Sleeping advice needed (kind of long, sorry)

My ped. said to give the baby her last bottle of the day at the same time every day so she understands that it is now time for bed. He said for us to decide what time that will be, "8 o'clock or 8-thirty". Prior to that doctor visit, she was taking her last bottle around 10 or 11 and then sleeping until 7 or 8 the next morning. I think that is pretty good, since she is only now 8 weeks old.

So, the first night after the doctor visit, she got the bottle at 8:00 then I put her down for the night. Well, she got up at 2am and cried like she was hungry. I held her off by rocking her in and out of sleep until almost 5am . I felt terribly guilty about not feeding her for all that time, but I thought that was the point of giving her the last bottle -- so she learned that it was time to sleep until morning. So the next night, she got the bottle at 8:30 and woke up at 3am. This time I fed her and then she slept in her swing from about 4am until 8:30.

My question is this: is it better for her to get the bottle earlier and then get up during the night to eat; or is it better for her to eat later (10-11pm like before) and then sleep until morning? I am more inclined to do the latter, figuring that as she can go longer without eating that we can move the last feeding earlier and earlier, but this may not be the best way. Would it be better to give her the bottle earlier and then worry about cutting out the middle of the night feeding later on? Obviously sleeping later is easier for me, but if that is not what's best for her, I will continue getting up in the middle of the night.

Re: Sleeping advice needed (kind of long, sorry)

My answer requires no further thought: Give her that later feeding so she can sleep through. I did it with my 2 older kids when they were small. I would put them down earlier - by 8pm - but rouse them for an 11pm feeding. Since they were at the age where they were awake for a good part of the day (vs a newborn that sleeps alot) they would hardly wake, just instinctively start drinking the bottle, finish and go right back to sleep. Eventually she will be at a point where she wont need that 11pm feeding at all to sleep through. HTH

Re: Sleeping advice needed (kind of long, sorry)

I think that a bedtime routine is crucial, for instance we do bath, bottle, bed...for us that bath is a very strong signal that its time to go to bed. When he finishes that bottle, he is out, he is so knackered from it that he sleeps...but if the baby wakes up and is hungry, I would never deny that baby food. I am really sorry to say it, but I think that its cruel to hold off on feeding a hungry baby, food is crucial to a babys survival and as a newborn (and an infant) to that baby, everything is about survival and its mother doing everything they can for that baby.

My advice would be to give the baby another signal that its bedtime, give her a bath, turn on some special bedtime music, a bedtime light...something. But I think that babies under a year should be pretty much fed on demand...

This is just my opinion, I am not a doctor and neither do I play one on TV.

But for an 8 week old to sleep all night, thats fantastic!

Re: Sleeping advice needed (kind of long, sorry)

You had something that works and you were happy with it, I can't see any reason to mess with that.

8 weeks old seems awfully young to expect 12 hours with no food!

What is better is what actually works for you and the baby, not what someone else tells you should work.

Re: Sleeping advice needed (kind of long, sorry)

I agree, absoulutely feed later.

Our ped told us drop the night feeding at 6 months because she doesn't need it- not at 8 weeks.

Re: Sleeping advice needed (kind of long, sorry)

Hayley would get her last bottle around 10 and used to sleep thru the night. I say give it to her around 10 or 11 and let her (and you) sleep thru the night.

Re: Sleeping advice needed (kind of long, sorry)

I was also giving DS his last bottle between 10 &11 and he would sleep until about 6 6:30. That was when he was around 8 weeks old. Then I noticed he would start to rub his eyes around 7 7:30 (he use to nap at this time and then I would wake him up and give him that feeding). Then I figured I would try to make that his last feeding and he now goes to bed at that time everynight and gets up between 5:30 and 6:30. I let him give me the cues, he is now 10 weeks old. I would go back to giving him the bottles at 10. If you want to make it early try doing doing it at 9:30.

Message edited 6/21/2006 8:36:49 AM.

Re: Sleeping advice needed (kind of long, sorry)

I say if its not broken dont fix it! 10-8 thats awesome! My dd is almost 6 months and she sleeps 8-5. I would love it if she could sleep later.

Re: Sleeping advice needed (kind of long, sorry)

I would continue doing what you were doing prior to the doc's appt. At 8 weeks my son dropped his 4am feeding. His last feeding was at 10 or 11 and he woke at 6 or 7am. As he got older I could tell that he needed to go to bed earlier and earlier (he would fall asleep while drinking the bottle, not finish the bottle). Now at 7 mos, his last bottle is at 8 or 830 and he sleeps until 7 or 8 am.

Message edited 6/21/2006 9:26:29 AM.

Re: Sleeping advice needed (kind of long, sorry)

I do 10 pm feedings and my 13 week old sleeps through the night. If I go 730 she gets up at 3 am.........Feed later

Re: Sleeping advice needed (kind of long, sorry)

Wait a second, let me get this right - your baby is 8 weeks old and was sleeping from 10/11pm to 7/8am??????! That's AMAZING! Why change anything at all??!

Re: Sleeping advice needed (kind of long, sorry)

Re: Sleeping advice needed (kind of long, sorry)

Gianna is 7 weeks old, her last feeding is 10-11:30pm (i am BF) if she doesn't eat at that time she is up 2-3am too. otherwise she sleeps to 5-7am.

I would go with your gut, mommy knows best!

Re: Sleeping advice needed (kind of long, sorry)

Posted by Bxgell2

Wait a second, let me get this right - your baby is 8 weeks old and was sleeping from 10/11pm to 7/8am??????! That's AMAZING! Why change anything at all??!

Re: Sleeping advice needed (kind of long, sorry)

Re: Sleeping advice needed (kind of long, sorry)

I learned the hard way that a sleep routine is very important....so I would be consistent with a night routine and put her to bed earlier, however either wake her up at 10ish for a bottle or do a dream feed, which worked for us, which is picking her up and feeding her but not really arousing her...my four month old sleeps 7-7 without a night feeding, but for a while was waking up at 3 for a feeding. I think it is better to get a routine going at an earlier bedtime and then eventually dropping the last night feeding....my own opinion ofcourse!