6 week old DS on EASY

[Mymers]

Hi,

I've been referencing the forum, but this is my first post. We've been using EASY with our DS for almost 3 weeks now. He turned 6 weeks yesterday. He's a BF baby and goes down for naps and nighttime without too much of a fuss. I have a few questions:

1) How much activity time should a 6 week old have? He has had about the same amount of activity since we started the routine 3 weeks ago, which is almost non-existent. He still doses off a little while BF'ing, but it has gotten better since we first started. Now we get a few minutes with eyes actually open . Sometimes he wakes when he is burped, but then starts yawning about 5 min into it. We try to sit him up and rattle some toys, but he soon puts out a 2nd yawn... at which time we start to head back to change his nappy, swaddle him, and start his wind down routine. Sometimes he goes down quickly. Sometimes he fusses a bit in his crib and we just stay with him for about 20-30 min. So my first question is... should we be doing more with a 6 week old during the activity period or do we just follow his yawning cues? By the way, he was 8 lbs 3.6 oz 8 days before his due date. One other note is that he barely opened his eyes during the first 2 weeks. Maybe he doesn't like to be awake .

2) What do you do when they wake around 6:00am to get fed? I know it's not a schedule, but Tracy says that 5:00am is too early. Is 6'ish okay to start the day? If yes, do they end up going to bed about an hour early that day? Also, if they wake around 5:00am to get fed, what do you do then? Feed them and put them down again? If so, do you wake them at 7:00am or 7:30am to start the day or do you go the full 3 hours and start the day around 8:00am? I've been playing around with cluster feeds and the dream feed, so it's hard to see a pattern at this point. Some nights he wakes between 1-2am, then again between 4-5am. Some nights he wakes around 3'ish and then 6'ish (at which time we've been getting up).

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[LŠuren]

Hi Welcome to the boards.

1) How much activity time should a 6 week old have? He has had about the same amount of activity since we started the routine 3 weeks ago, which is almost non-existent. He still doses off a little while BF'ing, but it has gotten better since we first started. Now we get a few minutes with eyes actually open . Sometimes he wakes when he is burped, but then starts yawning about 5 min into it. We try to sit him up and rattle some toys, but he soon puts out a 2nd yawn... at which time we start to head back to change his nappy, swaddle him, and start his wind down routine. Sometimes he goes down quickly. Sometimes he fusses a bit in his crib and we just stay with him for about 20-30 min. So my first question is... should we be doing more with a 6 week old during the activity period or do we just follow his yawning cues? By the way, he was 8 lbs 3.6 oz 8 days before his due date. One other note is that he barely opened his eyes during the first 2 weeks. Maybe he doesn't like to be awake .

I would say that you need to just continue to follow your LO' sleepy cues, you sounds from your post that you are doing an excellent job and more 'A' time will happen gradually.  As long as you are waking him up fter a feed so he goes in his cot awake.  If you say your LO is fussing going down for naps, it could be that you have overstimulated him. It may be worth while tracking what you do during A time and if he is over-stimulated or not after it for his nap.

2) What do you do when they wake around 6:00am to get fed? I know it's not a schedule, but Tracy says that 5:00am is too early. Is 6'ish okay to start the day? If yes, do they end up going to bed about an hour early that day? Also, if they wake around 5:00am to get fed, what do you do then? Feed them and put them down again? If so, do you wake them at 7:00am or 7:30am to start the day or do you go the full 3 hours and start the day around 8:00am? I've been playing around with cluster feeds and the dream feed, so it's hard to see a pattern at this point. Some nights he wakes between 1-2am, then again between 4-5am. Some nights he wakes around 3'ish and then 6'ish (at which time we've been getting up).

The answer I always give for this is;

Pick a wake up time and be consistent in starting your day at this time.  Any wake-ups before this should be treated as a night feed i.e. feed then back to sleep. Wake your LO at your set wake up time and feed again, then again at 10am (if you are on 3hr EASY).

