My twins are 4 1/2 months. They are both still up 1-2 times per night to eat 4-6oz bottle. Our schedule is something like this: bed 6:30-7:30pm, DS up at 11 and 3 for bottle. DD up at 3 for bottle. Both up around 5:45am to start their day. I try and leave them in their cribs (they are talking up a storm) until 6am. They are in separate rooms. When can I let them CIO and drop the middle of the night feedings? I am weening so no more BFing. They both were full term. Is it too early? Do they need those calories still? I also have almost 3year old and he STTN at 5months with some CIO. I just don't see it happening with these little ones and any tips would be helpful... I am dying for a night of solid sleep now that I have stopped BFing!!!!!!
We started CIO at 4 months for naps and for going to bed at night, but I don't plan to use it to eliminate night feedings until 6 months or later. There are "experts" out there that say they are ready to drop nighttime feedings at 4 months, but I just don't feel comfortable with it yet. Mine genuinely seem hungry. I know some people on here have had success gradually eliminating one feeding at a time. I am sure you will get some good advice!
Hey. THANKFULLY, mine do not wake up to eat anymore. They stopped doing that at just about 4 mos (a little before..) How much are they eating during the day? Can you increase?? I do 4- 8 oz bottles and 2 solid feedings during the day. They sleep from 6 pm until 7 am EVERY SINGLE NITE!!!!!! (I know, I know.. thank the Lord.) But.. the first thing I would do, if you wish to eliminate the feedings, is increase the daytime feeds... IF they are waking up and truly hungry- you cannot deny them that. I do not, however, feel that TWO nite wakings is cool at this pt (FOR YOU AT LEAST!!) I would absolutely NOT wake up with a four month old two times at nite. ONCE MAYBE.... I'm not sure I could NOT feed them. How much do they weigh? I'll say more after I get a few more details.. OZ per day.. solids etc... I don't know how much CIO can actually work IF the baby is HUNGRY for real!!!!
DS weighs about 14lbs and DD is about 12lbs. They eat 5oz every 3 hours. I try and feed them more, but they won't take it. Last night we gave them cereal for the first time. They weren't too interested, as they couldn't really figure out how to eat it. I will be trying again tonight. I do make them thicker cereal bottles their last feeding before going to bed. Seems to have helped DD sleep more but not DS. DS seems truly hungry in the middle os the night.
That's tough when they won't take more at feedings... That is what was going on here until 4 mos. It was 4-5 oz every 3 hours. Now that we've changed to every 4 hours-- life is MUCH easier! It will happen... What is their adjusted age?? Mine are 4 mos adjusted now, 5 mos actual. They started eating 8 oz per feeding at 3 mos adjusted. (That helps you none, I know.. ) Keep trying on the solids tho. It will take a few days to get the hang of it and I am thinking that will help. If baby seems truly hungry- I would feed him/her.. It really doesn't seem right NOT to.. But 2 times a nite is too much. It will REALLY help when you get more oz per feeding in there and 4 hours instead... I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help but it looks like something that is just going to take time.... It WILL HAPPEN!!
I'd be reluctant to do CIO to eliminate feedings that young. I'd wait until at least 6 mo, or later, if they're actually hungry. HSHHC says that babies may need a night feeding until 9 mo. It's your judgment call - if you know they're hungry, I'd keep feeding them. QUOTE It will REALLY help when you get more oz per feeding in there and 4 hours instead... I agree that when babies eat more during the day, they should not need to eat as much at night. But how is a 4 hr feeding schedule supposed to help their night sleep? OP - I'd continue feeding your babies as you are currently. You've tried offering more at a feeding, and they don't want it - they are letting you know that that's all their tummies can hold! Their stomachs are at most the size of their fist, so there's really only so much you can put in them at a time. Also wouldn't bother putting cereal in the bottles, unless a pedi prescribes it for reflux. It is an old wives' tale that that actually helps babies sleep - studies have shown that solids (whether spoon fed or in a bottle) do NOT affect night sleep. Since you're doing bottles now, could your DH do at least one night feeding so that you can catch up on your sleep? You totally deserve it!
I haven't CIOed, and we're not planning to, so I don't know how much this will help. Even if they won't take more at one feeding, could you squeeze in an extra bottle during the evening? Maybe one at 9:30, so they're still full at the 11:30 feeding? We cluster feed for the last two feedings in the evening. They're on more of a routine than a schedule, so it's something like breastfeed at 8:30, wake them up to feed them again at 10:30, and then they usually sleep until 6:00 AM.
