EASY Problem

[Serides]

Hi,

I'm trying to get my 10 weeks old LO on 3hours EASY. However as his wake up time differs everyday I can't have regular routine which is valid for everyday. As I can't wake up at 7 AM with comfort I decided to wake him up at 8AM and follow 3 hours EASY. However when I looked at sample EASY routines I couldn't see any sample which begins at 8:00AM. Is 7:00 AM a time that I should stick to? Or can I create my own routine?

My second problem with EASY is his nap times. My LO's nap duration is either 45 minutes or 2 hours regardless of how long he had an ACTIVITY. If he has an activity for more than a hour then we miss 3 hours routine. Should I PU him even he is sleeping to stick to 3 hours E intervals?

My third problem is about his night sleeps. He falls asleep at 10:00 if I dont' wake him and feed him at 4:00 AM then he continues to sleep I haven't tried to wait until morning but is this normal for such a small baby? Should I wake him up at 4:00?

[LyndaManus]

The morning feed needs to be at a consistent time.  8am is a fine wake up time as long as he is going down at 8pm.  It doesn't matter what time you start the routine - just that it is constant and consitent and he has 12 hours of night-time sleep.  So, if he wakes lets say at 6am and he is hungry - feed him and then feed him again at 8am to get back on schedule.  If he wakes between 7 and 8 you might just adjust your schedule to reflect the early waking.

Second problem - 45 minutes is a typical wake up time as it is one sleep cycle for naps.  If he wakes up crying, you need to work at getting him back to sleep (maybe using W2S techniques).  If he wakes happy, he is well-rested and good to go.  If he sleeps past his E time, let him sleep.  He would wake up if he were hungry.  Just adjust your schedule for the rest of the day to accomodate.  I consider sleep the only reason to push out E time.  Just don't let him sleep past 3 hours.  After 3 hours daytime sleep starts interfering with nighttime sleep.

Third problem - He falls asleep at 10?  Is this is bedtime?  If you have an 8am wake-up, he needs to go down at 8pm or you will have an over-tired baby on your hands.  At this age, I think you are fine letting him sleep - he will wake if he is hungry.  Lucky you! 

Hope that helps

[* Paula *]

I agree with PP that you should definitely choose a time to start your day.  An 8-8 routine is perfect if that suits you and your lo.

W2S is a great way to try and extend your lo's naps if he is constantly waking after 45 minutes.

Until you have your routine sorted, I would definitely wake your lo on the 3 hour mark so that he does not miss a feed.  You want to ensure that your DS takes most of his calories in the day to try and eliminate the night wakings.

With regards to the night feeds.  Your lo will let you know if he is hungry, and if he is not waking up at 4:00am, I would not wake him, I would let him sleep.  My DS was sleeping through the night from 11pm to 6am when he was 5 weeks old so it is not uncommon.

I would also suggest and earlier bed time.  If your lo is getting up at 8, then you should aim for him to be in bed at 8, and offer a dreamfeed at 10 while he is still asleep.

HTH's

[Serides]

Thanks for the replies

However either I'm doing something wrong or didn't understand your suggestions well enough.

Let me tell you our day routine from yesterday.

Wake up 7:40 - I fed him as he was hungry and there was only 20 minutes to our regular wake up time

Activity

Nap 8:40 - 10:00 - as he was not hungry and woke up b/c of gas. I helped him to get rid of gas and he fell asleep again. But didn't wake up at 10:30

E 11:30 - Finally I woke him up as it had been nearly 4 hours.

Activity

Nap 12:30 - I also slept with him.

E 15:15 - I woke up at 15:10 and saw that he was still sleeping and our nanny told that he didn't wake up. I woke him up

Activity

Nap 16:30 - He woke up at 18:00


E 19:00 - it doesn't matter for him whateve time he had his last feed. He is always getting up at 19:00 at the time his father rings  the bell. I'm feeding him and preparing his bath. He is having his bath with me and his father and then two gentlemen are playing until 20:00. We are putting him in his cot at 20:00 and he is sleeping for 45 minutes and waking up for cluster feed. Sometimes he falls asleep but most of the time he doesn't sleep until his dreamfeed which is happening between 21:30 and 22:00 depending on his mood.

Our night feeds are changing sometimes he is sleeping until 4:00 and then until 8:00, sometimes we do 4:00 to 7:00. Or like tonight 3:00 and 6:00 feeds. He woke up as usual at 8:00 and I didn't feed him to stick to 3 hours.

Now what I understood from your suggestions.

1.According to your suggestions I should feed him everyday at 8:00 and adjust the times for the rest of the day. Is this correct?

2.If he is sleeping I will let him sleep even we are missing 3 hours intervals. However I shouldn't let him sleep for more than 3 hours. This means that for that interval we will be on 4 hours EASY

3. He has to sleep 12 hours per night. If this is the rule than he has to sleep until 10:00 in the morning as he is not falling proper night sleep before 22:00 at night.

PS: Since we have begun with EASY the only working part is shs-pat method. He is even falling asleep by his own

PS2 : Please also write what abbreviations mean. As i'm new I don't understand them. I only know LO which means little one

[* Paula *]

Here is a link to all the abbreviations - Hope this helps

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=51772.0

1.  Yes I do suggest that you start your EASY at the same time everyday, this will help your lo get into an established routine.

2.  With regards to the sleeping.  If your lo is asleep and he is due his next feed I would wake him up for this feed.  This means that if he is taking all his feeds at a 3 hour interval.  You want to ensure that your lo takes all his calories in the day to eliminate night wakings.

3.  The guiedline is to get your lo to bed by 8pm, 12 hours after waking - this time includes night wakings, as at this age, you cannot expect your lo to sleep for 12 hours straight.

That is fantastic news that your lo is respondiing so well to Pat / Shh, and is falling asleep independantly.

Your first day on EASY, may not have been easy, but things will get better, it may take at least a week to get sorted onto a routine.

HTH's