Sunday Express Skeleton 3Rd November
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Getting into a routine. How and when?
Ok, this could be a long one.
Our 4 week old baby who I'm breastfeeding, currently feeds every 2-5 hours through the day and night. Mostly every 3 during the night. We bath her and put on p.j's at around 7pm then she's mostly awake and unsettled until around 10-11pm. We put her down in the Moses basket in the living room if she does fall asleep though. Do you think this routine is normal for a 4 week old baby?
I would like her to start sleeping for longer periods at night and not sure if we're doing the right thing in the evening.
I'm considering giving her a bottle of formula before we go to bed. Although the health visitor advised against it.
Has anyone any tips for a better bedtime routine? Should she be put in basket in our bedroom at her bedtime? I really don't think I could leave her crying, which is what someone suggested to me.
Any advice greatfully received.
Our 4 week old baby who I'm breastfeeding, currently feeds every 2-5 hours through the day and night. Mostly every 3 during the night. We bath her and put on p.j's at around 7pm then she's mostly awake and unsettled until around 10-11pm. We put her down in the Moses basket in the living room if she does fall asleep though. Do you think this routine is normal for a 4 week old baby?
I would like her to start sleeping for longer periods at night and not sure if we're doing the right thing in the evening.
I'm considering giving her a bottle of formula before we go to bed. Although the health visitor advised against it.
Has anyone any tips for a better bedtime routine? Should she be put in basket in our bedroom at her bedtime? I really don't think I could leave her crying, which is what someone suggested to me.
Any advice greatfully received.
Answers
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It sounds normal to me from what other people say! I don't really think 4 week old babys have much of a routine. Why did the HV say not to give her formula?
My daughter was bottle fed and from what I can remember she had a feed at 11, 2 & 5 aged 2-3 weeks then dropped the 11 feed and gradually got later until it was just 1 feed in the night. By 6 weeks she slept through until 6 ish.
I think generally breastfed babies are alot harder to get into a routine and that was one of the reasons why I chose not to. I know I was very lucky with my daughter.
I would maybe try her with the formula before bed it may work, it may not. You could start putting her to bed in the bedroom then she will gradually learn night from day.
Just trust your instincts and do whatever you think is best and accept all the help you can! It will get easier I promise!
My daughter was bottle fed and from what I can remember she had a feed at 11, 2 & 5 aged 2-3 weeks then dropped the 11 feed and gradually got later until it was just 1 feed in the night. By 6 weeks she slept through until 6 ish.
I think generally breastfed babies are alot harder to get into a routine and that was one of the reasons why I chose not to. I know I was very lucky with my daughter.
I would maybe try her with the formula before bed it may work, it may not. You could start putting her to bed in the bedroom then she will gradually learn night from day.
Just trust your instincts and do whatever you think is best and accept all the help you can! It will get easier I promise!
Thank you tigwig. Yeah I'm really feeding on demand. We'd just like to eliminate the cranky period in the evening and get some more sleep! I'm not getting stressed about it though, we're just enjoying her.
Its just that everyone else keeps saying 'have you got her into a routine?' Bl@@dy busybodies!
The HV said they don't advise giving breastfed babies formula OR a dummy as it can cause... I quote...'nipple confusion'!!! Perhaps the formula would fill her up for longer.
Its just that everyone else keeps saying 'have you got her into a routine?' Bl@@dy busybodies!
The HV said they don't advise giving breastfed babies formula OR a dummy as it can cause... I quote...'nipple confusion'!!! Perhaps the formula would fill her up for longer.
I fed all mine myself so I sympathise with you.
Yes, breastmilk is best for babies but they get all the antibodies they need from you in the first 2 weeks of life.
If you give your baby a bottle of formula last thing at night she will sleep for longer....and so will you!
Alternatively, why don't you express and give her a large-ish bottle at bed time. If you have some expressed milk stored in the fridge/freezer then your partner could do his bit with the night feed.
It doesn't last for ever, although it seems like it at the time.
Good luck. xx
Yes, breastmilk is best for babies but they get all the antibodies they need from you in the first 2 weeks of life.
