scheduled bottle feeding.....

[Sammystar]

Hello

A friend of mine visited me today and commented how tired I'm looking. Sam was up at 1am, 3.30am, then from 4.30 he was awake and making noise. I'm frazzled

She said that she put her bottle fed baby on a schedlue according to the Gina Ford book 'Contented little baby' and that it worked wonders and he slept through the night.

I've heard mixed reviews about Gina Ford, but have never read any of her stuff.

Right now I'm feeding Sam on a demand basis, which is how I breast fed my two little girls. Do you think I should try a schedule? Will it help him to sleep at night? Any ideas?

 

[SarahH]

I've not heard of her. I did feeding on demand to, but I did start a routine early. Bath and feed and in bed for 11pm and then each week I took it back half an hour until it got to 7.30pm for bed and she sleep right through.

I beleive a routine is the way forward!!

 

[Minime]

Ive heard of people having near breakdowns trying to stick to the regime and people getting on well with it.

Are you sure LO is hungry? Eefie quite often wakes in the night for a dummy, blanket or just a cuddle and will go back sleep.

 

[Sammystar]

Hi Minime

He's not always hungry, he just wakes and wants a cuddle or some attention. He can't seem to settle by himself and that's what my friend seems to think the Gina Ford regime will help with.
She's going to give me the book so I'll try to give it a go. I was just wondering if anybody on here had any experience of it.

 

[hananhmiller]

Hi

I have done my daughters bottles by the gina ford routine since 10 weeks. I dont do all the nap times like the book just the concept. She has a bottle at 7, 11, 2.30, 6.15, 10 ish and I limit the amount of sleep in the daytime. Because of this, she now sleeps from 7 - 7 which is brilliant and is a really contented baby. My advice would be do they bottles like the book but dont worry yourself over getting baby to bed for naps at set times as this is not always easy.

Hannah X

 

[rusks]

minime i often wonder if when luke wakes in the night he is truly hungry, as when i go to give him a bottle he only takes a small amount. maybe i'll try a cuddle instead and if then he doesn't settle i can try to feed him.

sunshine star i do sympathise, we are also up with luke at 2ish and 5ish and hes very reluctant to go back sleep aftetr that 5ish feed i'm knackered too.

 

[mum2A&L]

my hv suggested trying a drop of boiled water if alice wakes at night. sometimes it could be enough to get her back to sleep

 

[h33]

Hiya

I always demad fed COnal till he was 12 weeks and then i strated giving him a bottle at 7.30pm whether he wanted it or not and stuck him to bed he still woke though so at 13 weeks i started giving him a rusk with his 7.30 bottle and from then on he has slept through from 7.30pm to about 8am althoug i will still demand feed him through the day as long as he has dinner at about 11 and tea at about 4.30 i'm not bothered although he is normally fed at 11am, 2pm tea at 4.30pm and just a bottle for bed since we have been giving him tea at 7-7.30pm.

If you think he is hungry and you want to give him rice or soemthing before bed it may help him sleep.

Heather

 

[Rubys mummy]

Got the book, and followed the feeding routine from day one...It worked for a while, but she was unsettled...From 7 weeks I started demand feeding, she feeds mainly small amounts every 2 hours during day but in return she sleeps through the night and has done from 7 weeks. We still do the night routine-bath, bottle and bed at 6.15pm, then we wake her at 11pm, she feeds and goes straight back down until 6am-7am.

She is so content and happy, and we are getting into a routine for her naps now too. Its good to read the books, but dont beat yourself up over following it exactly, take bits that suit you both-baby will find own routine.

 

[Sammystar]

So here's my update. I didn't bother getting the book, but I took Hannah's advise and I've started to schedule the feeds. I've also started the bath/bottle/bed routine and he now goes to his own bed at the same time as my girls, 7pm! He's settling himself by about 7.30-8pm. I wake him at about 10pm for a clean nappy and a feed, then he goes through until about 5.30am when he just wakes up, not for food though. I've given up trying to sleep later, I'm sure that will come with time. He's certainly more settled these days.

 

[Londoner Claire]

Well done. I am wondering the same thing although I think before two months may be too much to expect to go through the night. Right now I'm not minding getting woken 2 or 3 times a night as she goes straight back to sleep after a bottle.

 

[Rubys mummy]

Thats fab!!!! You will soon be able to get some sleep during day, Rubes wakes at around 6am-7am for her first feed, plays for an hour which gives me time to get bits done, then she has a top up roughly an hour later, and crashes out, so I get on the bed with her and we snooze for an hour or so!!! Its lovely and she wakes up so happy and cheerful!!