General / Off-Topic Feeding a baby in the middle of the night...

[FuzzySpider]

The little guy is up about 2 or 3 times a night still after food. His mum handles that as I'm not equipped for it. But still, if anyone formula feeds and doesn't want get up to feed there kid then science is coming to the rescue!

[video=youtube;sn_luoCyDkQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn_luoCyDkQ[/video]

I can't breathe!

Over the last few days the little nutter has decided that 5AM is the ideal time to get up. He doesn't cry or create any havoc, he just starts yelling until we get up and start doing stuff. Does anyone know how to convince a 7 month old wannabe dictator to switch to a more reasonable body clock?

 

[Yaffle]

How dark is the room? It's getting light at 5am now.

 

[Arry]

Choose now; who is in-charge?

The theory is that if you leave it to make a noise 5 minutes longer each time; the little one works out that you don't just come running whenever it calls.

You are the adult and so you dictate feeding time, not the little one. This has to be done, or you will be jumping to its demands for the next 25 years.

 

[CMDR Cosmic Spacehead]

Ignore it, unless it sounds serious.

Only you will know what your kids cries sound like.

Oddly enough, it's the same principle used for cats.
My cat will routinely start howling for us to get up and feed her as soon as the birds wake up.
It's really annoying, because it's usually at 5am. Lol

She knows it's annoying too, and we kept getting up to tell her off, and feed her to shut her up.
1-0 to the cat.

We've tried spraying her with a water pistol, which worked....
1-1.

So she relocated her howling to the bottom of the stairs, just around the corner, so we had to get up, and go down stairs to spray her. So she won. Again.
2-1

So we got an automatic feeder, and set it to feed her at 5am. Silence.
2-2

She started howling at 4.30am.
3-2

So we just ignored her. It took almost a month, but now she just sleeps on the bed, or if she's up, she just sits in the window and bird watch. Even if we get up to pee, she'll wait, unless we head down stairs (there's no coming back from that unfortunately!).

Ear plugs are your friends while your child or cat learns to self sooth.


Dogs are much easier. My parents dogs just get told to shut up. So they do.

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead

 

[Arry]

Ignore it, unless it sounds serious.

Only you will know what your kids cries sound like.

Oddly enough, it's the same principle used for cats.
My cat will routinely start howling for us to get up and feed her as soon as the birds wake up.
It's really annoying, because it's usually at 5am. Lol

She knows it's annoying too, and we kept getting up to tell her off, and feed her to shut her up.
1-0 to the cat.

We've tried spraying her with a water pistol, which worked....
1-1.

So she relocated her howling to the bottom of the stairs, just around the corner, so we had to get up, and go down stairs to spray her. So she won. Again.
2-1

So we got an automatic feeder, and set it to feed her at 5am. Silence.
2-2

She started howling at 4.30am.
3-2

So we just ignored her. It took almost a month, but now she just sleeps on the bed, or if she's up, she just sits in the window and bird watch. Even if we get up to pee, she'll wait, unless we head down stairs (there's no coming back from that unfortunately!).

Ear plugs are your friends while your child or cat learns to self sooth.


Dogs are much easier. My parents dogs just get told to shut up. So they do.

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead

Err... We have a Lab/Shepard cross and my partner gets up at about 5.30am every morning to let him out, because he just whines until she does. She has made a Rod for her own back, by doing so. Me, I don't even wake up for him any more.

 

[beelbeebub]

We got a cheap nightvision webcam, so we could check before we go in if it's serious or just him yelling half asleep. Helped quite a lot

Of course, now he's learned to open doors we're screwed ......

[video=youtube_share;y6cjxHFCPcE]https://youtu.be/y6cjxHFCPcE?t=4s[/video]

 

[FuzzySpider]

We got a cheap nightvision webcam, so we could check before we go in if it's serious or just him yelling half asleep. Helped quite a lot

Of course, now he's learned to open doors we're screwed ......

https://youtu.be/y6cjxHFCPcE?t=4s

Ours is still sharing our room. He's still on the boob mostly so it's easier for my GF to just reach over and grab him from out of his little cage.

He also seems to get quite a lot of nightmares.

Choose now; who is in-charge?

He is. If he's hungry we can't leave him. He's just too cute and cuddly.

It isn't so much the feeding that's causing the problem at the moment though, it's the getting up at the crack of dawn to play knock-over-the-lighthouse for the 30th time.

And even that wouldn't be so bad if he had a sleep during the day, but no. Ten minutes here or there in the car or while out, but not any time else. So at the moment my GF and I take a day shift and let the other sleep for an hour or two.

Somehow the little nutter stays jolly and happy on less sleep than an adult which is the opposite of what I was led to believe would happen.

 

[CMDR Cosmic Spacehead]

Err... We have a Lab/Shepard cross and my partner gets up at about 5.30am every morning to let him out, because he just whines until she does. She has made a Rod for her own back, by doing so. Me, I don't even wake up for him any more.

Lol my parents dogs are quite good.

Although, one night, when I still lived at home, one of them was running around crying and scratching the doors, and we told her to be quiet.

