For those mamas who's babies are STTN

Why wont mine? What is the deal? Mine are almost 6mo (tomorrow actually) and never once have! When they cry I attempt soothing them first and if that doesnt work I feed them (both at the same time). Am I giving in too soon? They just seem to really be hungry and they both down 6oz in minutes flat (even the one that I wake to feed). How can I let them cry when I feel they may be hungry? Are they just waking out of habit at this point?
I know many of you have said in previous posts that they "just did it"...Why wont mine?
It is not a huge deal to feed them once in the night and then they sleep well the rest of the night but I keep hearing all these moms of 3 and 4mo sttn and cant help but wonder why my babies have never done it.

 

How much are they eating during the day? Told that was key to it all. We have been doing 6 oz. every three hours. Once we went to the 6oz they started STTN. Also was told that weight is a factor...that 13lbs seems to be the magic number (this is what their pedi said).

Dianna

 

QUOTE(Dianna @ Jul 9 2008, 11:37 AM) [snapback]867870[/snapback]
How much are they eating during the day? Told that was key to it all. We have been doing 6 oz. every three hours. Once we went to the 6oz they started STTN. Also was told that weight is a factor...that 13lbs seems to be the magic number (this is what their pedi said).

Dianna

They probably dont eat enough during the day. For some reason they seem to stop at 4oz (even though I make 6) but then before bed (at 7:30) they usually take all 6 and then again in the middle of the night. They probably weigh 14/15lbs now...I find out tomorrow at their 6mo appt.

 

Getting enough during the day makes a huge difference. If they can get all their calories in during the day they don't need them at night. Maybe someone here will have some tips on getting them to eat more. Mine are just little piggies I guess LOL

Dianna

 

My now 6 yr old DD didn't sleep through the night until after my next one was born. She wouldn't wake up to eat or anything like that, she just woke up and had to be comforted and put back to sleep. It drove me nuts! All my other ones started STTN between 6 weeks and 8 months so just hang in there. It will happen I promise!

 

I agree with Dianna... seems to me that the more they take during the day, the more they can sleep at night. and the bigger they are, typically the more they can take at one feed (it all correlates). That's not always the case, but it seems to be typical.

Since you're are downing 6 oz in minutes, I'd say they still need it! I have to fight to get my LOs to take all their feeds during the day, but the trade off is they'll got 8-9 hours now without needing one at night.

BTW, mine have 5 bottles/day at 5-6 oz/bottles (at roughly 5-6 AM, 9-10 AM, 1-2 PM, 4:30-5:30 PM and 8-9 PM).

I'm starting to up their feeds to 6-7 oz/feed, but literally except for their 5-6 AM feed, they eat 2-4 oz at a time (so I usually have the bottle out for a couple of hours, trying to get them to finish it before they go down for their nap.)

I can't wait until (as some have posted) they "like" their bottles.

Anyway, you'll get there--just keep trying to up their daily (day-time) intake

 

I really have no clue… mine sttn at 10 weeks(well technically earlier according to what sttn is considered… but I consider sttn 10 hrs not 6)… they actually go 11 hr between bottles, but they have 4/5 oz every 3 hour 3x’s then they go up to 6oz for the 3:00pm feeding then 6-7 (once or twice 8oz) for the 7/7:30pm feeding… then nothing until 6:30am (sometimes the get up early like 6)… and at that feeding, they sometimes finish their 4 oz.. so who knows… mine do weigh over 13 pounds…
My oldest DS didn’t sttn until 9 months when I did cio… and he ate a ton during the day… but was tiny… I really don’t know why the twin’s sttn and my singleton didn’t… maybe I’m slower to respond… I think every baby is just different… GL

Elizabeth

 

Do you do a dream feed? Mine started around 3 months just taking a dream feed around 11:30 and the would sleep untill around 6. It was nice to get that stretch of sleep. They then would go back to sleep until around 8 and we would start our day. Eventually I was able to drop their dream feed. I had to wake them up to do the dream feed but it was so worth it. They would take their bottle and go right back to sleep. Just an idea if you have not tried it.

