Reasonable Sleep/Feed Schedule for 4 Month Old?

[JuniperMama]

I just returned to work and we have an au pair at home with DD. (DS is in school.) When I was home I just fed DD on demand and she slept as needed and didn't really pay attention to establishing any sort of schedule. Now that she's with the au pair, we're trying to sort out a bit of a schedule so we can get her feeding/napping more predictably which will make it easier for the au pair when DS needs to go to/from school and then play in afternoons, etc. Plus it will help me know how much I need to pump.

I'm wondering what kind of "schedule" (and I use the term loosely) a 4 month old should be on and how can we try to move her toward this kind of schedule? Should she be feeding approx every 2.5 hours? How much is reasonable per bottle? How often/how long should her naps be?

My DS is 5 so I've forgotten the baby stuff re: schedule for a small baby!

Thanks!

[Kelly1101]

Originally Posted by JuniperMama

I just returned to work and we have an au pair at home with DD. (DS is in school.) When I was home I just fed DD on demand and she slept as needed and didn't really pay attention to establishing any sort of schedule. Now that she's with the au pair, we're trying to sort out a bit of a schedule so we can get her feeding/napping more predictably which will make it easier for the au pair when DS needs to go to/from school and then play in afternoons, etc. Plus it will help me know how much I need to pump.

I'm wondering what kind of "schedule" (and I use the term loosely) a 4 month old should be on and how can we try to move her toward this kind of schedule? Should she be feeding approx every 2.5 hours? How much is reasonable per bottle? How often/how long should her naps be?

My DS is 5 so I've forgotten the baby stuff re: schedule for a small baby!

Thanks!

Not sure about feeding, since we haven't done bottles. But I think a reasonable sleep schedule for that age... up in the morning for two hours, then nap, then up for 2-3 hours, then nap, then up for 3-4 hours, then bed. Naps will probably be anywhere from 1/2 hour - 2 hours. I'd say definitely don't let her go more than 3-4 hours without a nap.

[Amanda Williams]

We've posted our "schedules" towards the end of this thread.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...1162974&page=8

I nurse, but my babe does NOT want to feed often... like 5 minutes every two hours or so. I'd guess that he drinks between 3-4 ounces every two hours. So, depending on your work hours, maybe go with that...?

[wombatclay]

moving to Working & Student Parents for more BTDT ideas.

When I was working I used the No Cry Sleep Solution for nap/night ideas and the breastmilk calculator on kellymom for a ballpark "how much ebm per day" amount.

Good luck!

[JudiAU]

Per the "Ask an LC" from Medela, expect a babe to consume about 9-12 ounces for a nine hour period away from momma. It helps to co-sleep so baby can self-regulate the rest of milk supply. We'll be trying for this amount with DD.

DS was huge, off the chart, nursed all the time, and always took 15 oz over a shorter day. I had a huge oversupply with him but not with DD. She just needs less.

[Goodmom2008]

What kind of schedule does your baby have now? When my kids were infants, I didn't force a schedule. But they did come up with one on their own. But I didn't really recognize it until they made a change in the schedule for whatever reason.

Your infant may already be on a schedule, you just don't realize it. For the next couple of days, notice how often your baby eats, when your baby sleeps and for how long. You may find that it is around the same time each day.

[readytobedone]

at that age, DD was napping every 2-3 hours...that is, she would be awake for 2 hours, then sleep for an hour, then up for 2 hours, etc.

she nursed a lot still, every 90 minutes to 2 hours?

when i left her with a sitter, she would generally take about one ounce of milk per hour i was gone. so for a 4 hour stint, i would leave 4-5 ounces.