HELP! I don't want to turn my child into a snacker!!(This IS a ? about EASY)

[gavinsmum1]

I'm thinking that Jesse's EASY needs an overhaul, stat! I know you're supposed to do things gradually, but everything's falling apart.  Not only have we got EWs, but throw a few NWs into the mix now!!  Yesterday's EASY looked like this:

NW from 3:40-4:20
EW 5:0
E 6:40
A
S 9:05- 10:55 (woke him up)
E
A
S 2:15- 4:05 (woke him up)
E
A
S 7:05 (settled fine)

Okay, here's the problem.  He heard some kind of noise around 9:20 and did not settle again until a little after 10 pm.  He just squirmed around until he fell asleep again.  He also started slamming his legs and squirming around 4:00 so I went in a swaddled him to contain him a little and he fell asleep quickly.  This am he was up again at 5:40 and he has slept a little bit around 6:10 off and on until 6:40.  I'm going to try doing a 3 hr. 15 min A time and shorten the naps a little today to see if it helps.  Any other fab. advice? 

[hjrmom01]

I'm back!  I haven't read through everything, just your last post.  Couple things jumping at me: teething and developmental. Is Jesse doing anything new developmentally? Army crawling, rolling, anything he's learning?  The other thing is teething. H did that EW and NW for a while right before his teeth came through. The 3 days before I saw them he was up anywhere from 30min-1.5 hrs in the middle of the night.  And he was SO unsettled, tossing and turning, couldn't make that last transition of sleep during the night.  Sound like Jesse?  Have you tried any teething gel or teething tablets or pain meds?

[gavinsmum1]

I don't get the impression that he's teething (no unusual grumpiness, naps have been good, etc), but he's just started to sit up independently for short periods of time. Just the other day, in fact.  I'm still thinking that there needs to be some tweaking with A times, though. 
Also, it's so tough to know when to put Jesse down for his first nap now.  For instance, he was up at 5:45 this morning, fell in and out of sleep from 6:10-6:40 and then he was up so I fed him at that time.  He was rubbing and scratching his eyes so badly that I knew that I couldn't have gone the 3 hours till nap time (which would've been around 9:40) so I put him down at 9:20. My theory was even if he had slept soundly for that half hour, tack that on to a 5:40 wake up and you're still only at 6:10, which makes 9:20 a good long A time.  Does that make sense?  I'm grasping here.  I'm really worried that he's gonna be a tough one with development.  Gavin, my oldest, could and still does sleep through everything.  I thought he was a touchy sleeper, but nothing compared to this LO...   
I should also note, that my hubby said he was pretty much awake from 9:20-11:00. He went in, gave him the df and he CONKED out.  Could it be possible that some of these wakings are hunger related and he's just being disturbed from sleep by a hungry tummy?  He's back to taking the same bottles as he was before starting solids and he's eating 6 tablespoons of solids a day.  Can't babies just tell you what's up?!?!? ARG!

[gavinsmum1]

Last night and this morning were much better.
Jesse was in bed by 7:00 and although he woke at 5:15 he went back to sleep at about 5:45-6:50! Yah!
I'm hoping that we might just turn a corner soon.  He's now at the age where there's lot of change on the horizon, but it's good and exciting change.  Although a lot of my posts are frazzled, I've got to remember that he's doing pretty well in the sleeping and eating department and that he's only a baby once!  This is likely going to be my last, so I'd better remember to snuggle him as much as I can now!!

[hjrmom01]

glad to hear the night and morning was better    You are right, there is a lot of change on the horizon and each change can bring new challenges    Every lo responds differently and different milestones can interrupt sleep in different ways.  Definitely enjoy your lo as much as possible!  Especially if he's your last.  I can't believe how fast this first year has gone...my little baby is no more!  In less than 8 weeks he'll be ONE!?!?!  I can definitely say from experience it's been a bit rocky from about 8 months on....but think about all the change, development, and learning that is happening..it sure would disrupt my sleep, too!

[gavinsmum1]

I try to keep in mind all the change that is happening for Jesse and honestly, his temperament does make up for all the disturbances in my sleep.  He's a grinning little cherub most days, so it really isn't bad at all. 
This morning was great.  Jesse went to bed last night at 7:35 for the first time in a long time and although he was up for 45 min. right after the df  (don't know what that was all about), he slept till 6, goofed off and on for about 20 minutes but then slept until 7 ! Yes!  Unfortunately a poop disturbed his am nap  and so we'll see what time bed time is tonight.  Every time I post on someone else's thread my motto is- take each day as it comes.  Nothing and nobody is perfect so get over it- those are my words to myself because I can REALLY get carried away sometimes 
One thing that I've been doing differently these last couple of days is I've been shortening Jesse's first nap.  When I get his A time just right (which usually happens most mornings) he'll go down for 2 hours.  I've only been letting him sleep 1 hr 40- 1hr 50 minutes.  I usually get him up just after 11:30.  I'm finding that he seems to be taking a bit of a longer pm nap and he still handles the same A time. 

