Help with baby's schedule..

dlwright

My son is 9 weeks old. I have been trying to get him on a schedule for a few weeks and have made a little progress but still having trouble at bedtime. He has been diagnosed with reflux and started on Zantac On Monday so I am hopeful this helps his sleeping!

We wake up between 7:458 am, diaper change and breastfed. Some days baby naps from 910 am but some days he skips this nap. I can't put him down awake...he cries until he is picked up. He is breastfed at 10 am. Playtime from 1111:30ish. Nurses again around 11:45 to 12. Naps from 12 or 2:30. Nurses when he wakes from nap. Is awake playing or in swing from 3 or 3:30. Nurses around 4. Naps from about 5:306:30. Bath at 7 pm, then read a story and nursing to get ready for bed. From 8 pm on I struggle to get him to bed...he wants to nurse as be held for hours....most nights he gets a formula bottle when my husband comes home around 10 pm. Baby refuses to sleep until we go to bed between 11 pm and midnight. We started co sleeping because if I put him in his bed he is awake, crying and inconsolable within ten minutes. During the night he wakes every two hours like clockwork to nurse.

He is a large baby 13 lb 14 oz and our pediatrician suggested adding one teaspoon of rice to his nightly bottle or giving enfamil ar formula at night to help his reflux so he will sleep longer. Have any of you tried this and did it help? Any suggestions for getting him to sleep earlier/easier?

aklawrence1

DD isn't as old as your LO, but she is on Enfamil AR and doing very well with it. She sleeps longer stretches since we began it, and is all around a happier baby. I know that's different than 1 formula bottle in conjunction with BF, but my experience with thr formula is great.

Tennis Chick

You haven't made much progress because babies this age are too young for a schedule, the most you can do is watch their behavior for routines and adjust off that. While it's certainly not ideal, it sounds like 11 is the new 'bed time' for now. You didn't mention how often he wakes at night to eat? Have you tried pushing bath time back to maybe 9?
I personally would not add rice cereal, but that's based on my own research and pedi's advice, so I can't help you there.
Our LO is 11 weeks, and 19lbs (<---THAT is a big baby!), he does not STTN and is up for the day by 6am. 

dlwright

He eats every 2 hours through the night

Tennis Chick

Have you tried upping the amount of formula he gets in the evening by a 1/2-1oz?

freelancemommy

Is it possible that he would go to bed for the night if you put him down earlier? Hold off on the 5:30 nap, keep him awake if you can, and move up the bedtime routine time. Then try putting him to bed earlier... maybe by 6:30 or 7?

dlwright

I haven't tried that, but I will give it a shot tomorrow. Thanks!

RissKay

dlwright:

I haven't tried that, but I will give it a shot tomorrow. Thanks!

Try formula at night and up the ounce by 1, and see if that helps. DS has reflux and is on prevacid, and it has been a difference from day one of taking it! He immediately started sleeping around 5 hours at a time at night. (Don't forget to pump when you give him the formula!) We use the fussy/gassy baby Enfamil formula. 

GL! 

drpayne

Tennis Chick:

You haven't made much progress because babies this age are too young for a schedule, the most you can do is watch theirnbsp;behaviornbsp;for routines and adjust off that. While it's certainly not ideal, it sounds like 11 is the new 'bed time' for now. You didn't mention how often he wakes at night to eat? Have you tried pushing bath time back to maybe 9?I personally would not add rice cereal, but that's based on my own research and pedi's advice, so I can't help you there.Our LO is 11 weeks, and 19lbs lt;THAT is a big baby!, he does not STTN and is up for the day by 6am.nbsp;

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