I really need help establishing a feeding/sleeping pattern

[EmmaLouise1982]

My LO is 17 weeks this week and I'm struggling with his day time routine

He is mix fed as I didn't get any b/f in hospital which resulted in him not latching on until day 3 and my milk supply has never really recovered from it. Anyway we have quite a good routine going at night but I really struggle in the day, it's so erratic! He generally has a bath at 7, followed by a breastfeed (sometimes a top up with a bottle if he still seems hungry) and he goes down in his crib awake at 8pm with some lullabys on and generally drops off within about 15 minutes.

He generally sleeps through but we have the odd bad night (like last night when he woke up at 2.30, 4.30 and then 6.30)

So usually he has another breastfeed at around 7 and will sleep for another hour, then he has breast and bottle at 9ish, and then it's the same roughly every 3 hours (although i tend to feed on demand)until he goes to bed. He ALWAYS seems hungry though and whinges alot! I put him down for a sleep whenever he seems fussy and tired but it varies from day to day so it's really hard to plan anything like baby group.

If we are out in the pram, he just falls asleep when he's ready.

I'm just wondering if anyone with a baby of a similar age could give me some guidelines of what they do?

I don't want to force him into a strict Gina Ford-esque routine but a rough guideline would be very helpful

xx

[trixymalixy]

I always liked the baby whisperer EASY (eat, activity, sleep, you) routine. It's not a strict routine, but tells you how long baby should be awake for before they need a sleep. I don't have the book anymore, but you can probably find info online.

[thehairybabysmum]

My rough guideline was generally 3 naps a day but feed on demand.

Both mine did tend to wake at 7ish nap at 9ish, lunchtime-ish nap then a late pm nap.

[LuluMamaaaaarrrrr]

i think you have to go with the flow, if he sleeps through baby group, so what? you can have a nice cup of tea and a chat with people..

if he always seems hungry ,then offer the breast more.. and this is prime growth spurt time, feeding responsively/on demand will help boost your supply and perhaps enable you to phase out the top ups if you wish.

feeding on demand whether breast or bottle , i have found, makes things easier, as you cannot soothe or settle a hungry baby with anything other than mikl

[titfertat]

to be honest, that sounds pretty good for 17 weeks!

baby groups at that age are more for the mum than the baby anyway, so could you just take him along asleep in the pram? that way you still get to socialise with other mums even if he's asleep

as he gets older he'll gradually fall into more of a regular pattern