12 week old Short Naps

[plum31]

Hi All

Just wanted some advice, I used BW with my older 2 kids and it worked really well, I have been a bit too relaxed with No 3 as have had the kids off school and have been in France for 3 weeks so didn't really have much of any routine at all, he was doing more a ESA shedule and I am trying to turn it around to stop him napping on a full stomach. He is 12 weeks and is having the good old 45min naps, quite a few of them too!!! he only wants to feed every 4 hours (takes 7 ounces) have tried less more often but it just makes him sick (he has reflux and is on gaviscon for it) and he tends to not want his last bottle at 7pm  he has just started sleeping from 7.30 till 6.30 which is great but means he has also dropped a night feed he is still gaining weight so I am not too worried.


So at the the moment his schedule is a lot of up and down and looks like this:

6.30 Wake time

E Around 7.00am
A Until 8.30
S 8.30 - 9.15 this is in the buggy as we are on school run and he wakes as soon as we get home
A 9.15 - 10-15 gets grumpy but will only take a couple of oz if I offer food
S 10.15 -11.00
E 11.00 takes full 7oz
A 11.30-12.45
S 12.45 -1.30
A 1.30 -2.30
E 2.30/2.45
S 3.00 -3.45 (again on school run in buggy)
A 3.45-5.00
S 5.00 -5.30 v grump until bed
A 5.30 -7.00 including bath
E 7.00 has 7-8oz
7.30 in bed


Any advice would be appreciated I really want to extend his lunchtime nap and cut out the 10.15 on but am not having much luck!!!

Vicki

[brenda2]

hi
so he doesn't eat anything from 2:30 pm until 7 am?  have you checked with your dr about this?  that is a long time to go without food at 3mo.  i would continue try to offer the bedtime bottle.  he may be so OT and upset about being OT and that's why he's refusing it.  my LO would never eat if she was grumpy and tired.

i would shorten up your A times.  the first few A times look good but then with all short naps they stretch out a bit and get too long by the end of the day.  max A time should be 1.5 hours after a long nap and 1 hour after a short nap.  the 2 hours at the end of the day is waaaaay  too long and maybe this is why he's refusing this bottle.  30 min nap at the end of the day also indicates OT.

will he do a long nap in the buggy if it's still moving?  i wonder if you could do a longer walk with him in the morning and also leave earlier for the pm school run to let him have a longer sleep at these times?

if you want the noon nap to be longer you should be putting him down earlier than you are.  right now he has a short nap (2nd short nap of the day so OT creeping in) and then he's doing 1 hour 45 min A time before this noon nap.  this is too long.  shorten it to an hour if after a short nap and see how he does.

[plum31]

Hi

Thanks for your reply, I think I may of confused you a bit as I left of the E at 7pm , what I meant was if I give him a bottle between 2.45 -7pm he fusses over it only takes a couple of oz and then refuses the 7pm bottle so I am happier for him to have a full 7-8oz at 7pm.  Saying that today he extended the 12.45 he woke up at 45 mins but I mangaged to get him back off and he slept until 2.45 (amazing!!) I had to split his feed between going to pick up the kids and coming home at 3.30pm so will see if this works a bit better.

He won't stay asleep more than that in the buggy this morning he actually woke up at the bottom of my street whilst we were still moving, I have a feeling that he needs to wake later than 6.30 but am because of the long sleep and hunger it is disfficult and with the  hustle and bustle in the house at this time it is impossible to get him to go back after his morning feed and I would have to wake him anyway to get the others to school.

I see what you mean about the 'a' time he seems more content in the afternoons and it is harder to get him down as the others are here too and the house is a bit noisier and he doesn't want to miss out I think!! I think I need to more consistent but easier said than done with 3!!

Vicki

[brenda2]

i see, so he really has switched to 4 hourly feeds quite early is what you're saying.  well if he's happy with it and won't eat any earlier than go with it i guess.

just keep the short A times as even if he can go longer without food his A time is probably short given his age.

if you feel his nighttime sleep is being cut short with the wakeup of 6:45 try putting him to bed earlier.

i don't know how you do it with so many kids