later dinner - later bed time?

So - my girls are not sleeping through the night. Natalie gets up 2- 3 times a night. Usually around 12-1 am and then again at 3 - 3:30 am.
Their Dad stayed the night with them 2 nights ago. (for the first time in 3 mos - gosh the best thing about him is my 2 precious babes - but that'll be another vent..... ) Anyway - he says that his mom says I should keep them up later, feed them later. and maybe even feed them some cereal at 1am when they (she) wakes. What is she CRAZY????? yeah - I'm going to feed my baby a full bowl of cereal at 1am???? She says this is the reason they toss and turn all night etc. is because they are hungry. I feed them dinner at 5:30 pm - they get this for dinner, which they split:
2 stage 2 jars of a dinner - usually chicken and apples and chicken and sweet potatoes or veggie stew
I usually mix in barley cereal (mixed with formula) with the chicken and apples.
1 tub stage 2 veggie
1tub stage 2 fruit
I also cut up some canned carrots or green beans and feed them this too - they are starting to chew and mash and love it
Sometimes I will cut up some turkey breast lunch meat and feed them pieces of this - they usually eat about 1/2 of a whole piece
Then they get a 6oz bottle.
Bed time is 6:30 or a little later 6:45 the latest.
Even my Mom says I should try a later bed time. ????? Everything I've read and heard from you ladies - is that a later bedtime does not make them sleep better at night. I'm going to try to maybe feed them dinner at 6pm and bedtime at 7pm???? Is this a good idea or am I creating just full tired babies???? any advice is greatly appreciated!!! TIA

 

I dont know if I would mess with that bedtime. And yes trying to keep babies awake just to feed them and put them to bed earlier only created babies who were either too tired to sleep or the would fall asleep on the bottle thereby defeating the purpose in this house. So I just dealt with night waking babies. Mine were just dropping the 12a feed at that age and they would wake once or so. We used HSHHC and he says that up until 9 months some babies will need to be fed. So IMO I would keep everything the same (sounds like they eat a great dinner) and as long as they are going down without too much protesting I would think your bedtime is great. Maybe not rush in on the first cries at either of the feedings and see if they will quiet themselves and go back to sleep after a bit.

And yes, cereal at 1am=crazy IMO too!!

 

What you are doing sounds fine to me. And coming from someone with similar issues, I would not change the bedtime. They could be waking up for reasons other than hunger. I am finding that out here too. It could be teething or separation anxiety. I know it is hard but if you guys try not to go into their room, eventually they will stop waking during the night. And I agree, cereal at 1am is nuts!

 

I agree later bedtime does not equal better sleep. When mine were that age, if they were overtired then they had a terrible nights sleep, if I could catch them just as they started getting sleepy it woz the best, I think ur bedtime is reasonable. I did feed mine a bottle in the night at that age though if they woke it seemed to settle them back down again (not sure really if ur supposed to do that though)

 

I agree, later bedtime does not equal better sleep. Mine have always had dinner and still do at 5:30 and bedtime is 7:30. If you want to try a later bedtime, you could try 7 and then push it back until 7:30, but it will take time for them to adjust to the new bedtime too. I wouldn't do it any later than 7:30 though, JMO.

 

Okay, i know I'm different....but super early bedtime never worked for us. I really truly think it all depends on the babies!

My girls eat their solids, then a six oz bottle/nursing session at 5:00

Then at 7:30 they get ANOTHER bottle/nursing session, then they are in their cribs asleep by 8:15.

This works for us. The girls have slept through the night since they were 4 months old.

 

I think the eating is fine. I know I wouldn't do a bowl of cereal at that time! However, I am one that isn't to big on the early bedtime. If I put my kids to bed anytime before 8Pm, DH would never see them. Emily always did great going to bed at 9pm...she never went to bed any earlier than 8Pm and slept through the night fine. The girls I will push for about 8ish just because of exhaustion of myself and wanting time with DH.

April

 

QUOTE(j&jtwins @ Oct 24 2007, 01:36 PM) [snapback]465457[/snapback]
I agree later bedtime does not equal better sleep. When mine were that age, if they were overtired then they had a terrible nights sleep, if I could catch them just as they started getting sleepy it woz the best, I think ur bedtime is reasonable. I did feed mine a bottle in the night at that age though if they woke it seemed to settle them back down again (not sure really if ur supposed to do that though)

Thanks for all of the info! I don't think I will mess with their bed time too much - maybe 15 - 20 minutes as they go down now without hardly any protest!! one question - would you give a full 5-6oz bottle at 12am? I've been told to wean her from this is to make it less and less wich I've been doing - but then she wakes again. I'm just not sure if I'm creating a "habit" or if she's really hungry. I will try to give her a bigger bottle tonight when she wakes and see if she won't wake at 3am. Especially if it says they may need it. Darn! I need to get that book. they'll be driving before I'll be an expert on how they SHOULD have slept!!

