Help on night routine!

[mamabear22]

Hi mamas,

DD is 8 months old and has never settled in the evening (usually a mix between crying, playing/fussing and the odd 20 min nap). As I'm going back to work in a few weeks, I want to establish a more suitable routine so that she can have a good night's sleep, ideally 7am-7pm (I may be dreaming a little!).

My problem is, she is on aptamil formula and needs 5 7oz feeds per day. I don't see how I can fit them all in without waking her at night to feed her. Currently she stays up (not including sporadic short naps) until 10pm when she has her last bottle and then sleeps through until 8:30am when she has a bottle then naps again for a while. As she will be in nursery by 8:30am in a few weeks, I'll have to feed her earlier, so want her to have an earlier night rather than nap in the morning.

DD is having some solids but has been very slow weaning, refused food completely until around 7 months and usually only takes a couple of spoons/ mouthfuls of food.

She still relies on milk as her main source of food which is obviously fine at this age but is yet to drop a bottle.

Sorry for the essay! But mainly asking how you fit all feeds in and manage to have an early uninterrupted night sleep?

I would try and drop some of the milk so she’s hungry for food.

But if your heading for work she’ll be naturally tired anyway after a full day at nursery. DD would fall asleep around 7.

I wouldn’t worry too much at this stage especially as nursery will be used to dealing with these things anyway.

Why does she needs this much milk? Do you not feed on demand, give her a bottle when she wants one and as much as she wants. Does she ever drain the bottle? I’m afraid it’s normal for a baby that age to wake for milk during the night but I wouldn’t be waking her up to feed.

Honestly I wouldn’t try and make any changes now as it will all change again when she starts nursery.

Just focus on things you can do to make your return to work easier, batch cooking and looking ahead to birthdays to buy gifts and cards. Make sure you have enough suitable work clothes.

Mine had 5 bottles until he was 9 months and was night weaned by 6 months so we must have fitted them in some how! I think it was something like 7,11,1,4 and 7 then bed. He was also eating three smalls meals a day but if she's not eating as PP suggested maybe drop a bottle and see if that helps.

Have you tried getting her up earlier? An early start should move bedtime earlier. Do you have a bedtime routine?

I hope someone can help as we’ve tried everything. My DS is almost 20 months and before Christmas was sleeping lovely - did CC settled himself perfectly and if woke in the night did CC again but hardly needed it. He then was very ill over Christmas with Flu and had multiple trips to A and E which he hated and cling to my DH screaming.

He’s better now but despite keeping same night time routine he flat out refuses to go in his cot. He’ll sleep in single bed if we lay with him until he falls asleep but inevitable wakes about 11 wingy crying; will settle again if we go in but then comes into our bed about 1-2am.

I have no issues with him sleeping with us but he winges and cries if we touch him in bed - almost as if he wants all the space! We’re exhausted and have tried everything to get him to sleep through again.

Any suggestions greatly received.