EASY Q

[wifetob]

Hi All,

I have tried to implement EASY with my DS who is now 14 weeks - he's not fitting to the schedule perfectly so we have our own little modified version...anyway I have a few Q's maybe ye can help me with (but maybe not cos I'm not sticking to it 100%)....anyways here goes:

Our Routine:
E: 8am
S: 10am (wakes after 40 mins)
E: 11am
S: 1pm (wakes after 40 mins)
E: 2pm
S: 4pm (wakes after 40 mins)
E: 5pm
S: Can't really get an S here.

Bedtime bottle at 7 and in bed for 7:30.

Night feed at 4-5am.

So basically my questions are:

1. DS wakes around 2:30/3am in the morn and I give him his dodo which puts him back to sleep. I thought after a week or so he would stop waking but he doesn't.
2. Have tried to get the naps longer but to no avail & I was getting a little fixated on it so I decided to relax a little more - any other tips on trying this?

DS is a very happy baby - seems to be getting enough sleep during the day as he wakes up happy but does get very tired around 6:45 pm before bedtime.....plus is still taking 1 night feed and wakes once more for his dodo - basically I don't mind the night feed at all cos he goes for a long stretch but just wondering what ye think.

Also hate that we are using the dodo but it helps that once in the night time and he uses it as a comfort for his daytime naps (usually puts himself off to sleep with his dodo and his teddy after a little to-wing & fro-ing by me).

Thanks - appreciate ye're thoughts.

[anna*]

I'd try cutting his A times down - 2.25hrs after a 40mins nap is a lot for his age and he'll be getting overtired. So he's just feeding once overnight at 4am? Why not feed when he wakes at 2.30am and then maybe he'd sleep through til morning,and you'd only have to wake up once?

[wifetob]

Thanks Anna - what A time should I be targetting for? When I tried lengethening the naps a few weeks back I felt he wasn't ready for bedtime when I was putting him down & this led to his frustration - seems to be working better with the nap times we have now - but maybe I need to re-assess 

[anna*]

Somewhere between 1.5-2hrs after a long nap - definitely closer to 1.5hrs after a short nap.

[wifetob]

Thanks Anna - I am going to give shorter A times a go and see if I can settle him down after 1.5 hours. Fingers crossed 

[wifetob]

So I literally don't know if this was a partial success or failure or what. This afternoon I put him down after 1.25 A time - he was getting cranky. He woke like clockwork after 40 mins. I went in & he was smiling up at me but I began to try and settle him. I held his hands and used his comforter teddy to rub his face. After about 10 mins he started looking sleepy again so I knew I should persist. In total I conforted him for approx 40 mins. He put himself off to sleep about 5 times only to wake 5 mins later. He's gone off now again but no sure for how long. 25 mins to next E. If he gets at least more than 5/10 mins shoudl I consider this a partial success?? I don't know. Confused.com 

Other Q: If this technique meant to simply entend naps or is the aim to teach him how to nap longer on his own?? Not sure I could do this 3 times a day every day 

[anna*]

That sounds like progress!

Yes, longer naps are partly practise, partly getting the A time right, and partly growing into it. You won't have to extend naps forever, but you may need to do it for a while.