New to EASY - advice needed re: short feeds and short naps!

[kylie33]

Hi there

I've been trying to implement the easy routine for a few weeks now. LO is 3 months old. I am not sure how to get a handle on the routine as my breastfeeds only take 10 mins, does this mean she should have more A time? Also I am having trouble getting her to nap for any length of time, some times she will go for 30 mins, sometimes 45, sometimes 1 1/2 hours, its totally unpredictable and I feel like every morning I try to start the routine I fail because she wakes so soon we end up doing EASAESA....and so on.

She was previously going to bed at around 9pm but we have moved this forward to about 7pm to try and avoid her getting cranky. Does this mean I should now be waking her up at 7am?  She still feeds every 3 hours, day and night (BF).

Also I have real trouble getting her to nap at all in the afternoon, early evening. She gets really cranky and very difficult if not impossble to settle and I often end up giving up and bringing her downstairs. In the mornings she can self settle fairly well (just does a bit of shouting before she goes to sleep).

Sorry if this is a bit all over the place, but so is our 'routine'. Grateful for any advice!

[jessmum46]

Feeds are included as part of A time which is everything from eyes open to eyes shut.

How long are you keeping her awake before trying for naps?

You don't have to wake her in the morning if you don't want to, you can just start the EAS pattern from whenever she wakes and then adjust the last nap if necessary to aim for your normal BT.  Some people do like the predictability of having the same start time though so it's up to you.

The afternoons are always tougher in my experience. LOs tend to accumulate OT as the day goes on and that makes it harder for them to settle down. At the moment with DS we tend to have at least one nap a day in the stroller or sling and it's usually in the afternoon, but if your LO is able to self settle at other times I think that's fine

[kylie33]

Thanks for the reply, I didn't realise feeds were part of A time! Generally I keep her awake for about an hour before trying for a nap, or when she starts yawning/rubbing her face. Ironically since I posted we have had a fairly good run of things. I think the earlier bed time/wake time is making for a better daytime routine (fingers crossed!) When we put her to bed at 7pm she does fight it and we have to go up to her several times to settle her, but its a big difference than having her scream for 2 hours before bedtime!

[jessmum46]

Great that you've seen some improvements! You may find this link helpful too: Average A times- BOOKMARK ME!