activities that encourages nighttime sleep. Here again is the exception.
During the late evening and nighttime segment, there needs be no
extended wake periods. Feed your baby and put him or her right back to
bed.
- Between weeks five and eight, starting with your early-morning
feeding and continuing through the mid-evening feeding, you will feed
your baby between 2½ and 3½ hours. Any time increment between those
two times is acceptable. One question commonly asked is this: “At this
age, my baby is doing well with only seven nursing periods a day. Should
I try to force an eighth feeding?” Understand, some babies do well with
seven feedings at this age, others may need more. Every baby is different.
Remain mindful of growth spurts that may require additional feedings for
a few days. Stay mindful of the PDF premise. You’re the parent. Assess
and decide what is best for your baby. Staying mindful of all healthy baby
indicators will help you determine how many feedings is right for your
baby. - When establishing your baby’s routine, first consider all your
activities such as grocery shopping, work, exercise, household chores,
and church attendance. There will be times when your baby’s routine will
change to fit into your schedule. Other times, you will plan your activity
around your baby’s needs, simply because it is more practical to do so.
With a routine you have this type of flexibility. Without a routine, you
are subject to the irregular needs of the child. - Determine the first feeding of the day. This time will be fairly
consistent each day and may be initially set by both you and your baby.
Make sure you establish a first feeding. It will help organize your baby’s
feed/wake/sleep cycles during the day enabling you to plan ahead.
Without a consistent, (within a ½ an hour) first morning feeding, you can
and will be feeding every three hours, but each day has a different
rhythm. That does not aid stabilization of hunger metabolism, sleep wake
cycles, or an orderly day for you.