BabyWhispererForums.com
ACTIVITY => E.A.S.Y. Forum => Topic started by: cathbilson on July 25, 2006, 23:04:45 pm
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Sorry for starting a new thread on this, but no one has asked the exact question that I want to, so I am hoping someone can give me a specific answer!
In the BW SAYP book, Tracy suggests that 4 month olds should be on 4 hour EASY. But in the sample routines she gives for transitioning on p. 230, she clearly suggests that transition to 4 hours will take 2-4 weeks (obviously baby can't do it all in one go).
But the question is, do you aim to get your baby on 4-hour BY 4-months, or do you start the transition AT 4 months?
My DS is 11 weeks today and a big baby. He's been established on 3-hour EASY since 4 weeks and has been sleeping through the night (with a df) since 8 weeks. About once every 5 days he wakes before 7 - at 4.30 or 5.30 - hungry. I think he does it just to keep me on my toes.
But over the last few days I've noticed he doesn't seem to be taking much at the 3-hour daily feeds. It's hard to tell since I breastfeed but he will only feed for 5 minutes and then refuse any more no matter what I do. I express for the last feeds (evening and df) and last night he took 5 oz (all there was!) at each of them.
We've been doing 45 minute naps for a while but he's a very good sleeper and often he either puts himself back to sleep, or I go back in after 5 minutes of listening to him winge (just little eh, eh noises) and pop his dummy in, and he'll drop off.
So I guess he's showing a few signs of being ready to transition, and I'm probably answering my own question here, but should I start to do the transition to 4-hour feeds? Knowing my adaptable little angel, I could probably have him on the routine within a week, but I"m not sure if he's too young - after all he's not even 3 months yet - and I don't want to muck up his nights, they are so good!
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I may not be a huge help b/c i bottle feed but it sounds like your lo may be ready since he's not taking as much at feeds. I can't remember exactly but i think i decided to go to 4 hrs right at 4 mos or maybe even a little before. But you sound right on going w/ lo's cues. With bottle feeding i made the bottles a little bigger to start the day and then pushed things a little later in 15 min. increments. For example, giving 5 1/2 ounces at 7:30 am then waiting until 10:45 to feed. It was a slow progression, i went back and forth about how slow to go but i found the slower the better. It took about 2 total weeks to transition. And it didn't mess up her nights (i was very worried about that too), i did a lot of math to make sure she was still getting her bedtime bottle at the same time and her dreamfeed--since you express for your bedtime and df it sounds like you should be able to control that part and that's the big part as far as sleep goes. That's just my experience, go w/ your gut. Good luck :)
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Check out this post in the FAQ section i think it will answer alot of your questions.
https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=63161.0
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Thank you, Natasha, I have actually read that. And yes, I guess it does answer a lot of my questions, but the major one I suppose I'm trying to ask is:
Has anyone else succesfully transitioned an 11 or 12 week baby onto 3 1/2 or 4 hour EASY, and if you did try the transition but it didn't work, what actually went wrong? What should I expect?