Implementing EASY for the first time with 6.5mo

[Sephy]

I've just read the BW solves all your problems and have started trying to get my baby girl on a routine for the first time. I used to breastfeed her to sleep all the tome, and we got into two hourly wake ups and 30-45minute naps.

Before reading the book I spent last night extending her naps basically with wake to sleep anSd only feeding her once or twice at night, and shh patting her for the other wake ups. Yesterday she managed two naps of an hour /1hr15 with no intervention, so I decided the time had come to try EASY and being a bit more strict about things.

I'm trying to use the plan in the book, and so far we had an hour of crying in the cot before I finally patted her to sleep at 650 for ten minutes and took her into her room twenty minutes before her nap time of 9. (Am I right that to start with I should follow the four hour EASY as set out in the book with naps at 9, 1 and optional CN at 5?).

She fell asleep really fast with a bit of shh patting at 8:50, quiet til 9:20 when she cried so I went in and shhd her back to sleep, repeat at 10. At 10:30 I figured she'd had at least 1hr 20 across the 1hr40 she was in her cot, so I got her up when she cried.

Was that right, or should I have persevered til 11? Having got her up, should I feed now or wait til 11? And do I just do the rest of the day by the routine or do I need to adjust it?

Thanks very much for any help. Bit too sleep deprived to easily apply the book!

[Kellyjs]

Hi Sephy, welcome to BW 

Sounds like you're doing great! However, at around 6months it tends to be more EEASY with all the solid foods now.

I think your LO is too old for the 4-hour easy personally. They don't tend to need the CN anymore at around this age.

Some good links to have a read through are Average A times- BOOKMARK ME!

And Sample EASY routines, 6-12 months

You'll need to try and establish you LO's awake time to figure out your routine effectively. Average awake times are around 2.75-3hrs.

It might be an idea to post your routine so one of the moderators can take a look?

It should look like this:
Wake up @ 6.30 or whatever time she wakes up
E bf
E breakfast @ 8
A
S @ 9
Etc etc

Xx

[Sephy]

Thanks very much Kelly. Oops, I think I thought everyone just had to get onto that 4 hr routine after 4 months, which when I think about it doesn't make much sense!
Ah well, given that before this we were on 1.5-2.5 hr awake time, at least 4 hour hasn't been a massive change.

Before trying to do the 4 hr EASY, we were wakig up at varied times from 5-30 to 7-30 and then fed, awake 1.5hrs then fed to sleep, and fed to sleep 2hrs after each (short) nap.

Today we:
Woke up at 5:50, shh patted til 6:50
S 6:50-7
E bf at  7
E small amount of solids at 8
A
S 8:50 - 9:20
S 9:30 - 10:00
S 10:05 - 10:30
E bf at 11 (is this right to wait to feed time or should I bf on waking?)
A
E small amount solids at 12
A
s 12:50 - 14:20
A
E bf at 15:00 (baby veery unhappy from 14:35 wanting food, should I have fed her earlier?)
A
E solids at 16:00
A
S CN 17:25 - I will wake her at 18:00 if she doesn't wake.

Then I plan to get her to bed by 7.

I'd be really grateful for any help - I'm finding it tough to let her cry (with shh patting) rather than feeding her to sleep and I think I need to take any thinking out of the equation and just follow a plan. Otherwise I'm worried I'll end up giving up.

I definitely think that pre-BW her A times have been too short and it will be good to increase them. I'm worried about making her wait any longer between bfs though because she has never been a great feeder and she's not really taking much solids yet either. I was really upset to make her wait almost half an hour for a bf this afternoon and I don't want to do that any more often.

[Kellyjs]

I do love a plan!

Don't worry, you're doing just fine.. It's really difficult to interpret things sometimes especially when you're sleep deprived and trying to tackle so many things at once! That's what this site is for... It's amazing!

Anyhoo, let's get started on what I think. I'm sure a moderator will be along soon to help too, but here's my two-pence worth 

You need to get rid of that cat nap soon. Trust me... I kept it too long and it results in NW (night wakings) and suchlike. Once you start to increase her A's it'll naturally drop off the end soon anyway.

