[alice79]

Hi,

My DS is about to turn 6 months, and I am struggling to work out a routine that works for him and our family, so have come on here to seek advice, or hear how it works for your family.

I've been 4 hourly breasfeeding DS (about 7am, 11am, 3pm, 6:30pm~bedtime, with up to 4 feeds over night), but since DS is now on 3 solid (puree, about 3 tablespoons, sometimes more) meals a day, I would like to streamline the breastfeeding and meal times, because it seems like he's always eating, and I'm getting nothing done, let alone trying to fit in school drop-off, pick up, my DD's routine etc.

The times I need to fit to:

Househole awake by 6:45am (will let him sleep longer if he needs it, but he's usually up around 6:30am)

School drop off 8:10am - home close to 9am

Preschool pick up 11:10am, home about 11:45am

Lunch 12/12:30pm

Dinner 5:30 - 6pm

Bath 6:15, feed, then bed soon after 6:30pm


If I milk feed with meal times, they seem too far apart, so I need some ideas.

For extra info, he's a big-ish baby (95th percentile), tends to snack breastfeed during the day (would rather see what's going on in the world), and only sleeps for 20min naps about every hour and a half during the day (no matter WHAT I've done and tried, this rarely changes into longer sleeps). I am going to start formula feeding and night weaning in the next couple of months (please do not convince me otherwise on either of these matters, I am giving up breastfeeding for various reasons, and like another poster on this forum regarding night weaning, I have my reasons, and I know it is the right thing to do for my whole family - I have heald off because I want to give the best to DS for as long as possible).

It wasn't as hard with DD, as she was the only one, and my husband and I fit to her needs.

Help...please

Thank you

This post has been edited by alice79: 27/07/2012, 11:21 AM

[Ehill]

Hi, i just wanted to reply in 'support' I suppose. i am in the same position with DS who is 7.5mo and I am going batsh$t crazy feeling like all I do is bfeed, spoonfeed, settle, sleep, there seems to be no happy time for him and his seperation anxiety is nuts (made worse by some upheavals in our location).
I really need a set routine to follow as I just know it will help with the sep anxiety. I think I am going to contact Ngala here in Perth for some help. i feel a bit out of my depth at the moment, too tired to cope properly with DD (who is 3) and basically just want some 'professional' advice so I can have the confidence not to just keep bfeeding to settle which I know is not helping in the longterm. Certainly not with my sanity! I am just not one of those attachment, breastfeed on demand mums.....I cant do it.....I have tried but I need my own bed and my own sleep!
Good luck OP, i feel your pain.

[MrsW87]

Hi OP.

My DS2 is 6 months today. Although we don't have school kids Ill show you the only things I stick to that work for us. Everything in between I just take it as it comes.

-5.30-6am Awake, breastfeed, cuddle/play/talk in my bed
-7-7.30am Breakfast, We do BLW so he just has a munch on whatever I'm having. Sometimes he will have baby porridge
-8am Quick breastfeed then sleep for between 30mins to 2 hours
-10am Breastfeed
-11.30am Lunch
-12pm Breastfeed and sleep usually only for 30 minutes
-3pm breastfeed and sleep
-5pm bath
-6pm dinner - although he doesn't really eat anything, more just sits with us while we eat and will have something if he wants it
-6.30pm Breastfeed and bed. Settling can sometimes take an hour or more.



I hope you can figure something out that works for you. The best thing I ever did was to only stick to the basics with the routine. Making sure that the feeding times and the sleeping times are always 'sort of' around the same times.

[katevin]

I am just not one of those attachment, breastfeed on demand mums.....I cant do it.....I have tried but I need my own bed and my own sleep!

This is me too! I love a bit of routine and structure.

OP, based around what you've written, I'd probably try something like this:

6.45 (or whatever time LO wakes): Breastfeed
7.30am: Brekky (solids)
9am: Nap
Breastfeed when he wakes
12pm: Lunch (solids)
1pm: Nap
Breastfeed when he wakes
3-4pm(ish): Afternoon catnap (to tide him over til bedtime)
5-5.30: Dinner (solids)
Bath, breastfeed, bedtime etc as per usual

Hope that helps?

Oh and Ehill perhaps you could look at doing something similar with Tim? But as he's a little older I'd base his naps around 10am and 2pm (roughly of course) and forget about the afternoon catnap? That's basically what we do with Maya

[Natttmumm]

At about that age with Dd2 we had the following routine roughly which she did herself
Wake at 5am for a feedBack to sleep until around 630
7ish - solid meal for bfast
830 milk feed and nap as close to 9 am as I could get it but sometimes it was earlier
Lunch at 1130 solid meal1230 milk feed1pm sleep for an hr
3pm was a hard time and I gave half small milk feed and try for a nap in the pram which was dropped by 7 months and she was grizzly by dinner time.
5pm dinner - she was hungry by this time and would eat a lot
6pm milk and bed around 7pm
I should add she was formal fed and did sleep all night from 7 until 5 am with no feed but occasionally woke at 930pm for another milk feed. The routine above would have been a good day and she too often slept for 40 mins and ended up needed an extra sleep. Based on your post you could move everything forward half an hour might work with drop offs. By the time DD was 9 months all got a lot easier when she was happy with 2 clear sleeps per day and could eat biscuits as snacks to carry her through

[alice79]

Thanks so much for the replies (and support)

There are some good ideas in there! Thank you. Always so great to get friendly responses, as you need when you feel like you're going a little bonkers

Thanks again.

[Pup-pup]

[quote name='katevin' date='27/07/2012, 04:28 PM' post='14779512']
This is me too! I love a bit of routine and structure.

OP, based around what you've written, I'd probably try something like this:

6.45 (or whatever time LO wakes): Breastfeed
7.30am: Brekky (solids)
9am: Nap
Breastfeed when he wakes
12pm: Lunch (solids)
1pm: Nap
Breastfeed when he wakes
3-4pm(ish): Afternoon catnap (to tide him over til bedtime)
5-5.30: Dinner (solids)
Bath, breastfeed, bedtime etc as per usual



I think this routine is perfect. You just need to give him a few toys in the car so he doesn't nod off. My DD is now 12mths, but had almost this exact routine for the last 6 mths. She dropped the third sleep awhile ago, but it is definitely a routine that doesnt need to change for a bit.

[Leee]

My DS is 7 months and I have to work our routine around kindy and school each day, it is difficult. Ours changes but roughly it is.

7-730 awake and breastfeeding
8 solids - as we have to leave for school at 830
930-10 nap
1130-12 wake and breastfeed
1230 solids
130-200 nap
If it is a kindy day I have to wake him at 230 if not 300
Breastfeed before or after pick ups
4-430 quick nap
5 solids
6 bath
630 breastfeed
7 bed

Im not sure when he can stop having two afternoon naps as the second nap of the day is usually interrupted by pickups and he can not stay awake from 2 to 7. So for now it has to work with two afternoon naps even if they are just 40 mins each.