4.5 month EASY help?

[mom_2_2]

I am just starting DS on EASY. He's 4.5 months. Mostly it's going ok, but he won't nap in the afternoon, meaning he's often awake from 2-6pm. I am not sure what's wrong with the schedule (or whether I am feeding him too frequently - although I don't think he can go four hours without eating). When I try to put him down for a nap in the afternoons, he just cries (screams). Here's what his day usually looks like:

6/6:30 - Wake
6:30/7:00 - BF
8:30/9:00 - Nap
9:00/9:30 - Wake (a 30 minute napper)
9:30 - BF
11:00/11:30 - Nap
11:30/12:00 - Wake (another 30 minute nap)
12:00 - BF
1:30/2:00 - Nap (another 30 minutes)
2:30 - BF
4:30 - BF
6:00 - Last BF and bed
(Usually wakes once during the night to eat around 3:30 or 4:00)

Every once in a while, he'll nap for an hour or more, but it's rare. Any suggestions for this schedule would be much appreciated.

[*Liz*]

It looks as though your lo is OT for most of his naps which is why he never sleeps longer than 30 mins, and then fights sleep completely in the afternoon.

It looks as though you do 2.5hrs A time first thing - which is nearer to what a 6 mth old would do.

I would try getting your lo to sleep 2 hrs after they wake in the morning and see if that helps at all.

[mom_2_2]

Is awake time after first waking for the day shorter than for the rest of the day? If so, if the first time to nap is 2 hours, what should the other awake times be throughout the day?

[Yazzie]

Hi,

Had a quick look @ your routine & can tell that the A times are too long, he can't do 2.30 hrs @ 4.5 months & I also noticed that u don't have set intervals for feeds, his short naps are due to being OT.

I suggest u decrease those A times & have set intervals for feeds. You might find the following links useful:

http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=120362.0

http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64158.msg476652#msg476652

Good luck..!

Cheers,
Adam's Mom

[mom_2_2]

Thanks for these replies. One more question: sometimes DS #2 (the one I posted about above) falls asleep in the car while I am bringing DS #1 to daycare. When that happens (usually around 7:30/7:45am) I am almost guaranteed that it'll be a short nap because he's in the car seat. So, what should I do (how should I modify his schedule) on days when he falls asleep in the car?

[Yazzie]

I know my suggestion might sound silly, but if he will stay asleep while u guys r on the road, I'd suggest to keep driving..I sometimes find myself in a situation were my lo's nap is @ a time when we're in the car, so I keep going ard as much as I can to give him a decent nap...can be hectic though.. ..as for after a short nap, I'd suggest readjusting, so that the next A time is shorter than usual, u might find that u need to feed him a little later or earlier to let him nap sooner.

Cheers,
Adam's Mom

[mom_2_2]

Thanks for all this advice. I am trying a new schedule today. But, for instance, so far today:

he got up at 6:20
ate at 7:00
went to sleep at 8:00
is now awake 35 minutes later from his nap (8:35)

From now (it's now 8:35), he'll want to sleep again at about 10:15. And the 3hr5min EASY would have him eating at 10:05. What should I do (I hope this makes sense)?

[*Liz*]

The thing with EASY is we need to find the right A times to suit your lo - and that involves a bit of tweaking the average to make it right for your lo. That is where tried cues are really helpful for lots of lo's - some are misleading though and do need more of a by the clock approach.

The first A of the day is often shorter by 15-30 mins or so. But that is not true for every lo. My DS decreased A's as the day goes on and he isn't the only one. It is less common though. But sometimes it can take a bit of time to work these little things out.

I would start with an A time of 2hr and we will work from there.

If your lo falls asleep in the car for 30 mins it will be short as he will be UT at 7.30am after only 1-1.5hrs A.

Personally I wouldn't always want to drive around for a full nap, and TBH as it is clearly UT he will likely wake after one sleep cycle anyway. I would just shorten the next A by 15-30 mins to avoid a second OT nap and making things worse.

That is what you do after a short nap - shorten the A - and the more they short nap as the day goes on the A gets shorter and shorter.

Have you tried nap extension? With repeating shh/ptt?

Has your lo ever taken long naps?

[mom_2_2]

Good advice. One thing that happens sometimes I try to shorten the A times is that he just refuses to go to sleep (just cries) even thought he is *clearly* tired. Usually I just give up for that one and try again in another 10-15 minutes after he's calmed down.

Yes, he has occasionally had long naps (1.5 hours), but pretty infrequently. I haven't tried nap extension. I think I mostly haven't tried it because I had no luck with it with DS #1 (who was also a short napper for the first several months). I know I shouldn't assume that it won't work with DS #2. Although I have never tried it, I imagine that if I tried to do shh/patt when he wakes after 1/2 hour, he'd just coo and squeal at me thinking it's a fun game with Mommy. Usually when he wakes, he's wide awake, not drowsy. Should I try it anyway?

[*Liz*]

I would shorten the A to 2hrs first, and if that doesn't help then try shh/ptt to extend.

I had minimal sucess with this myself as well - but I suspect that had as much to do with my lack of patience as DS's personality.