not sure if to continue 4h easy or go back to 3h , pls help

[firsttimemomnh]

Hi,

My lo is 4 months and 2 weeks and I have started her on 4 h easy about 2weeks ago. She was on 3 h easy before. I did no gradual change and regret it greatly but what is done is done. She doesn't have a problem eating every 4 hours but she is only napping 30 min still. Should I stick to the 4h routine or go back and do it gradually? If I stay with her in the room when she is napping, meaning if I go in 25 min since she has been down and shush her, she sometimes sleeps up to an hour and a half, but I am not sure if that's the right thing to do.
Pls help me make up my mind whether I should stick to the plan or go back to 3, 3.5 h routine. Right now I am trying to do everything exactly by the book. Up at 7, down at 7, etc.

Thanks,
Chris

[huntersmummyinoz]

hi and welcome

if she was on a good 3 hr EASY (ie. eating well, taking good naps and having good nights) then i would definitely scale it back a bit. 30/35 min naps typically indicate OT (overtired) and 40/45min naps typically indicate UT (undertired). usually when making routine changes it is advised to add 10/15mins A time every 3 to 5 days, then assess after that whether they need more or not. it is fine for your bub to be on a 3hr 15 or 3.5hr EASY (or any variation in between ) for a while before she can handle a 4hr EASY too. if she is eating well 4hrly, then maybe drop back to a 3.5hr EASY for a few days and see how she goes. if she starts taking good naps (a good restorative nap length is 1.5 to 2hrs) then stick with it, if she is still OT napping then drop it back to 3hr15 or even 3hr for a while if she needs it. it's fine to not be on a 4hr EASY at 4mths, my LO didnt do it til closer to 6mths.

here are a few links that may help:
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=63161.0
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=120362.0

kirry

[firsttimemomnh]

Thanks a lot for your answer! We are back on 3.5 hour easy. Now I wanted to ask you a couple more questions. First, does my LO need the top up before bed at 7 or 7.30? She was on 4 hour easy before and was eating bigger amounts of food, this would mess it up again I think... Second, what would you suggest I do if she gets up early, let's say 6.15?

Thanks again for your time, I appreciate it!

Chris

[firsttimemomnh]

Oh, one more thing, if my LO is napping well, should I let her nap for 2 hours or wake her up? Her naps are supposed to be 1.5h on 3.5 h schedule.

Thanks!

[huntersmummyinoz]

the top up feed is really up to you, i always did it as my supply was a little lower at the end of the day and otherwise my LO would wake up before df (dreamfeed). all you can do is experiment and see if she needs it or not.

if she wakes earlier
- some mums just follow EASY from there and move bedtime forward a little, and many LOs make up the extra nightsleep (i would try this first)
- for us, my LO only ever did 11hr nights regardless of bedtime so i would let him catnap a little longer so that bedtime was at a similar time to normal

if she is napping well then i'd let her sleep 2hrs before waking her (which would make it a 4hr EASY cycle). i would only go back to waking her after 3.5 if you start getting lots of extra nw which could indicate she needs the 3.5hrly feeds during the day.

HTH and good luck

[firsttimemomnh]

Hi again,

So we have been on 3.5 h EASY for a week now. My LO still needs help with her naps, if I sit with her and put my hand on her when she stirs, then she sleeps 1.5 h, even a bit longer. I am confused now how to stard moving towards 4h EASY. Should extend the awake time of the first cycle only for 3 days? Then extend the second awake time for 15 min for 3 days? Is this the way to do it?

Thanks for your time!

[*Jo*]

Hi there, im just popping on as huntersmummyinoz has just had a new baby so is a little busy at the moment, are you able to post what you are doing in terms of her routine now? I would look at starting to increase her A time now that shes caught up on some sleep, but i will wait for you routine to add any more