STARTING E.A.S.Y AT 12 WEEKS SHOULD I DO 4 HOUR EASY OR 3 HOUR EASY

[lorepeon]

Hi !! I just recently started the book  an whew do I have questions. Just for a little bit of background I have a 3.5 yrs boy  and a baby boy who just turned 12 weeks this past weekend. Now That I have been reading the book  I realize my first child was somewhat of a Angel + Textbook baby  because even though I did everything wrong (nursed him to sleep, nursed for comfort, nurse for cold, nursed for fun, and he had every single nap on my chest)  I some how got him to spontaneously sleep through the night 7pm to 7am by 5 mo with 1 good 2 -3 hour nap during the day. So I really just thought things would work out some how with my new baby ... which I now realize is somewhat of an Angel too since he has been catnapping and snacking since birth and is still so charming with such beautiful smiles, always in a good mood  and have barely heard him cry since his birth, but I do think he is sleep deprived.  I know i have to get organized because no one is actually sleeping, my toddler is starving for my attention and acting out because of it, and I am really starting to get exhausted. I started 3 hour EASY this past Sunday so it's been three days  and everything has been smooth sailing during the day, I am clustering so  6:30 feed, then 7:00 bath, 7:20   2ND cluster feed, then wind down for sleep and finally off at 7:45 give or take. I am also dream feeding at 10:30 -11:00  4 oz of breastmilk which I can barely get in him ...... AND HE WAKES UP AT 1:30 for feed and AGAIN at 4:00 for feed (he really does feed too  like 15 to 20 min of strong sucking). I have only read the full first chapter and I'm trying to read the  Emotions, Eating and Sleeping chapters while looking for answers, in spare moments. I guess my questions are should I be feeding him at night ? Should I try to get him back to sleep with a dummy or shushpatting or both?  and also  since he is exactly 12 weeks I don't know if I'm right to be on a 3 hour EASY or should I move to a 4 hour EASY? His birthweight was 3.450kg  and he is now up to 6.000 kg  so I'm guessing I don't have milk supply issues.  Thank you for your help !!!

[Vt92009]

How lucky that you have angel kids!!  For your 12 wk old, I would think that you don't need to give the cluster feeds anymore. My daughter, 11 weeks, is about the same weight as your son. In the past 3 days we have stopped the night feeds (she gets a dream feed around 10:45pm, then eats in the morning ~7am). So I am thinking that your boy definitely does not need more than 1 night feed. You just need to get him to eat more during the day so that he isn't so hungry at night...  I would try the pacifier at night and see if it holds him off? As for 3 hr vs 4 hr it probably also depends on how long he can stay awake at one time...

[creations]

Hi there and welcome to BW

I would do as you did and start out on the 3hr EASY, if he is ready to go longer between feeds you'll figure that out *by him not being interested in a feed at 3hrs), otherwise head to the 4hr EASY at 4months (can be earlier though if he shows signs of needing to move), EASY is always about a good routine, but one that suits your individual LO so don't worry too much about the exact age for transitioning to 4hr.
Many BF babies take 2 night feeds.  The breast feeding information is one aspect of the book which we think Tracy would have modified if she was still with us so if you have questions and would like some up to date information then I advise a specific question on the BF board.  Either way, I wouldn't try to wean a night feed straight off when you are still finding your feet with the day routine. Just observe for now and if you want to wean a feed plan to do so in a week or two when you feel prepared.  You would need to decide for instance what method to use to wean a night feed.
WRT the DF if he isn't interested you might want to consider dropping it and seeing where the night feeds end up without that DF there?

There's lots of information and support on the boards so do feel free to post your questions

[lorepeon]

Thank you  very much !!!

So I'm at the end of the  3rd day and he had three 45 min naps and one 2 hour nap ! Maybe he did so well the past couple of days because he was so sleep deprived from catnapping for 3 months and needed to catch up on sleep, or maybe everyone has troubles on the third day? I put him down at the first sight of a yawn  and did not walk in at the first stir,  I tried shushpatting and dummy but that really made him upset  and I was just better off playing with him gooing and cooing on the mat  for 45 min until the next E and then trying to do a just a  little A and go off to S so that the next nap would last longer, but it didn't work (well it just worked with the mid morning nap which lasted 2 hours).  If he keeps this up  would you advise to move to a 4 hour easy ?? I just worry if I get him on 4 hours he won't be getting enough food during the day and maybe my nights will start to be nightmares??

And some more concerns on food : I was really observing him today and  I do think maybe clustering is the trouble, and I should just let him have a good meal at 7 and then dreamfeed at 11, he is downing 3 oz  of breastmilk in a bottle it's just that last  ounce that is kind of a struggle but he does take it in. I am not sure how many ounces of breastmilk  in a bottle  he should be taking at DF for his weight???

Again thank you so much for your comments !!!

[Vt92009]

Several weeks ago (when she was 7 wks) we were trying both the cluster feeds and dream feed, and we found that she would only take about an ounce at the dream feed. So we got rid of the cluster feeds, and it took a few days but then she started taking more at the dream feed (typically she takes between 3 - 5 oz). I remember reading in Tracy's solve all your problems book that she said that if the baby's not taking both cluster feeds and dream feed, then just focus on the dream feed. Also, she recommends stopping cluster feeds by 8 weeks. So I agree with you, I would try getting rid of cluster feeds so that he can hopefully take a better dream feed. It might take a few days for him to get used to it...

[creations]

If he keeps this up  would you advise to move to a 4 hour easy ??

It's possible to up his A time (if he needs it) and keep E at 3hrs or say 3.5 if he is ready for that.  The 3hr EASY and 4hr EASY examples in the book are for guidance only, and you would adapt the A time to suit your LO. The 4hr EASY works well for babies who are able to stay awake 2hrs and eat every 4hrs, your LO may not be ready for this yet.

So are you saying that the first couple of days he had long naps but day 3 he took a few short naps and only one long nap?

[lorepeon]

Yes  he's waking at 45 min  from 3 of his naps  and has 1 good long one (2 hours), well at least that was yesterday maybe today will be different, what throws me a little is that the first 2 days of EASY  I had to wake him up from every nap for E. Maybe he was just so tired from not sleeping well and he is starting to adjust to his needs ? Maybe  I'll have a clearer view of what my routine should look like by next week? He happily waits and plays with me until it's time for the next E (even if it is 45 min away) but gets really upset  if I try to settle him down with dummy or ssh/pat. So  it's looking like

E
A
S
A
E

for the most part of the day ... again  this only happened yesterday, the two previous days were  EASY !!

Thoughts?

[creations]

OK, well I think you already worked out what happened (or most likely). He really needed that sleep, got it, and is now a bit caught up and ready for a longer A time. What A time are you giving at the moment?
This is a useful link, only use it as guidance, each LO is different.
Average A times- BOOKMARK ME!!

It's fine if your EAS is more like EASAE, but obviously if you can get those naps longer he will be better rested and there won't be so much time between waking and eating. If you see an E and an S about to clash just bring the E a bit earlier so his nap isn't too late and put a few minutes A between E and S to prevent forming a feed to sleep habit.

hope this helps.