 

I think they're old enough to sleep through - you just need to let them cry. Just my opinion. They have a habit they need to break. Good luck!

 

My first thought was that they are in a habit and not necessarily hungry. At that age my girls were eating less than that for dinner, same amount in the bottle before bed, going to bed at 6:30 and sleeping through.

Are you opposed to CIO? It's hard, but it may break the cycle. I have also heard of some people giving only water during the nighttime wakings. Do what you are comfortable with.

 

QUOTE(kim j @ Oct 24 2007, 12:06 PM) [snapback]465378[/snapback]
Anyway - he says that his mom says I should keep them up later, feed them later. and maybe even feed them some cereal at 1am when they (she) wakes. What is she CRAZY????? yeah - I'm going to feed my baby a full bowl of cereal at 1am???? She says this is the reason they toss and turn all night etc. is because they are hungry.

QUOTE
Even my Mom says I should try a later bed time. ????? Everything I've read and heard from you ladies - is that a later bedtime does not make them sleep better at night. I'm going to try to maybe feed them dinner at 6pm and bedtime at 7pm???? Is this a good idea or am I creating just full tired babies???? any advice is greatly appreciated!!! TIA

A lot of moms a few decades ago were told that in order to make a baby sleep through the night they needed to keep them up until they were really really tired then let them sleep. New research proves that children who are put to bed when they show sleepy signs sleep better and longer. If you keep a baby up later you will mess up their cycle and they will get a "second wind" which will lead to a night of really restless sleep. You think 2-3 times a night is bad? An overtired baby will fuss and whimper on and off all night.

If they keep pressing tell them you don't want your kids to be miserable and that's it's mean to keep up a sleepy baby.

 

My girls have been sleeping through the night since about 2 1/2 months. They are now 7 months, they have 3 meals a day that include a 5 oz bottle plus 1/2 veggie and 1/2 fruit. They also get another 7 oz bottle at 8:00 and are in bed by 8:30. They sleep until 8:30 the next morning. Occasionally they get sleepy around 7:30 so I feed them then and put them to bed. My point is not all babies have to have that early of a bedtime. If what you are doing isn't working, you can always try something else for a few weeks and go back to the other schedule if that doesn't work.

 

Mabye they meant cereal in their bottle instead of a bowl. I know when my DD was 2 months old I asked if I could put cereal in her bottle (as someone had suggested to me) to make her feel more full. My doc was okay with that. As soon as I did, she slept through the night since. So try putting some cereal in there last bottle for the night. Couldn't hurt to try.

 

I vote for the it sounds more like a habit than hunger idea, too. You've gotten some great ideas - I hope it works out soon for you!

 

I have never gotten any of mine to bed that early. The girls now go to bed at 9:30 and sleep til 8:30. But then we couldn't really ever do an early bed time. We are just too busy and always have been. I think whatever works for you go for it. If it isn't working, then tweak it to what you are comfortable with doing. I also think the night time waking is a habit. Unless they are under the growth curve, they shouldn't need to eat at night. My first DD was like this and I continued to feed her at night just because she was so tiny (14.5 lbs at 12 months).

Good luck! I hope you find a solution that works for you

 

Honestly, I think if your babies are taking in a good amount of food during the day (and if their dinner is anything to go by, they are) then hunger is likely NOT their problem at night. Over the course of their 12-hour day, how much do they eat? How many ounces do they take? My guys are a bit younger than yours, but we're doing four 7-8 oz. bottles and two meals of solids (cereal and/yogurt and fruit in the a.m., cereal and veggies in the p.m.). I wouldn't go for a later bedtime. I think most babies are early risers (6:00 a.m. give or take an hour) and they need 12 hours of sleep if possible, for brain development, release of growth hormones, mood stability, etc.) so an early bedtime works well for most babies. I follow HSHHC in many ways and an early bedtime has been a good thing for our boys, especially Evan. When your babies wake are they hungry? Do you automatically feed them? Do they take a whole bottle? If they are just nibbling then they're likely not hungry, just waking out of habit or because they can't transition from light to deep sleep on their own. What I would take a look at is their daytime sleep. Are they getting two good naps? Over an hour each nap? Do they wake from naps crying or happy (well rested)? Do they fall asleep every time you get them in their car seats (can be an indicator of not enough good nap time)? Poor naps can equal poor night sleep for many babies because they're chronically overtired. Could this be your situation?

