getting onto 4hr easy from 3hr

[NiknLily]

Hello
I have just today started to make the switch from a 3hr routine to a 4hr routine using the method described in the book, where Tracy says that it is the only time she suggests clock watching, the idea is you extend and adjust the awake times and naps over a 15 day period to eventually end up on a 4hr routine, which makes sense that you cant just expect a baby to make the jump in one go.  BUT is it just me or does the time chart on page 230 just simply not add up.  As my DD was on typical 3r routine we've skipped days 1-3 and started on days 4-7 but I cant follow the timings.  First it says to sleep at 12.15 for 1 and 1/4 hrs till 1.15, well you don't have to be a maths whizz to see that's not correct, then at 2.45 sleep for 2hrs till 4.15??  To make it work 2.45 should read 2.15, however if thats the case then she will only be awake for 1hr in the afternoon as opposed to the 1 and 1/2hrs she would normally be awake for.  Then to cap it all it doesn't say what time to start the catnap of 1/2 - 3/4hr in the evening and the day ends with E & A at 7.15 (feed & bath) then bed by 7.30!!! which is a hellover lot to achieve in 15Min's.

My question is has anyone used these timings to make switch to 4hr easy and what times did you use a the chart clearly wasn't proof read to well before the book was published, either that or you require the use of a time machine to make it work.

Help I want to get this right for my DD or making the switch could be stressfull for both of us!

Nik

[*Mona*]

Nik,

relax!!!! don't get so stressed about all those times not adding up correctly etc.
IMHO you should follow your baby's cues. why are you transitioning from 3 to 4 hrs routine? how old is your LO? are her A times 1,5 hrs or more at the moment?

if you could post your routine I'm sure it would help our wonderful moderators to help you more than I can.

we did it cold turkey, but only because dd was ready.

HTH just a bit
Monika

oh, and maybe you should post it in the EASY section not naps

[NiknLily]

Hi
Thanks I looked on the EASY forum and lo and behold my queries on the timings on that schedule where answered, the answer - nobody really seems to know!
The reason I want to change is that my DD (14weeks 4days 11lb11oz) seems to happily remain on any schedule I put her on I have had to force the extended awake time in 15 minute chunks to get her to 1.5hrs awake time as she was still only on 1hr15min total awake time and doing really well, but then her naps started getting a bit haywire so I upped her to 1.5hrs, trouble is her morning nap has decreased to 45min - 1hr and her second nap is not much better, she recently started to take only 3-5min feeds (breast fed) as well.  I have managed to extend her feeds by feeding her laying down on my bed in darkened room so there are less distractions she now feeds for average 15Min's sometimes 20-25 but not often.  Before she used to drain one breast and have good go at the now I'm lucky if she empties one side. So all in all I think with what I've read she probably really is ready to change routine.
A problem I have is reading her cues although I can read them to some extent, because I have always almost pre-empted her needs by having her EASY from day 1 and because she is quite an easy going textbook baby the cues can be hard to pick up.
As suggested In the message I read in easy forum I think I will work on one easy cycle at a time starting with morning extending 15min chunks till were at 2hrs awake, then move onto next one.  If that goes horribly wrong I will do as so many others seem to have done and go cold turkey.
Thanks again
Nik