I have been so busy with my little man & life in general, that I have hardly had 5 mins to get back on here & tell you how Ryder's sleeping patterns are going.
It was my birthday last week & DH bought me a book called the "Contented Little Baby Book" - The secret to calm & confident parenting by Gina Ford. I have been busy reading & implementing the feeding/sleeping routines that is recommended for 3-4 months old babies and it is FINALLY all falling into place.... for me & for Ryder. Not sure if any of you girls have read it, but it is fantastic!
I was telling you how Ryder was having his 10pm feed, then waking at 1am, 3am, 5am, 7am...... I was feeding him every time he woke thinking he was hungry & I even started to doubt my milk supply...... but I was doing it all wrong! I never knew that feeding times during the day play a big part in whether a baby will sleep well at night or not. This is what the book says feed times should be for 3-4month old babies:
Bed time: 7pm. Wake time: 7am - always wake baby at this time regardless. One of the main keys to getting your baby to sleep through the night is to ensure that once he is physically capable of bigger feeds, he takes his daily requirements between 7am and 11pm.
The book says: How quickly a baby sleeps through the night is very much determined by his weight and the amount of milk he is capable of drinking at each feed during the day. Some babies who are only capable of drinking small amounts at each feed would obviously need a feed in the night for longer than a baby who is capable of drinking a larger amount at each feed during the day. The aim of the Contented Little Baby routines is not to push the baby through the night as quickly as possible or deny the baby a feed in the night if he genuinely needs it. It is to ensure that the baby receives most of his nutritional needs during the day so that when he is physically and mentally ready to go through the night he will automatically do so.
Some tips that the book outlines for 3-4month olds:
* Your baby should be sleeping no more than 3 hours between 7am & 7pm.
* Whether you are breast feeding or bottle feeding, if your baby's weight gain is good, you are convinced he is waking up from habit and he refuses cooled boiled water, try leaving it for 15-20mins before going to him. Some babies will grumble on and off then settle themselves back to sleep.
* Regardless of whether your baby is breast or bottle fed, the only way to keep a baby in a good routine is to begin the day at 7am. Once he is sleeping through the night, he should be at his hungriest at this feed.
This book has helped me BIG TIME! I have altered Ryder's feeding times to the abovementioned times. It took a few nights to get a proper pattern established, but it's working! Bed time is 7pm, wakes at 10-10.30pm for feed but stays VERY drousy (almost a dream feed) & goes straight back to sleep. He was waking between 1am-1.30am, but DH gets up to him & puts his dummy back in his mouth & pats him for 5mins or so & he goes back to sleep. Then he wakes at 3am for feed, nappy change & straight back to sleep. Then he hasn't been waking until 6.30-7am. Yay!
My whole problem before was that I was feeding him every time he woke in the night, which meant my milk supply for the 7am feed was crappy! The book stresses that the 7am feed be a BIG feed & the 6-6.30pm feed be a BIG feed.
Well that's my tips for today...... hope they help you as much as they have helped me & my little man (oh, and DH... think he bought me the book cause he was so sick of losing sleep & having to go to work the next day! I did receive some other nice gifts from him for my birthday as well..... JUST AS WELL!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA)
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