Short naps of 40/45mins been she's UT (under tired), so I'd work on that first A first. You will need to increase the A time slowly.. Too much too quick results in a OT (overtired) little bubba.. bTDT! Try and stick to a 12-hour day in total. Sometimes we lose sight of that when we're concentrating on each A.

Now some lO's like a short A for their first one and some prefer it to be the longest (mine is the latter). Do you know which one yours is? Either way, I'd add another. 15mins to that first A in the am. You might still get an UT nap, but hold it for a couple of days then increase by another 15mins. It's normally hard those last 15mins as they may give you sleepy cues as they're used to going down at that time. Just do something low-key. I usually carry DD around for those 15 mins and point out things in the house.

Wrt breast feeding. I'm not an expert as I quit at 3months but I do know breast feeding on demand to a degree is fine. You just don't want to fall back into feeding her to sleep. I would feed her on wake up from her nap, you don't have to wait until a specific time. That's the best thing about BW. It's so adaptable. For example my DD has 2 bottles and a solid meal in her first A.. It really doesn't matter as I make sure she has at least 15mins A before I put her to sleep.

I'm sure a moderator will be along soon with more and probably better advice! Xx

[Sephy]

Thanks Kelly I really appreciate you taking the time to answer. I should be able to drop the nap - today we were in the car so no way of avoiding it really, but have no plans like that for the next few days.

I'm now wondering if I have also misinterpreted Tacy's advice about nap length when introducing EASY - is it OK to have naps of 1hr20 on day 2 like I did today or should it definitely be above 1hr30 for a baby as old as 6mnths? Is there a total nap time sleep requirement?

[Kellyjs]

Hi hun. I really wouldn't worry about that cat nap now, it'll naturally drop off the end once you increase your LO's A times. Keep it for now. Just start on that first A only to start with.

1hr 20 nap is brilliant! A baby's sleep cycle is 45mins so it means she has transitioned from one sleep cycle to the next very well without your intervention.

There are average sleep requirements but it does depend whether your LO is low sleep needs (LSN) or high (HSN) or just plain average. It does seem your LO is doing well on total sleep so don't worry too much. Here is the link for that Typical Amounts of Day and Night Sleep

Xx

[Sephy]

Thanks for that link, I'll keep referring to it.

Right, as the 4 hour plan is already a jump in A time at first wake up I'll stick to that for now, and work on stretching out the second nap by 15mins first.

I'm very excited to report that last night, despite a lot of resettling between 1 and 3 (eventually bf'd as soon as she woke at 4 as I couldn't face another couple of hours wondering if she was hungry) she stirred briefly at 6:40 but was easily resettled and had to be woken at 7. She already seems much happier than yesterday when she screamed for an hour between 5:50 and 6:50.

And her first nap has gone really well - 1 hour 20 and counting!

I really appreciate the support Kelly, especially as I have spent a lot of time reading attachment parenting stuff which seems to imply letting your baby cry at all is really wrong. I keep reminding myself that she knows I'm there for her rubbing her back or whatever, but during the 45 minute of screaming at bedtime it was hard to be reassured. Still, day 2.5 now and giving up would be a waste of all the crying she's already done :-)

[Kellyjs]

Yay! So glad to hear last night went well. Some lO's still need a night feed or two up to 12mo.

All babies cry hun, the best thing you can do is just be there to support her. You're doing everything right. Once the A times are correct, she'll go down easily and fall to sleep.

Just keep a log of your LO's easy for the next few days. You'll be able to see a pattern between the A time and longer naps. If the short 40mins nap comes back, just lengthen the A by 15 mins before it the next day. It does take a Bit of tweaking to get it right. There's a lot of developmental and teething things that happen around this age so don't be surprised once you do lengthen the A's, she'll need another jump a couple of weeks later! They like to keep us on our toes these bubbas.

Keep me updated! Good luck xx

[Sephy]

Well this afternoon wasn't too great because I tried to sick too rigidly to the 4 hour routine - an obvious mistake! To remind me for the future, today went:

Shh pat at 6:40,
S 650-7
E bf 7
A
E solids 8
A
S 9 - 10:50 (with no resettling needed! Hurrah!)
E 11 bf
A
E 1230 solids
A
S 1.15 (stupidly trying to get close to the 1pm in the 4hr routine)
Two or three resettles needed to keep her sleeping past the 40minute mark - eventually up at 2:40
E 3 bf
A
E 4:15 solids
A
Very sleepy at 5, tried for a catnap at 5:10 but she didn't settle quickly so I abandoned it to avoid a really late bedtime.
E bf 5:30
A bath
S 6:30 - 7:15
Quickly resettled 7:15 and now still asleep at 8:40.

