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Infant feeding

5 Feeds a day

15 replies

Meeely2 · 01/06/2005 15:35

Hi All

I am new to this site, but need advice.

I have 6 month old twins, Edward and Arthur, who were 11 weeks early but who are lovely little rascals now. However, I have got myself into a rountine and can't seem to change it for fear of upsetting everything...they go to bed at 9.30 after last feed and I think this is too late. Hubby and I get no time together, so we want to put them to bed earlier.

We have bought black out curtains to ensure they don't wake unnecessarily, but we cannot seem to be able to work it so they are ready for last feed any earlier than 9.

They are up at 6 for first feed, then they get the next two at nursery at 10am and 2pm, then I feed them when I get them home at 6pm. hubby and I then eat and get the boys upstairs at 9pm, for their bath and last bottle.

Any ideas how I can get all 5 bottles fitted in before say 7? Both boys get tired around 7.30 - 8 so grizzle the whole time til 9pm which isn't very nice for us.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Regards

Emily, Edward and Arthur

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AtHomeMum · 01/06/2005 15:50

Would highly recommend "solve your childs sleep problems" book - very useful & informative & will help you on moving bed times.

One option you could try is put hem to bed earlier & then feed in the nigth - about 10 before you go to bed?

Things will change soon anyway as they move on to solids!

Have fun

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patkica · 02/06/2005 09:56

I don't have twins, but I had a simialr problem. We solved it by putting DS to bed at 7 and then giving him another bottle about 11. He hardly noticed that he was awake and settled again v. quickly. He also slept through until 8ish and we had our evenings

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TracyK · 02/06/2005 09:59

agree - start bed time routine after 6pm bottle. Then dream feed them before you go to bed - just pop the bottle in their mouths without lifting them and let them feed that way.

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beansprout · 02/06/2005 09:59

I would bring their bedtime forward, but very gradually. In early days ds had a late bedtime but it is now 7pm, and I just crept everything forward. Also, he goes to sleep early but I go in and feed him before I go to bed (Baby Whisperer calls this a "dream feed" and this gets him through the night). So they don't have to have the last feed before they go to bed.

Best of luck.

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jessicasmummy · 02/06/2005 10:00

agree wiht tracy - we still dream feed jess now and she is 10 months old!

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TracyK · 02/06/2005 10:03

I dream fed ds till he was about 12mo

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throckenholt · 02/06/2005 10:03

agree with the others - but also maybe you could try increasing the other feeds and phase out the late one.

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throckenholt · 02/06/2005 10:19

also - it is a case of slowly adapting routines as they get older - as soon as you get used to one routine they grow out of it.

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TracyK · 02/06/2005 10:21

when do they start on solids - do you deduct their 11 weeks prematurity from the 6 mo to get their 'real' age?

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Meeely2 · 02/06/2005 10:25

Thanks guys, I think I will start this dreamfeeding business then it will be easier to drop the 5th feed when they're ready as they will just sleep through it.

Starting with some baby rice at the weekend too which will change things again.

So as I understand it, do you all feed at tea time then put them to bed after a bath without a bottle? Or do you do the bedtime rountine with the 4th feed instead. Mine are due at 6pm for 4th feed and thats just when I get them home from nursery so DH and I wouldn't have any time with them if I put them to bed then. I suppose what I could do is stretch out the day feeds and have the 4th one with bedtime at 7 - 7.30pm.

Will discuss with DH and see what we think, I also need to get the black out curtains sorted first (bought some from IKEA and needless to say they are 16foot too long, so I've cut them up and lined the existing curtains with them instead, but doing it by hand so taking ages!) Oh the trials of parenthood!

Thanks again

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TracyK · 02/06/2005 10:29

yes - i always do the last bottle after the bath - some do half beforee and half afterwards - if they would be too hungry and grumpy to make it through bath without - if they haven't had anything since 2pm.
But in a little while they will be having 2pm milk bottle - then tea/dinner at 5ish then still a bottle after bath before bed.

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mears · 02/06/2005 10:33

Meely - do they sleep all night at the moment?

If so, you might find that messing around with their day rotine will upset that.

They will not be this age for long and although I appreciate what you are saying about not having time with your DH, that will change in the coming months as they change their eating habits.

If you do still want to change things, could you ask the nursery to bring forward their bottles by an hour so that they actually get 3 feeds there and are therefore fed when you pick them up? You could then bring bed time forward to 7.30pm - 8pm with bottle then. I am not sure I wouls start introducing a dreamfeed at 10 pm at this age when you could actually just ove things around to get an earlier bedtime.

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throckenholt · 02/06/2005 10:37

is the bath an essential part of the routine ? If not you could drop that and put to bed after the bottle in the early evening.

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Meeely2 · 02/06/2005 11:14

They've had a bath every night before bed since they came out of hospital, so it's a kind of sleep trigger...they associate it with going to bed, and they are ever so good at going to bed, not a peep out of them til about 5.30am ish (earlier at the mo due to them being ill).

Maybe I will try shuffling all the feeds forward a bit to get 5th bottle earlier, it could be gradual, over a week or so... The routine does work, it was just the issue of no time to ourselves, plus they seem to get tired at 7.30 anyway and grumpy. With being at nursery I think they need more sleep at night to wind down from the day. Like you say though, they'll be on solids before we know it and their routine will change yet again.

I think once they are over their colds and taking baby rice at lunchtime, and the black out curtains are up, we'll be able to move things forward...if I get nursery to do three feeds there I'm not so rushed getting them fed as soon as I get in, then eating my own dinner then putting them to bed...it'll be, home, playtime, bath bottle bed then DH and I can relax for a bit rather than going straight to bed!

Oh it is hard work having 2! At least they both follow same routine, I'd be lost if one was 3 hourly and one was 4 hourly!

Thanks for advise, I will let you know how things pan out...

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throckenholt · 02/06/2005 13:24

defintely with twins you need to keep them on the same routine. And I agree they do probably need more sleep. Time to yourself - as a twin parent - hmm - I don't think it works like that . Actually mine at 2.25 now and we do get an hour or two in the evening

Try the dream feed others advised and shifting things a bit earlier.

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