3-3,5 EASY Should I stop transition?

[domabi2]

I was present at almost every board  All because hard transition. My baby was at perfect 3 hrs Easy. Then she started to make A & S longer. It was ok till she started the growth spurt. I didn't have enough milk for 3,5 easy. I came back to feed every 3 hours and tried to keep ather things at it was. It didn't work and my lo started to do 45 min. naps. I skipped into 3.10 EASY and it worked for a short time. she was not hungry after this time and she still had 45min naps (we work to extend it by W2S and pressing). So I decided for 3.15. She wanted to sleep longer so I let her and it looks a little bit like 3.5 EASY, but...
- She make very nice first nap, than she wakes up after 30min., she has A time and make another 30.
- She usually doesn't want to go for evening naps. Now, when there's no evening nap she doesn't want to go to bed earlier. She has a very short last A time (after being fed at 5.30 she is already sleepy at 6.10. So we tried to top up her, bath and put into bed at 7, was is about 45 min-1hr earlier than usually. It ended with 1hr cry.
It looks like OT, doesn't it? But what EASY is apropriate for her

A few informations:
She eat at 4.30AM, than she started her day at 7.00 (sometimes I wake her up)
She is EBF and she is a spirited baby (she sleeps in a quite dark room, but she is not swaddled)
I do DF at 11PM (in fact she wakes up)

Thank you for all suggestions

Agnieszka

[domabi2]

And one more important information :she's 4month and a half

[meltown]

your day should be a 12 hour day.  so if she wakes at 7:00 she should go to bed at 7:00.  at this age, I think she should be ready for a 4 hour EASY.  if not 3.5 at least.  how long is she awake before each nap?  could you post a more detailed routine for us to look at.  that will help to know what she needs.  just be sure that if you are implementing new things to try them for a few days before deciding if they are working or not.  your LO needs time to adjust.

[domabi2]

Thank you for your reply.

I will write EASY which was the average a few days ago (more or less with some variations and with problems of extending naps - some of them were 1.30, some 1, some 45 ) :
E 4AM
E 7.00
A 7.20
S 8.45-9.00
E 10.15
A 10.30
S 11.50
E 1.30
A 1.50
S 2.45-3.00
E 4.30
A 4.50
(S 5.30 - not common, while she usually cries much)
E&B 7.00
S 7.30

<When we implemented easy (in 3rd month), We used BW as a guideline. Tracy proposed EASY starting at 7 and ending with E&B at 7. That's why we do like that.>

But today and more like thet during last 2 days was:
E 3.30 AM
E 7.00
A till 8.50
S cry
E 10.15
A 10.20
S 10.30
A 11.15
S 12.15
A 1.00
E 1.30
A 1.50
S 2.30
A 2.50
E 4.00
A 4.20
S 4.50
A 5.00
E&B 6.00
S 6.30

So what to do now? I'm so frustrated that I'm thinking of resigning from easy. In fact it's not an EASY anymore. I'm also tired by trying to extend naps, which doesn't work in 75%.


I will apreciate any suggestions.

Agnieszka

[ktlamb]

Agnieszka - I wish I had an answer for you, but I'm a novice myself.  I just wanted to send you hugs! 

Katie

[meltown]

ok, so, lets just start with a 3.5 hour EASY and we can adjust from there.  Sorry this is so frustrating with you.  I totally understand though.  first off it is common for babies at this age to have developmental short naps.  it is something they usually grow out of by 6 months.  so you may want to look at the day as a whole sleep wise and look at each EAS seperatly.  they E should be pretty much every 3.5 hours.  so here is what your Ideal routine would look like.

  3.5 EASY

730 wake, diaper change, feed
900- nap 1
1100- wake, diaper change, walk around the house...ANYTHING to distract...FEED
1230- nap 2
230- wake, diaper change, feed
400- nap 3
545- wake
600- feed
630- bath
650/700- feed
730- bed
1030/1045- optional dreamfeed...works for some


If your LO does a short nap.  you just have to be sure that the awake time is no longer then 1.5 hours.  so lets say your LO sleeps from 1:00-1:45.  start the 1.5 hours of time at 1:45 and be sure to only go until 3:15 then is another Sleep.  this will mean that your LO will get enough sleep duringt he day and you will be less frustrated and eventualy things will begin to even out.  also with Eating, there will be times the Eating time will be moved up or late depending on sleep.  this is ok.  just do what you need to for that nap.

I would try this the next couple days and see how you feel about it then let me knwo ad we can work on it from there.

