Has anyone started 4 hour EASY before 4 months?

[annierushton]

Hi. Have been doing EASY for 7 weeks - LO is now 12 weeks old and over 15lb. Doesn't always seem hungry after 3 hours, is waking erratically in night and is often happily awake for  up to 2 hours (read on the FAQ section these are signs of being ready to transition). Am  thinking of moving him to 3.5 or 4 hour EASY - has anyone else tried this before 4 months?

[catz]

Hi Annie
My cousin is also Annie and she got married yesterday. 
Anyway to answer your question my lo was 14 weeks when I pushed him up to every four hours, he just wasnt eating well after 3 hours and didnt seem hungry so since been on a 4 hour easy he has been eating better, sometimes he goes 3 1/2 hours but mostly 4.  He is normally awake for 2 hours, so he has 3 naps a day now.  Hope it works out for you

[KathrynK]

Hi Annie
My lo was also on 4 hours at 12 weeks as she was a big girl and could go for longer between feeds. If he is showing you the signs of being ready then go for it- if it is not working after a couple of days then it is easy enough to revert back
hth
kathryn x

[* Paula *]

Hi Annie,

It all depends on whether your lo can handle the activity time for the 4 hour easy.

If you think your lo is ready to transition, it may be worthwhile trying him on the 3.5 hour easy first - that way you can watch his cues to make sure that he does not get over tired.

Keep us posted on how you get on.

Paula x

[annierushton]

Thanks everyone, I think that I am going to try 3.5 hours this week and see what happens.  I'll let you know if it is a success. 

thankyou.

Annie

[Truffy18]

I personally think it depends on your particular baby and their capacity to store food/how much sleep they need.  My ds (textbook/spirited baby) is now 10 weeks old and has been on an EASY routine since birth.  For the first 3 weeks I breastfeed so he was on a 2-3 hour routine.  I then moved onto bottles and he went straight onto a 4 hour routine at about 4 weeks.

This currently breaks down approximately as follows:

30/45 mins eating (sometimes drawn out with little breaks if he doesn't cry)
1 hour hour playing
15 minutes changing/dressing
2 hours sleep

I am flexible on this i.e. if he wakes from a nap crying after 3.5 hours I will feed him if necessary.  Sometimes he wakes up and will happily sit awake having a cuddle or sitting looking around which also kills some time.

It has worked well for him and he has been sleeping through the night for 2 weeks now (from 8.30/9.00 til 7am with df at 11pm) so he can't be having too much sleep.

Good luck with whatever you try and let us know how it goes!

[annierushton]

This is a very late reply as I don't have access to the internet at home and so very rarely get online but just had to thank everyone for their replies again and say that I did move LO to a 4 hour routine at 12 weeks and it's been brill. From the very first day of switching and dropping a feed, he has slept through the night (which makes no sense to me but I'm not complaining!) and has continued to do so for the last 3 weeks. We have had to be a bit flexible with activity time as he does get tired before its officially nap time but this is no big deal. He eats really well now and it is wonderful washing and sterilising 5 bottles a day instead of 7 which is a bonus I hadn't even thought of!
Thanks again for your advise - it is great to be able to get some support from people who've been there.

[* Paula *]

That is fantastic news.