When to start 4 EAS

[Adelheid]

My LO is 3mo (14 weeks) old and I'm wondering when to start a 4 hour EAS routine?
His current EAS routine is
E 7
S 8:30
E 10
S 11:30
E 1
S 2:30
E 4
E 6
DF 10/11

His naps tend to be erratic, but usually its 45min, then 1hr, then 1.5-2hrs.

An other question is, do I count nap time from when he actually falls asleep, or when I first start the sleep ritual? I realized that he is actually awake for 2 hours stretches, because when I take him upstairs to go to sleep, say 1.5hr after his last nap, it takes a while to actually get him to sleep. Often he will be lying awake in his crib, making sounds, kicking, chewing his hands, etc. and does not actually fall asleep. Eventually, I pick up (even if he's not crying) and ssh pat him to get him to turn off his busy self.
Also, if I start the 4 hr EAS routine, will he get enough nourishment? He nurses for about 20min now and I have this fear I will wake up to find him scrawny because he was hungry.  (he's been gaining weight fine, I'm just a first time mom).

[Shdef]

Hiya and willkommen! How much does he take each feed or is he breastfed?

[Adelheid]

He's breastfed. I offer both sides.
I have pumped at times and given him the pumped breast milk and he has gulped down as much as 5 oz of BM!

And this has nothing to do with the topic, but he just rolled over for the first time! I'm so proud. 

[Shdef]

If you get into a four hour routine, he might not get enough and will make this up with nf. Even 5oz every four hours is too little and he would need night feeds to make up for it. My bottle fed baby took 8oz at that age and was on four hour routine, my breast fed baby feeds every two to three hours. Tracy Hogg's breastfeeding advice is a little out of date as most mums are really not advsed to go four hours between feeds 

[Adelheid]

Good to know! I will stick to the 3 hour then. However, if I'm breastfeeding, how will I know that he's eating more and could go longer?

[Shdef]

Probably only after you have introduced solid food. 

Around the six month mark. Breastmilk in most babes is just completely and easily digested after three hours.

We are on a rough four hour routine for sleep and two hours for feeds. And were from about 9 weeks or so? Apart from the extreme short napping days.

E: 7am
A: 7-9
E: 9am

S: 9.15-11 am

E: 11am
A: 11- 1pm
E: 1pm

S: 1.30-3.30

E: 3.30pm
A: 3.30-5.30 pm
E: 5.30 pm

bedtime routine, bath, massage, breastfeed

Asleep by 6.30pm

10pm dreamfeed

one night feed throughout the night, maybe around 3 or 4ish?

Sometimes we have two long naps or three short naps, but feeds have to be frequent throughout the day or he starts reverse cycling, which he has done before, meaning he feeds way more though the night than in the day. IMO, for breast-fed babes, it is best to always take latest research into account, too, as this is what Tracy would have done, too, if she was still here.

[Shdef]

And Glückwunsch on the rolling over!!!

[Adelheid]

Danke! Hab' mich total gefreut! 

[Shdef]

Joey does a kind of half-roll, haha. He looks a bit überrascht every time he does it.