What do I do when EASA gets out of control??

[ailan]

This seems to be a self-perpetuating problem.  Last night it was 10pm before lo finally went to sleep.  He slept until 2:30am fed then slept from 3 until 6.  He obviously didn't get much of a night time sleep so is really tired upon waking at 6am.  He ate poorly as he was really sleepy, but didn't get enough (here's where I caused the problem because I offered him more when he was groggy and should have offered again when he was fully awake).  We had a 1hr A time then winddown and sleeping only took 10 minutes.  Unfortunately he woke stretching and doing his hungry cry (not like the tired or frantic waking) after only 30 minutes.  I gave him a little so he could last through to the 3 hour mark, but he wouldn't sleep again.  We had a very quiet, very low-key A time in the darkened bedroom until just the 2 1/2 hr mark when he couldn't be held off much longer without greater distraction.  We left the room and I held him off a further 20 minutes before feeding.  Fed for 20 minutes then started winddown again for sleep number 2, but we're only at 9:10!! 10 minutes past the 3 hour mark.  he's asleep again at 9:35 and anticipating another 45 minute sleep as usual.  Should I give an extra feed and another short A time to get him back on track???  or just have another A time without the feed and back to bed?

We're spiralling out of control with sleeplessness!!!

ailan

[RachelC]

Ailan,

How old is you little one?  Is this just today, or has this been going on a while?

[ailan]

Zoltan is 3 months and 3 days.  He is a consistent 45 minute napper, but I messed up this morning's feed and made a big mess of the first sleep.  He did manage to get in a 2 hour nap (first ever since before 8 weeks old) which surprised me.  I went in to do w2s and spent 45 minutes holding him until he went back into a deep sleep.

But to answer your question most nights are at least 9:00 before he's off to sleep, and like I said to begin with, he's a consistent 45 minute napper.  So I feel like I'm always doing EASA.  I'm exhausted!!

[ailan]

just for clarification, the 2 hour nap was nap #2, so I hope we made up some ground on that one, but its still a frequent problem.

[ailan]

I should start off with this:  My lo is a textbook/grumpy boy, and he's growing.  I'm not sure if we're taking on too much at once, but I'm trying to get my lo into independent sleep, maintaining a 3 hour easy (currently going through a growth spurt so it sometimes ends up eaeasy or a 2 1/2 hour easy) and trying to extend 45 minute naps.  He almost always wakes early, in fact that 2 hour nap I mentioned was a fluke because it hasn't happened since.  So with early wakings from naps means low-key A time in advance of E so now our schedule becomes EAEASA and so on.  He doesn't usually have much stamina after E for A because he had A before E and so his schedule continues to shift.  Today looks like this...

(last night he was asleep by 8:30 after cluster feed, so I think he's getting a pretty decent night sleep)
4:00am-4:30 Feed and sleep
7:00am Awake and feed (usually awake 6:30)
7:25-7:45 A time
7:45-8:00 feed again
8:00-8:15 A/windown
8:15-9:00 Sleep
9:00-9:30 Low-key A until desperate to eat
9:30-9:50 feed
9:50-10:30 A
10:30-10:45 Feed
10:45-11:00 Winddown
11:00-11:15 shh/pat and that's where we're at now.

Again, I'm doing the double feed because he seems to be having another growth spurt.  He's 3 months and one week today.

I try to keep him up longer than an hour before his first nap hoping it will help the amount he sleeps, but it just makes him harder to put to sleep.  He always wakes up screaming.  His first nap today I managed to get him to drift off for a few minutes at a time after the 45, but in between the intervals of crying just kept getting longer until he was at a fevered pitch after only 10 minutes of shh/pat!  In the past several days when he gets to this point he won't settle again for the duration of his nap time so I figure its better that he plays quietly (even if its grumpily) instead of being so worked up so I take him out of the room.  So if anyone has any thoughts I would greatly appreciate it. 

I also think I have to stop eating dairy for a while to see if its affecting him (excess wind and slimy poo) so is it okay to still be sleep training now?  I feel like the longer I wait to establish this the more time it will take.

HELP!