New to BW and trying to implement an EASY routine for my 3 MO

[Chiaras Mum]

Hi, I am new to this forum  and have read others posts and also sample EASY routines for 3 MO. 

I have kind of been doing the Eat, Activity, Sleep routine with my baby girl (what i dub 'feed, play, sleep')....it seem to be working fine...up until after her 3 - 3.30 (depending on when she wakes (7 or 7.30 - on a 4 hourly routine)...I have the Eat and Activity down pat but I am not sure whether to put her into bed for a late afternoon nap (worried that it may interfere with her bedtime routine - starts at 6pm with a bath, massage, pjamas, story, bottle and bed by 7ish).  Lately she has been getting rather ratty around 6.30pm and by the time she has had her bottle and I have put her down (after a lullaby - we love "twinkle, twinkle') she'll work herself up and cry up a storm  ..she works herself up so much  which is unusual for her because she goes down so easily for her daytime naps (we too are battling 45 minute naps but i perservere with her until she has had 1.5 - 2hrs). 

My question is, should I put her down for a nap around 4.30 and let her sleep until she wakes or perservere with her nap until 6 when I get her up and start her bedtime routine...I am very confused....as she may not be tired at 7pm if I do this...today she had a nap at 3.30 - 4.30 but was still really ratty at bedtime...I had to roll her onto her side and pat/shh her to calm her down.  Not sure what I am doing wrong...

I have ordered the BW book to read through but in the interim, thought I would post this to get some ideas/advice....

Thanks in advance....really want to get my bubby girl into some kind of routine as I head back to work (3 days a wk) in 3 months and she is headed off to childcare...

[RachelC]

Hi and welcome to the boards!

Can you post what your typical day looks like with approximate times?

[Chiaras Mum]

Our typical day goes something along these lines:

7am Wake and Feed (180mls)....and Activity
8.30-9am Sleep
11am Wake/Feed (180mls)...Activity
12.30-1pm Sleep
3pm Wake/Feed...Activity...
...  this could be all out by 1/2 hour depending on whether she wakes at 6.30 or 7 or 7.30...
From here it gets a bit shaky...I am not sure whether to put her down for a nap...she shows tired signs but I am not sure whether I should put her down and leave her until she wakes herself or wake her at 6pm so we can start our bedtime routine.  Tonight I brought her bottle forward 15mins earlier and had in her bed just before 7 but she still wouldn't go down very easy...I know she is tired...she may even be overtired...and it takes generally until 8.30 to really get her down for the night...intermittant crying...go in and reassure and give paci...

...I am thinking about trying out the DF tonight as she has started waking at 12am...ever since she got sick with a gastro bug...really knocked her for a 6!!  Usually it was more like 2.30 - 3.30am...

Thanks for your help!!!! 
 

[Chiaras Mum]

ok...so we had an extremely bad night last night ...Gave her the DF at 10.30pm...she only took 80mls ...woke a little when I put her back down but stayed asleep.  Then she woke again at 12ish    and my DH went in and gave her her paci...she then woke again at about 2.30am (was unwrapped so rewrapped) and she drifted back off only to wake at 4.30am. Fed her at this time and she had a rough trot from here onwards...woke every 1/2ish and wouldn't go back to sleep until just after 6ish then I woke her myself at 7.30 to start her day as I don't want her to get into the habit of having bad sleep during the night and then making up for it in the morning...Is this the right thing to do...she may only have a little bit of activity as she looks extremely tired (like me!!)... 

Not sure whether the paci is interfering with her sleep at night...she loves to suck and her sucking reflex when she was born was really strong...was advised to give her the paci to help soothe her...she is starting to find her hands and suck on those but not her fingers yet..think once she has found her fingers may try to wrap with one hand out...

She is just not settled at nighttime anymore and it is driving me nuts with lack of sleep...