routines?!

Hi all
Just after some advise. I have a 5 1/2 month old little girl, Sienna, is put to bed between 5 - 6 pm. She will then wake for a feed (up until the last week she has been exclusively breast fed - I have just started her with some rice cereal in the am) somewhere between 10 and 1, and then go thru to 5 or 6pm. She does wake more than this but these are the times when she is having a feed.
During the day she has 2 maybe 3 catnaps of about 30 minutes to an hour if Im lucky.

I was wondering what time other mums with bubs this age are putting their little ones to bed at night. I quite like her going to bed this early as it then gives me a little time to myself, but if a later bed time could mean she will sleep better at night I am willing to give it a shot.

Suggestions????

Hi kellie,
Before you change the time Sienna goes to bed, try giving her, her solid meal later in the afternoon, say around 4-5pm. You may find her tummy will stay fuller for longer, and she will sleep better. Good luck.
Tracey

Kellie,

My boys are nearly six months. Their last feed is anywhere between 6.30pm and 8pm - depending on what time they wake in the morning. They are on 1 meal of solids a day (rice cereal, mixed with formula and baby food), and 4 bottles of formula. They will then sleep through until 6.30am-7.30am. They catnap for about 1.5 hours during the day and always have at lest 2 hours of sleep after their first feed of the day (an extension of their night sleep). Mind you this does not always happen!!!.

One of my twins would always wake for another feed in the middle of the night (2am -3am). As they are on formula we just weaned him of that feed. Each week we gradually reduced the strength of the formula and he then started to drink less each time until he stopped. Sometimes he would cry for a couple of minutes and then put himself back to sleep. He just worked out that it was not worth waking for that feed. I ttooks us about 2.5 weeks.

This was a suggestion from our clinic nurse who is fabulous. It worked for us, but check with your clinic nurse first as I am not sure if it would be the same with breastfed babies.

I like the boys going to sleep early as well, as it also gives me a little time to myself.

Hi Kellie,
Both of my boys when they were at 5 1/2 months would go to bed and wake for feeds overnight just like Sienna. Eventually they dropped the 10pm-1am feed and slept through. One of my boys only did this at 7 months the other at 5months. Now they are 11 months and they go to bed around 6-7pm. They are also early rises 6am. My boys are ready for bed around this time. I couldn't keep them up and if I did they would then be overtired. If you try to put Sienna to bed later it won't guarantee that she will sleep better at night. She will still probably wake up for a feed overnight and rise at 5-6am. You may find once you start increasing the day solids that she may sleep/settle better. I found once the boys were on 3 solid meals a day ( for us that was around 8 mths) they really started enjoying having more of a set routine with meals/bottles and would get all their nourishment during the day and not need anything overnight.

Hope this helps.
Justine

Thanks guys for your advise. I have started Sienna on two solid feeds a day, rice cereal in the am and vegetables at night. This has not changed her night time sleeping pattern which I suspect it wont until she is on 3 solid meals a day. I have been trying to get her to bed later but come 5/5.30pm she is really ready for bed. She is only cat napping during the day and I am lucky if she sleeps for an hour during the day. Is 5pm too early to be putting a 5 1/2 - 6 month old baby to bed? Also I really struggle to keep her awake for 3 hours at a time - is this normal?