How to help my daughter get on a nightly routine

[KM604]

*I posted this in the Maternal Forum also*

Just some background information.  My daughter is 6 1/2 weeks right now and I am breastfeeding, but supplementing formula during a few feedings/day because I can't pump enough to keep up with her - and I am going back to work in 2 weeks.  Right now I am fine with her getting up whenever she is hungry during the night, but when I go back to work it might be more challenging.  The past few days she has started taking her last feeding (of breastmilk) between 830pm and 9pm.  Then she will wake up around 230am to eat again and then again around 6am or so.  Now the 6am feeding works out great for when I go back to work because that is when I would like feed her before leaving for work. I know she is too young to sleep through the night, but she has been going 6-7 hours in between her last feeding and first feeding of the days.  Like I said this just started and I have no idea if she will contonue this pattern - but that's my question, how can I get her to continue the same routine?  I've read certain tricks, but I just wanted to see what everyone else tried.  I wish she were on a feeding schedule but she is isn't nor would I want to force that on her.  It's just the nighttime I want to establish a routine.  Thanks for all your input!

[LauraB78]

I am of no value here.. We have been trying since day 1 to put Jaxson on a schedule, and it has been a dismal failure.. He is 10 weeks, and doesn't sleep as well as your 61/2 week old! Sounds like you are on the right track to me! =)   Good luck!

[JoyRenee]

No problem! By about 3 months most babies settle into a little routine. I also didn't having feeding schedules with my girls so I totally understand. I let them eat when they wanted to.

Good luck! I hope little one does really well!!!

[KM604]

Joyrenne and martika:
I know she is too young, but when I go back to work she will be 9 weeks old and I at least want to start practicing the routine.  I think too that once I go back to work, there will be some consistency as far as when I breastfeed her once we get home and also before I go to work.  Plus my mom will be watching her for the first 5 weeks so she will be playing with her during her awake times.  I did read how keeping them awake too long can make them over-tired. I dont like having her on a schedule now because I like having her eat when she wants, but I know that she will pick up some sort of schedule when I go back to work and hopefully her sleeping schedule will get better.  I guess its all trial and error too.  Thanks for the input :)

[martikadragoon]

I've moved TJ's feeding. And we've gotten on a routine in the last 5 weeks since he got out of the hospital. He regularly gets up around 6-8am, then is up til around 10-11 sleeps for 1 hr, then is up til around 8pm then goes down for bed. He'll wake up around 12am for about 1/2 to 1 hr, but by adjusting his feedings to 12am-3am-6am (sometimes we skip 3am, and so on.... we've gotten a routine that works out for DH and I.

[JoyRenee]

She's still too young to have a routine down pat but you're heading in the right direction. I would push her last feeding of the night back to maybe 9:30-10. The thing about newborns is that they can go to bed later (whereas toddlers need a strict bedtime). My newborns always went to bed around 11pm so that they'd truly be sleeping while I was sleeping (I go to bed late).

So whenever you're going to bed, have her go to bed with you and feed her then. Hopefully she'll have a 7 hour stretch of sleep while you're sleeping. When you get up in the morning, wake her for her feeding.

Also, try keeping her awake and active more during the day so that she'll want to sleep at night. She'll still need to get all of her sleep, of course, but by having her stay awake for longer durations throughout the day she'll start developing a pattern and understand that bedtime is when it is dark outside. This could backfire if she ends up not getting enough sleep, though, because she'll be over-tired and unable to fall asleep at night. So definitely make sure she's still getting her naps but just longer wakefulness in between them.