How do I stretch him out? ( sleepwise that is! )

[Lette]

My boy is almost 4 months old and he's currently doing about 6 hours between feedings at night. I'd like to get him to go longer and here's the dilemma. Right now we feed him at about 12:30 or Midnight before we go to bed. (we have to wake him) Then he'll usually cry at 4 or 5 AM and we pat him back to sleep. Sometimes he makes it till 6.

I'd love to stretch him out and put him to bed for the night without doing that 12AM feeding, but I don't want to be getting up at 3 or 4 for fear that he'll think he can always get fed at 4. Am I making sense?

So how do I do it? He usually conks out for the night anywhere from 7 to 9:30 and when we wake him to feed him, he's out. Should I try to back his last feeding up to 11 PM or even 10 PM and then try to pat him back down when he wakes early???

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[SarahK]

Go over to the personal journals at UB and read some of "chefkath's" latest posts--she just discussed something similar with her pediatrician.

[Lette]

Thanks Sarah! :)

[SarahK]

Welcome! :)

[~Tara~]

You might also want to check out www.babywhisperer.com (http://www.babywhisperer.com) and do a search for DREAM feed. That is what the author (tracy hogg) calls it when you put the baby down for bed at normal time and then feed them around 10 or 11pm to get them through the night. Basically you dont fully wake them up - you just pick them up and give them a bottle. And put them RIGHT back to sleep after they finish eating. I did this with Abby until she was able to sleep through the night at 7months and it worked GREAT.

HTH.

[Lette]

Thanks Tara! I may have to check that book out at my library! I've always heard so much about it!

[Rene]

I can't offer any advice.....my 6 month old daughter is breastfed and sleeps pretty much what your son sleeps and I like it cause thats pretty good for a breastfed baby. :multi: I just had a laugh at the title of your thread....good thing you clarified. :lol: