20 week old routine

june17

Hi. I'm just wondering about the routine of my 20 week old son. He's very tired going to bed every night and I'm like some advice/opinions please.

He wakes up between 8.30-9 am in the mornings for a feed and back down for a nap again between 10-10.15. Most days he sleeps until 12.30 approx and then he's up for another feed again. He has another nap then at about 2-2.30 and sleeps then until 4-4.30 when he feeds again. When he was younger he would go for a short nap in the evening but he doesn't do this any more. Next feed is between 7.15/8 pm. We tried to get him down to sleep after this feed but he was having none of it! I followed the same routine every night- bottle, pyjamas, story and then bed but it was impossible to get him down. He used to get very upset and my husband and I would have had to comfort him for ages and still no sleep. In the end we took him back up again and he now stays up until his final bottle at about half ten. He goes down to sleep very quickly now and sleeps until the morning but like I said he's very tired. Also, I have no problem getting him to sleep during the day. He goes down very easily and sleeps away until the next feed.

I'm not sure if it had anything to do with the four month sleep regression or if it coincided with a wonder week. He's very happy to stay up in the evening time with us and play or be held by one of us. Are his naps too long during the day? I let him sleep until he wakes up. But should I wake him up myself? Would 3 shorter naps be better instead of the two long ones? Should I wake him up earlier myself in the mornings so that his feeds will be earlier during the day and then he might go to bed earlier?
I know I've asked a lot of questions but any advice would be appreciated! Thanks.

yellow hen

I too have a 20 week old baby and constantly wonder if we're doing the right/wrong thing with him. He still doesn't sleep through the night although we don't feed him anymore. In hoping he'll get used to not having a bottle soon and learn to sleep through.

Our little man has his last bottle at 7/7:30 and is usually asleep at 8. He generally wakes at 6/6:30 and I put him into bed with us until first bottle at 7. He feeds again at 10, 1, 4 and 7pm. I feel that you can't give a baby a routine and they have to set their own (I could be very wrong in this theory!). Our baby gets cranky after being awake for more than 2.5 hours so I try to get him to nap. His naps are usually only 30-40 mins and unlike your baby I have to walk him or rock him to sleep. He's not great at going asleep on his own. I hope he'll find his own pattern in time... I'm happy enough that we have a routine for feeds now... Up until this week we were all over the place!

bp

My little one is 23 weeks and only recently got a routine (which was nothing to do with me). Up between six and seven with a feed (only breast feed of the day), then nap two hours after waking up. Bottle at 12 with a nap about half twelve for an hour. Solids and bottle at four followed by an hour long nap and then bed between 7.30-8.

As I said, I didn't set this up....the baby did!

Moonbeam

I feed him when he is hungry he sleeps when he is tired and he sets his own routine that way. He has a bottle then goes down about 9 at night and sleeps until about 8. he has 4-5 bottles a day and 1-2 spoons feeds.

june17

Hi everyone. Thanks for your replies. They were much appreciated! I completely agree with you Yellow Hen. As a first time mother it is very hard to know what's "right". There's so much advice available from other people and from experts. But as long as the baby is happy and thriving that's the main thing. I read yesterday that you should read your baby and not the book which is good advice to follow. Thanks again.