7week old- good napster, but has trouble settling in for bedtime

[Urvi123]

Hello all,
I have a 7 weeks only baby boy (2nd baby), who has been put on a 3 hour schedule and is doing well. Here is what his schedule looks like (give or take 15/20mins)
5:30/6am wake up and feed
6:30-7am plays quietly in the room
7/7:15am nap
9am wake up and feed
9:30am massage, change of clothes
10:15am nap
12 wake up and feed
12:30-1pm activity
1:15pm nap
3pm wake up and feed
4:15/4:30 nap
5:15/5:30 wake up
6pm feed
6:30 bath
7:00 bed

Note: he typically goes down for a nap pretty easily, I only have to rock him for a couple of minutes and lay him in his crib when he awake and after a few coos and cries he sleeps. (Sometimes I have to pay half way through the nap) I also wake him up from his naps sometimes because I don't want to ruin the schedule ( I have a 3 year old spirited daughter so this works)

My problem is: at bed time, he initially sleeps on his own but then wakes up after 15/20 mins crying. Then my husband or I keep trying to settle him. Patting rocking etc... It takes him 1.5 hours or so to finally sleep. Sometimes is takes too long I land up nursing him and he will sleep right away. I know that if I nurse him right after bath he will sleep, I just don't know if I want to get him into that habit.

Also, he wakes up after 5/6 hours after the last feed. Then a few hours after. Now if he wakes up after 3am he will just be rocked no feed until morning.

With my first daughter the easy schedule changed my life (I am not kidding, my husband and I were literally done- the book is what gave me confidence to have another baby).

Please help: is the activity time after his last nap too long? Or too short? Should I just give him a bath first and then nurse him and sleep?

[jessmum46]

The last A time is perhaps a touch long, could you get him down for 6.30pm instead?  But honestly he and you are doing great   It's up to you about nursing to sleep at bedtime.  My first always fell asleep nursing at bedtime until she was 6-7 months, never caused any issues overnight at all - she was getting plenty of practice at independent settling at other times.  The other thing to consider really is just that he's still a tiny baby and unsettled evenings are just what happens sometimes at this age.  May be a case of sticking with it and riding it out until he is a bit older

[Urvi123]

Thank you for the reply.
Ok will first try and move his bed time to 6:30- that is very to change to.
Will try it for a few days and if we are still struggling then will try the second option- whitch is bath first and then nurse to sleep.

Another question: when he wakes up at 4 in the morning it is ok to just delay the feed (by whatever means possible)!right? Because if I don't he does not eat at 6am and the entire schedule gets messed up.

[jessmum46]

I wouldn't advise actively weaning/putting off night feeds at this age.  A normal feeding pattern is one long stretch at this age (5-6h is amazing!) and then feeds at roughly the same intervals as he would have in the daytime for the remainder of the time, so I would expect at least 2-3 night feeds.  I get what you are saying but EASY isn't meant to be a schedule, there's no reason at all he can't just start the day with an AEAS cycle instead of a 'strict' EAS   If he's clearly hungry at 4am, I'd just get on and feed him and get you both back to sleep.  He will change so much in the next few weeks/months and what seems awkward and tricky to get 'right' now will be totally inconsequential in no time at all xx