Sleep Training or not?

NatalieBier · June 2014

I wish I knew how to do a poll, but don't think I can on my iPhone. Anyways, I slept trained my first two using 12 hrs sleep in 12 weeks. Basically, the key to that book was block feeding where they eat in one session and then can't have anymore until the next session usually 3 hrs later. They both were sleeping through thr night by 3-4 mo. For #3, I feel like my days are so chaotic(I.e, have to put baby down because other two need something) that I don't have time to block feed and she ends up snacking throughout the day. The more I talk to different friends, they say they never did block feeding. They just fed on demand and baby slept through the night at 3-4 mo. Same result, but without the rigid feeding schedule. My question is are most if you block feeding or just feeding on demand?

bacorrea · June 2014

AprilMay9 said:
I feed when the baby is hungry and she sleeps when she's tired.

This.

ambarnett1 · June 2014

Yup. We feed on demand. Same results without the torture.

AmberLiz99 · June 2014

Feed when hungry. Dd is 7 weeks and sleeps 7-6, waking once at 3 to eat. I'm happy with that. Ds slept all the way through by 11 weeks on his own.

fourthnlast · June 2014

Feed when she's hungry and sleep when she's tired. I'm probably a horrible mom, but i have never done any sleep training with any of them. This LO typically sleeps 8-9 hrs at night, it's nothing i'm doing, it's just her.

*sparky* · June 2014

The only time I try to adjust LO's schedule is when I have to leave for something at a specific time I may wake her a little early and feed her before we go. Other than that she calls the shots. She is 8 weeks and most nights will sleep from 8p-4a. Last night she was hungry at 2 and then back to bed til 7.

With 2 other kids to take care of, I think you are going to have to go with the flow a little more with this one. Your baby will end up sleeping through the night at some point anyway but
You won't make yourself crazy in the process.

momofmanyinthemitten · June 2014

Not feeding on demand can mess with BM supply. I have a hard time going 3 hrs without eating and I've got a way bigger stomach than a baby, so when DD wants to eat every hour, I've got no ptoblem with it. I fed on demand with all 3 of mine and they've all had very different sleeping patterns.

Avion22 · June 2014

We feed on demand. Last night he slept 11.5 hours, then ate, then went back to sleep for another hour. He's 11 weeks. We didn't do anything special to "train" him to sleep.

Boston*bride · June 2014

We don't block feed, but I do-- at the advice of both my pediatrician and lactation consultant-- try to encourage full feedings and discourage snacking. We don't follow a set schedule...LO is hungry anywhere from every 2 to 4 hours; we feed him when he's hungry. But we do try to make sure he eats enough at his feeding so that he's not hungry an hour later. For example, if LO falls asleep mid-feeding after only taking an ounce or so, my lactation consultant advised us to gently squeeze LO's hand to see if we can rouse him to finish. Or I'll keep him at the breast (or keep the bottle ready) for as long as he seems intersted in eating. Sometimes he just wants to take his time. So, I don't think it's necessarily either/or.

I will note that this approach doesn't seem to be having an effect on sleep. He tends to sleep 3-4 hours at night regardless of whether he snacked during the day or got a good solid stretch of time between each feeding.

abbeylanecb · June 2014

I feed her when she is hungry, even if it's every 20 minutes. I'm not worried about her being on a schedule right now.

PaperBowl · June 2014

I feed my son when he's hungry but I definitely encourage him to eat a full meal rather than snack. That being said, we started "sleep training" LO from the moment we got home from the hospital. People seem to read "sleep training" and think "oh my god you let your kid cry it out!" And that couldn't be further from the truth. It's just that we have tried to strictly keep to wind down routines and certain practices to help him learn day from night, to get and be used to sleeping alone, and the chance to practice self-soothing. Mostly we want practice for when he develops object permanence and to not have a sleep routine be jarring for him. We're also letting him learn to handle discomfort without having a full meltdown in two seconds flat. It's not been perfect all the time (around 3 weeks was like hell week, lol) but he slept from 8 last night to 6 this morning. He woke up at 4 this morning and fussed a little (not screaming or thrashing just some grunting and leg kicking). I watched him on the monitor and after a minute or so he rolled to his side and fell back asleep. I will admit I'm feeling anxious about the 4month regression even though it's a ways off for us, but I just tell myself we'll have to be patient and consistent and hopefully any hiccups resolve. If this stops working we'll try something else!

