EASY for 7w old without cluster feed

[jingmommy]

Think I posted in other people's tread but couldn't find it.  So I post my question here.
I've been implementing EASY for my LO since she's 4w old.  We don't do cluster feed in the evening as it won't fit our schedule when I go back to work next week.  So here is our EASY so far.  The time may shift from 30mins to 1hr depending on LO wakes up early or late.
8am Wake up for feed
9am nap for 2 hrs
11am eat
12pm nap for 1.5~2hrs
2pm eat
3pm nap for 1.5~2hrs
5pm eat
6pm nap for 30mins~1.5hrs
7:30pm or 8pm bath and bottle
8:30pm bed time
11pm dream feed
5:30~6:30am feed

Above is sunny day scenario.  My  question is the last nap before bedtime is always a problem for us.  It normally takes her 30mins to settle down with shush pat and will wake up at the 30mins mark.  Then I'll try to settle her again with shush pat for another 10 to 20 mins but may only extend her nap for 20-30mins.  Is it normal for the last nap to be so short?  How could I extend her nap and how long?  It also takes her 30mins to settle down for BT given the short nap.  Last week things are getting worse.  She wakes up constantly from bedtime to dream feed.  So for the past week we did not feed in the dream but while she's widely awake.

Anyone has any advice on our EASY schedule?  Any comment on the short last nap?  Should I pull in the bedtime to 8am or even early because of the short nap?
For the early am feed, will you do the whole wind down procedure or simply put your lo back to sleep like dream feed?

[nevinsmama]

For 7 weeks old your day looks pretty good! I would not hesitate to do some ample acciental parenting ( AP) to get a decent nap later on in the day when OT is catching up and it all gets a bit much. Will she sleep in a carrier, car or stroller? If so, I would go for that. I always did my DD's last of the day in a carrier. I would watch that the last A of the day doesn't get too long if she doesn't go for a good nap, and even if she does the typical A time for this age is only about 1 hour and 20 minutes, so after a short nap you may want to go for only an hour of A before BT. For the 5:30ish feed I would be as quiet as possible and hope she goes right back to sleep! I wouldn't change her unless you absolutely have to, keep lights low, feed and put her back down, then hope you both get some more rest!

[jingmommy]

Tks for your advice.  However the past week has been a totally different story.  Somehow LO started switching day for night.  She woke at differdent time for three days and I suspected it was a growth spurt.  So I added one ounce to feed during the day (she's having 5 ounce now).  Then she woke at 2am for two days and I thought it's habitual waking.  So two days ago I used wake-to-sleep, inserting a paci and stroke her belly at 1am.   Maybe I did too much and she became widely awake.    She cried out loud and couldn't be settled with shush-pat.  Then we ended with 5am feed and she finally fell asleep.  That's how she started switching day for night.  Now she has way too great naps during the day.  Although I still wake her for feed every 3hrs, she barely stay wake during the feed.  She’d toss and turn from 9pm-11pm and dream feed became awake feed.  She used to drain the bottle even for dream feed, but now sometimes she’d have 1/3 left. 
Last night she woke at 3ish because the diaper was wet through.  Then I couldn’t settle her with neither shush-pat nor paci.  Finally I have to feed her at 4:30am as she’s really hungry.   
I guess I’ll have to observe for 2 to 3 nights to see whether it’s habitual waking or something else.  My two questions are-
Wake-to-sleep: To what degree is enough?  If I insert a paci and LO pushes it out or turns her head, is that good enough?
Shush-pat for night waking:  I have no success so far.  I did shush-pat for 15mins but she’s just wake every 5 mins.  She seldom takes a paci.  Even if she takes it, she needs me to put it back every 30mins.  So we ended up with either shush-pat for the rest of the night till feed at 5am or paci in and out.  Did I do it wrong with shush-pat? 

[jingmommy]

BTW, she won't sleep in car or stroller, and we don't have a carrier.   I have to wake her from the last nap since my first post in this thread because she simply nap too well...

[jessmum46]

Just reading along - to be honest at this tiny age I would not be stressing about habitual wakings, w2s, trying to settle with shh pat for hours on end at night.  Babies this young wake at night, that's what they do and it's normal . Just because she has previously managed to sleep from dreamfeed to 5am doesn't mean she can or will do every night, so if it were me (I have a nearly six week old) then if she wakes at night and it has been 3h or more since the last feed I would just get on and feed her again.  Last night was a good example - she took a dreamfeed (I presume between 10&11pm?) then woke at 3am.  Yes her diaper might have been wet but that was a good 4h since a feed, I would always assume hunger in a tiny baby in that situation (particularly as at this age babies don't really have a good awareness of being wet or dry).  If you'd just fed straight away you might have got you both a bit more sleep . She'll get there with STTN eventually, just don't try to force it too soon xx

[nevinsmama]

Totally agree with every things Katherine said, the sleep stuff will sort in time, when in doubt, feed that tiny baby!

[jingmommy]

Tks for Maryn and Katherine's advice.  She started sleeping through the night one week after I followed your advice.  However, she still wakes up constantly between 8pm and 11pm.  She could self settle and fall asleep pretty fast, but will wake up within 45 mins.  I tried shush pat, but she will wake up again within 30mins.  She will take a paci, but will wake up again when it falls out.  This will last till 11pm and she'll finally fall into deep sleep after the DF. I can't find anything I do wrong in our schedule.  She naps pretty well during the day except the last nap to be 1 hr only.  Any advice?

[jessmum46]

How long is she awake for after her last nap? 

[jingmommy]

I always put her down for BT within one hour after she's up from her last nap.  Today she had 1.5hr for the last nap and woke up at 1hr mark after BT.  I'm clueless.   

[jessmum46]

There may not be anything you can do for now  lots and lots of babies have fussy unsettled evenings even if the daytime is seemingly perfect, but tend to grow out of it by around 12 weeks or so.  You sound like you're doing really well overall, it may just be time that you need.  I can't think of much else to suggest specifically if the routine is otherwise going well....is she about 9 weeks now?  Is an hour your typical A time all day?  The only suggestion I would have if that's the case is try to push the A time just 5-10 mins to see if her being more tired might help her settle easier at BT.