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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Bottle feeders - how do you get DC to sleep?

21 replies

OrchidFlakes · 05/02/2013 19:28

My DS feeds to sleep and is now almost 6 months old and I'm keen to stop but have no idea how to.

I have read no cry sleep solution which seems to result in crying so I wondered if you guys had any tips/tricks? Or do bottle fed babies feed to sleep too?

OP posts:
BikeRunSki · 05/02/2013 19:31

Mine were both bottle fed, and I fed them and cuddled them to sleep. DD (15 months) is asleep in my other arm right now.

Original poster
OrchidFlakes · 05/02/2013 19:41

Hmmm DS just bucks and cries if I try to just hold him. He has 2 speeds, full throttle awake or asleep and nothing between.... Unless feeding Hmm

OP posts:
superbabysmummy · 05/02/2013 19:43

Bottle fed DD, I try to put her to bed awake, I sit with her whilst she drops off but it doesn't usually take too long. I have found routine to be key to getting her to sleep, we do the exact same thing in the exact same order from 5.30 every night so she knows's what's coming next and now right on cue she nods off... Grin

Original poster
OrchidFlakes · 05/02/2013 19:55

I envy you super! I dream of that... We have a routine followed to the minute...

He can fall asleep alone as he does it occasionally for morning naps and during the night if he wakes in the early hours but never for afternoon naps or at night. I feel like I've missed something..?

OP posts:
Fairylea · 05/02/2013 20:00

I've always fed both of mine to sleep but around 6 months what I tend to do is feed them in a chair by the cot as usual in the dark and when they have finished the bottle but are sleepy I try and put them down half awake, pop a dummy in and then stroke their heads and go out. At first they seem a bit confused but not really cried, so I would go back in and stroke their heads and replace the dummy if necessary.

Ds is 7 months now and goes straight to sleep for all naps and bedtime following this routine. Sometimes I can even just put him down in the cot and stroke his head and leave him to it if he's really tired !

MakeItUpAsYouGoAlong · 05/02/2013 20:01

I'm with super, now our 4 month sleep regression is over DD is clockwork.
My swear buys are- bedtime bath, tesco bedtime lotion (extra care on her feet, she loves it) and cussons mum and me bedtime balm. A nice warm bottle and a snuggle to the last oz.
Ill have put a microwave bean bag on her fleecy cot sheet so take that out and pop her in, blanket over her grobag, give her the last oz, and leave her in the dark with her mobile that projects stars on the ceiling. Check after five and she's snoring away.
We're 21 weeks now.

Sorry that was long winded just wanted to help Smile

KentuckyFriedChildren · 05/02/2013 20:02

I'm on my 3rd bottle fed baby (almost 12 weeks) and I put her to bed in the same way every night and she falls asleep by herself. I did the same with the other 2 as well, same routine every night and occasionally they would fall asleep before they made it to bed but not often. I found the hardest bit was later on once they could open the bedroom door and wouldn't stay in their own beds. Solved that by buying a double and letting them sleep in the same bed in the same room :o When they were still little though I just had the routine and they went to sleep in bed by themselves, but that isn't really helpful to you I think as mine have always been good sleepers, sleeping through practically from birth. I don't see what harm it does to feed to sleep at that age- he's only little still. If you were still doing it at 3 then it would be a different story. All children are different so I would just go with it until he's a bit older. Not sure if this has been a particularly helpful post, sorry Smile

superbabysmummy · 05/02/2013 20:16

I doubt you have missed anything, every baby is different ... I have no idea what I am doing, maybe I am just very fortunate & with our second it'll come back and bite me on the bum! We still have the famous 4 month regression to get through. DD is awake (her choice!) a lot of the day and absolutely shattered by about half five so wants to go to bed, we do a nice warm bath together then cuddle in warm towels to dry off, dressed, book, warm bottle whilst looking at vetch projector stars on ceiling then finish bottle, little cuddle/burp and into bed with dummy & Ewan (the dream sheep) and then she just drops off Grin

MakeItUpAsYouGoAlong · 05/02/2013 20:22

Oh super- we have Ewan too! Very handy

superbabysmummy · 05/02/2013 20:35

He's great isn't he! He puts me to sleep sometimes, through the monitor! Blush

MakeItUpAsYouGoAlong · 05/02/2013 20:39

Ewan's battery life is the only thing that makes me Hmm but I do attach him to evvvvrrything! Smile

Original poster
OrchidFlakes · 05/02/2013 20:44

This is all so interesting, thank you so much Smile

DS sleeps well, 4x30 min naps - occasionally longer. It not often and is usually asleep by 7:15-7:30pm and wakes at 10 and 4 ish and dozes from 6am and is up for the day about 7.

I'm not adverse to feeding him to sleep, he has even as recently as last week, allowed me o rock him to sleep but only after a fee (which is fine) however this has stopped this week and he fights it furiously. He has always put himself to sleep for his first nap of the day but has the past few days stopped this too and becoming insistent on feeding to sleep.

