Bedtime routine

[E_05]

My little boy is 12 weeks tomorrow and we’ve been doing a bedtime routine.. most nights it’s bottle 6-6:30pm bath, story and bed around 7:30pm. He normally stirs around 10-10:30pm so I give him a bottle and he was sleeping until 2-3am and then going till 4am. I thought if he could 5.5/6hrs Id try dropping the 10pm feed thinking he’d stir a little later and potentially go longer into the morning. Well he then went from 6pm till 2am - 8 hrs I couldn’t believe it?!

I’m not complaining as I know I’m very lucky to just have one night feed and then he goes back down but my question is if when I drop the 10pm feed he can go 8 hrs, why can’t he go from 10pm-5/6am. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Lovefood1984]

I’ve read their sleep cycles become more consolidated first starting with the first 1/3 if the night and as they get older 2/3 then the full night. Perhaps he’s able to sleep through the hunger for the first portion but it’s too much for the later portion of the night when sleep drive isn’t so high? Mind you my little girl was a funny one, she was doing longer from bedtime towards morning but then got ill and her bottles changed to being massive at bedtime and 4hrs later......it was like that for a couple of months until she tried dropping her breakfast bottle 🙄 she’d only take an oz. That’s when some gentle reducing of night bottle was commenced to ensure a full morning feed and a dropping of the final night bottle. I’d work with what gives you the longest stint and what they want to drop first, dream feeds are apparently not recommended and seem to be more for parent convenience than a baby need. You’ll find out what works best for you. I always panicked about when to drop bottles but then looking back it really does happen organically and isn’t too bad x

Ps you are really lucky to be at 12 weeks with one night feed, it was 4 1/2 months for us and took until almost 7 to drop that last one! (Although that had been work in progress from just over 6 months) Oh and I also count myself lucky she’s sleeping through the night after speaking to other mums with older babies/toddlers who still don’t 😬 x

[E_05 in reply to Lovefood1984]

I know either way to only have 1 night feed I feel very lucky. I was interested in how he was able to go different amounts of times depending on when the last bottle was, I did wonder if it was something to do with sleep cycles. I’d read a bit about dreaming feeding but my little boy won’t actually do it which I guess isn’t such a bad thing. Re assuring to know about not worrying to much about dropping of bottles to, thank you! X

[Lovefood1984 in reply to E_05]

I worried so much about when etc and then you realise it just happens organically and one day they just don’t need it and make up for it with the others 😊 Sounds like you are doing a fab job. I find the science behind things pretty interesting too, wish someone could have explained to me why she decided to swap hers around 😂 (other than illness) as well as how do they know bedtime is bedtime and to do a longer sleep cycle 🤷‍♀️ Other than day length etc as some go to bed at 6:30 and some go later like ours at 8 🤔 x

[E_05 in reply to Lovefood1984]

Thank you, I know it really is interesting when you start looking into it all x

[Hidden]

Personally I would keep the 10 feed. My nephew had a similar routine and if my sister gave a dream feed at 10 he would sleep through until 6 ish in the morning meaning everyone got a good 7 hours straight sleep. Every child is different though. Good luck xx

[E_05 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you, he won’t dream feed so I can only do the 10/10:30 feed if he stirs enough to take the bottle xx

[Noobs]

My little one is 12 weeks tomorrow and is sleeping from 9pm ish right through to 4am with no feed. His last feed is 8pm. I can’t quite believe it😀. He feeds at 4am and then again between 6am and 7am and that dictates our wake up time. I can only think he is feeding more during the day so can go longer in the first part of the night. X

[E_05 in reply to Noobs]

Ah that’s brilliant, the problem I have with him having a feed at 4am is he then doesn’t want a proper bottle between 6/7am which knocks all the other feeds outta place. Last night he fed at 7pm went until 12:30am and then until 6:30am so cant complain either way x

[Rachwex in reply to Noobs]

That’s pretty much our 14 week olds routine too! We haven’t read too much up about it all (we had a very hectic first few months with him in hospital).. but it’s good to know someone is doing the same ..