Then she crapped alllllll down the hall. It was like a squishy smelly mine field. Poor girl had a bad tum. Unfortunately for my mom, she woke up later in the night and stepped in it. Errghh..!

 

[Rob At Work]

Choose now; who is in-charge?

The theory is that if you leave it to make a noise 5 minutes longer each time; the little one works out that you don't just come running whenever it calls.

You are the adult and so you dictate feeding time, not the little one. This has to be done, or you will be jumping to its demands for the next 25 years.

Thanks for telling me now.

Still only 4 years to go then shes 21 ATM

 

[Arry]

Lol my parents dogs are quite good.

Although, one night, when I still lived at home, one of them was running around crying and scratching the doors, and we told her to be quiet.

Then she crapped alllllll down the hall. It was like a squishy smelly mine field. Poor girl had a bad tum. Unfortunately for my mom, she woke up later in the night and stepped in it. Errghh..!

I had a female Shepard many years ago and I could tell the difference between her being caught short and protest. If she could not help herself, she would dump as close to the back door as possible; bless her. However; if for whatever reason she was having a strop; it would be right outside my bedroom door.

 

[Minonian]

Yes it's like this.

 

[FuzzySpider]

Lol my parents dogs are quite good.

Although, one night, when I still lived at home, one of them was running around crying and scratching the doors, and we told her to be quiet.

Then she crapped alllllll down the hall. It was like a squishy smelly mine field. Poor girl had a bad tum. Unfortunately for my mom, she woke up later in the night and stepped in it. Errghh..!

We've got a dog flap in the kitchen so our little buddy can get outside if he needs to.

Spoiler

How dark is the room? It's getting light at 5am now.

Quite bright, but it has a west facing window so the morning sun doesn't hit the room very powerfully. Our baby seems to be supernaturally alert to sounds and attempts to get him to sleep though.

My GF thinks it could be teething related. He's got 7 already out and possibly another one coming through.

 

[Jezzah]

Ours is still sharing our room. He's still on the boob mostly so it's easier for my GF to just reach over and grab him from out of his little cage.

He also seems to get quite a lot of nightmares.



He is. If he's hungry we can't leave him. He's just too cute and cuddly.

It isn't so much the feeding that's causing the problem at the moment though, it's the getting up at the crack of dawn to play knock-over-the-lighthouse for the 30th time.

And even that wouldn't be so bad if he had a sleep during the day, but no. Ten minutes here or there in the car or while out, but not any time else. So at the moment my GF and I take a day shift and let the other sleep for an hour or two.

Somehow the little nutter stays jolly and happy on less sleep than an adult which is the opposite of what I was led to believe would happen.

You are not alone. Our 2 year old is exactly this also. We haven't cracked it either the whole sleeping thing. I haven't spent a whole single night in my own bed in 2 years now. We tried everything. Controlled crying being the last on the list, hes literally cried himself solid for 2 hours until he gets sick and we have to get him and change him. All he's learnt from that is Persistence wins.... he's to be admired really I suppose. Hes jolly and good natured as long as he is near us or rather mostly near his mum.

Wits end doesn't quite define the feeling...not even close.

 

[Arry]

You are not alone. Our 2 year old is exactly this also. We haven't cracked it either the whole sleeping thing. I haven't spent a whole single night in my own bed in 2 years now. We tried everything. Controlled crying being the last on the list, hes literally cried himself solid for 2 hours until he gets sick and we have to get him and change him. All he's learnt from that is Persistence wins.... he's to be admired really I suppose. Hes jolly and good natured as long as he is near us or rather mostly near his mum.

Wits end doesn't quite define the feeling...not even close.

No midday naps. Keep him awake and active. Yes I understand that they have about 10 times more energy than us adult mortals.

 

[Jezzah]

Aye tried all that too sadly, we got nursery to switch off the midday nap thing about 3 months ago now. Even when he was doing that it was maybe 30 mins and he'd be up and playing again. He's a bloody zero point energy reactor in a Childs form. He is lovely he really is but god me and his mum just don't get an evening together to just g be adults anymore. Having said that there are positive signs that the warmer weather seems to wearing him out a little more. Maybe he'll crack and move into a more sensible cycle.

 

[Arry]

Aye tried all that too sadly, we got nursery to switch off the midday nap thing about 3 months ago now. Even when he was doing that it was maybe 30 mins and he'd be up and playing again. He's a bloody zero point energy reactor in a Childs form. He is lovely he really is but god me and his mum just don't get an evening together to just g be adults anymore. Having said that there are positive signs that the warmer weather seems to wearing him out a little more. Maybe he'll crack and move into a more sensible cycle.

Diet? Just a thought.

 

[Jezzah]

He eats what we eat generally and only very sparing amounts of anything sugary. He's a fruit fiend mostly and loves meat, dislikes veg aside from broccoli which he'll snaffle up with gusto.

Not to go all Mums net but its actually nice to vent here about it.

 

[FuzzySpider]

Not to go all Mums net but its actually nice to vent here about it.

Amen to that!

As of about 30 minutes ago we're all up in the Fuzzy household.

It's too hot to sleep properly of a night. The day ahead looks long, arduous and hot. Fortunately I've got a few cans of sprite in the fridge.