Do you wake baby for feedings during the day?

soonergal · October 2009

Just curious. I don't remember what we did with DS#1. I think we did wake him sometimes, but I don't remember whether it helped with night sleeping/feeding. I know some people say to never wake a sleeping baby, and others say not to let them miss a feeding or sleep too much during the day. With DS#1, he sleeps a LOT better at night if he has a good nap during the day - and he takes loooong naps. But he's also 2. I don't remember about when he was a newborn. Right now DS#2 has been sleeping about 5 hours, and I think I'm just going to let him wake up on his own, and see what happens tonight. What do you do?

JCM083009 · October 2009

We did for the first week or two, but I actually don't think there were many times he slept through a feeding (ie: morethan 3 hours). He still doesn't and even if he does take a long nap he makes up for it otherwise. We feed on demand so he could go 3 hours without eating and then eating every hour for the next few.

2-Step · October 2009

I just started doing this, but only if he has slept for 4+ hours. He usually eats every 3. If it has been 4 hours I gently wake him and let him eat and then he can fall back asleep afterward if he wants. I've found it does help him sleep at night, not because he is getting less sleep during the day, but because he is on a regular feeding schedule and has consumed more ounces during the day, so he doesn't need to feed as often at night. This didn't work at all until he was about 7 weeks, before that he was totally on his own schedule and waking him only resulted in a crying fit.

ttmccoot · October 2009

i don't wake her. she wakes up when she's ready to eat, and she has since day one. it works for us. good luck!

keaona · October 2009

our pedi said to wake her up during the day every three hours to eat so she would sleep better out at night. It has worked for us, she sleeps great at night and eats great during the day.

aniceucchik · October 2009

i never have, but my LO has never slept for 5 hours straight since after his circ...he may take a 2 hour nap during the day, but thats about it...at night we are up every 3 hours.