If you give your baby a bottle of formula last thing at night she will sleep for longer....and so will you!
Alternatively, why don't you express and give her a large-ish bottle at bed time. If you have some expressed milk stored in the fridge/freezer then your partner could do his bit with the night feed.
It doesn't last for ever, although it seems like it at the time.
Good luck. xx
hi lollyone.
I have 2 children the first bottle fed from birth and he has always ben a really good sleeper. The second i breast fed untl she was six months old. i really sympathise with you because know what you are going through, She is now nine month old and still does not sleep through the night. She goes down at seven and wakes twice sometimes three times in the night. i was told by HV not to give a dummy because of confusion but really wish i had because now she is so old she will no except it. and i feel the main reason for her waking in the night is comfort. Honestly it isentirely your choice but i would try baby with a dummy whilst she is still young. Feeding should be established now so she should know the difference. keep smiling it does get easier with time.
I have 2 children the first bottle fed from birth and he has always ben a really good sleeper. The second i breast fed untl she was six months old. i really sympathise with you because know what you are going through, She is now nine month old and still does not sleep through the night. She goes down at seven and wakes twice sometimes three times in the night. i was told by HV not to give a dummy because of confusion but really wish i had because now she is so old she will no except it. and i feel the main reason for her waking in the night is comfort. Honestly it isentirely your choice but i would try baby with a dummy whilst she is still young. Feeding should be established now so she should know the difference. keep smiling it does get easier with time.
Hi Lolly hope you're all ok.
I breast fed Nancy to start with, but after a few days I had to go back to the hospital and left her with my mum who bottle fed her while I was away. Even though breast feeding was definitley NOT 'established' at that point she never got confused. I then went back to breast feeding after she'd had 2.5 days of being bottle fed. She was fine but didn't sleep very well on breast milk alone, so we started giving her a bottle before bed so we could get some shut-eye! The formula really did work for Nancy but I ended up not producing enough milk and so gave her more and more formula untill she was 100% formula fed by about 5weeks. I think you're doing fantastically to have stuck at it for this long!!
Health visitors are only there to advise, and often their advice is not practical, or just not right for you and your little one.You have to do whats best for the 3 of you!
Don't worry too much about a routine right now, in another few weeks you'll suddenly realise you have one and know how to do so many things you couldn't do before!
Take care.xx
I breast fed Nancy to start with, but after a few days I had to go back to the hospital and left her with my mum who bottle fed her while I was away. Even though breast feeding was definitley NOT 'established' at that point she never got confused. I then went back to breast feeding after she'd had 2.5 days of being bottle fed. She was fine but didn't sleep very well on breast milk alone, so we started giving her a bottle before bed so we could get some shut-eye! The formula really did work for Nancy but I ended up not producing enough milk and so gave her more and more formula untill she was 100% formula fed by about 5weeks. I think you're doing fantastically to have stuck at it for this long!!
Health visitors are only there to advise, and often their advice is not practical, or just not right for you and your little one.You have to do whats best for the 3 of you!
Don't worry too much about a routine right now, in another few weeks you'll suddenly realise you have one and know how to do so many things you couldn't do before!
Take care.xx
All babies are individuals so all respond differently. When my last child was born his elder sister was in hospital so I expressed milk for my mother to give him by bottle during the day and when my daughter slept I rushed home and breast fed him. He wasn't confused so I'm not sure why your HV would say it would confuse your daughter. Now I think you can buy teats that are supposedly like nipples.
As K8bailey says in a few weeks she'll have settled into a rountine and you won't even think about it and as you say just continue to enjoy her.
As K8bailey says in a few weeks she'll have settled into a rountine and you won't even think about it and as you say just continue to enjoy her.
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As a retired Health Visitor I can tell you that some babies never get 'into a routine'-however hard you try!! Most babies have an unsettled period between 6-10pm[breast & bottle fed] Also between 4-6 weeks most babies go through 3 things-can't give you specific reasons why- they get spotty,snotty/snuffly & they have a growth spurt.Maybe your little one is beginning a growth spurt.Don't be pressurised to get into a routine-they are not machines! Look after yourself,eat well & regularly & enjoy her
When my baby was born I had everyone asking if I'd got her into a routine yet from really early on. I felt really pressured to go down the routine route but wanted to have a more laidback approach so did resist and did my own thing. I did what suited us as a family and it was very similar to what you've described.
