Rach, just answering your qus: dummy dependancy? I can't get Pup to take the dummy so I'm not worried about him getting attached to it (LOL). He sometimes does take it, but only for a minute or 2 and then he spits it out or falls asleep and it falls out. I don't think he even really knows what to do with it. last feed for night? Pup is still on the 4 hrly cycle. His last feed for the day is around 10pm (although tonight I think it will be the one I just gave him at 9pm as we have just come home from being out all day). And then he is awake generally between 2am and 3am for another feed. Once he slept for about 6hrs straight and I thought he was dead! It happened overnight (from about 10pm thru to 4am) and I was awake every 30 minutes from about 2am!!!!
About the wake time issue, I was told the same thing from one of my midwives. In fact, at our mums group, at the session on settling babies, we were given a chart which identified how much sleep babies at various ages should be getting in the day and at night. As a newborn, they should be sleeping about 16.5 odd hours in a 24 hr period, which leaves 7.5 hours for feeding, bathing playing etc (ok, newborns don't play very much!!). Of this time, 9 hours is nighttime sleep and 7.5 is daytime sleep. At about 2 months old they should be sleeping about 15.5 hrs in a 24 hr period, of which about 9 is nighttime sleep and 6 is daytime sleep. At 6 months they are sleeping 14.5 hrs (not a huge difference to previous) but they are sleeping about 10.5hre at night and 4 hrs int he day. The nighttime sleep period seems to peek at 12 - 18 months where they are sleeping about 11.5hrs at night and 2.5hrs during the day (obviously their little afternoon sleep). From 18 months, the nightime sleeps remain the same until about 4 years of age, and then starts decreasing until my chart runs out - at 18 yrs old - at 8.25 hrs a night.
Of course, the chart says that this is a "typical" timetable and may vary quite widely. I understand your comment (and amazement) though Fletch about young Fletchy suckling away for 45 minutes of the 1.25 hrs he is "allowed" to be awake and that how does play/change etc get squeezed in. I too was astounded that all stuff is supposed to fit into that small window of time. However, I think as the babies get better at sucking the boob, they feed more efficiently (ie faster) and really do seem to settle intot he 1 - 1.25hr awake period well and are ready to be put down after this.
I have not been regimented about sticking to this timetable and in fact even the sleep/feed/play/sleep routine to strictly as I find that it is sometimes a bit constraining when we are out and about or we have people over. But in the usual runabout of our household, I have found that this routine works reasonably well (you just know that now I have said that, I will be back on here tomorrow saying that Pup HATES the routine!!).
And in saying all of this, we really don't have a routine as such, but I like to try to stick to some similar cues for the boy so that he knows when it is time to settle, although this has so far only worked when we have been at home.
Pup is 2 months old today and I have a mix of emotions - being happy that things are progressing reasonably well, but also being sad that the time is going so quickly. Today will be Thomas' last day in 0000 suits. He will officially be in 000's and is firmly in the infant sized disposables. I have chosen a little 0000 suit for his "time capsule" that I particularly liked and don't think I will be able to associate it with another baby (ie can't bear to hand it down to the next one). Bit corny????
A qu for you all. Who has a portacot and what brand do you have? Do you like it or wish you got something else? We have to buy one and like most baby stuff, are stunned at the choice!
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