If the previous nights are anything to go by she'll probably wake before I get to DF (eg she might wake 9:40 or 10:30) should I settle her back which probably means a DF will wake her in another half hour or so, or should I just feed her then? Or try and get in there early to DF before any wake up?

Thanks again for your encouragement.

[Kellyjs]

Hi hun, sorry for the late reply... How did the DF go?

Great am nap, well done! The afternoon doesn't look too bad at all really. 

 I would extend your second A by 15mins today and see if that helps with the nap. It looks like your LO likes a short first A, but can go longer for the second after that decent nap. So if she wakes at 10.50am again for her first nap, I wouldn't put her down again until 1.30pm which would give you 2hrs 40mins A which is quite reasonable for her age.

It gets really difficult to fit in that cat nap as I mentioned before. Just don't be afraid of an EBT. I've had my DD down some nights at 5.45pm! The key is for them not to get OT before bed. If the cat nap gets refused again, I would aim to get her in bed no later than 6. Don't worry, more often than not, they tack on the extra sleep and wake up usual time.

Wrt to the dream feed... I was always quite militant about the timing, but DD was bottle fed. She did wake up for it more often than not but as there was minimal interaction, she knew she was only up for a feed and used to go straight back to sleep again. I think use your judgement if she wakes earlier? Does she sound hungry? If so, feed her, if not, I'd wait until the right time and resettle any WU's beforehand.

All in all, I think you're doing brilliantly! Your LO has obviously responded well to her new routine. Think there will be some minor tweaks needed and you're heading for the 3-2 nap transition which can be a little tricksy. Have a read of this link to prepare you for it. All about the 3-2 transition- 5/6 months

Xx

[Sephy]

My DH came up at 1020 (so I'd already had about an hour or so of sleep!) so I went to DF her then. She did wake up, but fed back to sleep and was easily resettled with a couple of shh pats.

I think I'll hope to do the same again tonight - the problem is I think that DH coming up to bed sometimes wakes her creaking on the floorboards so then she's awake anyway.

She woke at 2 and 5:30 last night. At 2 she settled again within half an hour but then cried again ten minutes after I'd left her - when I went in she had a dirty nappy so that took a little while to sort! And at 5:30 she really wanted to get up, as SE could see a lot of light coming round the cracks of her door. But there's annoyingly nothing I can do about that as there's a big skylight in the hall and no way of covering it. She eventually slept again at 6:20, then stayed asleep til 7, with a little bit of encouragement.

So that's the first time I haven't fed her between 11 and 7, and I don't think she was particularly hungry even on waking, she didn't have a very enthusiastic feed. I'll try again to wash down her solids at 8 I think.

I am a bit concerned that she's getting reliant on shh patting or at least pressure on her arm from me, but when she cries so much at sleep time I don't want to stand over her doing nothing to calm her - and as soon as I stop shh patting she seems to cry again. I really haven't identified her mantra cry though, but she just sounds annoyed when I stop, with a noise coming from the back of her throat.

Thnks again Kelly for your help and support, I'll give the 1.30 naptime a go this afternoon and see how it goes.

The health visitor is coming at 9:15 so I just hope I can get her down before that...

[Kellyjs]

Don't worry too much about the ssh/pat yet hun. You'll need it for a while to get her settled on the new routine. You can do gradual withdrawal later on.. One thing at a time eh?! 

I've got the same thing here about the creaking floorboards. Good thing is, they're usually still tired enough to resettle back to sleep. Bit different when DH has to go into work early and she's convinced it's time to get up between 5.30-6! Think that also applies to your light around the door and waking up and seeing it's light so obviously time to get up! At least she went back to sleep.

Just make sure your A time between wu from 1st nap to put down for the second is 2hrs 40mins if she had a good nap this morning. You don't necessarily need to work by the 1.30pm time ok?

