4 week old - routines?

[rightsaid]

Hi all,

DS (first baby) is 4 weeks old.

We're lucky in that DP works freelance at home so we work in shifts -I sleep 9pm-4am and DP sleeps 3am-midday. We just feed (formula) on demand (approx every 3 hours, but feed can take an hour and a half as he often has it in 2 goes) and put sprog down in his pram to sleep when he drops off on one of us (most of the time, sometimes I just keep hold!). But he rarely sleeps for more than an hour and a half at one go without crying for bottle.

Question: because one of us is up nearly all the time, there's not too much differentiation between night and day (we do turn lights low after about 10, and we aren't quiet in the day) - are we going to have trouble establishing nighttime later? Or is DS too little - he's going to sleep and feed on his own routine regardless of whether we are up or not?

Any advice appreciated, it's working for us at the mo, but don't want to find myself struggling to return to work in 11 months because DS won't sleep at night at all. I'm probably fretting unduly.

Thanks!

I think it's a good idea generally to keep night feeds dark and quiet with no talking and then have noise/light/stimulation in the day, but I wouldn't worry too much.

By 6-8 weeks I would probably try to move to a more normal time table - so maybe try to settle him in his cot/basket in your room between 11pm-7am.

I would differentiate between night and day, but don't expect a routine as such at 4 weeks. Just be adaptable to your baby's needs as and when required.

Hi feeding sounds fairly normal for 4 weeks but we always made a difference between night and day.

Day times were bright/noise/talking.

Night times were upstairs in bedroom with moses basket and were dark/quiet/wispering if necessary.

DS is 15 weeks now and happily goes to bed at 6.45pm/7pm so hopefully that helped.