Here we are at BB’s 4 month update. This past month actually hasn’t flown by as quickly as the previous month. We’ve been so busy recently I kind of feel it’s dragged a little, in a good way!

Things are pretty much the same as last month. We are still breastfeeding, still feeding a couple of times at night and still happy! I’ll update you in a little more detail…

Feeding

As you know we are still breastfeeding. I was hoping BB would be taking a bottle by now (especially as it’s my 30th birthday next week and I’m going out for dinner) but he seems too happy with the boob, so I’ll be eating in a lovely pub at the top of my road so I can rush back to feed if he wakes up.

During the crazy heatwave we had over the last few weeks I noticed BB going longer between feeds. I know kids can lose their appetites in hot weather, but obviously he needs plenty of fluids so it did concern me a little. I spoke to the HV when I got hm weighed and she suggested giving him a couple of ounces of cooled, boiled water if he wasn’t feeding as much. He was only just over 3 months at the time so it didn’t even occur to me to give him water. As he doesn’t take a bottle it would have to be in a cup.

In the end I didn’t give him any water. He was absolutely fine, his weight was fine and his feeding pattern was regular so I just put it down to him becoming more efficient at feeding. Plus he was feeding every 3 hours (rather than every 2), which is pretty normal for some babies!

We have definitely dropped 1 or 2 feeds at night now, which is great for my beauty sleep, but as soon as we have a bad night, boom, it hits me like a ton of bricks.

Sleeping

BB is definitely a creature of habit. I’ve noticed a few little patterns when it comes to his bedtime routine. Obviously now he has dropped 1 or 2 feeds at night it means he’s sleeping longer. His bedtime has been 8pm for quite a while but the last week or so I’ve been training him to go to bed a little earlier.  If I put him to bed at 8pm, he usually sleeps at least 5 or 6 hours and sleeps through until 1 or 2am. He then sleeps another 3 hours and feeds around 4am. Then another feed at 6am and we are usually up for the day at 7:30am.

As I said, I’m training him to go to bed earlier. To begin with if I put BB to be before 8pm, he would either wake up after a quick nap, and then we would do the bedtime feed again, or almost certainly he would wake up for a feed at 10pm. It’s taken me a week or so, but he’s now going down at 7:30pm and seems to be sleeping his 5 or 6 hours before his next feed.

We have also added a bath to his routine. We don’t bath him every night at the moment, but once he’s a little stronger and can sit up by himself, I will definitely be bathing the boys together every night.

After his bath he knows it’s bedtime, so drying and dressing has to be speedy as he will soon be looking for boob. My husband usually baths him, as thats the only time they get together when he’s not at work. I won’t let him bath him any earlier than 6:45pm or the timings with feeding will be off.

At exactly 17 weeks BB slept through the night! Apparently they say sleeping 6 hours counts, and if I’m honest he’s done this a few times. But I don’t count 8pm until 2am as sleeping through, and he’s done that a lot. On Monday BB slept from 9pm until 4:30am! I couldn’t believe it when I looked at my phone! I still felt exhausted though…

Nap times seem to be forming into some sort of pattern. Almost every day he naps around 9/9:30am. If it’s a day when Lamb is a preschool then I try keep him up until we are back from the school run. He also naps around 4/4:30pm every day. In between those naps are a little more sporadic.

Ideally he will eventually had 2 longer naps a day, rather than 4 shorter ones, but this will happen with time. Lamb was always a good napper and would have 2 naps a day for at least 2 hours each time. BB still naps downstairs on the sofa next to me or in his rocker. If I put him in his Snuzpod he only naps for around 15 minutes, I wonder if this is because it’s too bright in my bedroom.

Overall I’m really happy with our routine progress and now my husband is starting a new job where he will be home by 5ish each day, we can really enforce it together.

Development

We have really noticed how much stronger BB is getting recently. He loves standing up and you will often feel him push himself up while you’re holding him. We haven’t had much rolling, but he has rolled from front to back a few times and almost back to front (I can’t quite remember if he’s actually done this yet).

He is giggling at other family members rather than just staring at them curiously. He absolutely loves his big brother, they spend lots of time giggling together.

This month saw BB go swimming for the first time, which he loved and wasn’t passed by the noise of the pool. He’s also starting to use him Jumperoo (my life saver with Lamb). This time we have bought the space saving version as we have such a small living room, having a normal sized one would take up the little floor space we have.

BB had his third and final set of jabs this month, along with his brother who had his preschool jabs. I actually found it harder watching Lamb get his as he was able to tell me how much it hurt. I don’t get emotional in these situations because I know what I’m doing is right for them, but seeing your little boys bottom lip quiver while he silently looks at you with tears in his eyes, well, its breaks your heart. BB got over the pain in a matter of seconds so I was fine hearing him cry.

Finally, we are still struggling with car journeys. He just hates them. I can’t work out why. I think he just freaks out that he came se anyone, because as soon as I get him out he calms down pretty quickly. We are off to Alton Towers for my birthday soon so I’m praying we have a peaceful journey. 4 hours is long enough without stopping several times along the way.

I’ve got white noise at the ready to keep him calm. Trust me, it works.

Come back next month for BB’s 5 month update (gulp, we are almost at weaning).

~A~