Early bedtime without reducing feeds???? UPDATED....

[mdsremos]

We want to be able to get Charlie to bed earlier than 10/11pm at night but not sure how to do this without dropping a feed which would mean he would probably not sleep as long as he does normally.

He currently feeds 6oz x 5 bottles at : 5.30am/9.30am/1.30pm/5.30pm/9.30pm (demand feeds every 4 hours)

He tends to fall asleep at about 8pm but we keep him downstairs with us and at 9pm give him a bath/last bottle he then drops off with us downstairs and we then take him upto his moses basket when he's completely settled.
He then wakes at 5.30 usually has a bottle, winded then back down awake or asleep and sleeps until 9.30. Although this is working at the moment were not sure of we should be trying to put him to bed earlier or just carry on as we are as it seems to be working????

 

[violet-glow]

Maybe up the feed from 6oz.... or wont he drink it all then?

 

[beanie]

could you not make the last feed a dream feed?

 

[lauramumof2]

my initial recation would be to have him bathed and a small feed before he falls asleep at 8 then lift him at 11ish and give him a dream feed.
Just a thought

 

[mdsremos]

Well we started a new routine on Saturday and fingers crossed its working better than we could ever have imagined.
We give him a bath at 8.30pm, then a massage, dressed for bed and put into his grobag then I take him to our room (he still sleeps in our room in his moses basket) and give him his last bottle. Burped then put straight down awake or not and although he grizzles for about 15-30mins he is then out like a light usually before 10pm!!!
Well we couldnt believe the difference as he slept until 7am this morning had a bottle then back down again until 10am...the lie in was fantastic although I did sleep lightly last night as I kept expecting him to wake up.

The only dilemma I have now is again trying to fit in all of his 6oz feeds (usually 5 a day) as today I did bottles at 7.00am/11am/2.30pm/5.45pm/9pm
I actually gave him the 2.30 and 5.45 ones a little earlier than normal (he is usually shouting for a bottle spot on every 4 hours) was this the wrong thing to do as he didnt protest at being fed early if anything he was better as he wasnt screaming waiting for it????

 

[Lauz_1601]

When Ella was newborn she used to go to bed at around 11 with us, then one night we were watching a dvd in bed and she was flat out at 8.30, I didnt want to wake her and disturb her to give her a bottle, so we just left her to sleep to see what happened. We expected her to wake earlier because she hadnt had her last bottle, but she still slept til 6am which was quite surprising. She then adjusted to not having her 11pm bottle by taking more throughout the day, just let your baby guide you!