Should I put my baby on more of a schedule/routine

[bennybean]

My son is 3 months old (15 weeks).  He has just started sleeping through the night this week and is finally waking at about the same time every day.  Before this week he would wake at different times and not want to eat which would make each day different.  Now that I have a solid morning wake-up time I would like to have a little more consistency to our day.  The problem is he sometimes takes 45 minute naps, and sometimes takes good 1.5-2 hour naps.  Sometimes the long nap is in the morning, sometimes it's in the afternoon, or some days he takes 45 minute naps all day long.  He is usually pretty happy so I go along with him, but I don't ever know what to expect.  Is it ever okay to put him on a schedule just so I know what to expect?  For example, if he takes a short nap in the morning and just won't go back to sleep should I try and keep him up for longer A time so that he falls back into a schedule?  I hope I'm making sense.

[brenda2]

congratulations on the great nights!! wow, that's fantastic!

BW is all about a flexible routine so the baby knows what to expect next.  the EAS is always in the same order throughout the day giving the baby consistency.  this also avoids feeding to sleep and other AP traps and teaches the baby to sleep independently.  it's not a schedule with times set for napping.

i think it would be appropriate for you to start him on a routine at this point.  at 3 mo most LOs are feeding every 3 hours on a 3 hour EASY and taking 3x 1.5 hour naps and a catnap.  most LOs this age do 1.5 hours of awake time.  but if he does a short nap (45 min) this would be reduced to maybe an hour only following the short nap and you would try ot fit in another nap into your day.

a typical routine would be:
7 (i'm just picking a time here, it's whatever time he gets up...adjust accordingly) E
8:30 - 10 S  (or 1.5 hours after he gets up)
10 E
11:30-1 S
1 E
2:30-4 S
4 E
5:30-6 S (catnap)
6:30 E
7 bed
10 dreamfeed if you are doing this

[stlmom03]

I have a fourteen week old  and I am going to be returning to work in about four weeks.  I have never had her on a schedule and I am nervous about her transition to daycare.  She is also a forty five minute napper and is still waking two to three times a night to eat.  She typically wakes around seven but then goes right back to sleep sometimes all the way until her next feeding and sometimes waking thirty to forty-five minutes before.  I am wondering how to help her transition to the EASY you described without getting her OT.  When I am back to work I will need to drop her off at daycare around 7:30. Should I start making the transition now?  Thanks for your help on this and suggestions on naps would be great as well!

[brenda2]

hi
i just have a few questions to see if i can help you better...
you say she's a short napper...how long are her A times between her short naps?  how often are you feeding?  have you read the BW books?  does she fall asleep independently for naps?  is she sleeping in her own crib? what time does she go to bed?  any props for sleep? (paci, sleeping with you etc)...you say you have no routine, but can you post what you did yesterday so i can get an idea?

i just need some more info to get a better idea, but from what you describe i would keep her up at 7am when she wakes and try for 1.5 hours A time and see what happens - see if that helps her to take a better nap and start the day off right.  it may help her sleep longer at nights too by not letting her catch up so quickly on lost night sleep.

transitioning now to a 3 hour EASY is tough because she's 3.5 mo so in another 2 to 4 weeks she should be on a 4 hour EASY and right now it may be 3 to 3.5 hour EASY.  however getting a routine in place is always easier the earlier you do it so less time for AP to become ingrained.

if they are short napping the EASY really becomes EASAEAS until they get taking longer naps (it's a bit out of order).

[stlmom03]

Here is how yesterday went
700 E
7:20 S
9:30 woke, tried activity but she was demonstrating hungry signs so E/A
10:30 S
Woke 11:15 or 11:30 went for walk
12:30 E
12:55 S
woke 2:30 and 2:40 extended nap by using paci  slept until 3:45
3:45 E/A
4:45 S
5:15 woke/A
6:30 E and get ready for bed
7:00 or 715 Bed
Usually wakes at night between 11 and 12 and then again between 3 and 4:30 for feedings

To answer your questions...
I have read the BW books and I have found out that she is a touchy baby with a little of the spirited and grumpy characteristics as well=) 

-Her awake times have been about forty-five minutes because she seems to get OT so easily but from what I have been reading on the boards that may be the reason for her short naps? 
-I am trying to feed her every three hours but sometimes if she has been awake for a long time due to a short nap it becomes 2.5 or 2.75. 
-She falls asleep fairly independently for naps but often needs to fuss for 5-10 minutes before she dozes off.  -She is sleeping in a bassinet in our room but we are also getting ready to try and transition her to the crib.  -She doesn't go to sleep with a paci, but I am sometimes using that to try and extend her naps- sometimes with success and sometimes without. I have tried to do sh/pat to extend naps but it seemed to make her more upset and I tried pu/pd and she really got upset and I realized from the books that maybe I had tried it to early.
-She usually goes to bed at 700 or within 30 minutes of that time each night.

We have tried to keep her awake after that first feeding before and she was hard to nap for the rest of the day and seemed OT all day and grumpy. I am not sure how she would react to having so much awake time first thing...is there a way to transition her slowly? 

Sorry this is so long and thanks so much for your help! 

[brenda2]

hi
she is having a lot of sleep during the day for  a baby her age (3.5 mo right?).  i think you are right and this is the reason for her short naps.  she is not tired enough to take a l onger one.

often the first A time of the day is the shortest...so ok to be short but otherwise you should aim for 1.5 hours A time unless after a short nap in which case 45 min to an hour.

this is what i would try:

7 E and keep up until you see sleepy signs...at least until 8 am
8-? sleep
if does a long (>1 hour) nap keep up 1 hour 15 min to 1.5 hours, if a short nap keep up 45 min to 1 hour and see how you go.

work in the feeds as best you can around this.  i wouldn't feed before 3 hours if you can help it because in the next month she should be stretching this out anyway to 4 hours.

usually when stretching A times you stretch by 10 min every 3 days.  you do it slowly to prevent OT...so you could try goig by sleepy cues but also stretching it slowly and see what happens.  keep us posted.

[stlmom03]

Thanks for your suggestions!  I am nervous to extend her a full hour since she is yawning mid feed but I know i need to try it to see if it will help with naps.  She is a touchy/spirited one so her sleep signals are hard to read if they show up at all sometimes!  Thank you so much for your help and advice.  This is a great sight and I will keep you posted once I have the courage to try and extend that awake time .