Let me know how it goes xx

[Sephy]

Hmm whoops I think I should have checked your post before putting her down rather than waiting for the peace afterwards!

She woke up twenty five minutes into her nap (at least the health visitor had been and gone!)  so I went in to resettle her. Too scared of creaking waking her all over again so I fell asleep on her floor (I've set up a single bed in there with a double duvet so I was pretty comfortable).

Then we both slept til I woke and woke her up at 11:15, so she probably had about 2 hours plus all in.

So we were a bit behind "schedule" (ha, the book even says never to use that word) for her 11am feed. I think it's the feeding that's making me a bit nervous, even though she obviously won't starve, just want to make sure my supply is enough etc.

So then she got really grumpy and tired at about 120, but I strung it out for a little so she went down at 1:45 - only 2.5 hours.

But on the positive side, she was so tired she closed her eyes straight away when I put her down. I crept out, opened the door to leave, she opened her eyes, beamed at me, then closed them again and I haven't heard a peep since leaving! So although I do want to extend that A time a bit, maybe it was the right time for her today.

Thanks for still checking in with me Kelly, I'm using this as my virtual log too xx

[Sephy]

Just to update before I forget... She slept until 2:50, so just an hour and ten minutes. As she'd had such a long morning nap I didn't bother trying to extend.

Then she had a 5-10minute shut eye in the sling at 5:30, but went down within ten minutes at bedtime and was asleep by 6:45.

That sort of sounded like following the advice in the 3-2nap link you shared Kelly.

Let's hope tonight goes OK. Just now was the first bedtime I've fed her before bath rather than after and she's gone down OK. Just hope we get a good DF or I'm going to feel mean not feeding her in the night. But after last night with no night feeds was successful I don't really want to go backwards.

As her solids intake is definitely increasing its so hard to know if she's still drinking enigh... Think I'll go lurk on the bf board too.

[Sephy]

Feels like last night was a regression.

After a successful Df at 1020 she woke at 12 something, 2 something, 3 something, 4 something, 5 something and 620.

Shhing and Patting just now calmed her, but she's wide awake

And now moaning and crying a bit...

Twenty more minutes of night time left...

[Kellyjs]

Hey, sounds great about the naps! I really wouldn't worry about being 15mins or so late for the bf, your supply will be well established after doing it for long. But please do ask someone on the bf boards if your at all concerned.

It's absolutely fantastic she's settling better for naps and BT. I'd hold the A's as they are for a day or so to get her used to them.

Onto the NT.. Did she settle herself at all those WU's? If not, did she go back to sleep quickly? Perhaps your extra nap caused you to sleep lighter so you were more aware of her waking up? Or in this house, that many WU's normally means teething issues....

What time was BT last night? She had over 3.5hrs of DT sleep yesterday which is quite a lot. If you tried for 12hrs NT sleep as well, that could be the reason she woke up 30mins early?

Don't be too concerned about her waking up slightly earlier in the morning. We all do it! Is she happy enough to hang out in her bed until you come and get her? I leave my LO chatting away for 15mins in the morning until I can bear getting up.. She wakes at 6.15, but I can't cope with getting out of bed before 6.30!!

[Sephy]

Really down right now.

For The second time in a row I have been resettling her every hour (this time I didn't see 2 something, but had half midnight, 130, 330, 430, 530). d
Depressed that this is now worse than before I started (then it was very 2-3 hours).

On the plus side, she did really well 7:15-midnight with no WUs except a bit roused at the DF.

Not sure it's worth me trying to go back to sleep now as she's bound to wake at 630!

Naps yesterday were pretty bad too, not helped by Dh offering to do one resettle, getting muddled up, laughing and smiling at her so she was wide awake (and grumpy) so we had to abort that nap in the end.

Yesterday's EASY was:
WU 6:30
Attempt to resettle until 650.
Get up 650.
E 7 bf
E 8 solids
A
S 9:10 -
E 11 bf
E 1230 solids
A
S 1:30 - 2:00, 2:00 - 2:20 (then DH's disaster resettle)
A
E 3 bf
S 3:55 - 4:25 (think she was woken by the Tesco deliveryman leaving)
A
E 5 solids
A
E 6 bf (as she was asking for it)
E 6:30 bf to top her up per bath and bed
A bath
S 7:15

Then all quiet til the DF, straight back to sleep and quiet til 1230.

