4 month old horrendous in night, advice please

[Freyfreysmum]

LO is a big baby, was 10.5lb born and now in 9-12m clothes at 16 weeks lol. She is OK in the day, quite a grizzly baby compared to DD2 who was eek so easy, and our night times are a nightmare.
I am still splitting her feeds, 5pm and 615pm as she just will not wait til latter for a feed. She then wakes around 9pm and guzzles a full feed, then midnight, then pretty much awake from 2am screaming on and off unless I settle her with milk.
She then Never takes a 7am feed, and I am dead on my feet, esp with a 2.5yr old and no daddy (away at sea).
How on earth can I get her sleeping from a dream feed at 1030pm through to 7am, as my HV suggests?
x

It might help folks if you listed the times for her milk feeds and sleeps.

Sorry - 7am 1oz tops, sleeps 9-10, feed 1030 5oz again max. Sleeps 12-2ish, feed 1700ish and then grouchy til bed 1830 x

I sympathise as my dd2 was trickier in the night than dd1. Incidentally dd1 was almost 10lb born and loved her sleep.

Your hv may be a tiny bit optimistic/unrealistic by saying that your lo should be sleeping from the dream feed until 7am. (I know you probably don't want to hear that)

With our dd2 it was more the sucking she wanted than the milk, and we quickly resorted to a dummy. I didn't want her to have a dummy, but it was the only thing that helped.

If she is pretty much awake from 2am unless you settle her with milk, what would happen if you just gave her a big feed at 2am?

Imo she really is still quite a young baby in terms of trying to make her last until 7am.

Hmm, well the dummy I am sure would work , but when we tried it 2 weeks ago it sent her back to sleep, but as soon as it fell out she was awake screaming again. I have given her a full feed at 2am and it doesnt stop her waking on and off until 7, when she is so exhausted and also not hungry.

sorry but the reason she screams from 2am unless you feed her is because she is hungry! She is a tiny baby, she still needs feeding through the night. Trying to make her go without in the night is a bit cruel tbh

By the way i also have a 4 month old so I do understand how hard it is

Is she still in your room? With dd2 we just persevered with the dummy. (when I was sure she had had enough milk to last for an hour or two). It was easier for one of us to just stagger to the cot to replace the dummy. In dd's case she soon got used to staying asleep even if the dummy fell out.

We also (reluctantly) did some co sleeping. Not sure if that might be an option for you?

are you or your hv trying to get your baby to follow a routine from a certain book? there doesn't HAVE to be a 7am feed if that isn't how your baby wants it.

LOL neither of my babies slept through until 9 months!

Admittedly at about 6 months onwards the 2 or 3am feed dropped as they moved onto solids, but the 11pm feed continued until 9 months.

I can't make sense of your routine, but the one that worked for my 2 kids was:

7am (or when they wake if earlier) Feed
Keep awake for no more than an hour and pop down for another nap

10.30am ish feed

11.30am nap

2.00pm feed

3.30pm short nap to get them through to bedtime

Feed on waking

6pm bath time

7pm feed at bedtime in darkened room

10 - 11pm do late dream feed

Feed in the night when they wake at 2 or 3am

This works well for a FF baby, which my first baby was by 4 months. However my son was fully BF until 6 months, so I only used the nap times and fed him every 3 hours instead, as he was a big hungry baby. Towards 6 months he was being fed every 2 hours and his sleeping got worse at night as he was getting so hungry. Was such a relief when he was finally ready for weaning! He started sleeping better again at night and was more settled in the day.

I know it's hard as my hubby was away a lot when my second child was 4 months but things will get better.

Is your baby fully FF? It's not clear to me. Or maybe I'm being dense?

Umm, you have written that your DD feeds at 1030 and then at 1700, please tell me this is an error?

Does your dd wake up at 10am or so you wake her, same question re 2pm?I would also include a late afternoon sleep.

Personally I am not that keen on 4 hrly feeds as it seems with your dd that she needs to eat in the night to catch up so 3 hrly feedings in the day might satisfy her.

