Also, we are used to them waking around 3:30-4:30am to eat. They then get up around 7:15 and eat their first meal at 7:30 and I carry them upstairs for their first nap at 8:40ish or so. What do I do as they start moving towards sleeping through. If one wakes at 6 or so should I go ahead and wake the other up and bring them down and just move their schedule up?? The ped said we can start rice cereal in a bowl at four months and they are a little over 3.5 months now. If I go ahead and start it now will the rice cereal carry them through the night better so they do not wake up starving?? Thanks, Amy
I bet they're ready. When my girls started sleeping through they would wake up screaming hungry too at 6 a.m. I made sure they took a nice full bottle before bed and it seemed to work fine.
Um, why exactly is sleeping through the night a problem? :lol: Anyway - if they slept like that on their own (and you weren't ignoring screams of hunger or something like that, which I'm sure you weren't!), then they're ready for it. As long as they're gaining fine, you don't need to wake them up to eat. So they're hungry in the morning - then they eat a little more. What's the problem? DD gets her last feeding at 6:30 pm and sleeps until 4:30 or 5 am, and when she wakes up, you bet she's hungry! She'll nurse longer and stronger than she ever does during the day, and that's on super-engorged breasts. She then goes right back to sleep until about 7. QUOTE If one wakes at 6 or so should I go ahead and wake the other up and bring them down and just move their schedule up?? Depends. Does the baby who wakes at 6 seem to want to just eat and go straight back to bed, or are they alert and ready to start the day? I would feed the waking, hungry baby, let the sleeping baby sleep in as long as they want and then feed, and worry about getting them back in sync later. Always works for us. DS often wakes up earlier than DD, so I nurse him then, and then nurse them both once both are awake and dressed. I'd hate to deprive DD of sleep. QUOTE The ped said we can start rice cereal in a bowl at four months and they are a little over 3.5 months now. If I go ahead and start it now will the rice cereal carry them through the night better so they do not wake up starving?? Again, what's the problem with them being hungry when they wake up? I also seriously doubt that cereal would make such a difference to their sleep. Studies have shown that solids do NOT affect sleep, and it's just too early. They need to be getting their nutrition from formula and/or breastmilk, not just getting filled up with stuff they can't properly digest yet. So just relax and enjoy the sleep! Lucky you!
It's okay if they wake up hungry in the morning - my guys were the same way at first. At least they're sleeping through! Yeah! I don't think rice cereal will help - bottles/breast is all they need right now. Nice job, mama!
QUOTE(fuchsiagroan @ Sep 14 2007, 12:49 PM) [snapback]407392[/snapback] Um, why exactly is sleeping through the night a problem? :lol: No problem at all. We were thrilled! I am just a first time mom who felt badly that they were soooo hungry when they woke up...that's all. Amy
That's great! Sounds like they are ready! I would wait until 4 months with the cereal, it probably won't make that much of a difference! Congratulations on the sleepers! :banana:
Congrats on sleeping through ... mine were like that when they first slept through the night ... they would wake up like ravenous little lunatics! but like my pedi said, babies don't wake up BECAUSE they are hungry ... they wake up because their body makes them wake up, and THEN they REALIZE they are hungry ... if your babies are sleeping through, it means their sleep cycle is ready to go that long. Yeah for that! The cereal won't help ... like someone else said, solids has nothing to do with sleeping longer or through the night ... again, read my previous statement about hunger not waking them up. so if they aren't ready to sleep through, they will wake up and cry, hungry or not. You are doing wonderfully! hang in there! and yeah for sleep!
Oh how wonderful for you. Just my opinion but I would wake both up to feed them. If I don't go ahead and wake up the sleeping one then she always will wake up when I am right in the middle of giving the other one her bottle. congrats on sleep Missy
QUOTE(fuchsiagroan @ Sep 14 2007, 08:49 AM) [snapback]407392[/snapback] Um, why exactly is sleeping through the night a problem? :lol: Anyway - if they slept like that on their own (and you weren't ignoring screams of hunger or something like that, which I'm sure you weren't!), then they're ready for it. As long as they're gaining fine, you don't need to wake them up to eat. So they're hungry in the morning - then they eat a little more. What's the problem? DD gets her last feeding at 6:30 pm and sleeps until 4:30 or 5 am, and when she wakes up, you bet she's hungry! She'll nurse longer and stronger than she ever does during the day, and that's on super-engorged breasts. She then goes right back to sleep until about 7. Depends. Does the baby who wakes at 6 seem to want to just eat and go straight back to bed, or are they alert and ready to start the day? I would feed the waking, hungry baby, let the sleeping baby sleep in as long as they want and then feed, and worry about getting them back in sync later. Always works for us. DS often wakes up earlier than DD, so I nurse him then, and then nurse them both once both are awake and dressed. I'd hate to deprive DD of sleep. Again, what's the problem with them being hungry when they wake up? I also seriously doubt that cereal would make such a difference to their sleep. Studies have shown that solids do NOT affect sleep, and it's just too early. They need to be getting their nutrition from formula and/or breastmilk, not just getting filled up with stuff they can't properly digest yet. So just relax and enjoy the sleep! Lucky you! yeah what she says!
Yay for you! :banana: I'm hoping they continue to sleep through! IMO, cereals won't help them sleep longer. At that stage, I woke up the other twin just to keep them at the same schedule.
If they are sleeping, that is great! I woudln't start cereal any earlier than 4 months. My two were sleeping through the night like that for quite awhile...we didn't start cereal until 6 months. I had one that could've been ready at 4 months, but NOT the other, so we held off, but they still slept through the night. You could always give them a "dream feed' when you go to bed if you are worried about them getting hungry. I did this for awhile with my girls. I would feed them at 10 or 11 pm and that seemed to help ward off a bit of the hunger. A dream feed is when you would go into the nursery, pick them up and feed them, but NO lights on, NO noise and they never even wake up...and it's a very quick feeding (usually)
