going to try again, some questions

[Chicane]

Hello all...I am back and going to try starting EASY again. I need some advice and support. Bear with me, this is a long one but want you all to be able to give your advice with as much info as possible.

The Stats:

DS is 5.5 months old. We will start EASY after 6 mth shots and when we get back from Easter holiday so he will be just over 6 months
We tried to start EASY when he was 4 months, lasted 7 days - along with some people on the forum we decided that he was too little for such an aggressive start
He has his first tooth - teething has not been a big deal for him
We are starting solids using a Weaning Plan I have found.

Our big problems are: feeding to sleep (EBF) which is working less and less. He was sleeping 7pm till 4 am but that has now gone back to waking to feed btw 12-2 and again at 4am ish which may be because he is more hungry and might settle again when solids is firmly established. Day naps are too short. He may have 20mins which I can mostly resettle (takes up to 40 mins) and he will sleep for another 40 min to 1 hr. Or he will have 40 min and I hardly ever able to resettle him. He wakes up too early most days (between 4.30 and 5.30) We want to also move him to his own room after Easter hol. We have no outside support. No grandparents or aunts or babysitters. I never get a break until weekend when DH takes DS out for a few hours. DH has agreed to read Tracy and make sure I have everything I need to do this, he will try at times to settle as well but works full time, long hours.

I am going to use The Plan as outlined in Tracy's Solves All Your Problems book (in EASY isn't Necessarily easy chapter)

My reasons to start EASY: 1. to stop feeding to sleep 2. to teach DS independent sleep 3 to work toward STTN

QUESTIONS:

If DS is currently feeding before sleep how do i reverse that? When I start The Plan and wake him at 7am, if he has eaten at 4am he wont be hungry...do I start EASY at the night before and not give him his night feeds?
What if he wakes way before 7am and doesn't resettle? Do I get up and start the day at say 5.30am? Or persevere until 7am and start then?

How can I stay resolved? I am worried I will crack...

Any help/advice/support from people who have been here before, all you wonderful ladies...much appreciated

[Evgenia]

I wonder if u guys will have too much going on to be starting EASY? Solids, just back from holls, moving to his own room and keep in mind a major growth spurt around the 6mo mark.

As far as I know most parenting books, including BW recommend to start solids, only when ur los r feeling well, sleeping well and have a fairly well established routine. With so many changes all at once u r nearly guaranteed OT, nap problems, NWs etc, I just wouldn’t think this would be an ideal time to start solids.

U mentioned a lot of major issues u want to tackle and change. I would personally pick one thing at a time and work on it. Is there any chance u could start easy gradually? If u post what ur typical day looks like we can see if anything can be tweaked to get it to resemble EASY. This will establish some basis for u to work with and help manage all those changes.

U can try to stop BF to sleep now and use pu/pd or shh/ap instead, u don’t necessarily need to be on EASY to teach him to fall asleep independently. U can  keep feeding before bedtime in the evening, just make sure he is fully awake during the feed and when u put him into his cot he is wide awake and then do shh/pat or pu/pd.
If he had a feed at 4am and then settled back to sleep treat 4am as a NW, feed if he is hungry, then wake him up at 7 am and start the day, give the first feed, then A, than am nap.

Do post what ur day looks like at the mom, maybe there is a way to start on easy now, jus baby steps to put u on the right track and so u won’t have as much to work on later.

Hope this helps

[Chicane]

OMG I am crazy! You are right, crazy to try all that at once. So, we have started with stopping the feed to sleep. Yesterday good, three sleeps without boob! See how today goes. I know feed him when he wakes up so that the first morning nap he shouldn't really be hungry...As far as solids we are just tasting and testing at the moment so wont start full on with that for another few weeks. We already follow the EASY philosophy just need to stop the feed to sleep and to get it to EAS not AES. Then I think we will tackle the short day naps (finding it hard to extend the 40 min nap although I know he needs more...he shows me he needs more sleep - I would be happy with one long one and two short ones) then we'll move him...then tackle STTN. Thanks for your message...you defo stopped me from embarking on a method that would surely have been way more difficult than necessary. I will post a typical day as soon as I can get my head around it and would appreciate your comments thank you.

[Evgenia]

Great post ur routine when u have it ready

And great news for his age u can expect 2 long naps (1-2h each) and a cat nap of 45 in the evening, loads of Y time!!!!!

You'll get there sooner than u think!! U have a great plan and tackling issues in a perfect order!!!

Keep us posted