 

QUOTE(Jen S @ Jul 9 2008, 12:41 PM) [snapback]868038[/snapback]
Do you do a dream feed? Mine started around 3 months just taking a dream feed around 11:30 and the would sleep untill around 6. It was nice to get that stretch of sleep. They then would go back to sleep until around 8 and we would start our day. Eventually I was able to drop their dream feed. I had to wake them up to do the dream feed but it was so worth it. They would take their bottle and go right back to sleep. Just an idea if you have not tried it.

That is a good idea, I havent tried that because I am usually sound asleep at that time but it may be worth a shot to maybe condition them to sleep longer...hmmmm. Thanks!

 

Are they napping during the day, that seems to make a huge difference. If mine get at least three 30 min naps, they are good to go for bedtime

 

QUOTE(bday111707 @ Jul 9 2008, 01:09 PM) [snapback]868095[/snapback]
Are they napping during the day, that seems to make a huge difference. If mine get at least three 30 min naps, they are good to go for bedtime

They take two short naps and one long one and then sometimes a small catnap in the evening, that is when the last nap ends too long before bed time.

 

We came close last night with a wake up for a feed at 1:30am and then at 4:30am. Two things seem to have made the difference. One is I have started solids and that has made a big difference for our son Ben (he is much more interested then Phil. The second is that we ran a humidifier last night and I think the combination of the air and the noise made a difference for both boys. Good luck!

 

I agree with Dianna--daytime nutrition seems to be a key factor. We used the 3 hour schedule (we loosely applied Babywise principles), feeding them on the dot whether they exhibited hunger signs or not. They had their nights and days straight very quickly and started stretching nighttime sleep within a few weeks. They were STTN--a 6 or 7 hour stretch--by 6 weeks and kept stretching at a pretty rapid rate (adding about an hour a week) after that. We just dropped the late evening (11 pm for us) feeding two weeks ago, and it was pretty painless. One is waking a little earlier than we would like, but he settles back down with a pacifier and goes back to sleep until we're ready to start their day. So now at 4 months, they go 10 to 11 hours sleeping, 11 1/2 to 12 hours between bottles (our bedtime routine is bottle, bath, two stories & snuggling, bed).

In the interest of full disclosure, we are having some sleeping issues right now; but they are related to (1) a case of the sniffles and (2) crazy growth spurt making the boys eating machines.

Good luck--wishing you and your babies sweet dreams!!!

 

I would have to echo the eating more during the day. Ours ate and still eat every three hours. We did have difficulty with naps at first but they managed to STTN even when they were not consistently napping well.

I hope yours start soon!!!

 

What really helped me was the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. I was able to get it used on Amazon for $4. Once I started following the nap schedule, they started to sttn around 4 months. Here is our typical day:

Wake: 7:00- morning bottle

Nap: 9:00 for about an hour

10:00 Eat oatmeal & fruit

12:30 - bottle

Nap - 1:00 for 3 hours

4:00 - bottle

5:30 - dinner/ oatmeal and veggie

7:00 - bottle & bedtime

I try to follow this schedule as much as possible. During the week I'm ok with it, but the weekends sometimes get messed up with visits to family and friends. I found that they REALLY need that 2-3 hour afternoon nap and if they don't get it, they are cranky for the rest of the day. As hard as it may be sometimes, my life right now revolves around their nap schedule, esp. that afternoon nap. The only place they can sleep for that amount of time is in their cribs so I make sure we are home.

Good Luck!

 

QUOTE(Dianna @ Jul 9 2008, 12:37 PM) [snapback]867870[/snapback]
How much are they eating during the day? Told that was key to it all. We have been doing 6 oz. every three hours. Once we went to the 6oz they started STTN. Also was told that weight is a factor...that 13lbs seems to be the magic number (this is what their pedi said).

Dianna


Ditto.

