When the Sleep mergers with the Eat!

[muddysnorklin]

Have been trying EASY with my 8 week old son for a week now.  Here is my regular dilema I face each day.  This is an example. 

Eat at 1pm for 30 - 40 mins (breast feeding)
Activity for about 15-20 mins
Wind down to sleep can then take 20mins to over an hour.  But will eventually go to sleep
But if Sleep starts at 3.30 and next Eat is due at 4, should I wake baby at 4 or allow to sleep longer in order to get a good nap?

This happens during most of the day time EASY routine.
Any suggestions which is best, to wake from the sleep in order to eat every 3 hours or juggle it a bit to allow for some good sleep!

Baby is quite sleep resistant. (Am using all the sshhh pat techniques to get to sleep)

[lyndsy_p]

I would skip the activity before bed which is likely causing the long winddown. It sounds like your LO is past the sleep window. Total A time for a LO that age should be 45mins-1hr (if I remember correctly) including the winddown. Act on the first yawn you see and that should help get your routine in check.

HTH
Lyndsy

[mkoontz]

OK, so I'm totally guessing.  I have a 9 week old and I'd leave him to sleep.  maybe only 45 mins though and then watch for sleep cues on the next cycle, which may not be very long at all.  I'm guessing if he's taking 1 hrs to go down then either he wasn't tired enough, or he was too tired.  Some times by ds has 1 1/2 hrs awake and sometimes he had only 45 mins.  I generally put him down when he gets fussy and nothing will help (change of scene, or different hold).  If he is overtired i have resorted to a quite breastfeed to relax him, but I try to make sure he doesn't fall asleap at the breast (which he usually doesn't as he needs to burp).
Not sure if any of this is helpful and I'm hoping that someone with more experiance will jump in

[MJMom]

I agree with Lyndsy.  If it is taking an hour to wind him down, he may have gotten too OS.  A times should be very low key and brief at this age.

What are you doing for his A times?

Sleep resistant at this age is likely pointing to OT

[muddysnorklin]

My A time is limited to maybe just holding him and having a conversation, chasnging his nappy and maybe showing him a toy.
Today for example. He slept well after 7am and 10am E.  But after 1pm E we started wind down at 2 and he went down at 2.30, then woke at 2.50.  So resettled and he went back 3.15 then woke at 3.30 and as I know he will be hungry by 4, Ive not tried to put him back down to sleep as it takes so long.  Each time he wakes and I try to put him down he fusses more and more.  I'm not sure whether to he prefers to be awake longer in the afternoons as he does seem more alert...

Thanks for all the advice thus far!

[MJMom]

The 20 minute mark is a natural point in the sleep cycle.  It's when the light sleep transitions to slightly deeper sleep.  You little guy hasn't learned to get through that cycle yet.  You can help teach him get through that. 

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=85500.0

Also, consider... the 60 - 90 minutes, just might be too much A time for some cycles for him.

HTH!  let me know if you have more questions.

[lyndsy_p]

Alissa is right on the money...it doesn't really matter WHAT you do at that age, it's the period you do it for. KWIM?

Tommorrow I would start the wind down at 145, then off to dreamland by 215pm...likely you'll get a longer nap out of that. I was lucky that my LO didn't have the crazy "20 min jolts" that most LO's have, but sometimes you have to help them through that!

Lyndsy

[muddysnorklin]

Thanks for the advice and links.  I will try shortening his A time and see what happens.