nurse every 4 hrs? up at night?

alwaybhappy

Mon, Jul 28 2014, 2:24 am

My baby is now 3 months and eats between every 2.5-3 hrs. He is huge (16lbs)!
If I push him to 4 hours during the day, does that mean he will want to eat more at night (as it is, he already wakes up to eat 3-4 times a night) or will he sleep even longer stretches??

imasinger

Mon, Jul 28 2014, 2:50 am

Your wisest course is to talk to a lactation consultant, who can explain why in detail, but pushing an infant this age to stretch to 4 hours is not a good idea, either for day or for night. A nursing baby, even a 16 pound one, does not need to go on a diet.

Better to try cluster feeding in the evening to encourage more of a stretch at night. You might also try not having him nap past 6 or so.

MaBelleVie

Mon, Jul 28 2014, 5:21 am

What imasinger said. He is more likely to wake up at night if he doesn't get fed enough during the day. Feeding every four hours makes it less likely that he'll get what he needs so he'll need more at night. And unless there are growth concerns (meaning not enough growth) a baby should always be allowed to nurse on his own schedule. God designed them to know exactly when and how much they need.