You can either give a topup at the night feed to last yours LO until your wakeup time and a full feed at wake time or you can give a full feed at the night feed then a top up at your wakeup time.

This allows you to continue your EASY routine throughout the day from a set wakeup time.

Hope that makes sense.
 

[Mymers]

Thanks for the advice. I went ahead and woke him at 7:10am this morning after his 4:50am feed.

I have another question...

DS has been waking twice a night - once around the 1-2am range and again around 4-5am. He has only skipped the 1-2am feed once and that was around 2 weeks ago. I've tried 2 cluster feeds and a DF, but when I do that, he doesn't seem to take the dream feed. So instead, I've been feeding him around 6pm, give him a bath, read, and then top him off before putting him down. The DF is still a little difficult to get in him. Usually the feed only lasts around 15-20 min whereas his normal feeds are ~30min. I've noticed that the 1-2am feeds only last ~15-20min. Does that seem like a snack or is he really hungry? Last night (or shall I say, this morning), he woke at 1:40am and ate for 20min. I went in as soon as he stirred so I can try to feed him half asleep and put him down easier. That doesn't give me a chance to hear his real cry. But, his eyes were open and he was puckering his lips and turning his head, so I figured he was hungry. Should I try to shh/pat him and give him a pacifier at this time or should I continue to feed him? Thoughts on how to get him to skip the 1-2am feed?

Thanks!

[LŠuren]

I think the answer is - if you think he is hungry feed him.

DS has been waking twice a night - once around the 1-2am range and again around 4-5am. He has only skipped the 1-2am feed once and that was around 2 weeks ago.

This is perfectly normal at this age, if fact if he has already started skipping the 1-2am feed - I AM SO JEALOUS!!! 

Your LO is still young and erratic eating is still the norm, if you are not sure about lengths of feedings etc, I would suggest you post on the breastfeeding board and the wonderful ladies there will be able to help you.

If he is taking anything at the dreamfeed, then that is fine - I am sure if you didn't offer it one night he would wake earlier.
Lauren

[LyndaManus]

Mymers, my ds is 4mths and we bf.  Night feedings always take a less time for us.  I think that is normal.  I also find that ds is way more relaxed during  the night feeds so I think that helps him get content quicker.  If you think that he is falling asleep before finishing, brush the side of his cheek to wake him or even change his diaper (even if he doesn't need it).  I had to do this a lot when ds was very young.  The wakings seem normal as Calums Mom said. 

I had the same issue as you with the cluster feeding.  I actually just tried to cluster feed for the first time last week to try to get rid of my one nighttime feed and it didn't work (well, kind of worked - he didn't need a feed during the night but for some reason kept waking at 3am happy and ready for activity time).  As you said, the df was less successful (less than 5 min for me  ).  We got rid of the cluster and he is still waking once a night, but I am okay with that.

[Mymers]

Thanks for your post, Lynda. He's still getting up twice a night, but I know he is still young. I'll just keep trying with just the 6:30pm feed, a top off around 7:30pm and then the DF around 10:30pm.

Another question for the experts regarding the night time top off... do I need to wake him after the top off before putting him in his crib for the night? Not sure if I'm on the verge of accidental parenting. He always falls asleep (with or without the top off) during our night time ritual because he's so tired and relaxed from the bath, getting dressed, swaddled, then read to. Lately I have been topping him off while reading to him which really knocks him out. I've been putting him down asleep, but am afraid it's accidental parenting. Should I change and swaddle him at the end of the top off and reading?

Thanks.

[LŠuren]

Another question for the experts regarding the night time top off... do I need to wake him after the top off before putting him in his crib for the night? Not sure if I'm on the verge of accidental parenting.

Hi

I think that I sometimes put Calum in asleep and sometimes not    I will check with Karita. 

Get back to you soon

Lauren

[LyndaManus]

not an expert, but I normally swaddle him at the end of the top off and reading when I can.  I don't want DS to get too use to eating to sleep.