Hmm typed out it does look quite inconsistent. She was so grumpy all day - don't know of she's teething hence the bad sleep and grumpiness or just tired from last night's antics.

She seems to wake up and then cry every time, so I am
Always in there resettling her. I'm now shhing and patting to calm her initially, then rubbing her back when she's calm. As soon as I stop she always cries unless she's very close to sleep or is asleep.

Yuck.

Feel a bit better for typing it all out.

[Kellyjs]

Poor you ((hugs)) it is hard when it goes like that.


Hmmmm... What's strange is that second sleep. 30mins tends to mean OT but she managed really well on that same A yesterday. I do think teething has something to do with this all right now. Do you want to try medicating her 15mins before nap time to see if that helps?

One thing that really does stand out is that last A before BT. It's a little long especially after a 30mins CN. Perhaps bring BT a little earlier to 6.45-7 and she how she does.

Try to keep to the same A's for a while and see if she settles down hun. Teething always seems to come and mess things up! Grrr xx

[Sephy]

Well one positive thing (sort of!) is that her cheeks are lurid red now, so I'm pretty sure teething or something else painful is going on.

Morning nap I left the room while she was awake and crying a bit and she self settled in about thirty seconds. Then woke after thirty minutes, but after just a little shhing slept for another hour and twenty minutes. I woke her for her next feed.

This afternoon I put her down after 2hr40 - she settled relatively quickly but woke after 13 minutes and was really screaming (I had given her some calpol before nap but it did sound like pain to me). After twenty more minutes of shhing she's asleep again.  Poor love.

Thanks as ever for reading and your support Kelly.

[Kellyjs]

That's ok hun. At least we know it's teething issues atm.

Perhaps leave the routine as is until she feels a little better then we can work on it again? Some lo's shorter A's when teething anyway. Keep in mind about that last A before BT though ok? Don't let it get too long.

See you soon x

[Sephy]

No need for a comment, just to remind me how today went:

Wu 6:30. Shh lat til 6:50
E 7 bf
E 8 solids
A
S 9:05, wake up after 30mins, resettled relatively quickly. I woke her at 11
E 11 bf
E 1215 bit of purée
A
S 1:47-2, shhd for 20 mins, really upset baby 2:20-255
E 3 bf
E 4:45 solids
Refused CN at 5:15
E 5:45
A bath
E 6:05
Swaddled etc
S 6:30 (in cot lots before that, but shouting / babbling / crying)

Really didn't know what to do on the PUPD front as she didn't seem really upset but was more shouting than crying. Not happy or calm. Eventually left the room as an experiment and she was quiet after 4 more cries. Don't know if that means they were settling cries or if I have just abandoned her.

Finding it hard to judge if I'm doing it right. Will post on PUPD board in the morning. Too tired now, will sleep!

[Sephy]

Last night started off worse than the two before it, but ended up better.

Nws at 1130, 1215, 210 (took about an hour to go down), 440 (BFd) then stirred at 6, with 2 cries but back to sleep before I could get there. Then slept til 7:25, with us both oversleeping, oops!

Wu 7:25
E bf 725
E solids 825
A
S947- 11:25
E 1125
A
E 100 solids
S 210 - 305, 310 - 330
E 330 bf
A
S 520 -545
E 550 solids
A
E 7 bf
A bath
S 740

Already woke after 45 mins, and again at 935 which I think was DH opening and shutting a door loudly. Doing an early feed now as can't be bothered to wake up for a DF in forty minute or so... Just hope this feed doesn't mess up all the hard work so far.

[Sephy]

And last night was the worst yet.

She went down fairly quickly but then woke after just 30-45 mins of sleep for most of the night.

Really long difficult to settle waking from 2:10 until 330, then awake again at 4. BFd her, put her down asleep but then she woke again after ten minutes.

She had both calpol and nurofen but they didn't seem to make any difference.

Feel a little cheated by the BW book, as though I was "promised" some improvements in a few days when actually night sleep has got much worse. I expect I'm doing something wrong, but I don't know what. And now I really am tired!

She did sleep about 540 til I woke her at 730 so that's something. No horrid early morning crying to start the day with.