[huntersmummyinoz]

does sound like he is needing that slightly longer A time, certainly getting some good naps in now

when you start to run out of hours in a day, then yes you need to start cutting one of the naps short. since he is napping for the 2hrs now, then let him nap that long for one of the naps. it is up to you which nap you want to cut short:

a) shorten the am nap - keep offering this nap at the same time (unless you start getting nap refusal then nudge it later), gradually it will need to be shortened and become a catnap, aim is to have a long second nap. (for every 10/15mins you cut off the first nap, offer second nap 10/15mins earlier). this tends to suit LOs who get sleepy early in the am and like a long A time before bed.

b) move first nap slightly later, nap for 2 hrs. second nap is now slightly later too, but cut it 10/15 mins short (whenever first A time increases by 10/15mins, shorten second nap by 10/15mins). eventually second nap will become a catnap. this tends to suit LOs who like a short last A time (get OT easily at bedtime) and also those who hate to be woken from a nap.

HTH

[gavinsmum1]

Thanks for the GREAT advice Kirry.  I wish I would've had that with my first son, but his transition to one nap was a dream!!  I gradually moved his am nap later and later and he just stopped napping in the pm.  Eventually he went down at around 11:00 or so and did a LONG A time in the pm, but he was great with it- not very grumpy at all!  I've already started to cut Jesse's am nap a little shorter.  He's started doing about a 3 hour- 3 hour 10 min A time after waking, a 3 hour 15 minute A time after his first nap and about 3 hours till bedtime.  Seems to be working fabulously.  He's still stirring most mornings, but the last two, he's slept in until 7 am! I think it may be because he's gone without a catnap for about 4 days or so.

[gavinsmum1]

ARGH! Some days everything is against EASY!! This afternoon's nap was cut short by hail hitting Jesse's window!!  So a total of 2.5 hours of sleep and an early bedtime.  I hope he's not OT!!

[gavinsmum1]

Hmmmm... two mornings now where Jesse has woken up at 1 hour 5 minutes.  Yesterday he had a poop, but today, there's no explanation.  Could this be a hunger issue, or more A time AGAIN.  I put him down at 9:45 and his wake-up was 6:40.  He took a 7.5 oz. bottle half an hour after waking, and inhaled it.  I don't know what's going on, but do I need to consider splitting the morning feed as well now?

[hjrmom01]

I wouldn't split the am feed, too. Try more A time first. Coincidentally, that's exactly what H slept for our "long" pm nap today.... >:(grrrr

[huntersmummyinoz]

i use the rule of 3s, 2 times can still be a coincidence but 3 is a pattern. so if he does the short nap 3 mornings in row then i would try 10/15mins more A time. try that for at least 3 days, if the nap doesnt increase then try the split feed. BUT if you do the split feed then we'll need to look at timing of bottle 3 so that you arent splitting 2 feeds in a day.

let us know how it goes

[gavinsmum1]

Just read Kirry's post here.  It is getting tricky.  So you think that I should just put him down for the nap without splitting that feed.  He definitely is a baby that takes most of his calories during the late part of the day.  If I don't split the am feed he's gonna be going 5 hours between feeds.  This morning, DH went in and fed him as I was away overnight.  He said Jesse took a 7 oz bottle.  There's no way he's taking that much when I nurse him first thing!! I'm winding down bf, so I know that I'm not producing that much.  I think maybe I'll start the day with a bottle from now on and maybe that will impact his am nap as well.  I could also move his solids forward 1/2 hour as well and see if that makes a difference.  He typically gets solids meals 1.5 hours after bottles.

[gavinsmum1]

Went just fine without splitting the feed.  Last night we had company over at the house late and Jesse didn't have the greatest sleep because of the noise our guests made, so I put him to sleep earlier for his am nap and he still slept 1 hr 40 minutes.  It's now been a week without a cat nap and it appears that things are getting better, although he still really fusses in bed early in the am when he has not had a good night's sleep.  Also, I'm finding that if he naps too late in the pm, then his bedtime is a little wonky.  Yesterday his pm nap was from 3:10-4:25 and we couldn't exactly put him to bed until 7:40.  He didn't seem to fare as well as with days that end around 7:15 or so. 

[huntersmummyinoz]

great to hear the catnap has gone and sounds like some good napping going on too

regarding bedtime, even on days when nap 2 is ending a little later, i'd try for a bedtime only 15mins later than usual bedtime. they become very sensitive to their bedtime and offering it too late (despite a good nap) can mean they get a little OT. however, if he is refusing bedtime at regular times (ie. looking UT) then you would have to look at cutting the 2nd nap a little short BUT i dont think he would be ready for this yet as he has only just dropped the catnap.

how old is he now?