[domabi2]

Melissa, could you give me more information about the plan you propose? I have a few questions.
1. My lo wakes up at 7 by herself at the moment. Sometimes at 6.40 and I start the day earlier. What should I do if she wakes at that time?
2. Third piont is not clear for me (1100- wake, diaper change, walk around the house...ANYTHING to distract...FEED) I have two hours between 9 and 11 to make her sleep, is that right? It can be one or two naps, yes? If she doesn't want to sleep I do anything to distract her and give her feed at 11.00. What if she sleeps 1.15-30 like she previous did? I distract her and give feed at 11.00 or I try to make her sleep once more?
3. My LO is used to make 1.45 in the morning at the moment. Should I go back to 1.30?
4. When My Lo is tired she doesn't want to eat in the evening. That's why I feed her before bath. When she goes fussy in a bath I just make it shorter. I can't do it with eat...
5. I forgot to write that I do DF at 11PM. I have a question. She doesn't wake up for it before that hour. What is the idea of making it earlier or later? Is a difference between e.g. 10.30 and 11.00? Can it affect sleep?

I will wait one day more just to make sure I understood you right and make everything clear. Thank you. I look forward for your reply.

Hugs

Agnieszka

P.S. Thank you Katie, hugs to you too

[meltown]

if you are ok with a 7:00 wake up time then just move everything up in the routine.  As for the 11:00 thing.  feed at 11:00ish.  the distraction thing was a note for us when we transitioned.  I saved all our routines and use them to help others when they need suggestions.  I forgot to take that off. 

the morning sleep time is up to you really, but I would wake just for the fed thing.  as for the dream feed,  it really should already be happening by 11:00 but it isn't bad to start it then.  you may just want to move it up 5 min or so.  the later it is for some kids it will mess with sleep the rest of the night.  but if it is working for you I wouldn't change it to much.

[domabi2]

I think sth like this is possible, while is the most simmilar to what we have:

700 wake, feed
8.45- nap 1 (I can work to make it one long, while we are usualy at home at this time)
10.30- FEED
12.00- nap 2a
12.45 A
2.00- feed
2.30 nap 2b
3.15A
4.15 - nap 3
5.00A
5.30 feed
6.00 bath
6.30 feed
6.45- bed
1030 DF

it makes 30 min of sleep less, but I don't think we can manage make naps longer. If she sleeps any day longer I can try to follow the easy you proposed.

Does it sound good?

Agnieszka

[meltown]

looks good.  be sure to give it a few days for your LO to adjust.

[domabi2]

Ok, let start tommorow    We'll see.

Thank you, and please, think about us...

Hugs

Agnieszka

[domabi2]

Day 1st report:

E 4AM
Waking 6.00
E 7.00
S 7.45
A. 8.30 (she used to sleep 2hs after waking at 6  )
E 10.30
A 10.50
S 11.50
A 12.30
S 12.50
A 1.45
E 2.00
A 2.20
S 3.00
A 3.30
E 5.00
Bad 5.30
refusing Eating beacuse of fussiness
refusing going to bed
E 6.30 (hungry)
S 7.00

So I don't know if she was too OT or too hungry to go to sleep.

I had also a few such situations that she gave the sleeping kues, I put her into bed, she was trying to get asleep for a few minutes, than she started playing, talking to herself and than crying, after calming down she started playing again and so on. Without sleep. Finaly I took her for a walk snd she slept in a crib.

What happened?? Please, help, it's awful to see her like that

Agnieszka

[domabi2]

She woke up after 30min of sleep and give 30min. cry : (
Isn't this plan too much for her?
A

[KitchenerMom]

Agnieszka,

My LO is going through the same thing right now trying to transition from 3 to 4 hr EASY, and it seems like every day she does something different.  It is very frustrating!  Some days she eats every 4 hrs, some days goes back to 3 hrs, and some days she switches each eating period!  Sometimes she would only be awake 1.5 hrs between naps, sometimes she would manage 2 hrs.  What I started doing was watching her more for cues and keeping a flexible EASY schedule but wrote down what she did each day to see if there was a pattern that I could work with.  Just take the transition one day at a time!

My first DD was a Touchy sleeper and had 5 months of being overtired - I know how frustrating it can be to try and fix naps that aren't long enough, but it is better to try and get it right now than to have to fix it later.  We will all help you as best we can.

[domabi2]

Thank you for reply. I hope this time will get by quickly. I try to think how sweet it will be after all this..

Hugs

Agnieszka