[Kellyjs]

Sorry it's not going well for you atm hun. The book is there to guide us and help us understand our Lo's. Most do not fit into an exact routine and need a little bit of encouragement to help them get where they need to be.

As the meds aren't making a difference...Sounds like you're slap bang in the middle of needing to transition to 2 naps sooner rather than later. Long NW like that can mean UT and needing to get rid of the cat nap. Remember that link I posted a while back?

She must be nearing 7mo now right? Her A times are still a little under where they could be. sometimes this is learned behaviour and it becomes apparent in the night. Hence long NW and so-called 'cot parties'. A times need to be increased slowly again.

I would suggest increasing that first A again. You only had 2hrs 20mins for the first A for the last easy you posted. Perhaps increase that to 2hrs 35mins for a couple of days? The aim is to eventually get to 3hrs A time which would allow you to drop the cat nap. It's going to take a while ok? I see you're capping that cat nap which is great. You might need to cap it to 15-20mins as the A times start to lengthen to preserve BT. The other A's I would keep as is for now. You had 2hrs 35mins for the second A, then less than 2hrs before the CN, then 2hrs before BT.

What do you think? Xx

[Sephy]

Kelly, thanks so much for replying it really helps me feel less alone.

DH told me he hates it when I get upset as he can't do anything, so now I feel guilty for crying in front of him, as well as her. It's ridiculous!

Looking back, that's now a few times in a row that it's been really bad around 2. Is it worth trying to forestall that by feeding her at 1 instead of the dream feed I wonder? Then at least she'd have a full tummy at 2 even if she still wants to get up and play. Though from the screaming I don't think she's particularly interested in playing really.

(Do you think it's worth me posting that as a separate question on the sleep board or shall I just get on with trying it out?!)

This afternoon has really messed up any semblance of a routine. We were doing ok until she woke 25 mins into her second nap. I shhd her til calm and left her whining and babbling. Ten minutes later realised she's done a dirty nappy which needed dealing with. Once that had happened she screamed blue murder rather than sleep again. So I waited til afte her next feed, faffed around a bit so she didn't associate the two and then put her down for another nap 1 hr 40 after the last one. Might need to cap it to stop bedtime
Being a nightmare.

Hmm. I'm thinking we'll give EASY and resettling naps until they're over an hour one more week (complete with staying at home etc ) and then if things are like they are now with no improvement we'll have to try something else. I'm starting to get annoyed with her, very upset by all the crying and am so OT myself. Just don't know what else to try though.

Anyway, hopefully this week we will see even a few small improvement to encourage me that EASY is worth it!

Thanks again Kelly, I really appreciate it.

[Kellyjs]

Oh sweetie, I've had those days.. Bawling my eyes out because I didn't know what I was doing wrong! You are so not alone there. My DH said the same thing and tbh I think they think we take it all a bit too seriously. I promise it will get better. I had slightly different issues as my DD would only nap 45mins, then decided to go through the 3-2!! Imagine only 1.5hrs total DT sleep... Nightmare! Oh and I forgot to mention the 4.15am EW... Yuck!

I did what you have done and kept the A's too short for my DD's age. At least your LO will settle back and continue the nap., mine just screamed the house down when I tried to ssh/pat her when she wanted to get up. Which in turn, caused me to sob for the next 20mins trying to settle her..very vicious circle!

I don't think you should drop the DF yet hun, but if she does want an extra feed around 2 it might be worth giving it to her before her nap? I'd give it a go and see. That's the beauty of easy, it's really adaptable, we just need to find what works best for you both. As long as you have a little A between the E and S (ie not feed to sleep, it's fine). My DD has always wanted a bottle before a nap, I've just always made sure she doesn't fall asleep on it so the principles of the easy routine and BW still apply.

Keeping a log of the days really helps pick up things like when she's fussy.

Bump up that first A hun as,per my last post, we really need to get her up to an age appropriate A. It might take a little longer than a week to get to the A's she needs to be, but things should start to improve soon. We just have to take it slowly or risk it all going the other way and her being OT. Tomorrow's another day eh? I hope tonight goes ok. ((Hugs))

[Sephy]

Hooray! Pleased to report that despite a ridiculous afternoon schedule she was asleep within twenty minutes of me putting her in bed at 7.

