4hr feeding and routine

I just posted a topic the other day about my routine that seemed to be going swimmingly up until a few days ago when the girls decided that they were no longer hungry at the 3 hour mark and wanted to wait until the 4 hour mark. I think it's because of the cereal that they eat in their bottles due to their reflux. It's keeping them full a lot longer. So, I had to throw my nice routine out the window and I'm totally lost. The girls are napping all the time!!!! They are used to going down between 1 hr 15/30 after they eat and only sleeping about an hour. So now they have all this time to kill and are getting tired right before they eat so they nap, then wake up to eat, then nap...it's insane!

I need some help from those mothers who are on a 4 hour routine...lend me some insight on how I can run their day a little smoother. They are still up at 7 and down by 7.

Thanks!!!

 

Mine were on a 4 hour schedule from day one, and also slept (starting at 3 months) from 7-7 (or 8). They would have a bottle around 8, when they woke. They would then nap from around 9:30, 10:00 until 11:30 or 12, when they woke, and have a second bottle. They would go down for another nap around 2-4, and at 4 have the 3rd bottle. The last bottle came at 7, then right to bed. Once it was established, it was great, they would wake right at time to eat, and rarely did I ever have to wake them.

 

Here's our day

7am bottle

830 nap

930 play

11am bottle

1115nap

1pm play

3pm nap

430 play

645 bottle

7pm bed

At 930 and 2pm they get solids.

 

They never sleep two hours so I'm wondering if I can even get them to start sleeping two hours and they haven't been able to play for two hours either. Should I just keep trying to keep them up for two hours? Usually they won't make it past the 1.5 hour mark.

 

The tickers are down so I looked at the birth date, it's the same as mine!! Anyway they may be on the young side for that schedule so you may just have to let them nap when they want. You can try to get them on a more organized routine and just see how it goes, by keeping them up and enforcing longer nap stretches. It may not be easy but why not try.

 

QUOTE(TandC @ May 4 2009, 03:15 PM) [snapback]1299985[/snapback]
The tickers are down so I looked at the birth date, it's the same as mine!! Anyway they may be on the young side for that schedule so you may just have to let them nap when they want. You can try to get them on a more organized routine and just see how it goes, by keeping them up and enforcing longer nap stretches. It may not be easy but why not try.



well, when i mean schedule i really mean routine because i know it changes on a daily basis and can range in difference anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour. I am just so frazzled by this sudden change. Thanks for the input!

 

My Lo's didnt go to 4 hours until 5.5-6 months. My LO's also were not eating alot because of cereal. I decreased the amount of cereal I put in their bottles and that seemed to help. I only did 1 tsp per 2oz. of formula and they were fine with that.

Heres my day...

6:30 - 7 wake bottle
8:00 breakfast

8:30-9 nap
10 :00 wake

10:30 - 11 :00 bottle
11:30 - solids

12 :00 nap
2:00 wake

2:30- 3 bottle

4 :00 nap

6:00 bottle
bath bed 6:30 - 7



You also could try doing 3.5 hours..

GL!!

 

QUOTE(BlessedByTwo @ May 4 2009, 08:13 PM) [snapback]1300390[/snapback]
My Lo's didnt go to 4 hours until 5.5-6 months. My LO's also were not eating alot because of cereal. I decreased the amount of cereal I put in their bottles and that seemed to help. I only did 1 tsp per 2oz. of formula and they were fine with that.

Heres my day...

6:30 - 7 wake bottle
8:00 breakfast

8:30-9 nap
10 :00 wake

10:30 - 11 :00 bottle
11:30 - solids

12 :00 nap
2:00 wake

2:30- 3 bottle

4 :00 nap

6:00 bottle
bath bed 6:30 - 7

You also could try doing 3.5 hours..

GL!!



Well, I can't decrease the amount of cereal we put in the bottle because of their terrible reflux. Anything less they just spit up profusely and actually we give them less than the recommended amount that the doctor suggested. I'm really digging on the four hour schedule...LOL i get a lot more done! I'm really afraid for when we do start weaning them off the cereal bottles if they will go back to a three hour schedule and then everything will be screwed up again.

 

We just switched to a 4 hour feeding schedule. Here's ours:

7:30- wake up
8:00- bottle, then play
9:00- solids, then play
10:00- nap (normally 1-1.5 hours)
12:00- bottle, then play
1:30- solids
2:00- nap (normally 1-1.5 hours)
4:00- bottle, then play, sometimes they cat nap before solids
5:30- solids
6:30- bath every other day
7:00-7:30- bottle, then bed

They sleep the whole night without waking (normally, but if they do wake during the night, I make sure they are ok, then I go back to bed, even if they're fussy)

Mine weren't ready for a 4 hour schedule until 6 months and one had 3 tablespoons of rice per 6 oz bottle.

Good luck!!!!

 

QUOTE
I'm really afraid for when we do start weaning them off the cereal bottles if they will go back to a three hour schedule and then everything will be screwed up again.


When I weaned mine completely off cereal, which was around 5.5 months, my DD started drinking full bottles 8oz and was able to get to 4 hours. Thats also including solids. I think youwill be fine when they wean off. Our schedule did not get messed up from weaning off the cereal, it actually got better. Some days though they only get to 3.5 hours, it just depends.

 

When mine were on a 4-hour schedule they would eat at 7am, 11am, 3pm and 7pm. I think they were taking 3 naps a day at that point, but mine were much older than yours, so they could stay awake for 2 hours. You'll just have to follow their cues. You'll figure it out. It just takes some time.

 

I don't have any advice....I'm just laughing at the fact that my boys are 10.5 months old, and there's no way they would ever eat every 4 hours. I'm really surprised at how many babies can go on a 4 hour schedule; I guess these dudes are outside the norm.

 

QUOTE(sullivanre @ May 5 2009, 10:51 AM) [snapback]1301074[/snapback]
I don't have any advice....I'm just laughing at the fact that my boys are 10.5 months old, and there's no way they would ever eat every 4 hours. I'm really surprised at how many babies can go on a 4 hour schedule; I guess these dudes are outside the norm.


every baby is so different...i don't believe there is a "normal".