[KimberlyŪ]

Another question for the experts regarding the night time top off... do I need to wake him after the top off before putting him in his crib for the night? Not sure if I'm on the verge of accidental parenting.

Hi

I think that I sometimes put Calum in asleep and sometimes not    I will check with Karita. 

Get back to you soon

Getting LO to bed awake is the aim, however its not going to hurt for your LO to fall asleep once in a while. Only worry if that becomes a problem and he can't sleep without feeding, or her wakes to feed and go to sleep. Thats when you know its become a prop.

Sounds like your making good progress

HTH
Lauren

[Johanne]

My DS was 6 weeks old yesterday. He too was a very sleepy baby and his A time was quite short until recently. The last 3 nights he has sort of slept through from around 9pm until 5 or 6am. Since then he has wanted more A time and wanted to be more involved with us (and cry if he is in his carrycot and thinks he's missing out on something!  ). He is napping less during the day though and I am currently finding the increased activity sort of difficult because it's hard to know what to do with such a small baby and I need to do things with my elder DS too. I am not complaining though because the extra sleep at night is good. You might find though that your baby is more willing to do activity time when they are getting more sleep at night. DS is eating more at the minute as well though and sometimes wants to feed every 2 hours - I'm not sure if this is because he is overtired because he is napping less or it is a growth spurt. i am going with the growth spurt theory and seeing how things develop.

DS is breastfed and if he falls asleep on the breast I don't worry too much about putting him down asleep for his bedtime feed as I know he can fall asleep independently. During the day though I tend to give him a nappy change straight after his feed and then put him in the carrycot at the first sign of yawning. He has been a bit more reluctant to nap occasionally over the last few days though, especially in the afternoons and I have resorted to some pram rocking. He also is not staying asleep for long and waking up crying his heart out which is unusual, so we are going through a difficult phase at the minute in some ways.

Whilst I don't formally clusterfeed the truth is that DS will breastfeed virtually continually from about 5pm onwards other than a break to get ready for bed and a sit down on daddy for a while. I can't get him to bed before 9pm either. It doesn't look like i|'m beiong very successful when I write it down! 

Jo

[Mymers]

Thanks for the advice!

For the past 2 evenings, I've tried switching it up. After his bath, I changed his nappy, dressed him for bed, topped him off while reading to him, then swaddled him. The swaddling woke him up both times which took a little longer to put him down again, but it makes me feel better that the top off isn't a prop.

DS turned 7 weeks today and we still don't have much awake time after our feed, although I have noticed that he is waking up from his naps and is content just hanging out until his next feed. I can tell he's not hungry. He always seems to last 3 hours between feeds. Now what is happening is that he sleeps, has about 30 min of activity time before he eats, then he's pretty darn tired after the feed. That makes his activity time after the feed rather short (still ~5-10 min before the first yawn, then we head back to change his nappy which keeps him up another 10-15 min). So my next question is, do I need to try and switch the activity time around to meet the E.A.S.Y. routine? Right now we're more like E.A.S.A. Not sure if I should feed him when he wakes up ~30 min early from his nap hoping to get longer activity time after the feed or just continue what we are doing with the 3 hour routine. At least now he still wakes up before going down for a nap.

Johanne, I think you're doing great with your LO!! Funny you said that you aren't sure what to do with him during his awake time since he can't do much right now. Have you tried a sling or something just so you can still be mobile? I may regret asking for more awake time with our LO .

Last night our DS went down around 8:30pm and didn't wake until 3:10am (with a 10:30pm DF). Then he woke around 5am and just grunted and stirred in his crib until he let out his hungry cry at 6:30am. I, of course, stayed awake for most of it, but hopefully I'll learn to sleep until his real cry. As for naps, I find that if he has good morning naps, he tends to have short afternoon naps and vice versa. I just appreciate the long ones .