I need help getting my baby on a schedule....?

Question

I have a four month old who hardly sleeps....i really need help tryin to get him on a schedule. I would like it to be 12, 8, 4 & 8...we also just started him on rice cereal (through a spoon which is really fun...). So i try to give him his bath at 7:30 and start the rice cereal and then bottle at around 8....it takes until usually about 8:30 or 9 until he actually falls asleep (i have to rock him to sleep mind you...) and he usually only sleeps in 4 hour incraments(sp) except now he wakes up like every hour and i have to go get up and make sure he doesnt roll himself over and totally wake up.. ANYWAYS..he will usually not really wake up until about 1 or 2...and the next time to feed isnt until 4 if im goin to have him on that schedule...and he wont go back to sleep until i give him a bottle or he will pitch a holy fit...what am i suppose to do??? i dont understand how im suppose to get him on a schedule..i cant control when he wakes up, when hes tired and when hes hungry...help!

Answer 1

he may be teething or sick, maybe give him some tylonol to help him sleep

Answer 2

I would suggest that you use a combination of demand feeding and a schedule.  If he wakes and needs to be fed, feed him.  He knows what his body needs the best.

Make a bedtime routine (mine is bath, bottle, books, lights off, songs, cuddles, bed) and put it in at the time when he normally goes to sleep (say starting at 8.30) you can always move it earlier as he gets older.

When he wakes in the night, feed him, but don't talk, play or turn on the lights.  He will eventually understand that night is a quiet time.  Just stay with him if he needs it to drift off.

One last suggestion - try giving the rice earlier in the day.  It may be making him uncomfortable to sleep on a full stomach, but he will still get the benfit if you give it at tea time instead.

Answer 3

First question -- why do you feel you need to get him on a schedule.  There is no benefit to BABY to being on a strict schedule, and unless you need one for yourself, I wouldn't bother.

If baby isn't falling asleep until 8:30 or 9, I would probably wait until around then to put him down.  Why not shift his bath to 8ish, and go from there. I'd also probably skip the rice cereal. It obviously isn't helping him sleep (it rarely does...) and his frequent waking may well be due to an upset tummy from the cereal. 6 months is the usual time to begin solids.  

It IS however, completely normal for a 4 month old to need to eat after 4 hours, so while I'd look into his hourly wakings, I would not expect him to be sleeping through the night at this stage.  

Unless you really need a schedule for your own purposes (other children who need to be taken places, a job outside the home), listen to your baby, not the clock.  When he acts hungry, feed him.  When he seems tired, put him down for a nap, or put him to bed.  His patterns WILL change from day to day and week to week, because his needs will change.  That's 100% normal for young baby.

Answer 4

Some babies just aren't good with schedules, and that's all there is to it. If he's hungry you cannot expect him to go the extra 2-3 hours until his next bottle because that's what he's "supposed" to do. He may be going through a growth spurt right now, requiring him to eat more.

We have a routine for our baby and I'm well aware it doesn't ALWAYS work out as planned. Sometimes he's hungry before his next feeding time. If that's the case he gets a bottle then. I'm not going to sit there, knowing he's hungry, and wait because it's "not time".

If you really want to work towards a routine then I suggest getting a nightly one down first. If it's taking him longer than an hour to settle down then you're starting it too early. We go for a walk around 7:30, he has a bottle at 8, bath time is at 8:20/8:30 and he's in bed by 8:45. He falls asleep within 5 minutes.

Answer 5

To get him on a schedule you need to do the following…these things are not steadfast right but they are suggestions that seem to work for most

1. When you want him to stay awake you need to stimulate him to keep him awake, tickle his feet, play with him, occupy him, don’t put him in a swing and leave him there or feed him or do the things you know will make him sleepy

2. When you want him to sleep make sure that his waking time is full of stimulation tire him out so when its time to go down he is really tired, do the things that you know make him sleepy…feeding or bathing or swinging

3. Make sure that you do the feeding burping bathing playing rocking swinging at or close to the same time everyday

4. feed him RIGHT before you put him down so his belly is nice and full

Understand though that he is only 4 months old and it may be his natural rhythm to sleep for 4 hours at time. It was really hard for me to do but when they cry and you check to make sure they aren’t wet or choking or whatever…once you have gone through the list: Fed burped dry not sick doesn’t seem to be any reason why they should be crying then you HAVE to let them cry!!!! They need to learn how to calm themselves down and how to be ok with being alone and not getting the attention they want EVERY time they want it!!! Like I said I know its hard but if you don’t set the pattern now then you will be playing nurse maid to your lil one for a long time to come!!!

They will cry themselves back to sleep and you know that crying can be extremely exhausting may be just what he needs!!

JMO

~D~

Answer 6

We just payed attention to her schedule...when she was hungry, I fed her; when she was tired, I put her down for a nap/bed; when she woke up, I got up; etc, etc....after awhile she fell into a routine that fit her style and every once in awhile that will be disrupted for various reasons (travel, special occasions, teething) but in general we have a pattern and I think all babies will develop one if you let them.  Forcing a schedule is difficult and you can't expect your baby to do things when you want him to at this young of an age.  Mine always wakes at 6-6:30 no matter what time she goes to bed...seems to early to me but that's when she gets up so I just give her some toys to play with until I'm ready too.  You can usually work things out if you're willing to change what you expect.  Good luck!

Answer 7

it will take too much space for me to type it all up, so i promise you: there is a book that will help you. get "healthy sleep habits, happy child" my marc weissbluth. ignore all the c**p about crying it out -- you don't need that. but follow his ideas about scheduling. he is a genius in that area. i promise you, it will revolutionize your baby's sllep. and 4 months is EXACTLY the age when you can start scheduling. get the book!! good luck!

edit: the scheduling deals primarily with sleep, though: at this age, you really still need to feed him in demand. it will get much easier.

Answer 8

At 4 months old babies should still be eating and sleeping on demand, not when you want them to  :)

Answer 9

Your baby is still young. He will make his own schedule.  I had to let my son do it on his own. It sucked while I was working. He is 3 months now and just started sleeping through the night..thank goodness. Every baby is different