and always takes a full feed. i have just started nursing him after his late pm catnap and then nursing again before sleep. he is averaging 7 feedings/24 hrs (inc dreamfeed).

additionally, he has started to nose dive for my breast in btwn feedings (never done this before) and today he thought my water bottle was a bottle and was grabbing for it and trying to put it in his mouth and suck. later this morning, he saw my water bottle again and starting getting very anxious and then starting nose diving for my breast again. if my DH gives him a bottle, he has same behavior (getting anxious) if DH delays it. KWIM? so confused about this...ended up nursing him before his second nap and he took a full feed.

this leads me to think we should consider starting him on solids? i was trying to delay until 6 mo (he is 5 mo 1 wk but technically 23 weeks  )

[donna_issabella]

I just HAD to comment on how beautiful he is!!!! Hi has the most GORGEOUS smile!!!!!

[nona]

awww...thank you so much! 

[suzie767]

if your lo seems hungrier than usual it may be time. is he a little big for his age?

also if his a tmes are lenthening he may be getting ready to drop the cat nap.

you could try working towards something like this

E 7am up         
A 9.30                                                         
S 9.30-11.30

E 11.30
A 2.00
S 2.00-4.00

He should then be able to go til about 7 for bedtime or if he is tired at first you could bring his bedtime forward temporarily.

if he does this successfully and you think he could go even further on his A time ( this may be when he is 6 mo) you culd try

E 7 am up
A 10.00
S 10.00 11.30

E 11.30
A 2.30
S 2.30-4.00

Then bedtime at 7 ( brought forward if necc)

it might be worth watching him closely for the next couple of days to make sure and extend his A times by 10-15 mins until he can go 2.5 hrs

hth

also agree with pp he is gorgeous  x

[nona]

yes he is big  he was > 18 lbs @ 4 mo and 97th percentile for ht, wt, etc. not sure what he weighs now but he is v. heavy!  i guess the schedule works itself out by removing that catnap. i think he can def go 2.5 hrs for "A" time. we essentially did this schedule today like you posted.

E 7am up         
                                                   
S 9.30-11.30

E 11.30

S 1.45-3.30

not sure if he can make it until 7pm. however, we can try it tonight and see what happens. if not, then we will just move up his bedtime.

thx!

[suzie767]

wow no wonder he is hungry!!

keep me posted