Change in 2 Month Old Boys Eating Behavior

Hi Kim-- I have 2 year old twin boys. I was in your shoes not long ago. My boys were not great sleepers by any means. Try feeding them every 2-3 hours during the day. The ped dr recommended that to me and it helped. What helped me the most was Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child-- the book. It is really rigid but I'm telling you it saved my life. I was at the end of my rope with their no sleeping and then my no sleeping. Get committed to it & you will have some sanity in a few weeks. I promise. You will hear from a lot of moms with one kid at a time thst the cry it out thing and schedule thing isn't what you need to do..... they cannot possibly understand your situation with multiples. You have to take control of the situation (as much as possible) or the babies will control you. They will be much better off with a happy mother and a schedule (even if they have to cry it out to get there) then they will be with a frazzled mother.

Feel free to email me if you want to talk more. I know what you are going through.

Hi!
So, I have 4 friends and we all have baby's the exact same age (a couple days apart) so I can attest to that every baby is very different. The one thing that has been the same for all of us is that the babes go through growth spurts every couple months. We have all found that they will sleep really well for a couple months and then have a week or two of bad sleep. So I would say hang in there. (it is not anything you are doing wrong!) Really at this age you can't let them cry it out or anything. They are not "tricking" you. They really need all the food they are crying for.

THe only other thing I can think for advice is, are you swadling them? (read "The Happiest Baby on the Block") This worked really well for me becuase I found that sometimes my girl was waking her self up at that age just by startling herself with her hands etc. Just a thought....

Happy sleeping...and many wishes of patience...

;)

When babies are going through a growing spurt or about to hit a milestone, they can eat more and sleep less.
This won't be the first or the last in the changes of your schedule.
I know you're tired but it doesn't last that long in the grand scheme of things. Just try to take naps whenever you can and sleep when they sleep. Have your husband take turns with you getting up every other day (I suggest you do it all one night, him the next so that every other night you both get a full nights rest) since you're obviously bottle feeding. Once you get past this hump, your lives will go back to normal.
Inevitably someone always recommends Babywise to any of these questions. If they have or do, read this before you go out and follow it
http://www.ezzo.info/
Good luck!

Hi! I found that every 2 weeks the baby ate a lot and then didn't when I asked the doc she said don't worry cause two weeks she is growing more and the other she is eating to have her next growing spurt.She was right. I had to change her napping time in the afternoon so she slept through the night. God bless.

Hi Kim - God Bless you and your little boys! They are probably just going through their 2 month growth spurt - for two to three days they will eat and sleep for shorter periods for what seems to be all day long, but after that they will actually eat more at one sitting and then sleep more too. You usually get about a day of what seems constant sleep too from them when it's all over so enjoy that day! Just hang in there and good luck!

Kim, I am a mommy of 2 boys, too....if they are eating less, you may want to consult your pediatrician. I actually think you are getting a pretty good amount of sleep. All babies are different, some sleep really good at an early age, but some do not. They will go through many changes with sleeping and eating. My 3 year old still goes through spurts where he hardly eats anything, and then the next week eats a ton. Your babies will still have many needs in the middle of the night up until they turn 6 months, which I believe is the age they are okay to comfort themselves if they wake up. Hang in there, and remember this is just for a short season.
J. Z

Hi Kim,
Are you breastfeeding or formula feeding? Sorry I couldnt tell. But if your formula feeding, I noticed my daughter (also 2 months) changed her eating habits. It was her formula. She didnt want to eat because it was hurting her tummy. Poor thing was very gassy and couldnt get it out. I changed formula and she was back on her previous schedule in like 12 hours. Hope this helps...good luck!

Congratulations on your 2 little miracles!!!!! I am the mother of 3 and "GG" to 5 little miracles!!! What I do know is that parenting is ALL about change....and the best kept secret is....they ( our little miracles)...LOL...really run the show. I remember many many times saying to myself...ahhhhhh...this is GREAT....everything is in order...I am OK!!!! Then...."they" changed the dance card and I was trying to catch up again. But sweetie...it will change and you will be okay.....I encourage my kids to remember to breathe....cause it is so easy to get caught up and forget to breathe....so 3 big breaths....go head...again...and then 1 more time. Now go love those babies...you are doing a GREAT job!!!

GG

Eight weeks is a typical growth spurt, should only last for a few days.
Otherwise if you're breastfeeding it could be something you ate or are intaking-alcohol, nicotine, vitamin, etc.

I agree with Ginette! Try swaddling, alot of times babies startle themselves awake and can't get back to sleep. This worked to get my baby to sleep through the night. Having said that it is so true. We go for about two-three weeks where he eats and sleeps great and then a few days to a week where he eats and sleeps very little. I think it does happen right around the growth spirt time. I was at my wits end cause I thought I had it down and my girlfriend reminded me, just when you think you have it, it changes. So bear with it, I'm sure they will move out of this stage.

I have no advice. Just wanted to let you know I feel for you. I'm in the same boat. Only my munchkins are 4 months old. (about 2 1/2 months adjusted age) And they have been that way the past few days. However I discovered yesterday that I'm pretty sure mine are teething. Good luck.

Talk to your doctor about probiotics, yogurt and that new yakult stuff on the market. They may need something with a little more sustinance and may also need a little help in the digestive tract. Make sure you talk to the pediatrician about it first but it may help. They have been using probiotics in Europe for the last few years to help babies with colic so it should be ok to give them now even though they're only 2 months old.

My son is about 2 1/2 months old, so I can relate to the sleep issues. The schedule you're sharing is pretty much my son's schedule. He nurses every 2-3 hours during the day and every 3-4 hours at night. I nurse him about 8-9pm, then go to bed. My husband gives him a bottle of breastmilk anywhere from 11pm to midnight, then I'm up nursing him around 2 or 3am, then again around 5 or 6am. So, your schedule sounds normal to me. However if your sons have stopped or slowed in their feeding, then I would call your pediatrician right away. Watch their weight too. Babies at this age should be gaining about an ounce a day. I weigh mine once a week to make sure he's on track.

To help with the sleep, I will pump an extra bottle and my husband will give it so that I can grab an extra long nap every once in a while. Otherwise, power naps are the way to go. It all should get better over the next 1-2 months. Let your family members help (my mother-in-law is lifesaver!) Hang in there!

Any chance your little ones are having some congestion? I had this happen many times with my girls when they were congested. They can't eat too much at once b/c it's hard to breate and eat at the same time with their stuffy noses. If this is the case, it helped me put a bit of saline solution in their nose (sold at any pharmacy, OTC) and suction their nose and mouth with a bulb seringe a minute or so later. Then feed them. They cry a bit with the saline solution/suction, but they feel a lot better afterwards and it helps their eating. Good luck!

I don't have twins so my advice might not work and if your brest feeding its probably easier, but try keeping them in bed with you so none of you have to really wake up all the way-
And don't worry right when you get used to it every thing will change again and again...lol
Bless-