I think perhaps a piece missing from the puzzle could be drowsy... He doesn't seem to do it....

OP posts:
superbabysmummy · 05/02/2013 20:46

Could he be overtired? I found DD sleeps better since she's been going to bed at six rather than the 7/7.30 we used to aim for...

MakeItUpAsYouGoAlong · 05/02/2013 20:46

Does he rub his eyes?
If I miss that bit with DD I'm fucked buggered Smile we go to fighting overtiredness.
The first eye rub I'm on it pronto even if we're a bit out of synch (norm nap time)

MarasmeAbsolu · 05/02/2013 20:55

Ewan sounds good!
I fed DD1 to sleep but I am keen to give the routine a go with DD2 - probelm is getting myself organised and sticking to the routine.
Super / MakeitUp - From what age did you implement it? did it work straightaway? Are your LO still sleeping in your rooms?

superbabysmummy · 05/02/2013 20:58

P.s I know that when she starts crying I've burnt my bridges with her, she's crossed over to the too tired dark side!

MakeItUpAsYouGoAlong · 05/02/2013 20:59

I started it from the beginning really it all went wrong about 4 months.
She now does 7.15-7.30ish.
She's asleep in her cot in my room, I'm watching TV, she's snoring. Occasionally if she does wake early she comes into bed with me after a quick sip she will drop back off with a snuggle Smile
Those days we end up getting up rather late as its lovely, sadly they are becoming rarer and rarer Hmm

Original poster
OrchidFlakes · 05/02/2013 21:02

Interesting thought super - I bought bath time forward recently and in turn bedtime from 730 to 7 sharp and have discovered the delights of evenings with DH! I might try shifting fwd again by 15 mins and see what happens.

He does rub his eyes make, I do try and jump when he does but admitedly I may wait it out on the clock rather than start nap Hmm

How long before you expect you DC's want tot sleep do you start wind-down? Pre nap we go and close the blind together cuddle with a shot story then lay into his cot. I stay with him and shhh but patting makes him mad, stoking his head calms him for a while, then cranky sets in..

Thank you all for letting me pick your brains here in feeding Flowers

OP posts:
MakeItUpAsYouGoAlong · 05/02/2013 21:11

So she doesn't nap much in the morning/day but I try to follow the 90 min rule of playing/wide awake for 90 mins then start winding down to see if she wants a nap, by 1.30 she's asleep for her main nap it takes me about 40 min with lunch/bottle/change.
She gets up about half 3 then I swap my rule and let her have dinner at 4.30 and some water, then she can play or we do silly things/walk, bedtime starts bang on 6pm when her bum hits the bath water. She's then having 9oz and asleep by first break of Emmerdale in bed.

We have our days though, when I'm frazzled and on here. Grin When I consider the one we mustn't speak offs books, consult all the books I have impulse bought, and want to run away!

superbabysmummy · 05/02/2013 21:26

DD is 16 weeks now & she's been consistently sleeping through from a few weeks old (from 10- 5 ish), she is formula fed so that makes a difference. At 12 weeks we moved her into her own room and own bed, she was waking herself up stretching out in her Moses basket and there is not enough room in our bedroom for a cot, it made a big difference. She gets much better quality of sleep & now goes from 6/6.30, dream feed at 10 until 7am.

Before she was in her own bed/room we used to keep her with us downstairs mainly because we have cats and our bedroom does not shut so we couldn't leave her there alone for fear of our cats snuggling up with her! Also, SIDs is a consideration.

We moved her into her own room & implemented the bedtime routine all at the same time, bedtime came about because I noticed that was the time she started to get tetchy, bathing her gave me something to do with her, a reprieve & bought me some time until 6, as soon as the lights went low she got super chilled & wanted to sleep.

I have to be honest I miss my baby cuddles in the evenings but she wakes up refreshed & happy & smiley every morning now so I know it's making a big difference to her.

It did take some perseverance for the first few days, sticking to the routine and putting the time into soothing her without trying to pick her up but she is a much much happier baby now she sleeps more. I would put her in bed awake, and rest my hands on hers or her chest & after some serious maggie simpson sucking on the dummy she would accept it wasn't so bad and see that I was still with her, gradually I spent less time waiting with her and now I can pop her in and leave her to it.

If she does cry/lose her dummy I make sure I am by her side as quick as I can get there as it seems to giver her confidence. I find that when she falls asleep on the bottle and I put her in her bed this is when she wakes and cries, maybe out of confusion?

shouldIbecrossaboutthis · 05/02/2013 22:05

My 4 month old BF Ds will only go to sleep by himself if he is swaddled and in his cot before his 3rd yawn. If it's after the 3rd yaw he fits me like mad and I kind of have to give him a bear hug cuddle to get him to sleep with lots of shhhing and no rocking/patting. HTH

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