Early riser and MOTN feeding questions

dmathis10

DS is in daycare, and during the day he pretty much just takes catnaps of around 30 mins.  Every so often, he'll have a long 1-2 hour nap.  We don't get home until 5:30 - 6:00 each night.  Sometimes he will take a short 10-20 nap on our way home.  Even so, he's still ready for bed between 6:20 and 6:50.

He had been waking somewhere between 12am and 1am to eat then again around 4am, then up for the day between 5:30 and 6.  But it seems like he might be trying to cut out one of his MOTN feedings.  For the past couple nights, he doesn't wake the first time until after 1am. Then he wakes around 4:45 - 5:15. But because this time is so close to his wake up time, he doesn't go back to sleep.  He just lies in his crib fussing, rolling around, and then eventually crying.

One night last week, he woke up at 11:30 to eat, then again at 3:00, then slept until 6:10.  This actually worked out great because he slept in later, but his first stretch of sleep was much shorter.

 Any suggestions on how I can extend his awake time to between 6 and 6:30?  His waking between 4:45 and 5:15 every day is going to be rough, especially on weekends. I can't really extend bedtime by 5 mins each night because he doesn't go down at the exact same time each night.  And, I'm not asking for suggestions to try to cut out a MOTN feeding.  Yes, it would be nice to only do one, but only if that's all DS requires.  I considered maybe trying a dream feed before I go to bed at 9:00, but since his first stretch of sleep is usually around 7 hours, I'm afraid that he'll wake up at 4:00 to eat and not go back to sleep...?? AND, how do dreamfeeds works if you don't nurse baby to sleep but instead put them down drowsy so they aren't dependent on nursing to go to sleep?  Do dreamfeeds have different rules because you are waking them on your terms? 

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

TIA, ladies! 

jnnfrrose6

dmathis10:

 I can't really extend bedtime by 5 mins each night because he doesn't go down at the exact same time each night.  And, I'm not asking for suggestions to try to cut out a MOTN feeding.  Yes, it would be nice to only do one, but only if that's all DS requires. 

I'd start with a consistent bedtime routine.  We're in full time daycare for our little guy as well and it sounds like a similar schedule during the day.  We get home anytime between 5:30-6:30.  We don't do baths every night, but when we do, they're always at 7, then I feed him at 7:30, and once he's done eating, straight into his crib.  If no bath, then I will hold him if he's fussy, or we try to read or do quiet games starting at 7.  We did more sleep training than it sounds like you're ready for, so he does sleep through the night until 6 or 6:30 (has done this since he was about 2 months), but I know a big part of this was the regularity of his evening and knowing that it was definitely nighttime, not a nap. 

 Good luck! 

dmathis10

jnnfrrose6:

dmathis10:

 I can't really extend bedtime by 5 mins each night because he doesn't go down at the exact same time each night.  And, I'm not asking for suggestions to try to cut out a MOTN feeding.  Yes, it would be nice to only do one, but only if that's all DS requires. 

I'd start with a consistent bedtime routine.  We're in full time daycare for our little guy as well and it sounds like a similar schedule during the day.  We get home anytime between 5:30-6:30.  We don't do baths every night, but when we do, they're always at 7, then I feed him at 7:30, and once he's done eating, straight into his crib.  If no bath, then I will hold him if he's fussy, or we try to read or do quiet games starting at 7.  We did more sleep training than it sounds like you're ready for, so he does sleep through the night until 6 or 6:30 (has done this since he was about 2 months), but I know a big part of this was the regularity of his evening and knowing that it was definitely nighttime, not a nap. 

 Good luck! 

We do have a consistent bedtime routine with lotion, pajamas and sleep sack, feeding and then bed. But the actual time we start it varies within 20 to 30 mins, depending on when his last nap was.