setting a bedtime

ricejl

Ladies I need your help on how to set a bedtime. I would like Alex's bedtime (meaning the time he starts nursing) to be 7:45pm. He is currently feeding every 2 hours. If he feeds when we get home from work/daycare at 4:30, that means his next feeding would be at 6:30. So do I feed him again at 7:45? What if he is not hungry or only eats a little bit and wakes up 2 hours later starving? Do I hold off his 4:30 feeding until later (what if he is starving)?

And not to sound rude but please don't reply with "my LO put himself/herself on a schedule." I've heard that way too much and even though that is nice for you, it is really frustrating to me.

ameliaandmatt

I would probably hold off feeding him in the evening as long as you can, and then "top him off" right before bed.  He might not eat much, but at least his belly will be full before you put him down for the night.

sdkrlm

I'm trying to remember what we did with Avery but I think her bedtime was just a little earlier.  We'd get home from day care around 4:30 - nurse.  Then around 6:30 we'd do bath time, baby massage and then nursing her around 7 and she'd be out.  So I guess I did push her evening nursing session back a little - she was more of an every 3 hour sort of baby anyways though. 

We did sort of let Avery lead the way a little - but I can understand needing them to be on more of your schedule too - especially being back at work. 

I will say it's HARD having that late of a bed time this young - especially at first when he's at day care all day...it totally wears them out.  We struggled a lot with that.  

Does he sleep on the way home?  I remember Avery would (but she also didn't nap hardly at all at day care).  

Good luck Jen!

 

 

ricejl

sdkrlm:

I will say it's HARD having that late of a bed time this young - especially at first when he's at day care all day...it totally wears them out.  We struggled a lot with that.  

Does he sleep on the way home?  I remember Avery would (but she also didn't nap hardly at all at day care).  

Good luck Jen!

I don't mind moving the bedtime earlier, I just want more time to play with him in the evenings.  Last night he nursed at 6:30 and I had to wake him up at 8:30 to nurse and put him down so he may need an earlier bedtime. Sometimes he does sleep on the way home, sometimes he doesn't.

uagirl

I totally envy your 7:45 bedtime plan!  LO doesn't sleep well at all if she doesn't get one last "snack" around 9:30.  It makes doing things in the evening a bit more difficult, but not feeding her then means she wakes up 3 or 4 times at night.