Can I have a look at your 5 mo old's routine?

[aimeeL]

...and is it working?? 

K is a bit over 5 mos and is a very sweet, happy, mellow baby... But we've always struggled a bit at nights, and while I've come to accept that she'll be at 1-2 NFs for awhile yet, I *would* like to see if I can iron out her night any better by tweaking her day routine... Because in addition the 1-2 NFs, usually comes a looong NW and even an EW thrown in for good measure...

I've tried shorter naps and longer naps, shorter CNs and longer CNs but haven't yet hit it quite right yet...

This was yesterday:

7:30 a.m. Wake (but this is only because I nursed her back to sleep around 6-ish a.m.. and that was following an hr long NW... normally our wake time is about 6:30 a.m.)
9:50 a.m - Sleep (1 hr)

10:50 a.m.  - Wake (we actually woke her for this in order to go to church)
12:55 p.m. - Sleep (2 hrs)

2:55 p.m. - Wake
5:15 p.m. - Sleep (25 min CN)

5:40 p.m. - Wake
7:30 p.m. - Sleep

NF at 11:30 p.m., woke at 1:30 a.m., got back to sleep for a little, but then up at 2 a.m., and then wouldn't go back down until I BF at 2:30 a.m.. then up at 6 a.m.  I probably could've nursed her back to sleep, but I decided to just start the day then....

So yesterday was a bit on the low end of sleep that she normally does... she's actually a very decent napper and while we do get our share of short naps, I'm often having to wake her... I just don't know when.  I don't know how long the CN should be, I don't know how much total sleep she should be getting, etc, etc.  I haven't even determined really whether she's high sleep needs or low.

I can't read her NWs.  I can't tell if she's OT or UT. 

Like I said, I'm okay with nursing her 1-2/night until solids are established, but I *would* like them to be a quick nurse-and-back-down, iykwim!

So would love to know what you've found that works for your 5 mo old!

[emily3434]

hi aimeeL!  My little man in 5 months 1 week.   he seems to change every 2-3 weeks (just when I've figured him out!!!)  but this is what we are doing now:

7:30 up/eat
8:30 fruit/cereal
9:30 ish nap - usually 1.5-2 hours depending
11:30 eat
1:45 ish nap - we have recently been extending his awake time to closer to 2.5 hours
3:30 or 4 whenever he wakes up he will eat
5:00 solids

this is where it changes -- if he wakes before or at 3:30 we put him down for a 20 min. catnap.  if he sleeps until 4, no catnap, and to bed at 7.

I too have the same difficulty in determining the length of the catnap.  he was really fighting bedtime a week or so again....until I figured out he needed a shorter catnap or no catnap.  If there is no catnap, I usually keep things really low key before bed (low lights on, no tv, and only 1 or 2 toys out) so he does get overtired. 

When my LO is overtired at bedtime, he tends to wake up before midnight, not after.

hope that helps...I feel like every few weeks he changes, then it takes me a week to figure him out!!


good luck!

[emily3434]

P.S. he does sleep form 7:30-7:30 - knock on wood!!!!

we had to eliminate the dreamfeed a while ago because it was waking him up, then he would wake up a lot after the feed, so we dropped that.  one other thing I have been doing, is pumping at night before I go to bed and using that milk to "top him off" the next night.  I also use that milk to mix with his solids the next day.  so when its bedtime, I will nurse him, then give him 2-3 more ounces from the bottle.  it works for us!

[aimeeL]

Thanks for the reply, Emily...!  So on a good day, your LO can/will do 2x2 hr naps and then no CN?  I wonder if that's the way I should go...

I wonder if I should try that today... hmmm... I just started another thread about our NWs because - ugh - they're killing me.  I haven't been as lucky as you to get sttn yet - but have rather come to terms with doing 1-2 NFs as she needs... BUT I'd be much happier if we could be rid of these long NWs. 

Our EASY is actually pretty similar to yours - except that we start about an hr earlier.. and we're also just getting underway with solids...

What do your OT NWs look like?

[emily3434]

my LO is very awake and has always been high in A time.  yes, if I get 2, 2 hr naps then I stretch and keep him up the last 3 hours before bedtime.  actually, I usually put him in his crib for 15-20 min of "quiet time" he usually just babbles and play, but at least its more quiet than being around all the noise downstairs.  If he does fall asleep, I only give him 10 min. on these days.

it seems everyday is a little different though, until he is regular with being able to stay up.

if the last nap is only 1.5, then I always add a catnap, because I've found that if I move bedtime up too much, then we start the day way too early.  I prefer a later bedtime for a regular wake up time, hence, adding a 20-25 min. catnap. (short because he ends up finally falling asleep around 5:50, and I want to keep bedtime between 730 and 8.

we had nightwaking, which if one cue that something needed to change.  he was waking at 3,4,5 but was crying out, and putting himself back to sleep himself.  I didn't want that to keep up and NOT have him put himself back to sleep!! so I'm working on extending A.  we're at 2.5 hrs. right now. the last 10 min. are a stretch, and we rock in the rocking chair.

when he was waking because he was OT it was different -- he would cry and be very difficult to sooth, PU/PD was disastrous, and we would have to hold him for about 20 min. once his eyes were closed again before putting him back down in the crib.  I felt bad because I felt like it was my fault he was OT because I missed his timing (that's my rational for holding him)  It didn't cause a problem at all, because we only held when he was OT and not for typical sleeping.

are you nursing, or formula?  have you tried adding a few extra ounces before bedtime?  that worked for us.  every baby is so different.  if he falls right back to sleep after eating, I can see how its not a really problem, but being up and chatting is just not what we want!

[~Sarah~]

Hi girls-
Looks like you are sharing some really good info

Here are some links that may help you find some more answers:

http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=164029.0
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64837.0
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64158.msg476652#msg476652
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=85134.0

Check those out and see if it answers some of your questions
Sarah