NatalieBier · June 2014

Good to get some consensus!

thomas930 · June 2014

ColleenSwerb said:

I feed when the baby is hungry abd she sleeps when she's tired.
This. To each their own, but I just don't understand the idea of not feeding a hungry baby.

All of this. Feed the baby when they are hungry.

I don't sleep train. My kids will sleep better when they are ready. I don't believe my parenting ends at bedtime.

Jenn06L80 · June 2014

My girls were in the nicu for 2 weeks. They ate every 3 hours. So we essentially did the same schedule at home. My girls eat every 2.5-4 hours during the day. They are now sleeping at night from 10-5 or 6 as well.

With my older daughter I fed on demand and she snacked every hour or so since I was EBF. She slept throught the night at 6 weeks. She is an amazing sleeper.

With the twin girls they are getting mainly formula and are more on a blocked schedule and they started sleeping 7-8 hour stretches around 10 weeks.

chichi589 · June 2014

We feed on demand (breast feeding when I'm home breast milk in bottle when I'm at work) he eats every 2.5-4 hours during the day and sleeps at least one long 6 hr stretch and then he goes right back to sleep and smother 3 hr stretch. We have done nothing but maintained a good bedtime routine and he does great.

I don't discourage snacking personally because well I snack so why shouldn't he but normally he doesn't try only at night before bed,

hordol · June 2014

I would never want to hear my baby scream because it wasn't the correct time for him to eat, so I feed on demand (I don't mean this condescendingly.) He wakes up twice at night, but he started with 4 times, down to 3 times, now down to 2...he is only two months old and I am quite content with his progress so I'm not trying to do anything specific. He does it all on his own. The only thing I started doing that I think helps a little bit is a bath before bed. Otherwise I really think a lot of it comes down to the kind of kid you have.

ashcole28 · June 2014

I'm not sleep training and I feed on demand I just try to keep the bedtime routine the same with a bath PJs and abottle.

strawberrytree · June 2014

I'm another who feeds on demand and doesn't sleep train. My first kid didn't sttn until he was 11 months old, but that was when he was ready to do it and that's okay. I won't push my kids to do something before they're ready. I don't have problems with MOTN feedings either, even when they're older and "supposed to" be able to sttn...hey, sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and want a drink or a snack, so who am I to tell him he can't have the same?

NatalieBier · June 2014

It's funny to me hearing all the mothey instincts (which I agree with;)) Vs these expert books.

LindsayB0505 · June 2014

With DD #1 we fed on demand (usually every 2 hours) and she slept through the night (10-12 hours) by 3 months

baileymama3 · June 2014

We feed on demand and sleep when tired. Edit: oops not RTT for other comment

Linnea503 · June 2014

I think it's great to have a bedtime routine and keep things consistent, etc. However, if your baby happens to be a great sleeper at this age sorry but it is not anything you are doing, it's just their personality.

With my first I followed all the standard advice we see given out here and in books and the kid never slept more than 20 minutes unless a boob was in his mouth or he was sound asleep and we successfully transferred him to his swing.

I am so lazy and whatever with this one, and he sleeps great. I'm thanking my lucky stars not patting myself on the back.

And I'm sorry this is going to sound snarky but here it is: I've not read this 12 weeks to 12 hours book but the concept of a 12 week old baby not needing anything-food, snuggles, a dry diaper-for 12 straight hours is so ridiculous I just can't even entertain the premise.

Want a personalized experience?

Sleep Training or not?

Re: Sleep Training or not?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards