I need help with my routine!

[parmar1]

Hi.
I really need some help.
My LO's routine is out of sync due to her only taking short naps (30/45 mins). She is a touchy baby and so is ultra sensitive and very aware of her environment which makes winding her down even more difficult...she sleeps fairly well at night and is able to self soothe, goes down at 6.30/6.45, has a DF at 11pm and a night feed at 3am...
I just cant seem to get her routine right - the EASY way. I'm new to EASY, and I'm determined to succeed...
Here is a typical day:

Wake up: 7am
Eat: 8am
Sleep: 8.30
Wake up: 9am/9.15
Sleep: 10.30
Wake up: 11am/11.15
Eat: 11.30
Sleep: 12.30
Wake up: 1pm/1.15pm
Sleep: 2.30
Wake up 3pm/3.15
Eat: 3pm/3.15
Sleep: 4.30
Wake up: 5pm/5.15pm
Bedtime routine: 6pm
Eat: 6.30
Sleep: 6.45/7pm
DF: 11pm
Night feed: 3am


Its a crazy routine, I am trying to decrease the night feed at 3am as normally at 7am which is when she should be eating, she is hardly hungry so instead wakes at 7am and the eats at 8am...

Any suggestions....I'd like to regulate her sleep and feed times better...

Thank you

Ash
x

[scorpionbec]

How old is your little angel

[parmar1]

that would help...heheheee.
She's 4 months and was 5 weeks prem (if that makes a difference)..although, she doesnt act or look premmie in any way, the cheeki minx..

Hope you can help

Ash
x

[parmar1]

I posted this a few days ago and still need help...please

Thank you

xx

[huntersmummyinoz]

hiya,

welcome to EASY.

good news from looking at your routine is that even tho feeds/sleeps etc are in a different order, she doesnt appear to need a feed to go to sleep, much easier to work with

a few Qs

where does your LO sleep? (bassinette, swing, carrier, etc)
any props? (dummy, rocking, holding to sleep, etc)
has she always been a short napper or is it something more recent? if recent, how long did she nap before?
would she eat enuf at closer to 7.30am rather than 8am? i think reducing that night feed like you are will help her be hungrier sooner.

regarding age, i have found that being premmie tends to affect their A time more than anything else. so you may find her A time is closer to 3mth olds rather than 4mths IYKWIM.

x
kirry

[anna*]

Are you using shh-pat or anything else to try and extend those short naps?

anna
x

[scorpionbec]

Hi there

I found that watching your little ones signs for getting tired or over stimulated is a huge help.  I spent the first week just watching this.

I then would put bubs down for a nap and would ensure that the full 1.5 or 2 hours is in the cot.  If he screamed I came in and let him know that I was there for him.  I would pick him up if I had to and then I would put him back down.  For a week there would be a lot of screaming for a week but now he knows what is happening and he sleeps independently so well.  As long as you persevere the results are just amazing.  I can place him in a cot anywhere and he will talk himself to sleep.  You might feel like your little one is distressed but it is only because she is not sure what is going on.  At this age I was on the 4 hour routine with my little one.

6am eat (bottle)
8am nap
10 eat (bottle)
12 nap
2 eat (bottle)
4 nap no longer than an hour in the afternoon I was starting to bring it down to 30min at this age to encourage better sleep at night
5 eat (bottle)
10/11pm dreamfeed

By this age the dream feed was pretty much gone though and he slept from 6pm to 6 am.  I noticed that he was waking at 11 for the dreamfeed out of habit.  The 3 am might be the same for you also.  I broke my son out of this by stirring him an hour before he usually woke up and within 3 days he was sleeping through.

Also at 4 months I was introducing basic solids (pears and apples) because I found that it would help to get him through to the morning.  It was helping him to feel fuller for longer.  He was a lot happier too once I introduced the solids and the development started to increase and the play time was a lot more productive.  

I found with the naps my son has a blanket that he can't sleep without.  its a comfort thing that he likes to play with to put himself to sleep.

