routine

[Kafri]

Please help...

My DS is 18w+4 and i'm really winding myself up that i'm struggling to fit things in.
His food says he should be on approx 5 x 7oz bottles. I seem to struggle to fit this many into a day around his naps. This morning he woke at 7.15 and had 6oz at 7.30. He then wanted to nap at 8.45 and slept through to 11.30 therefore missing his 10.00 feed.
The last 2 days he has gone to bed at his usual time of 8pm after shower and bottle but has woken after only 15/30 mins. I said to DH, 'maybe he's still hungry' and made him another feed which he took 5oz of both nights.
Surely 11oz milk in one go is not good for him???
Up until the last 2 nights, his nights have gone swimmingly - i.e. shower/bottle/bed @ 8pm no problems. I don't want him to end up that he's napping so much in the day that he's up really late or even worse up all night.

I'm getting myself really worked up over his routine and him changing his routine...

I think that babies will tell you how much and when they want to feed and you don't need to get too stressed about routines. So long as they are well and gaining weight adequately. My ds1 had severe reflux and feeding phobia and I was having to try to feed him throughout the night as he wouldn't drink during the day, which was a nightmare. Dd2 however is nearly 6 months and she has dictated to me how much she wants to feed. At times she has been fussy over her milk and only managed 4-5oz 5x a day, usually when she has a cold or slightly under the weather I think. Currently she is drinking 7oz 5x a day (we've started weaning but she is only having a tiny amount so far). She goes 3 hourly between most of her daytime feeds, but sometimes a bit longer in the afternoon, and always shorter - sometimes 2 hours since the start of the 4th feed - before the bedtime feed at 8pm ish. The 11oz milk your ds is having in the evening doesn't sound like it's all in one go, and the worst it will do is make him vomit if it's too much for his stomach. If he's keeping it down that's okay. He'll ask for a feed in the night if he's getting really hungry. Not too long to go till weaning, so it'll start to change then anyway. Sound like you're doing fine to me!

Is Lo bright and alert at times? What are the centiles like, are they in proportion and is Lo growing?

If its yes I really wouldn't worry. The current advice is to feed on demand and your Lo seems pretty clear on what they want.

And you do seem to have a routine, just not the one the formula company says you should

he has literally been smack bang in the middle of his curve when ive taken him to be weighed.

I just seem to be getting my knickers in a twist about him having the right amount in the day to help him sleep well at night. I think its cos hes staryed napping in the day (which is new to him) and sometimes naps through a normal feed time...

my other problem is getting out the house. he will only nap in his cot so going out is a problem as he ends up frazzled.
take today for instance. he usually naps in a morning from about 9-11 (very roughly) but also on a Tuesday morning is baby group. do I just need to accept that I can't go to things like this as it interrupts his routine or do I muddle through the day for the sake of getting him to baby group. (Baby group can be replaced with dr/hosp appts etc - just using today as an example) I enjoy baby group but will give it a miss if Its for the best but things like hospital appt I can't just miss cos its his nap and he wont nap elsewhere????

If he's in the middle of his centiles for both height and weight please relax, everything sounds fine.

How are things now? Is he sleeping at night? I know the carton says 5 x 7oz feeds but the advice is to feed on demand (cue feeding). And your Lo is giving you clear cues. Plus the amount on the carton is just a guide which your baby probably hasn't read.

What is it that stresses you so much about the changes? During the first 2 years they change so much, its going to be tough if you can't relax a little more.

How about waking him in the morning if you want to go out? A baby sleep cycle is 45 mins so you could give him 1 or 2 sleep cycles and ten wake him. He will probably be grumpy for a bit though but if you are going out he shucks be distracted.

How about waking him at 7am with the bottle ready made? This would give you a little extra time in the day to fit his feeds in.

If he wakes soon after being put down at night do you try other things before offering a bottle?

I can really recommend the book Babycalming by Caroline Deacon. It doesn't tell you what to do but des help you get the right routine for you and your baby. I read it before having dc2 and really, really wish I'd read it before having dc1.