Suhaana is good on time. She consistently goes to sleep at the same time every evening. She gets up at pretty much the same time every morning for her first feeding of the day. It just so happens that that happens to be between 4 and 4:30 am. I've so wished that her schedule somehow moves just ever so slightly so she gets up at 6 instead of at 4.
Last time on her 4 month checkup I asked her pediatrician. How can I move her schedule so she gets up just a little later. I had tried to force feed her more in the night, it hadn't worked. I had tried to force her be awake a little bit longer, that hadn't gone too well. I had tried to pacify her when she got up in the morning without milk, that hadn't gone too well either.
Her doctor said the way that works is: if you get up every morning to have a sandwich, you're used to that meal at the same time every day. Even if you've had enough for the day, you'll still need to have a sandwich on the morning. So, the thing to do is, to reduce the morning meal size little by little every day slowly, so that she no longer has the habit of a feeding at 4 am every morning. But if you don't feed her at 4 or feed her lesser than what she wants, and she gets up soon after, hungry again, then she's not ready to give up her 4 am snack, she'll need more time.
Armed with these guidelines I decided to reduce her early morning feeding size. But I have to say, it's difficult. Not that she puts up any resistance. She just finishes the milk I give her, takes the pacifier and is fast asleep in no time. But it's difficult to give her less when I know she's super hungry and can take more. And yet, I'm so looking forward to stop getting up at 4.
No one said this was going to be easy.
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