No routine

[evansmummy]

I'm having some trouble with my ds (15 weeks) sleeping patterns. He had started (about 4 weeks ago) having a last feed (bf) at 7, sleeping til 4, then feed, then waking at 7, which suited me fine. But the last two weeks or so, he's been waking every hour or so after about 10. I get up and put in his dummy, he goes back to sleep, but then wakes again after about an hour. This goes on til about 3-4 when he feeds again. He's then awake for 1 1/2 hours (I have to stay with him to help him to sleep because if I don't he makes a lot of noise and disturbs dh) before sleeping until 7ish.

The problem I have is that after 4pm feed, bath etc, he's knackered and falls asleep around 6 until his next feed at 7. I'm sure this isn't helping his night time sleep but I really don't know how to fix things so that he's tired after his last feed, and not before!

He's also still sleeping in his pram, but is really too big for it now, but I'm dreading putting him into the cot because it's in our room (we don't have any other space!) and I'm worried that when we go to bed that'll wake him.

He manages to go off to sleep by himself after the last feed, sometimes after a bit of crying and/or screaming, and sometimes needs his dummy, but not always. But during the night he's just not so good.

All his naps during the day he has on his side in the cot and with the dummy, and he sleeps really well. He probably has around 4-4 1/2 hours of naps during the day.

All this has coincided with him appearing to be less hungry during the day, and not wanting to feed every 3 hours, as he was before. Since, he's completely lost any of the 'routine' we had going, and I don't think that helps either.

It's all the more frustrating because he had started sleeping really well, and now it's all gone to pot!! Sorry to go on, but I may be returning to work soon, and would really like to get it down to getting up just once in the night for a feed. Any advice would be enormoulsy appreciated!

[Newbarnsleygirl]

Could he be having a growth spurt? This would probably explain him feeding in the night.

Have you ever heard of the dream feed?
I used to use this with my dd up until she was 6 months. I basically woke her between 10/11pm and gave her another feed which would see her through till 8/9am. I eventually dropped this when I established the weaning as that filled her up. It meant not going to bed till after that but it also guarenteed a sleep in till later

With the cot if he's slepping in it for his naps then I'm sure he'll be fine on a night. I remember my HV recommending to me to sleep in a different room to her once she was about 6 months so we didn't disturb each other but we didn't actually do it until she was about 7 or 8 months.

Hope this helps a bit and good luck.

[blodwen]

I think if he sleeps well in the cot during the day, put him in it at night. He might be waking himself up hitting the sides of the pram?

[evansmummy]

Right, so he's been in the cot for the last two nights, but as it's in our room, I hear every little movement, and it wakes me! I'm not sure he's been sleeping very well, cos I can hear him rustling around all night! So, I'm not sleeping very well either! He's still waking up in the night for a feed, and several times during the night, for I don't know what! But I just let him moan and he goes back to sleep. The night feed seems to be for comfort more than anything else, I don't think it's a growth spurt because it's been like that for about 3 weeks now (one long growth spurt!!) Is there anything I can do to cut out thet night feed or should I just persevere until he gives it up by himself?

[Seona1973]

I know the babywhisperer recommends that by about 4 months that you should move towards a 4 hour feeding routine - maybe this is a reason why your lo doesnt seem to want feeding every 3 hours any more. You could give less feeds but make the feed longer/larger. Have you also tried giving a late feed to see if that sees your lo past the early morning feed?

It is normal for babies to wake up during the night as they come into a period of light sleep approx every 45minutes. If left alone 9 times out of 10 they will put themselves back to sleep as long as they have learned the skills to do that.(if your lo is waking and needing a dummy to go back to sleep maybe it is time to get rid of it)

I can sympathise with the noise thing as my dd used to moan and groan and I was glad to move her into her own room - although we did suffer it until she was 6 months due to the SIDS guidelines.

[Newbarnsleygirl]

I would try the dream feed evansmummy. It will probably see him through the night. Give it a few nights as he might still wake because it has become routine for him.