taking naps

my daughter is almost 4 months we took her pacifier away about a week ago and seems to be doing fine without it, she was napping during the day for 2-3 hrs at a time but now only takes about 3, 40 minute naps.  She goes to bed between 6-7 wakes at 4:30 for a bottle then sleeps till 8:30am.  Is it just a coincidence that she stopped napping so much during the day when i took her pacifier away or does it have something to do with her not having it anymore.  She never did take it at night just naps and when she got fussy.  i just figured it would be easier to get rid of it now then later.  also when and how can i eliminate that 4:30 feed or should i even try?  the thing is she usually wants to nap every 2hrs for 30-40minutes, i just think it would be better if she took  a few long naps.  

[Joyce49788]

ultimately how you schedule your baby's naps and feedings is entirely up to you... for me with my kids however, i let them decide when to eat, sleep,ect... at least for naps and such... they give you signs, when they get fussy it might be time for a nap or a bottle/breast.... my kids would sleep most of the day and then sleep almost all night until they were about 5-6 months old... and then they started staying up a little longer during the day. but they still slept really well at night.
i would say take your cues from your daughter... if she wants to catnap during the day then let her as long as it isnt interferring with night time sleep she should be fine.

another thing you could do is talk to her pediatrician and see what he/she says about the sleeping and eating schedule..

as for the pacifier, well if she wasnt taking it at night before then it probably doesnt have much to do with anything... she probably didnt rely on it anyhow if she gave it up that easily.

and the 4:30 feed... you could always hold off until around 5... and feed her with the rest of the family at dinner... at 4 mos old you could probably prop her in a highchair and feed her baby food at the same time the family is eating... it will give her family interaction as well as a more precise dinner schedule.  

these are just MY outlooks and opinions, and you are free to either take the advice or say "forget you"...lol.
Good Luck and God Bless

[Joyce49788]

sorry thought you meant 4:30 PM

as for a 4:30 AM feeding... if the baby is going to sleep by 8PM and only gets up at that time, then i wouldnt worry about it... just feed her when she is hungry... OR try giving her cereal in her bottle at bedtime and see if she sleeps longer... or keep her up til 8-9pm and she SHOULD sleep longer.

good luck

[ohmylittlebear]

when my daughter turned 1 month i had to start giving her cereal bottles because she was trying to drink 8 ounces already. but i also found that it helped her sleep thru the night to. if you are trying to eliminate the 4 am bottle try keeping her up a little longer, dont let her take a nap too late, an try adding a cereal bottle before bed. rhae has been sleeping thru the night for three months almost, an its mostly because the cereal bottle an if she naps i wake her up atleast three hours before she is down for the night. its all up to you hoan what you feel comfortable with doing.

  and the pacifier. i heard it was easier if you took it away early but i found with my daughter that when she didnt want it she didnt take it. i dont offer it to her unless a last resort or when she naps...she spits it out as soon as she falls asleep on her own now. i wouldnt worry bout it too much until she is teething, or getting old enough to not have it

[Nutkin]

Wow reading all these post about afternoon naps and waking up in the night still at 4 months, i think am lucky with my son, i had him through the nights at 12 weeks and that happened when took him of my breast and onto bottle, hes 5 months now and goes to bed at 7pm after his bath and sleeps straight through till 8, he loves his sleep! Just as i was catching up with some much needed sleep and getting back into the gym ect he now has sore gums and sooner rather than later my nights will be sleepless again for sure!