And getting her down for her first nap took only 5 minutes.

I keep messing up the A times by ten minutes or so because I guess wrong on how long it will take her to fall asleep!

This morning's first A time was 2hr 35.  So actually that's what you suggested.

I've also started puttin her down the other way round in the crib - it makes it harder for me to pat her, so I'm perhaps more likely to let her settle herself and just verbally reassure her and it also stops the light from the door getting in her eyes. Remarkably simple but so far effective.

I know I mustn't count those chickens too early though and am prepared for another bad afternoon and night! Xxx

[Sephy]

Oh and forgot to impart the other good news, main good news, that I slept through DF time but instead fed we when she woke at 12:40. Then isn't hear a peep until 5:30 when I resettled her really quickly.

Hurrah!

Thanks for your patience Kelly.

[Kellyjs]

Yay!!!! That's such great news. Good idea about turning her the other way round.. Amazing what a good night sleep does!

Hold that first A for a couple of days at 2hrs 35, then I would bump it again by 10mins to get you to 2hrs 45mins.

Some lo's don't take to the dreamfeed... That might be the key for you? Perhaps feed when she wakes anytime after 3-4hrs after BT or when you think she's hungry? What do you think?

[Sephy]

I definitely agree about the DF Kelly and am going to just feed her when she first wakes after midnight ( or earlier if I think she's hungry).

Theist two nights I've done that andanaged to get rid of the annoying hard to settle 2am waking.

Unfortunately she was still wide awake at 4:39 this morning with a dirty nappy, but you can't have everything!

Hope things are going ok with you too

[Kellyjs]

Just checking in to see how things are going? Have you increased the first a to 2hrs 45mins yet? If so, how's she doing?

[Sephy]

Thanks Kelly.

Yesterday I increased it to 2 hr 45 and she slept for about an hour and ten minutes which isn't too bad.

I also decided that I need to get out a bit more before I go mad and so went to lunch with my NCt group which was lovely, but meant she had her afternoon nap in the car after about 4 hours... Oops. I kept driving to try and keep her asleep but she lasted just 40 mins. Still, she was pretty cheerful on it - I suspect she may have got sick of just looking at me too!

The big news is that less than 2 weeks after starting the BW book and using PUPD and shh pat etc she has now gone to bed the last two nights on her own in the cot, with me leaving her wide awake and listening to a bit of babbling and the occasional shout (but no crying) on the monitor. That is a really good start, not least because I'm hopeful that DH or grandma might be able to replicate it and allow me an evening off someday!

She still woke twice in the night last night, once I fed her and left her happy and awake, only to have to return half an hour later as she just started to cry because of a dirty nappy. Ah well.

And then she was really ready to wake up at 545 - perhaps a consequence of rubbish naps yesterday.

This morning hasn't started too well as she refused to nap in her (still) buggy in a quiet room at a play group I go to, so I've brought her home for a cot nap 3hr 20 after wake up. Oops again. I definitely need to come up with some strategies for getting out and not going stir crazy at home, but perhaps it's worth sticking to things during A time only for a few more weeks while she gets the hang of this self settling malarkey.


Thanks as ever Kelly for your interest and listening so supportively.

[Kellyjs]

I think that's brilliant! What a difference eh?

We all need to get out and about.. I just try and do at least one decent nap at home. It's easier when they get older and have one long nap and one cat nap. My LO would only ever have 40mins in the car too, but at least it's something.

An hour and 10mins nap is great. I'd be tempted to increase it another 15mins to get to 3hrs in a couple of days. What do to you think? Was she ok today after 3hrs 20?

Today's early wu might be a coincidence, but I have a feeling she's ready to increase the A more now we've started playing around with the times. My LO did the exact same thing. Once I increased her from 2hrs, then came 2.5hrs, then 3hrs now 4.5hrs! (Not saying yours is as crazy as mine though!) Only identified by the early WU's. I'd just keep an eye on it, it might not get to regular early WU's as you're increasing the A's now.

How's the rest of the day going? She might be able to increase her second A now she's getting a decent nap in the morning...

And my pleasure.. Anytime! It's just so lovely to hear it's all working out