Baby 'lying in'

[GnocchiNineDoors]

Dd is 6mo. She goes to bed at 6.30, wakes around 1am for milk and then again at some point between 4 & 6

After this feed she goes back in her cot where she usually sleeps til 7.30.

The last few days however shes slept til 9am.

Is this something to worry about? Could it be a sign that shes ready to start sleeping through at night....should I try and stop a night feed?

I know it probably wont last but it is unsettling me

Hi Gnocchi, my DD is nearly 7 months old and I'm experiencing a similar situation. She'll go to sleep about 6:30am and wakes once, sometimes twice for a breastfeed.

A few times, the 2nd feed has been around 5:30 or 6am. Like you're daughter, she'll just feed and want to go back to sleep until about 8:30. I feel similiarly unsettled by this as I worry about what will happen when I go back to work in a couple of months and she'll need to be up and about much before this.

I'm sorry I don't have any advice for you about dropping a night feed. I'll be very interested to see what other people reckon. I think I'm going to start waking baby up about 7:30am, even if she hasn't been back in bed long. Just to try and keep the (very loose) routine we have.

Im glad its not just me....trouble is im kot a morning person so its tempting to sleep til she wakes.

This morning I heard her chuntering away at 8.30 and thought id stay in bed until she shouts (I get "mammamamamamaaaaa") when shes ready to get up. Anyways, I then must have fallen to sleep again and woke at 8.50 to silence. Crept into her room and shes just lying there happily playing with her teddy.

Its awfully unsettling.

Im back as work in 8 weeks and at the moment it doesnt seem to be affecting her routine mch so might allow myself the rest of this week before I try and chamge it.

She does seem to count this as a daytime nap I think as instead of napping at 9, 12 and 3, today and yesterday shes only napped at 11 and 3. Hmmmm

I know exactly what you mean about the mornings. Especially when you've been up in the night. I usually do the same and snooze on until I hear she's ready to get up. The last thing I feel like doing is getting up bright and early! If I do, I usually go back to bed for a bit when she has her first nap.

I don't know about you, but the thought of going back to work is playing on my mind lots. I wouldn't really be bothered about all this if I wasn't going back in a couple of months.

I used to leave my 5 month old to sleep till he woke. He'd go to bed at 7pm and the latest he woke was 10am. I think I'm quite lucky. It sounds like she's ready to stop night feeds, my DS stopped at 4 months.

Yes, I think it might be a time of unsettled-ness both with me and her.

In a way im almost grateful that I have no other option BUT to go back...like the decision has been made for me. If I were able to NOT work, the uhmming and ahhing would be harder, imo.

Have you made any steps towards looking for childcare or are your family able to help out?

She did stop night feeds at 3mo then hit a bit if a regression then a stomach bug and then had two teeth through so all of that resulted in more wakings.

I may have to toughen up with her at night.

I imaginr itll be best to do that at the weekend, so dh and I can back each other up.

Yeah, it wasn't a option for me not to work either. Makes be cross when I read/hear stuff in the media about mothers "choosing" to go back to work. For the majority, I don't think it is a choice, it's a necessity.

DD will be with my parents 1 day a week and then at the childminders 2 1/2 days. I need to make some dates to spend time with DD and the childminder over the next few weeks but I'm putting it off because I really don't want to face up to the reality of leaving her. What about your plans?

I worry about the logistics of it all. DD is often ready to go back to bed quite soon for her first nap. I need to try and extend the time she's awake as she won't be able to nap that early at the childminder's.

Have you tried doing a dream feed at half 10? With all three of mine I did that and it cuts out the need for feeding in the middle of the night when they aren't quite ready to go for 12/13 hours.
You might feel a bit more rested in the mornings if you haven't been up at 1am and 4am!

I used to dream feed her then she started waking anyways later. In all honesty I dont think she wakes from hunger and will happily go back to sleep after only 2/3oz. Think she wakes either out of habit now or teething and weve been soft and giving her milk to get her back to sleep

Thankfully my Dmum is a CM with spaces so shes going there. There has been some cross words as I want to pay and ny dm wants to do it for free. Think we have settled on an amount we both feel comfortable with.

I do my rota at work and its a seven day a week operation so am hoping to be able to get away with only needing her one afternoon and three full days a week.

Dh works term time only in a school so holidays should be fine.

That's great that she can go to your mum Gnocchi. I love the close relationship DD has with my mum.

Sounds like she doesn't need it then. I know dream feeds don't work for every baby, I just thought it might be worth a try if you hadn't.