Floundering - or when good routines go bad!!

[clarriebear]

Hi need help with a new routine for my 5.5 month old. Since weaning my dd from the breast, everything has started to go downhill. I can't get over the 40 min nap monster nor get the hang of the bottle either (or so it feels) 

Everything has just been falling apart the last few days, she has been waking early, having a feed, waking again at 6.30, and then going back down again at 7 for a short nap, up at 8 for breakfast (pears) and down again for a nap.

I don't know if she needs feeding at night, cos sometimes she can go through whereas others she can't. If she gets a night feed, she won't feed in the morning.

Last night she went down at 7pm, woke at 3am really early for her, plugged her with her soother, no difference, protests got louder, in my night dazed state - gave her a rather sad boob which felt fullish at 4am, she sucked for comfort probably since no swallowing to speak of. Still wouldn't settle, gave her a bottle at 5 but she only took 2oz. She then went back to sleep, woke at 6.45, gave her a bottle at 7.15, only took 4oz, decided to keep her up (so as not to extend the night sleep) gave her brekkie at 8 - no way she didn't want it, finally gave in and put her to bed at 8.30, she has been asleep for 40 mins so is due to wake up any moment now.

What do I do now??? Do I feed her early cos I know she didn't take much, or do I wait until nearer 11, throwing easy off for the day.

Prior to weaning - we were on a 3.5 - 4 hour routine, with short naps, (1hr max) and a cat nap in the late afternoon. With an early bath (6pm and bed 6.30)

I feel so confused, really need a new routine to work with

A

[clarriebear]

Me again

Well she did wake after 40 mins, so did shpat for 15 mins and she went back off, is this the right thing to do? I've never done sp in the night, perhaps I should try this.

A

[meltown]

could you post your day like

E
A
S

if it is SASor ASAE that is fine, just post it out so I can see what is happening during the day and give you some ideas if I see anything.

[clarriebear]

Thanks Mel

This is really hard, because we don't have a typical day - we used to 

E 6.30 - 7.00
A pears at 8.00
S 7.45 - 8.00 (but sometimes she wants to go back at 7.15, and then I do brekkie when she wakes up at 8.00)
A 8.45
S 9.15
E 10.00 - 11.00 depending
A follows from this
S 11.15 to 11.45 depending
A 12.00
S 1.00
E 2.00 - 3.00 depending
A 3.00 - 4.00
Cat nap between 4 and 5
Bath at 6
Bed and bottle at 6.30

I usually fit veggies in around lunch time

SORRY about the above - we used to do E 7, 11, 3, 7 and early feed around 4am. But all naps were short.

Today we have done
E 6.30
A 7 - 8
S 8.15 and she woke 40 mins later but put herself back to sleep

I would guess that the rest of the day will look like the below:
E 10.30
A 11 - 12ish plus veggies
S 12.30 - 1.30
A 1.30 - 2.30
E 2.30
S 3.00 - 4.00
A 4.00 - 5.00
Catnap 5 - 5.30
then bath at 6, bed and bottle at 6.30

If you can make sense of this - I would be so pleased

[clarriebear]

Ok now for an update to the above,

She woke at 10
E 10.30 6oz (struggle)
A 10.45 - 11.45
S 11.50 (no lunch)

Is this right, by my reckoning she had been up for 1 hour 50 mins and it was time for her to go for a nap - she went straight off.

A

[clarriebear]

Second update

12.40 awake and roaring

A 12.40 to 1.50 Activity and cereal
S 1.50

[meltown]

the first a time is a litte short, the second is way to short.  how are you judging it is time for a nap?

[clarriebear]

She gets really cranky, starts rubbing her eyes, yawning and crying. I've tried changing activity but no dice. The rest of the day panned out as normal, she had a catnap at 4, bath at 6.15 and bed at 7pm.

[meltown]

I think we may have to go from scratch on the routine.  if she has a good nap what woudl her average awake time be?  how often is she having solids?

[clarriebear]

Hi Mel, She slept last night from 7pm to 7.30am WOW!. If she has a good nap, 1.5 hours her usual awake time would be about the same, she takes 10 minutes or so to eat, so her A time would be about 1.5 hours.

But first thing in the morning she has a short A time of about an hour. And an E time of about 20mins.

She has solids twice a day, a couple of teaspoons, pear in the morning about 1 hour after her bottle, and the same for the next feed, veg usually, but sometimes cereal.

I suppose what I find is confusing is that depending on the time she wakes in the morning - everything changes. I need some sort of road map, - would she take longer naps with a longer A? I tend to find she gets OT and then only sleeps the mimimum.

thanks
A

[meltown]

here is what our day looked like with solids once a day.  I would wake him up at 7:30 if he didn't e himself.  I would suggest that for you to do as well.  this will help a lot as she gets a little older.  things start to work more on the clock.  this will also give you consistancey in your routine.  what do yout hink of this plan?  you would just add the solids in to the routine 30 min-1 hour after milk.  if the A time is to much for her then we can adjust it, but I think she should be able to do it.  If you put her down to early it causes short naps as they aren't tired enough to nap longer. if she gives you slepey cues early then I would try to do a low key activity like walking around the house or something for 3-5 min and see if you can stretch her out slowly.  What do you think?
 
Solids 4 hour plan (solids 1x per day)

E: 7:30- wake BF
ES: 8:30-solids
A: 9:00-10:00
S: 10:00-11:30

E: 11:30-Bf
A: 12:00-1:45
S: 1:45-

E:3:30
A:4:00-5:30
S: catnap (if he will)

Bath
E: 7:00
Bed

DF: 10:20

[clarriebear]

Hi Mel, yesterday I tried stretching the A time, cos she had sttn she was less tired first thing.

E 7.30 (only takes 10 mins)
ES 8.30
S 9.15 - 11.30

doesn't this make her A time from the end of E 7.45 to 9.15? which was 1.5 hrs?

E 11.30
A 11.45 - 1.15
S 1.15 - 2.00

then we went out and she had another sleep

E 4.00
A 4.00 - 6.00
Bath 6.15 and bed at 7.00

this was a better day, and very pleased with the early nap.

Today not as good as she woke at 4.30, tried to get her to go back to sleep but gave a bottle at 5.

She woke again at 7.30 and we started the day as per yesterday, so far she has been down for 35 minutes for her first nap.

I would love to hit the 2 hour A time, but at the moment think 1.5 hrs is about tops, but will try to stretch this gradually out. Does the A time start from when the E time finishes???

thanks a mill for taking the time to look at this for me.

A

[meltown]

When we mods talk about A time and say it is 2 hours, that is total awake time.  so that is Eating, activity time, and wind down included.  so 2 hours is all that included.  so with eating and everything if waking at 7:30, your LO should be asleep by 9:30 does that make sense?

[clarriebear]

Thanks. We had a 2 hour nap yest morning so at least I seem to have sorted that. Bad night awake every hour, up at 6am, bot at 6.30, solids 7.30, so aiming for bed at 8ish. I think if I keep that in my head I can manage the randomness if waking. If she wakes an hour before a fd during the day what do you suggest?
really appreciate all your help. A