I was just wondering how often your LO feeds. I don't know when I should be thinking about 4 hourly feeds. At the moment Matthew feeds about every 3.5 hours and even then doesn't seem that hungry! This is roughly what we do
7am
10-10.30
1.30-2
5-5.30
6.15 bath
7pm bottle and bed!

Should i be feeding him 4 hourly yet? He is just coming up to 19 weeks! Also what times would you feed if feeding 4 hourly?

Lucas is on roughly 4ish, but sometimes 5 or a little longer and it really varies as to when he gets up, but I aim for 9am, 1pm, 5pm, 8pm and dream feed 11pm. The only fixed feeds are bedtime at 8pm and dream feed, others are in demand unless we go past 5.5hrs.

Edited to mention that Lucas sleeps from about 9pm till 8.30am and has developed a bit of a milk aversion from his reflux hence he often goes 5 hours I think.

[Modified by: Muffin Mammy on September 02, 2010 02:51 PM]

We're exactly the same as you willbelucky, about every 3.5 hours and he doesn't 'cry' for it then even.

As he doesn't have a feed between 7pm and 7.30am, I feed him every 3.5 hours ish to make sure he has enough for the day.

Up until last week I was feed DD on demand (she is EBF) but I wanted to get her more into a routine. I read that they should be able to go 4 hours from about 16 weeks, but as I think she had got used to "snacking" I started with 3 hours and am stretching it by 15 mins every 4 days (or that's the plan).

Seems ok so far, she hasn't been crying for her feeds. She wakes up between 7-7.30am so I do the first one then and then plan the rest of the day accordingly. At the moment that means she gets two quite close to bedtime but as we get to 4 hours then basically one feed during the day will be dropped.

She then has a dream feed at about 10.30pm and usually wakes between 2-3am for another feed.

Rhea feeds every 2.5-3 hours. She has 6oz intact bottle. Her feeds are usually, 8am, 11, 2, 5 & 7 then bed which she sleeps for 13 hours. We mentioned to hv cause we tried to increase her intake to 7oz & she wouldn't take anymore than 6, hv said she was feeding every 3 hours cause she sleeps all night, so feeds are closer together. Rhea's 5 months now

J cc

Amelia (22 weeks old) feeds as follows:
7am
10.30am
1pm LUNCH (bit of veg and a yoghurt)
3.30pm
7.00pm
10.00pm
She has between 5-6oz at each feed (5 feeds a day)

I am so jealous of all of you

I still have no idea at all when Finley will next be needing a feed and he is 23 weeks this weekend.

He can sometimes go 4 hours sometimes 3 sometimes only 2 hours.

I am BF and he will only feed from one side so I dont know if maybe he sometimes doesnt get enough so feeds more often.

He is putting on weight fine so I am not worried just really wish I had some sort of pattern to work to.

Wif, I'm with you - I was just trying to work it out! Benjamin is EBF on demand, although lately I seem to be offering him before he asks (screams) - the HV said feeding more during the day might help him to sleep longer (it doesn't!). He is 5 mnths on Sunday and *roughly* feeds every 3 hours!

[Modified by: Ruth77 on September 02, 2010 08:27 PM]

Thanks for all of your responses its really helpful to know how others are getting on! I think I will try and keep to every 3.5 hours as he is sleeping through the night from 7pm until 6pm and I am worried that if I stretch to every 4 hours we will have to drop one of the feeds and he may not be taking in enough throughout the day to take him through the night. I just don't know at what point I need to do this!!

We've always fed on demand during the day but had a fairly fixed time for supper but both DS1 & DS2 settled into their own little routines very early on:

DS2 (20 weeks) has the following

Between 7:30 & 8:30 (dependent on when we're all up & dressed) bottle & some baby porridge

11:15am Bottle & Lunch (Currently 4 cubes of fruit or veg)

2pm Bottle

5:15 pm Bottle

Approx. 7:15pm Bottle


Most bottles are 9oz although sometimes he'll 'only' take 7oz for 1 or 2 feeds during the day & he has been known to go longer between feeds on some days & only take 4 bottles.

My lo is nearly 22 weeks. Is 12lb 7oz has anything btwn 18-24oz a day usual feeds are : 7am 10am 1-2pm 4-6pm ( then depending in how much is has in the day - if not slot she will have a feed at 7.30 then bed. Or only has the 4 bottles if had a fair bit of mill. She has never early cried for feeds unless during a growth spurt. X

Over the last 2 weeks we've been switching from EBF to formula and its had the added bonus of sorting a routine out. DS usually wakes about 5am for a feed (this is still a breast feed at present) then goes straight back to sleep for a couple of hours. Then its 9am, 1pm, 5pm and 8.30/9pm, he then sleeps till 5am. His bottles are all 8oz and some days he drains them and other days he leaves 1-2oz in every one. He is 19wks and weighs 17lb3.5oz.