Feeding cereal in the middle of the night is a not a good idea, in my mind. I wouldn't do it. Extending awake time in hopes of getting a better sleep out of your babies usually leads to overtiredness...and even worse sleep...according to HSHHC.

One of my babies is sleeping poorly too. He's teething and he's going through major developmental stuff (rolling, sitting up, trying to crawl, pulling himself up, etc.) and I always find these things affect sleep.

Anyway, just my two cents. I hope you get some sleep soon. I hope I get some sleep soon! I have one good sleeper and one not-so-good sleeper. BTW: What is it with grandparents and always thinking everyone is hungry? Must be a generational thing.

 

QUOTE(CHJH @ Oct 24 2007, 09:47 PM) [snapback]466276[/snapback]
Honestly, I think if your babies are taking in a good amount of food during the day (and if their dinner is anything to go by, they are) then hunger is likely NOT their problem at night. Over the course of their 12-hour day, how much do they eat? How many ounces do they take? My guys are a bit younger than yours, but we're doing four 7-8 oz. bottles and two meals of solids (cereal and/yogurt and fruit in the a.m., cereal and veggies in the p.m.). I wouldn't go for a later bedtime. I think most babies are early risers (6:00 a.m. give or take an hour) and they need 12 hours of sleep if possible, for brain development, release of growth hormones, mood stability, etc.) so an early bedtime works well for most babies. I follow HSHHC in many ways and an early bedtime has been a good thing for our boys, especially Evan. When your babies wake are they hungry? Do you automatically feed them? Do they take a whole bottle? If they are just nibbling then they're likely not hungry, just waking out of habit or because they can't transition from light to deep sleep on their own. What I would take a look at is their daytime sleep. Are they getting two good naps? Over an hour each nap? Do they wake from naps crying or happy (well rested)? Do they fall asleep every time you get them in their car seats (can be an indicator of not enough good nap time)? Poor naps can equal poor night sleep for many babies because they're chronically overtired. Could this be your situation?

Feeding cereal in the middle of the night is a not a good idea, in my mind. I wouldn't do it. Extending awake time in hopes of getting a better sleep out of your babies usually leads to overtiredness...and even worse sleep...according to HSHHC.

One of my babies is sleeping poorly too. He's teething and he's going through major developmental stuff (rolling, sitting up, trying to crawl, pulling himself up, etc.) and I always find these things affect sleep.

Anyway, just my two cents. I hope you get some sleep soon. I hope I get some sleep soon! I have one good sleeper and one not-so-good sleeper. BTW: What is it with grandparents and always thinking everyone is hungry? Must be a generational thing.

They eat good during the day too. Breakfast is oatmeal and fruit for both. Lunch is 1 tub of veggie each and they split 1 tub of fruit. They get dry cheerios / yogurt and or dried fruit for snack - dessert. They get 5-6oz bottle after breakfast and lunch then another 5-6oz bottle at 3:30 - afternoon. They nap really well too. Morning naps are usually 2hours. afternoons are usually 1hour and 1/2. Like you, I have one good sleeper -Carley- and one not so good. Last night was a little better - they napped REALLY well yesterday - both naps 2+ hours. I have a gut feeling that Natalie is waking out of habit so I need to do CIO. The only thing I'm worried about is that carley is sleeping through and I'd hate to interupt her sleep with Natalies cries. Carley does wake up at 3:30am for a bottle. She will drink 5oz. at that time. Is this not good? She goes from 6:30pm to 3:30 am. should I try to make it less? She goes right back to sleep and has been waking at 5:45 - which is fine by me - I work and am up anyway. Thanks for all of your info. this helps so much - to actually get feed back from ladies who HAVE two babies to take care of instead of "Oh I can just imagine" feedback.

 

The official definition of sleeping through the night with babies younger than a year is only a stretch of about 5 or 6 hours, which it seems like yours are managing to do. Our twins aren't here yet, but our son didn't sleep through the night until he was about 3, and our daughter not until about 18 months, and I know that it can be very frustrating. There may be something else going on too, like a growth spurt, too hot, too cold, too lonely (that always seemed to be our biggest problem...), but it is worth looking at things that might have changed lately. Also, when babies start to reach milestones (starting to crawl, stand, babble, etc) they can be so focused on their new skills that they have trouble sleeping.

 

I wouldn't go into the room anymore at night. I would peak in at the first sign of restlessness just to make sure everything is OK. They should be fine not to eat in the middle of the night.