6 months and still having questions

[sanderswim25]

just found this birth club thing.  Cool!  My ds will be 6 months Aug 12th.  I have a few questions...

1.  I have done pat/shh forever now, and DS does not sleep independently yet.  What should I do?

2.  He also has issues going to sleep if he is not swaddled.  I tried to wean him, but that did not go so hot.  Should I try it again?

3.  He is waking once in the night, eats a bottle, and goes right back to sleep.  Lately he has been waking up around 5 then going back to sleep until 8:30.  I LOVE the late sleep, but it messes up his routine.  What should I do?  Should I not feed him in the night?

4.  Another area that messes up his routine is short naps.  Since he doesn't sleep the same amount each day, it is hard to get him into a set schedule.  That is why I call it a routine.  What should I do?

I have so many questions....
Thanks,
Sarah

[Jiinx]

Hi Sarah!
 Welcome to BW!

1.  I have done pat/shh forever now, and DS does not sleep independently yet.  What should I do?

I did shush/pat forever too. However, I think a part of the reason she wasn't sleeping independently was bc I had her A time too low.

Sarah, may we see your EASY?

E:
A: from when his eyes opened to his eyes closes
S: duration, when he woke, any sleep extension that you used, how long etc.

 

2.  He also has issues going to sleep if he is not swaddled.  I tried to wean him, but that did not go so hot.  Should I try it again?

I had my daughter swaddled until she was 6 months. It's fantastic way of helping young babies sleep, but as they get older their limbs start getting stronger and it may hinder more than help. Is there a reason you're weaning him? Is it interfering with his sleep?

3.  He is waking once in the night, eats a bottle, and goes right back to sleep.  Lately he has been waking up around 5 then going back to sleep until 8:30.  I LOVE the late sleep, but it messes up his routine.  What should I do?  Should I not feed him in the night?

Well, the one feed at night is perfectly normal. However, we just need to see if he's getting TOO much night sleep, which will interfere with his naps. Does he eat enough during the day?

4.  Another area that messes up his routine is short naps.  Since he doesn't sleep the same amount each day, it is hard to get him into a set schedule.  That is why I call it a routine.  What should I do?

You're right! It's not a schedule. It IS a routine. A routine follows basic consistencies each day and that's what baby whispering is about. Let's take a look at his routine and see if we can see anything.

I'm just going to post some links that may help...sorry if you've seen them already!


* http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=164253.0
* http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=128419.0
* http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=85498.0
* http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64275.0
* http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=85130.0

[sanderswim25]

this is what usually happens

7:30 E
A
9:30 s

11:00 e
A
1:00 S

3:00 E
A
5:30 Cn (though he rarely goes for this cat nap anymore)

5:30 E solids
A
7:00 E
7:30 S

Sarah

[Jiinx]

Hi sarah!
 Your lo has turned 6 months today! Wow, what a milestone It does get easier as they get older.

The one thing that sticks out to me in your routine is your A time. I think they're on the low side.

Usually a 6 month old can handle 2 hours and 15 minutes to 2 hours and 30 minutes. Are his naps all 2 hours long? I wasn't sure when he woke up from his naps.

What do you think? Did you want to nudge his first A by a bit?

[sanderswim25]

I have been trying to up the A time, but he has been just melting down by the end.....

7:30 E
A
10:00 s

11:30 e
A
2:00 S

4:00 E
A
5:30 E solids
A
7:00 E
7:30 S

Is it ok for him to not sleep from 4til 7:30?

[Jiinx]

hi there!

 Just confirming - he had two naps during the day - the first one was 1.5 and the second was 2 hours?

 

Is it ok for him to not sleep from 4til 7:30?

I was looking for that third nap before I saw your question. It's a -very- long time in a baby's world to stay awake for 3 and half hours. He's approaching the months where he'll be able to sustain longer A time, but for now 2 and half hours may be his limit. I would try to put a 30 minute catnap in there. Upon waking from this nap, I would put him in bed within an hour. If you don't want to do a catnap, then you would need to do an early bedtime between 6 and 6:30...

HTH!

[sanderswim25]

Other than adding the 3rd nap, how does that look?

[Jiinx]

|I think it looks really good!!