tweaking EASY for short napper help

[nicolas]

Hi everybody,

Here is the routine I try to stick to.  We are often slightly off due to circumstances, longer naps, or weekend outings. 

The missing 15 minute chunks are for winding down and putting to sleep.  My two concerns are if the day nap schedule looks ok for a 13 week old who usually sleeps for 45 minutes.  AND my 4:00 to 6:45 are never the same.  I try to stick in a couple feedings in order to cluster and tank him up for the night, but lately it seems like I end up bf every hour  before bed.  And I end up bfing right after the night massage and before bedtime routine.  If he bf at 4:00, I am not sure if he only needs to eat once more before bed, or twice, and I don’t know what the ideal times would be. 

Also, does he need a nap in the evening before the night routine?  He hasn’t been getting one, and I am wondering if that is why he seems overtired and cries until we can walk,rock him into a calmer state.

Anyways, I am still getting the hang of this and if anyone has any little or big advice I would greatly appreciate it!  Thank You… 

-Nicolas’s mom

E,A  7:00-8:15
S      8:30-9:15
A      9:15-10:00
E      10
S      10:15- 11:00
A      11-12
S      12:15-1:00
E      1
A      1:15-2:15
S       2:30-3:15
A      3:15-4:15
E       4:00
S       4:30
A       5:15- 7:30 ( sometimes with a catnap around 6)
E       5:30
E       6:30

          6:45     Bath, massage, and bedtime routine starting at 6:45, usually asleep by 7:00, unless he’s overtired and it takes a long time for him to go down.

          11:00 or 12:00   Dreamfeed

Wakes to BF usually once around  3 or 4.  If he feeds at 3, he’ll often awake to BF around 5:30 and I let him.

7:00  Awakes just before 7. Bfeeds and starts his day.

[* Paula *]

Have you tried extending your lo's naps with Pat / Shhh or Wake to Sleep.  I would think that your lo is extremely overtired by the end of the day due to the short naps.

I would offer your cluster feeds at around 5pm and then again at 7.  In-between this you can do your bedtime routine of bath, massage etc.

Also I would offer the dreamfeed closer to 10-11pm, any later than this can actually start affecting their sleep.

HTH's

Paula

[nicolas]

Paula, Thankks for the great advice.  I will try feeding at 5 and 7.  If his df is earlier, I am curious how that will affect his morning feedings and wakings.  When he can make it until 4 am, then he will sleep until 7, which is great.  Sometimes I get confused if he eats at 5 or 6, because I'm not sure if he should eat again at 7.  I guess the best thing to do is to try it out and see what happens.  Today he got 2 vaccine shots, so his night might get off anyways.

[* Paula *]

They suggest doing the DF between 10-11 as it can affect their sleep and can start causing more night wakings after that time as it can disturb their sleep.

You may find doing the DF at that time - he may still wake up at 4 am.

[suzie767]

if your lo doesnt take much at cluster feeds you can drop one and concentrate on df. my 12 week old ds never took both cluster feeds so i dropped one after 8 weeks anld now only feed at 4pm 7 pm then df 11.00

my lo also has a short nap problem but rather than get him up to do A when he wakes after 45 i try to keep him in his cot and sooth him and sometimes he goes back off. if your lo doesnt get over tired from awaking early you dont need to worry tho. w2s never worked for me but is worth a try for your lo

 

[nicolas]

Does anyone know if a nap is crucial between the 4 30 pm and 7 pm bedtime?  Sometimes he doesn't get one, and I wonder if this is contributing to the crying at bedtime...

[suzie767]

yeah i think this is a long stretch for a 13 week old to go- he's probably over tired at bedtime. even if you just manage to to give him 45 mins this will help with this.

when he switches to 4 hour easy he should just need a half hour catnap at this time

[* Paula *]

I would aim for at least a 45 minute cat nap at around 5:00pm.  This will give your lo the exta energy to get through bath time and the last feed before bed.

Not having this nap will definitely result in your lo getting over tired which in turn can make it difficult to get him to settle for the night as well as increased night wakings.

If your lo refuses to go down for the catnap, I would consider bring bedtime forward a lot earlier, to ensure that he does not get overtired.