I hope that this has helped you. Please ask any questions that you like I would love to help in any way that I can

Bec from Australia  

[parmar1]

Hiya
Thanks everyone for replying, LO sleeps in her moses basket at most naps, unless out...she has a dummy to help her fall asleep...and she became a short napper at around 2 months - our wind down routine consists of nappy change, close curtains, put in grobag, watch lullaby, cuddle, kiss and put in moses basket sleepy but awake...
I've tried going in at around the 30 min mark and surely everytime she jolts at around 35 min into her sleep, i put pressure on her legs and place my hand on her chest, with no luck, her eyes are wide open....

Do you think she will benefit from 4 hr easy...
She is also quite small for her age and only drinks 3-4oz at every feed, does that have an impact on how long they sleep for...?

Thanks for the replies

x

[huntersmummyinoz]

a big thankyou to all pps that are reaching out to this mummy

are her naps usually 30/35 mins or 45 mins??  the shorter 35min ones often mean OT, and the 45min ones UT. you may need to log exact times for a few days to work out just what she is doing.

i dont know that your LO is ready for a 4hr EASY just yet (she is only 3mths adjusted), as if she was UT she would wake happy from naps and i doubt she would readily be taking that next nap straight after. which makes me suspect she is either OT (too much A time, you could try 15mins less and see what happens) then if she refuses naps on shorter A times, it could be difficulty transitioning into next sleep cycle.

have you tried the other W2S (wake to sleep) technique, where you sneak in, stir gently, then sneak out?? hunter is touchy/spirited and i found if he saw me it was too stimulating/exciting and he wouldnt go back to sleep.
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64168.0
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=85499.0

also, as pp suggested, have you tried pat/shh to extend naps??

regarding milk intake, if she is only small she may not drink as much. general rule of thumb is 2.5 - 2.7oz of milk per pound of body weight, then divide that by number of feeds per day to give you an idea of what size each feed should be. (note this is a guide only and some LOs will do more/less)

it is also important to consider what type of activities she is doing in her A time. try keeping things low key and not overstimulating for a few days, particularly the last 20/30mins before nap time, especially since she is a touchy baby - this really helped hunter. is her room dark? do you use white noise? make sure you take any toys/mobiles out of crib.

x
kirry

[parmar1]

Thanks Kirry...most of her naps are 45 mins and take place 1.5 hours after wake up..should I try to extend A time then, to perhaps 1 hour 40 mins and see where that leads...
When I do feed her after 3 hours she barely takes 2 oz, and when I feed her after 4 hours she happily drinks around 3.5/4oz, so I think in regards to feeding she is happy with the 4 hour EASY - I just cant get the day naps right...
I am determined though, more so than my LO...and I'll get her there somehow...all the moms on this site are wonderful, I am so grateful for everyone's help...
I do feel that she has problems transitioning into the next cycle during the day for some reason...at night she does wonderfully, all I see is her stir, lift her legs up...and goes back off to dreamland - so why cant she do it during the day..?
The pat/shh technique does not work for her at all - she just gets angrier...I think I'll give w2s another go and actually go in before the jolt and stir her gently and then place hand on her chest and wait for around 15-20 mins, enough time hopefully to get her into the next cycle, is that how I shoud do it??

Thanks for replying

xx

[charmie]

I think increasing her a times slightly should help.  Your determination is admirable.  Here is how you do W2S; http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64168.0


xxx
charm

[huntersmummyinoz]

yep, if most naps are 45 mins then try the longer A time and see how she goes, may even fix the problem without needing W2S. with hunter i used to sneak in and brush his cheek lightly, just enuf to make him stir but not wake up, then hide, make sure he went back to sleep and then sneak out. if he woke then i would sh/pat but you could try hand on chest or give paci back.

also, it's not uncommon for LOs to increase their feed times before they increase their A time. hunter was eating 4hrly whilst on a 3.5hr EASY for a while until he could handle the longer times.

keep us posted
kirry