I don't think there's an ideal time to start: every baby is going to have hiccups, no matter when EASY is started. Personally, I found that getting myself in the habit of just loosely following an EAS pattern with my DD was helpful, but I tried not to worry about getting things "right" for a while (easier said than done with crazy hormones, but at least I tried to go easy on myself and her). Those first few weeks/months, any APOP can easily be undone, so just do what's best for baby, you, and your family. *hugs*