My boys were doing two feedings at night at that age (though they were a month and a half younger adjusted). They dropped the 3am feeding on their own. They both wake up b/t 12 and 1am for a bottle now. Ryan is about 15lbs and Jake is almost 13lbs. I've started only giving Ryan 5oz instead of 6 to see if he's really hungry, but he is waking up an hour earlier in the morning and eats a lot then. I really think they are hungry. I can not get them to eat more than 4 (Jake) and 5(Ryan) ozs during each day feeding so the fact that they eat 5 and 6 oz at night tells me they are hungry. I do the same in the morning with my boys. If they wake before 6 (unless screaming) they stay in the cribs until then. Best of luck and know that you are not alone in this struggle!
I CIO with my 1st daughter earlier rather than later (and she was formula baby) so around 3-4 months when I quit nursing. She is an EXCELLENT sleeper and always has been. I am nursing the twin exclusively and they were preemie so I held off until 6months, the CIO part was easier (3days) but it didnt last as long and they are not the worlds best sleepers (read my CIO post, we have had to "redo" our CIO now at 11months) So I would go for it if you think your babies can go without those bottles at night, but drink more during the day.... oh and I also waited to do CIO until solids (cereal) had started.
QUOTE(fuchsiagroan @ Mar 3 2008, 03:01 PM) [snapback]650177[/snapback] I'd be reluctant to do CIO to eliminate feedings that young. I'd wait until at least 6 mo, or later, if they're actually hungry. HSHHC says that babies may need a night feeding until 9 mo. It's your judgment call - if you know they're hungry, I'd keep feeding them. Also wouldn't bother putting cereal in the bottles, unless a pedi prescribes it for reflux. It is an old wives' tale that that actually helps babies sleep - studies have shown that solids (whether spoon fed or in a bottle) do NOT affect night sleep. I totally agree with these statements. If they are eating at night, then they are hungry and need to eat. Mine awoke and always took a bottle and finished it and that is how I knew they still needed to eat. Once they started playing around with the nipple, I knew they were waking out of habit. They did not STTN until they were 9 mo old (7 mo adjusted). IMO, I think 4 mo is a bit young to CIO. If they are waking and are hungry, I would continue to feed them. As for putting cereal in the bottle, we had really bad reflux and were putting lots and lots of cereal in their bottles and it never did a darn thing to make them sleep any longer. I wished and wished but it never worked for us.
I don't know if this will help you or not, but this was our experiance. My LO's both droped to one night feeding around 3 months (they were waking around 2am) On their own this feeding started getting later and later until it was usually around 4/4:30 am (for a 6/6:30am wake up) -- at this point they were taking 7oz at their night feeding. At just over 5 months, on their own, they stoped waking all together. They did this for 2 solid weeks. After this, I decided they didn't need night feedings anymore -- and we do CIO if they do wake (which has only been once for each -- and they cried for less then 5 minutes -- and it was right at their "old" 4:30 wake up time). I can't say if they were waking out of habit or not -- or if one day the suddenly didn't need the extra food. They havn't significantly increased thier daytime eating (perhaps by an oz or two) -- and all of this DID happen after about a week of introducing solids (which the LOVE) -- though again, I hesitate to say it was "because" of the solids (espeically since we give solids only in the AM) So, I don't know what did it. Could you try lowering the amount you are offering -- and if they are not satisfied/wake up earlier -- then you may have your answer as to weither it's "hunger" based, or "habit" based.
we did CIO at 7 months and in two nights they were and still are sleeping from 7pm-7:30am plus ours still take two naps a day and they are 17 months old good luck to you
I agree that 4 mos is too young for full-on CIO. If they are eating and going back to sleep then they probably still need it. I know that i had a very difficult time; the notion that 'all' babies would STTN at a certain weight seemed very prevalent, but - even Weissbluth says that 'some babies need to eat til 9 mos'....and i believe that SOME babies need to eat beyond that. If they are not taking more volume at a single feed it's because their bodies are wise and they know they cannot handle more. What we did to eliminate one night feed (at about 8.5 months), was to start helping them 'stretch' the time between feeds at night. It involved a lot of patting of tushes and some minimal holding and rocking, which was more tirin than just feedin them and getting them back to sleep but - i had been up at least six times per night for that long and needed to stop. It took about a week to get there - but again, they were much older than yours. I NEVER had success tryin to get them to eat more durin the day or even stretch between feedings; their bodies knew what they could take. Good luck.
