Night time sleep

[linz]

Right now my babies go down around 8 pm, wake about 2 am and 5/6 am to eat. Up for the day at 8 am. I know they are on a good schedule, but the 2 am feeding is so hard on me especially now being back to work. I tried once to do a dream feed and they still woke 3 hours later. Should I try feeding them around 10/11 pm and see if they would make it till 5 am? I wasn't sure what is considered STTN...and I know every baby is different. I'm ok with them having overnight feedings because they're still little, I just wish it were better times so I could sleep.

They're almost 4 months old so also wasn't sure if I should even mess with this schedule...maybe they'll eventually fall into a different pattern? I mainly like for them to eat around 5/6 am so I can feed them before I go to work. FIL watches them at our house and I like them being on the 8 11 2 5 schedule during the day.

-and I'm sure they'll hit the 4 month wake soon and throw this all out the window!

[jeaniebueller]

Well....if they are sleeping from 8-5/6 with only one wakeup to eat, I would say that is pretty standard for 3-4 month olds. I would leave it as it and eventually they will start pushing back that 2am feeding. For now, just try to go to bed early. It sucks but someday you will get to sleep again.

[zarapipe]

I really hope you don't get the 4mw like we did. It has been so hard on us.

My vote is to get to bed at 9pm. I wouldn't mess with their schedule, but that's just me. I would just work on going to bed earlier if they are predictable on their wake up time.

[linz]

Oh so you think eventually they'll wake earlier and then sleep till 5? That'd be nice. I will leave them as is. I need to go to bed early and hoping being back at work I'll be tired enough to do that.

[jeaniebueller]

Feb 3, 2015 12:44:20 GMT -5 linz said:

Oh so you think eventually they'll wake earlier and then sleep till 5? That'd be nice. I will leave them as is. I need to go to bed early and hoping being back at work I'll be tired enough to do that.

No, I think eventually they will push their feeding time later, like 3 or 4am (which sucks when you have to get up for work, I get it. BTDT.) But you really don't want to start creating any new sleep waking/eating habits IMO. And you might get hit with 4MW and everything will go out the door anyway.

[vaportrail]

Can you gradually reduce how much they're eating at 2am until that feeding is eliminated?

[egishere]

At four months we kept the 3 hour eating schedule with the last one being at 11pm-we would wake them to eat. Around that time they started sleeping until 6 or 7am if I recall. I was always afraid to mess with their schedule and we were strict about it but I think trying a 10/11 feeding may work for you.

What is your situation - are you BF or do you have to pump so have to get up anyway? We were strictly formula and DH and me would take turns with the night feedings and that seemed to really be the best for our sanity and sleep situation.

[osulori]

I wouldn't mess with their schedule at this point, especially with the possibility of the four month wakeful looming. Try going to bed as soon as you can after they do and see if that helps-I had a LOT of 9pm bedtimes when I first went back to work.

[linz]

Feb 3, 2015 14:00:50 GMT -5 egishere said:

At four months we kept the 3 hour eating schedule with the last one being at 11pm-we would wake them to eat. Around that time they started sleeping until 6 or 7am if I recall. I was always afraid to mess with their schedule and we were strict about it but I think trying a 10/11 feeding may work for you.

What is your situation - are you BF or do you have to pump so have to get up anyway? We were strictly formula and DH and me would take turns with the night feedings and that seemed to really be the best for our sanity and sleep situation.

I EP. But if I feed and pump around 11 pm I would sleep till 5 am.

[egishere]

I would definitely try adding the 11pm feeding then.

[linz]

OK I have Thursdays off so I'll try tomorrow night. I'm usually up anyway.

[Deleted]

My 4mo old is on exactly the same schedule, one long sleep then a 3hr sleep. The 2am one also kills me still. If you are up at 11 to pump go ahead and feed. If not id say go to bed asap close to their bedtime. I hate not staying up to watch tv or knit or read but in order to some real sleep longer than 2 or 3 hrs i go to bed at 9 or 930.

I was also debating adding in a dream feed but i am too tired to stay up til 11 anyways. Not sure about 4mw, last night during the 2am feed he kinda had big eyes but i stuck him in the crib and let him suck his thumb and stare at his crib bumper until he fell asleep on his own.

