Help Needed on Getting My 10-Month Old on Schedule (Napping and Eating...)

I have a 9 mo old son a 4 yr old daughter also in preschool. My son for awhile would also fall asleep in the car on the way home from preschool and once we got home, he would not sleep. This changed, like most of their sleep patterns. I tried different nap times and finally found one that works. I was trying to early before and now wait a little while, he sleeps about 2 hrs for his first nap. He wakes up, we eat lunch and then go get his sister. She is not in preschool as long as your child. I lay her down for quiet(not so quiet actually) time. Then, I lay my son down about 3 hrs after his first nap. He's been sleeping around 2 hrs for the 2nd nap. Then bedtime around 8. He still wakes up pretty much every night. I'm pretty tired but know this time won't last forever. I do not have a schedule for nursing, never have. I definitely encourage you to continue nursing. I did add some formula last month bc my son bit both of my nipples and it was really really painful. He fortunately did fine with the bottle and had no allergies. If breastfeeding is becoming to much then you shouldn't stress to much! You've done well going this long! Some moms give up after the first week or so. Pumping should help with clogged ducts but do what feels right. :) I also should say, my son wouldn't take a bottle at first with the formula in it but I tried giving it to him when I knew he was pretty hungry. I also warmed the tap water a bit. He doesn't always seem interested in it but most of the time he'll drink some. Hope this helps!

Hi G.! Sounds like you have a challenge, but I am betting it will all turn out well soon. I have a 3yo and now a 16mo old. My youngest didn't sleep through the night until 12mos. She would wake for a small nursing at about 4 or 5am, then go right back to sleep. I put up with that, even though lots of people said to let her cry, b/c my son used to be up so much that one time/night and only for about 10min was nothing.
What helped me around this time was to write down what the baby does for a few days.... see if there are ANY patterns, or things that seem to work for them. I had to start getting mine up at a certain time each day, even if I just put them back down, in order to get naps/schedule on a good routine. She slowly took a solid afternoon nap, and a smaller morning one. Once I was consistent about bedtime and getting up time, things seemed to fall more into place.
I recommend "healthy sleep habits healthy child" by Marc Weisbluth. Although my kids never follow him exactly by age, they eventually did. It gives some good advice though. (just skip to your kids age)

As far as the nursing, I would start pumping more, and maybe he will start to take the bottle more if it is straight BM. I also had to give my daughter a straw, instead of a bottle. She never liked bottles, but saw her brother drinking from a straw every day so she wanted that-- great to skip the bottle stuff. Also, if you slowly decrease the actual nursing times (I'm assuming you nurse 4-5x/day) by one/week, then you're almost at the 12mo time..... you may consider weaning when you can switch directly from BM to whole milk... then you don't have to introduce another new thing so soon to him. Pumping can be hard this late... I wasn't getting too much at this stage, unless she wasn't nursing at all. (As a side-note, I had to give my daughter the yogurt smoothies a couple times a day for awhile... she didn't like formula or milk, and I was going dry.... I slowly put milk in the smoothies, but she would only take it if it was flavored with strawberry... she is now on milk with a little nesquick, strawberry... it was either that or no milk! )
It is such a tricky thing to try to get them on a schedule and weaned and taking another type of food! (oh, and will he take more solids maybe?) I totally feel for you as I have been there. Good luck and I hope things go well for you in the next couple months!!!

I have an 11 month old that I am starting to wean and have started to supplement 1-2 bottles of organic goat milk/day- goat milk is very similar checmically to breast milk:) Good luck!

1) not all babies will take a bottle
2) Not all babies will take Formula
3) At growth-spurts, a baby needs more intake and more frequent feedings
4) Teething can also tweak their sleep
5) Developmental phases will also tweak their sleep/naps
6) lack of sleep, will also tweak their sleep and make it worse.
7) Over-stimulation, over-tiredness, will also negatively affect their sleep ability
8) At Growth-Spurts, they will wake more. They get hungrier
9) Just because he has slept for a long time without feedings, does NOT mean, that is the norm. Nor that it will always be that way. In babies, their hunger/appetite fluctuates, Daily. THUS, you need to feed ON-DEMAND.
10) You cannot "schedule" feedings, because, daily appetites, and Growth-Spurts, affect their feeding needs.
"Scheduling" feedings, will NOT, adequately address their feeding needs and growth-spurts. Babies that are given "scheduled" feedings, many times get inadequate, intake.

11) Separation-Anxiety, also affects their sleep. It is developmental.

12) Feed on-demand. Or he will not be getting, intake that is keeping up WITH him.

13) have regularity per his sleep/naps. My kids, also would NOT nap well, if on the road or in a stroller. They were not 'portable' nappers. They would ONLY nap, at home.

14) Have his naps, per his cues and needs. Before and after, you take your eldest to school and after you pick him up.
You have... all day to put him to nap... since your Eldest is in school from 8:30-3:00.

15) Sleep in a baby, is NEVER static of finite. It changes. I do not know, of any person, that has slept the same way they did as a baby. Sleep... changes. It just is.

16) Feedings, are per the baby's needs. Not according to the needs of a 'schedule.'

17) If he does not take Formula, you cannot wean him.
18) If he does not take a bottle, you cannot wean him.
19) He is to young, to drink whole milk
20) Some babies, will not automatically drink, whole milk, even at 1 year old. They need to be 'transitioned' to it.

21) A baby this age, still does wake at night. Mine did too. Normal. I breastfed. I nursed them on-demand, 24/7, day and night.

22) For the 1st year of life.... Breastmilk/Formula is a baby's PRIMARY source of nutrition... NOT solids and not other liquids.

23) IS he getting enough milk from you? How is your supply? If you replace direct-nursing at breast, and give him bottles instead... for example, your milk supply will diminish.

24) Again, is he getting enough intake? Since you have recurring plugged ducts.. he may NOT be getting enough intake. Even if you do pump. Thus, he may be hungry all the time. Thus, he cannot, sleep. Well.

all the best,
Susan