Should I wake DD from a Nap to eat if it's been 3 hours since her last Feeding?

[LexyLou]

It just took me hours to get DD down for a nap. I had her in the Bjorn but every time I tried to take her out (after 30-40 mins in it and her dead asleep) she would wake up and scream. I finally got her to fall asleep with white noise in her crib but now it's almost 3 hours since she last ate. Should I wake her to keep her on a schedule or let her sleep since she's so hard to get down to nap?

[Sal03]

I personally, unless she has a weight problem, subscribe to the never wake a sleeping baby theory!

[jki]

I follow the rule to never wake a sleeping baby but if your DD has any weight issues, I'd make an exception and wake her to eat.

[TLynn]

Ditto what both of the previous posters advised! My grandma always said that a baby will wake up and let you know when s/he's hungry.

[LexyLou]

I usually subscribe to this theory as well but DD is impossible to get to sleep and she is so grumpy. She seriously cried all morning no matter what I did.

I just wonder if an actual schedule like the E.A.S.Y schedule the Baby Whisperer recommends would help her.

[wildcat]

Lauren is the same age as Alexis and personally, I wake Lauren if it's been somewhere between 3 and 4 hours since she last ate (I never let her go more than 4 hours during the day). I like to get in around 7 feedings a day (8-12 the first few months) to ensure that her long stretch of sleep is at night. Not sure if what I am doing is right, but she's been STTN (10 hours) since she was 7.5 weeks, so I'm sticking to it!

[Winter Biscuit]

If you're nursing, you could try doing a 'dream feed'? Pick her up and put her on the breast and see if she'll start nursing.

I couldn't go more than 4 hours between feedings or I would explode, so if DD wasn't already up, I would just pick her up and put her at the breast. Most of the time she'd start nursing in her sleep.

[LexyLou]

I've tried the dream feed thing and DD won't open her mouth. She actually shuts it tight.

BTW, she hasn't been sleeping for 3 hours, it took a good 1 1/2 hours to get her down to sleep. She's been sleeping now for about 1 1/2 hours. Does that make a difference?

[Dally]

I wouldn't wake her. She probably needs the sleep or she wouldn't be napping. She's still pretty young, so her sleep needs can vary a lot. I'm sure she'll wake when she's hungry.

[jki]

Maybe she's ready to shift to a schedule of eating every 4 hours instead of every 3?

I still say don't wake her.

[LexyLou]

Maybe she's ready to shift to a schedule of eating every 4 hours instead of every 3?

I still say don't wake her.


Actually when she's awake I can barely get her to go 2 hours in between feedings. If she were sleeping more then I'm sure we could easily go 3 hours but when I'm working to get her to sleep and she's getting grumpy she really wants to eat every 2 hours.

I decided not to wake her. I'd hate to destroy sleep that she needs.

The garbage truck just stopped in front of her bedroom window and made a ton of noise and she didn't even flinch..I'm thinking she's pretty darn tired.

[Traciann]

Lexy Lou- We used the theory of EASY. I really liked it because it helped me to know when DD was hungry, tired, etc. If she was fussing, and she had just eaten, I knew it had to be something else. Of course I fed her if I felt like that was what she needed, but the EAS really helped me to understand what might be wrong with DD. God Luck

[cc8]

Lex,

I didn't read thru everyone's responses but I've had the SAME question before, too. When confronted with the situation, I chose NOT to wake up my DD.

Your DD will wake up on her own when she's hungry. As Jen/jki pointed out, your DD may be adjusting her nap schedule.

Good luck!

[LexyLou]

Lexy Lou- We used the theory of EASY. I really liked it because it helped me to know when DD was hungry, tired, etc. If she was fussing, and she had just eaten, I knew it had to be something else. Of course I fed her if I felt like that was what she needed, but the EAS really helped me to understand what might be wrong with DD. God Luck

Traciann-So if using the EASY method do you wake your SC up? I chose not to wake her and I'm glad I didn't because I've been trying to get her back down again for the past 2 hours...she's so tired but fights the sleep. I started getting her back down with the first yawn 40 minutes after waking and it's taken 2+ hours to get her down and she still won't really go down, not even in the Bjorn.

[Traciann]

I wouldn't have woken her up. DD would not sleep in the crib or bassinett for the first several months. We used the Papasan swing. When it was time to sleep, ie reading her cues, I would put her in the swing and turn it on. She would fuss, but I left her there and she went to sleep. Please note this is not CIO. I came to learn that DD needed to fuss a little bit before she went to sleep. Its hard to remember back then, but I believe that if she really wouldn't go to sleep, I would just try again later.

[LexyLou]

Thanks Traciann-I'll try some new locations for DD for naps but so far she doesn't like the swing much but every day is a new day.