Cluster feeding and evening sleep

[Supermathsdoc]

This post is about my current sleep and feeding situation (which I think is normal so not worried as such) but I wanted to ask if anyone has suggestions on how to tweak things.
Context: FT single mum trying to navigate lots of conflicting advice.

10 week old baby EBF (TT snipped) gaining 170-190g/week.

From reading around:

1. wake windows are around an 1hr at this age
2. I’m trying Eat - Play - sleep
3. Lots of talk of ‘bedtime’ being anywhere from 1800-2100 with a bedtime routine and then putting down for the night.

Daytime: She takes 1hr to feed, 30 mins each side. Has 4 naps (1-1.5hrs) between 0700 and 1900. Realistically by the time I’ve winded her and changed her nappy I need start getting her down again. So not much ‘play’.

Evening: At 1900 she cluster feeds with cat naps (15–30mins) until around midnight.
I squeeze in a bath and story at 2100 and get into bed with her for the second half of the cluster feeding marathon.

Night: After cluster feeding she sleeps until 0300ish (safe bed sharing) and then again 0400-0700 so I get 6hrs and I feel fine with that

My question is does anyone have advice on how I could modify the 1900-midnight portion? I don’t think I can squeeze in more daytime feeds without her not getting enough sleep and it’s hard for me to make food/eat in the evening. I can sometimes heat something up if she will go in the sling but she’s super fussy and some of it usually ends up on her head! I’m eating junk atm which can’t be good for either of us.

Both mine had witching hours 7pm to 9pm every night until about 12 -16 weeks.

With my eldest I actually bathed him in the morning rather than evening. Youngest we did bath with the toddler at around 5:30/6pm.

I'd also make sure I'd eaten before it started. Much easier with my second as I'd just have tea with the toddler.

Then I'd just sit on the sofa feeding baby and watching TV. At 9:30ish we'd go upstairs and change baby into 'pjs' and feed in the bedroom as part of bedtime.

A proper bedtime routine didn't start until they were going to sleep in the evening.

Yeah those evening cluster feeds are brutal! It’s pure survival. Mine didn’t go to “bed” until like 11pm at that age. I found that as time went on it just started to creep earlier and the cluster feeding settled down a bit more. Probably around 12 weeks?

Ah ok, thanks so much for responding. I had wondered if it might just settle. I think I can hold on with takeaways and snacks until a few more weeks!

Out of interest did you do any sort of ‘bedtime routine’ and if so did you do this at 11 or earlier?

thanks again for the reply, really reassuring.

@Twizbe thanks so much sounds like I’m doing similar but I might follow your lead and move the bedtime routine later. I was considering this and I guess makes sense to do especially if things are likely to move earlier with time.

Actually last night it was more like 11, I’ve been finding that things often change just at the moment I start to feel like I can’t do it anymore!