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5mo EBF baby won’t take feed at bedtime but wakes 1-2 hours later to feed…how to get into a slight routine?!

7 replies

Heb1986 · 27/06/2023 20:19

DS2 is 5mo and EBF. First child didn’t have a straight forward feeding journey and was on a dairy free formula by this age so I’m a bit stuck. I think he is also dairy intolerant so no longer have dairy myself and he’s also on omeprazole for reflux. He feeds 4 ish times overnight but have been working on determining which times he’s actually hungry and which times he wants help getting back to sleep. He tends to only want to feed after a sleep and only every 4 hours but sometimes longer. He’ll often not want a feed till late morning. I’m trying to get a vague routine as I have a 2 year old too so some predictability is helpful. We start the day at the same time (often without a feed) and end the day at a similar time each day too but almost every evening when it’s bedtime he’s had a feed 2 hours before and point blank refuses a feed. Even if I’ve tried to give him less at the feed before it he just isn’t interested and falls asleep (self settles) before waking an hour or two later for a feed. Anyone have any ideas how to get him to take a bedtime feed? Selfishly I’d love to have the option to go for a walk or a swim or catch up with a friend in the evening once in a while but can’t because he always wakes and won’t yet take a bottle. So a 4 hour stretch after a good bedtime feed would be really helpful!

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Heb1986 · 28/06/2023 22:19

Anyone? Please and thank you 😁

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Babynameone · 28/06/2023 22:25

I was formula feeding by that stage so I’m not of much assistance but wondering if there was a pattern to the times he feeds.. when is the last feed of the night before you go to bed for the first time? I tried to stay up as late as I could for the last feed of the night, I even woke him for it about 11:30/12 in the early days 😂 then that meant he would go til 3ish so it only felt like I was getting up once if he then woke about 6.30/7. It’s most likely other feeds in the day that are affecting this one at night but I don’t have any real advice as to how you can get the daytime ones into a routine to help it any. What about even things you do before the last one of the night, is it obvious to him ‘bedtime’ is coming up?

booksandbrooks · 28/06/2023 22:39

I nursed on demand rather than to a routine so not much help I'm afraid. Would it be possible to leave your oh to do tea and go for a swim before the post nap feed?

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Heb1986 · 29/06/2023 00:50

Thanks both of you! I agree, it’s the timing of the other feeds but for some reason during the day he tends not to feed before sleeps, he wants them after! I’ll maybe just need to work on those timings much more. His last feed is always after his last nap of the day so usually 4:30 or so. Bedtime is bath/pyjamas/up to bed for feed so do think he knows it’s bed time. Unfortunately husband works till 5:30/6 so couldn’t really go out st that time. I’ll weather the storm and look forward to many evenings out soon then 😂

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mathanxiety · 29/06/2023 00:55

It looks as if the baby actually has a routine - just not the one you want.

Heb1986 · 29/06/2023 04:34

He does a bit @mathanxiety ! His doing not mine. I’m very happy how things are, I had only wondered how to get him to take a feed at bedtime so he didn’t wake shortly after 😊

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UsernamePain · 29/06/2023 04:58

My daughter (9 months) is bottle fed but sounds similar to yours in that she won’t feed to sleep. I put her down for bed at 7pm and she will generally wake for a feed between8:30-10:30 and then go straight back off. I see it as a good thing that she doesn’t have that association to be honest as I really struggled with my eldest to break the bedtime bottle association as she got older.

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