[jorja]

I would definitely try again to add an 11pm feed. I wake DD (11 weeks) if she's not already awake to eat before I go to sleep and she generally sleeps until around 5am.

[vtdiamond]

Mine are on a pretty similar schedule and are 3 months old. Bed time is 7pm and sometimes they will only wake up at 2-3am and will then sleep until 7 or 8am. However, other times like last nigh they were up at midnight and then again at 6am.

I've tried a dream feed and like the other poster said they were up again 2-3 hrs later so didn't make much of a difference so I gave up on that.

At 3 months and I guess 4 months I feel like it's not too bad. STTN would be nice but they just aren't there yet. Personally I prefer the 2/3 wake up to a midnight one so I can at least get a good stretch of sleep and not be woken up like an hour or two after going to bed.

[Deleted]

Bless you mothers of twins! I wont complain anymore because just reading about anything motn involving more than one hungry baby sounds difficult beyond my imagination!

[linz]

Feb 3, 2015 15:01:34 GMT -5 @cobaby said:

Bless you mothers of twins! I wont complain anymore because just reading about anything motn involving more than one hungry baby sounds difficult beyond my imagination!

It wouldn't be as bad but I pump. So I pump and feed DD then feed DS. Takes an hour and sometimes I'm wide awake after which stinks.

I also am not tired come 9 pm. But I'm hoping being back to work it'll change. They go to bed at 8 and then I wash bottles and usually stuff my face.

[linz]

Feb 3, 2015 14:47:57 GMT -5 vtdiamond said:

Mine are on a pretty similar schedule and are 3 months old. Bed time is 7pm and sometimes they will only wake up at 2-3am and will then sleep until 7 or 8am. However, other times like last nigh they were up at midnight and then again at 6am.

I've tried a dream feed and like the other poster said they were up again 2-3 hrs later so didn't make much of a difference so I gave up on that.

At 3 months and I guess 4 months I feel like it's not too bad. STTN would be nice but they just aren't there yet. Personally I prefer the 2/3 wake up to a midnight one so I can at least get a good stretch of sleep and not be woken up like an hour or two after going to bed.

How much do yours weigh? DD was 8.1 a week ago. DS I'm guessing is past 10. We have their 4 month appt the 16th. I think he could sleep longer but she still has some growing so I feel like she needs that extra feeding.

[vtdiamond]

Feb 3, 2015 16:13:00 GMT -5 linz said:

Feb 3, 2015 14:47:57 GMT -5 vtdiamond said:

Mine are on a pretty similar schedule and are 3 months old. Bed time is 7pm and sometimes they will only wake up at 2-3am and will then sleep until 7 or 8am. However, other times like last nigh they were up at midnight and then again at 6am.

I've tried a dream feed and like the other poster said they were up again 2-3 hrs later so didn't make much of a difference so I gave up on that.

At 3 months and I guess 4 months I feel like it's not too bad. STTN would be nice but they just aren't there yet. Personally I prefer the 2/3 wake up to a midnight one so I can at least get a good stretch of sleep and not be woken up like an hour or two after going to bed.

How much do yours weigh? DD was 8.1 a week ago. DS I'm guessing is past 10. We have their 4 month appt the 16th. I think he could sleep longer but she still has some growing so I feel like she needs that extra feeding.

Mine are bigger. At their 2 month apt DD was 11lbs and DS was 13 lbs!

[curbsideprophet]

Honestly only one middle of the night wake up sounds pretty good and I would not mess with it.

[MadamePresident]

I would probably try to change my schedule to line up more with theirs even if that means going to bed earlier.

[Blue Moon]

My DD is 5 months and usually wakes once to eat sometime between 2-4. I always expect her to wake on the earlier end, and therefore I am in bed at 9pm. If she sleeps until 4, I usually can't fall back asleep since I get up for work at 530. It's okay though because I've had a long enough stretch of sleep that I can function at work. I know it stinks but I would just try to go to bed earlier for right now.

[Deleted]

Ugh thats the worst, either waking up to feed so close to the time you need to be up that it isnt worth falling back asleep, or thr feeding process taking so long you are totally wide awake!