Mine sttn at 2 and 3 months after hitting the magic number (13 lbs). Now at 5 1/2 months they have on average 4 bottles of 8 oz plus a short nursing session early morning and before bedtime, more for the comfort and the closeness.

 

Mine just started to STTN last week, it's not totally consistent for my daughter, but my son is doing pretty well. She sometimes wants to eat around 4 or 5. Regarding the dream feed, I still do it, and I just do it whenever I'm going to bed. I started it way back just to buy myself a solid three hour block of sleep. They were eating 2-3 times per night up until three weeks ago, it was weird that it suddenly 'clicked,' they went to 1 feeding for about a week or two, then suddenly, sporatically none, and now it has become more consistent. I don't think we did anything honestly. I was posting on this forum asking how to drop that last feeding, whether to let her cry, or other ideas, but I never tried that. The only thing we did was move them to their own room, separate them into different cribs, and let them fall asleep on their own rather than rocking/bouncing to sleep. I don't know if it was any of that or just maturity?? Also I was doing what' you're doing, waking the sleeping baby to feed him, until they were down to one feeding. I figured I could handle it if he woke up an hour later but he never ever did!! So if it's usually the same one waking up, you might want to try that. It is such a frustrating feeling to think that other people's babies are sleeping longer and why won't mine!?!? I was in that boat until like two weeks ago, and I'm still so stunned that they finally are doing it. I hope it gets better for you soon. My pediatrician had told me at their 4 month appt that most babies don't need to eat during the night by 6 months. But that's hard to believe when your baby wakes up and downs 6 ounces. I've heard other moms on this board say that their babies seemed hungry up to 9 months.

 

I'll be one that says one of mine is NOT STTN. She will be 6 months at the end of this month and I don't really see it coming any time soon. I think she "can" STTN but is not able to get all of the calories she needs in the daytime. I try to feed them every 3 hours but if they are not hungry they eat poorly instead of waiting til hungry signs. So, sometimes its 3.5, sometimes it 4. I just pushed back their bedtime to 7 (instead of 6) to try and get more feeds in. I had to add an extra nap in there.

The one that does STTN is able to take almost 6 ounces about 4-5 times a day. The one that does not, can take 4-5 ounces 4-5 times in the daytime and about 5 ounces twice a night. She wakes up crying, I give her a bottle, do a quick change and she is right back down. I am positive there is no sleep training needed here, she just needs to eat. Right now she is about 12 pounds 6/7/8 ounces (around there). Maybe when she hits 13 she will be able to take in more during the day time, but for now her little tummy cannot take anymore than that. I seriously do not know how people feed their babies 7-8 ounces every 3-4 with cereal int here as well. They must have bottomless pits!!!

 

My twins' schedule usually involves 5- 6oz bottles a day. They eat around 5 am, 9 am, 12 pm, 4 pm, 8 pm. Mine have breastmilk for all bottles except for the 8 pm. That is formula. My DD started this schedule around 6 weeks. DS wouldn't. He wanted an extra feeding in the middle of the night at 1 am. He would be fussy during the night until we would put him in bed with us. Since he was awake, he wanted to eat, too. One night, mommy got smart and put him in bed with his sister (they had been sleeping in their own cribs). He slept through his normal middle of the night bottle and it was AWESOME I guess he missed his sister being around. Now they are both on the same schedule. It is sooo great. Sometimes they will wake up and want a bottle around 11, but then it's back to sleep and down for the rest of the night. You could also try some other comfort techniques, such as bath before bed, keep lights really low, massage before bed with quiet, soft or relaxation music, one of those bears with the heartbeat or womb sounds, white noise played quietly while he sleeps, etc. A lot of times I know when I was working (I am a director at a daycare), I saw that too much outside noises would wake up infants and even some toddlers. Maybe things we would dismiss in our sleep are waking him up? White noise could possibly help there... especially if he is a light sleeper. I hope that helps. I don't know about the 13 lbs theory, as my DD did this at 6 weeks and she was no way that big... her brother probably was, and he didn't. :unknw: Good luck and I hope your little ones will both be sttn really soon.