What routine is your toddler on?

DS1 was a big boy (9lbs 3oz) and very hungry. I had to wean him at 17.5 weeks as milk was just not enough for him. He was also very active - he rolled himself over for the first time on the first day of his fourth month. A little bit of baby rice and formula or mashed banana once a day kept him going through the night until the morning and he hasn't looked back since. My HV was realistic and did not have a problem with this. He's now a strapping boy of 4, still hungry and still very active, burning it all off by charging around!

Yes, on formula. Sorry, I didnt mention. Thank you for posting that routine, I will give it a go for a few days, and update if OK. Yes HV suggested all of above, becuase DD2 was very colicky and she linked her symptoms to over feeding and said I needed to get her out of feeding at night if she's not feeding in day well, as Ive got it the wrong way around.

If i understand this correctly you are feeding at 7am, 10.30am then split at 5 and 6.30. IMO i would think your wee one needs a feed aroud 2.30 then wouldnt struggle to wait til 6.30 for final feed. the more milk takeb during the day the better so just introduce another feed( at 2.30).
My ds2 is 7 months and up twice still ds 1 went straight through from 16 weeks.
I feed ds 2 at 7, 11, 2.30 and then 6.30. Having said that i give him porridge made with milk for his dinner to try and weigh him down and it is beginning to work, he then also manages a full feed at 6.30pm, wakes at 1 then goes to 6 or if very lucky 7. Needless to sya, doesnt take full feeds at all these times but does take enough.....please try and let us know if it helps............

I "thought" to get them out of feeding lots at night, rather than going cold turkey at night, you just upped the feeds in the day and over time that helped them wake less at night?

But I could be wrong...

Have you thought of changing formula to one such as Aptamil easy digest in case that helps? Are you winding well after each feed so the wind doesn't go downwards and hurt later?

Sorry to ask sooo many questions...

Another avenue is, have you tried buying Colief drops and adding to the bottle in case it's a lactose intolerance causing discomfort, as they shouldn't be suffering still with colic by 4 months usually I thought? Although I confess I've only had one child with colic, so I'm not an expert per se.

I read this post as my DD2 at 17 weeks is now waking more at night.
Forget what the HV says and do what the baby needs. I have no problem with following a routine if it suits your baby, but it's pointless trying to force someone elses on a baby.
My DD2 was sleeping all the way from 7ish til 7ish with no dream feed or dummy or anything from about 6 weeks til about 14/15 weeks. Now at 17 weeks she is waking at 2am for one side BF and then again at 4am for the other side. It sounds like your baby is waking from hunger, so feed her!
I know DD1 did exactly the same at around this time and it soon settled down again and she is a great sleeper and eater at 2.5 years so I wouldn't dream of not feeding DD2 when she wakes at 2am from hunger. She also doesn't feed at 7am anymore - she did before.
I can understand wanting to get DD to sleep til 7am, it's definitely what I want, but I reckon she'll just do it her own way providing I help her by feeding her when she's hungry.

Also................would let her sleep for a wee 20 mins at 4pm then she may not be so grumpy at bedtime............ my 7 monthe old still has this or he is too tired to feed!he sleeps at the same time as your wee one in morning and lunch time.........

Cheers all.
To add = Stupidly, omitted 2pm 5oz feed.
She is on Aptamil Easy Digest (mpw also called Comfort). Does suffer with wind.
PS whoever mentioned my toddler she is a great sleeper, always has been.

At four months my ds was prescribed Enfamil formula milk. He would have 8oz four times during the day, and then would sleep 10pm-10am.

Can understand the trouble with giving 7am feed. DS is now 5 and although bed is now 8pm-7am. He still struggles to have breakfast before school. He's just not a morning person.

Ah thanks chocices. Enfamil didnt make any difference, and because it is prethickened she took even less . Sticking with regular in the day and HB in night. x

The Cow & Gate Omneo Comfort is a little different to the Aptamil Version (C&G OC been around 10yrs now) so she might be improved on that.

How was the weekend Freyfreysmum?