My baby is now 18 weeks old and to be honest we really did slip into a routine without even noticing but it wasn't until she was at least 2 months old, and probably closer to 3 months if I'm honest.
What you're doing sounds completely normal and if it suits you then stick with it.
My baby is now 18 weeks old and to be honest we really did slip into a routine without even noticing but it wasn't until she was at least 2 months old, and probably closer to 3 months if I'm honest.
What you're doing sounds completely normal and if it suits you then stick with it.
I would suggest continuing with the same bathtime in the evenings as this will be a good time for when she does get into a routine a bit later on. The restlessness in the evening could be a touch of colic. It is common for it to start around this age and the evenings seems to a common time for babies to get it. As others have said, if you want to give her a bedtime bottle, you do it. At the end of the day she is you baby, not the HV's and you will know what suits her best.
Im trying to remember what I did with my first as she went into a good routine better than my 11 month old. I know she was in her own room from 2 weeks but I think I used to keep her downstairs in the evenings with us, and then take her up when I went to bed. We did this til she was too big for her basket She was having a feed about 10pm then again about 2am and 6am. By 12 weeks she was sleeping through.
Again with my second, we kept her downstairs with us til bedtime. However, we have been easier going so to speak. When she out grew her basket, we would settle her to sleep on the sofa, then take her up with us. When she was about 6 months we decided it was time to get her in a proper bedtime routine and would take her upstairs to bed at 7pm and she would settle to sleep in her cot. Amazingly she has always been very good and I wish we had done it sooner! lol
Dont worry about routine at the moment, she is still settling in to her new world. Just do what you and baby are happy and comfortable with :)
Im trying to remember what I did with my first as she went into a good routine better than my 11 month old. I know she was in her own room from 2 weeks but I think I used to keep her downstairs in the evenings with us, and then take her up when I went to bed. We did this til she was too big for her basket She was having a feed about 10pm then again about 2am and 6am. By 12 weeks she was sleeping through.
Again with my second, we kept her downstairs with us til bedtime. However, we have been easier going so to speak. When she out grew her basket, we would settle her to sleep on the sofa, then take her up with us. When she was about 6 months we decided it was time to get her in a proper bedtime routine and would take her upstairs to bed at 7pm and she would settle to sleep in her cot. Amazingly she has always been very good and I wish we had done it sooner! lol
Dont worry about routine at the moment, she is still settling in to her new world. Just do what you and baby are happy and comfortable with :)
Thank you for all your answers guys. It helps a lot to hear we seem to be doing the normal thing. I've bought some formula today so will try giving her a bottle before bed. I'm not going to stress about this 'getting into a routine' thing then. It seems more important to everyone else than to us!! Lol!
Thanks again for your help x
Thanks again for your help x
After just one bottle, my son refused to breast feed again, so second time round I made sure there was nothing but breast on offer I & fed him for many months.
My lifesaver was a dummy, which does not deliver milk so didn't seem to have any "nipple confusion" problems. Now I know why they're known as "soothers" and "comforters" - they certainly lived up to the names for my children. Personally, I would have paid �100 each if need be!
Breast feeding is not only healthier for the baby but also for you and the best bit is no preparation, it's just there, ready! Your baby is so tiny and new, I would not personally expect anything much resembling a routine for another month or so.
Go with your instincts - you're doing fine!
My lifesaver was a dummy, which does not deliver milk so didn't seem to have any "nipple confusion" problems. Now I know why they're known as "soothers" and "comforters" - they certainly lived up to the names for my children. Personally, I would have paid �100 each if need be!
Breast feeding is not only healthier for the baby but also for you and the best bit is no preparation, it's just there, ready! Your baby is so tiny and new, I would not personally expect anything much resembling a routine for another month or so.
Go with your instincts - you're doing fine!
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