I'm no expert either, just a Mum that spends too long on these forums!!
1. Since she's fairly new to the EASY system, what should her routine look like? I've seen the sample EASY plans but I also read where Tracy said to start 4 month old or older with 4 hr. A few weeks ago or even last week this wouldn't have been a problem but it seems like my DD can't wait that long anymore, especially the later in the day we go. Is that normal and should I try to stay with 4 hrs to prevent needing to switch in the near future?
A typical EASY routine at 4 months (with a 7am wake-up) would be something like:
WU & E 7am
A 7-9am
S 9-11am
E 11am
A 11-1pm
S 1-3pm
E 3pm
A 3-5pm
S 5-5.30/45 (catnap)
E as part of BT routine
BT 7/7.30pm
DF between 10 & 11pm
If you are bottle feeding, I would try to stick with the 4h and make sure you are offering enough at each feed that there is a small amount left in the bottle when LO is done eating. You want her to stop eating because she's full, not because the bottle is empty
The 4h routine is appropriate at this age as most babies will be needing around 1h45-2h awake time. It's possible that later in the day she seems hungry because she's actually tired, however there is a huge growth spurt at around 4 months so if you think she is genuinely hungry, you must of course feed.
2. I've read that to help with night feedings I need to put the calories she eats at night into her day feedings. Should she still be needing these feedings when 3 weeks ago she'd sleep through the night? How do I go about this without making her spit up (she has a tendency to do so when eating too much)? Also, how much per feeding should my 17 week old be eating? She is currently at 6oz. for her first two feedings and between 5 -6oz. for the remainder.
It is very common and normal for night feeds to return at around 4 months with the growth spurt, and often they stick around until LO is fully established on solids. I breastfed, but my LO slept through from very early on until 4 months when she started waking again for a NF. She then dropped it herself once fully on solids at around 7 months. You cannot force your LO to take more during the day than her stomach can hold, and if she is spitting up large amounts with a bigger feed I really don't think you should force the issue. The amount required per feed is largely dependent on your baby's weight and appetite, but 5-6oz sounds about right.
3. I've attempted DF the last two nights (generally 3-3.5 hrs after last feeding) but she is already awake when I go to do so. She's not been crying to really making any noise at that time but is this another indicator that she's not getting enough during the day?
Not necessarily - babies wake during the night for lots of reasons. Sleeping consistently all night is something they have to develop as they get older so if she wasn't particularly crying for you, I wouldn't have thought that was necessarily an indication of hunger.
4. I've been having issues breaking her of using me as a prop to get to sleep (I loved having her fall asleep while I was holding her until I found out I was hurting her development as an independent baby). Would you recommend focusing more on getting her on a schedule before I worry about that or just jump in on all aspects?
Oh (((hugs))) - you haven't harmed her at all!! Mummy cuddles are just lovely and will have formed such a strong bond of trust between you. Never regret doing that! It's up to you whether you tackle independent sleep at the same time as the routine or not. You may find it easier to establish the routine first with her sleeping on you, then work on sleep training as then LO knows they are meant to be asleep, they just have to do it somewhere different. In her books Tracy recommends doing both at once but you have to decide what you think will work best for you both.
5. Does anyone have any suggestions to help differentiate between her cries? Her OT cry sounds so similar to her hunger cry I'm afraid that I'm not understanding in time. Last night I tried and tried to get her to go back to sleep at 2:30am in which she did but only until 3:00 in which I tried for 30 more minutes until I caught on and gave her a feeding in which she had 5 oz. What should I do in this case?
At 4 months if it has been longer than 4h since the last feed and she wakes at night, I would personally just feed. You will not set up a bad habit by doing that - the way you start bad habits is to feed blindly every time she wakes with no thought for whether she is genuinely hungry or not. She should be able to last at least as long at night as during the day, i.e. 4h. If she wakes earlier, do whatever you normally do to settle her until she is all the way asleep, even if it takes you past the 4h mark. You can then feed her the next time she wakes
6. I've been doing better at noticing when nap time is coming up (I was trying to do 2 hrs of A but now have backed down to 1:45 due to OT) but I can't get her to sleep more than 45 minutes at a time (Naps Only). Sometimes she wakes up talking, others crying. When she is just talking I leave her alone and she'll go in and out for any amount of time. When she is crying it takes forever to get her just calmed back down. I've read a lot on the sleep cycle changes and I believe that is the issue because this never used to be a problem and she sleeps very well in the car tucked nice and snug in her car seat. When in her crib I've tried to help her through by shushing and patting, and keeping a hand on her, and swaddling her (she did not need swaddling a month ago) but it's as if she just shoots awake with big bright eyes and very wiggly arms and legs. I don't know how to help her so she doesn't go straight to the crying.
A 45 minute talking wake-up is most likely undertired, crying more likely OT. Getting her A times right will help, though you may need to be consistent in trying shh-pat or wake to sleep to help her learn to transition herself. If she goes to sleep independently at the start of a nap, she will likely find it easier to start transitioning too, which is where the sleep training will come in. Did you want to post what your day is looking like at the moment (don'ty worry if not EAS pattern) to see if we can help?