How is your little one during the day?xx

[Noobs in reply to Rachwex]

He has maybe an hour in the morning followed by a 2/3 hour afternoon nap, then little power naps in the afternoon. We have play gym time then bathtime between 6.30/7.30 pm, bottle then bed. It’s still pretty much led by him. The only routine I’ve stuck to since he was born is making the difference clear between night and day. What’s your little ones day routine like? We find he is awake much more now during the day.x

[Rachwex in reply to Noobs]

So funny! So he has a nap in morning time for an hour or less and then will have big sleep of 2 /3 hours round 2pm..

He is def wanting to play more now and likes a mixture of us interacting with him and time alone. He doesn’t like to be handled or cuddled too much ,.

The gums have just started hurting him this week-we’ve found that it annoys him most at lunchtime. He’s gone a bit off his milk but hoping it will pass soon x

[Noobs in reply to Rachwex]

Ha ha sounds like they are in the same sleeping routine. I’m dreading the teething stage as we’ve just got through the colic and reflux stage. Hope you’re little boy is okay after hospital visits? Sorry to hear that.x

[Rachwex in reply to Noobs]

He is thanks-had to have surgery to remove ill-formed lobe in lung but is already nearly at full lung capacity.. we were lucky not to have colic though:that is tough too!

Is this your first baby too?

[Noobs in reply to Rachwex]

Aw that’s good to hear. What a worry for you. Yes he is my first after years of trying😊. X

[Noobs]

Brilliant! I know what you mean as I try to have some sort of routine myself. I’m just so glad not to be getting up every 3 hours😂.xx

[SilkeP]

Just to say that whatever you do, remember there is a sleep regression around 4 months so don’t think you’ve done something to stop his beautiful sleep

I’m not envious at all... not at all. My boy is 13 weeks and there’s no rhythm to his sleep or feeding other than him being. Wide awake usually between 9pm-11pm and he’s usually feeding just before midnight, then again some time around 3am and again around 6am. Essentially every 3 hours day and night. Breastfed though, which might make a difference.

They’ll all get there eventually but if I were you I’d enjoy what I currently have and wouldn’t start experimenting!

Similar issue with my older two by the way. You put them to bed at 8pm, they wake at 6am. You’d think putting them to bed later would mean they sleep longer but no, even at Christmas or other late evenings... they’ll still be awake at 6am! Kids.

[Lovefood1984 in reply to SilkeP]

I agree with the not sleeping later 😂 Mind you I have no idea what I did Friday but our little one slept until 8:30 on Saturday when I decided to wake her (normally up about 7:30 at 8 1/2 months old) 😬 Oh and we didn’t notice the sleep regression, of which I’m so happy about (not being smug, just not every baby has a problem with it) We have only had awakenings due to formula and food allergy reactions 😢

[Lilli79]

Our twins are 10 months, and now only have that late evening feed and don't usually wake until about 6am. Apparently the early morning 3am-5am is their most restless time, so you might find that yours will wake at this time but might not necessarily need a feed. We just let ours drop feeds naturally, we tried a few times to just soothe back to sleep or give water but it didn't work. It's an awful lot easier on you to feed at 10pm than it is to feed at 2am/5am so to encourage him to sleep till the morning I wouldn't try to drop a late evening feed, but thats only my tuppence worth and not necessarily right. Its a difficult one, as every baby is so different. I gave up googling 'when will my baby sleep through' - it was driving me mental!! I just let nature take its course now 😊

[Annh17]

My LG is nearly 5months, she has a feed at 8am, 11.30am, 2pm, 5.30pm and 9.30pm. I have been thinking lately, should we drop the 9.30 feed, but we have decided to stick with it for now. She sleeps through the night, has done from 6weeks, untill she is having dinners and not interested in that 9.30 feed, I will continue. x

[SmithC_95]

My LO is 14 weeks Sunday and sleeps through the night and has done from about 10 weeks.

She has 28-32oz of milk during a 24hour period. She usually has her bath between 7pm-8pm and then has a bottle after and goes down. The earlier she’s woken for a bottle since 10 weeks is 5am, she falls asleep when she has it and sleeps for a further 3-4 hours.

We use a vapour baby bubble bath from Asda little angels range and I did some research beforehand about it helping clear nasal passages and helping them to sleep. And we gave it a go and haven’t looked back. Hope this helps x