Help with EASY - changing to 4 hours

[Rook76]

We're trying to transition to 4 hour EASY (as LO only naps 45 minutes, random night wakings and not finishing bottle after 3 hour cycle). LO is 18 weeks, has been on EASY since c 4 weeks, good at self settling and up to now only shush pat required to sleep.

Given we usually have 3.5 hour cycle first thing in morning,  I'm trying to transition by extending the first cycle to 4 hours before adjusting rest of the day - currently on 3.45 cycle (1 hr 45 A+1 hr 45 S). We're on day 6 of trying this.

However, LO is still only napping for 45 minutes, and trying to do this seems to have damaged ability to self settle, and I'm spending hours shush patting to extend naps, with no success! He's getting over tired and cannot last until the end of the day and there is LOTS of screaming, particularly from mid pm.

Questions are:
S is only 45 minutes (instead of 1hr 45 as suggested), and I shush pat to try to get LO back to sleep (unsuccessfully for an hour, which is the end of the 1.45 hr S cycle). Does the next EASY cycle start from the time he actually woke up (ie 9.30 am - see below) - or the end of the 1hr45 (ie 10.30 am)?? I've tried both, neither seems to work.

If this (extending to 4 hours) is not working (seems to be making things worse - LO is over tired and exhausted by the end of every day) is there something else to try?

I've tried pupd previously w/o success (for 2.5 hours at night until next night feed) and have given in, perhaps not old enough.

LOHas a paci but this does not assist with naps after 45 minutes. He just screams and spits it out.

Generally takes between 2 and 10 minutes to shush pat to sleep still start of nap.

I have tried picking up, rocking, rocking in sling, taking out in the pram, rocking pram in the hallway in order to get back to nap after 45 minutes. Nothing works. He's also waking before DF at 22.00 (usually around 21.00).

On the plus side random night wakings have largely reduced, now usually just x2 night feeds (1.30/2am + 4.30/5am).

EASY schedule currently is:
Wake and E 7am
A 1 hour 45
S 1 hour 45 (8.45 am to 9.30 am. 9.30 am to 10.30 fruitlessly shush patting)
E 10.30
A 1 hour 30
S 1 hour 30 (naps 12 to 12.45. 12.45 to 13.30 fruitlessly shush patting)
E 13.30
A 1 hour 30
S 15.00 naps 15.00 to 15.45, 15.45 to 16.30 shush patting wo success)
E 16.30
A - until TU+bed! as cannot induce any nap after 16.30 feed!
Bath 18.15
TU + bed 18.45/19.00
DF 22.00

LO is bottle fed mix of formula and expressed BM, is a good weight, has more milk than he needs during the day (180 ml per feed).

Any feedback or ideas based on experience appreciated ;-)

[nevinsmama]

Hi there! Welcome to BW

S is only 45 minutes (instead of 1hr 45 as suggested), and I shush pat to try to get LO back to sleep (unsuccessfully for an hour, which is the end of the 1.45 hr S cycle). Does the next EASY cycle start from the time he actually woke up (ie 9.30 am - see below) - or the end of the 1hr45 (ie 10.30 am)?? I've tried both, neither seems to work.

A time is eyes open to eyes shut. So, I would be counting A time from when he wakes at 45 mark until next nap.

If this (extending to 4 hours) is not working (seems to be making things worse - LO is over tired and exhausted by the end of every day) is there something else to try?

This age is the pits for naps. If I were you, I would limit myself to 20 minutes or so of trying to extend naps and then get LO and go on with the day. Naps typically swing back around to better lengths at abut 6 months. That said, it is good to try to extend them if you can. I wonder, how long have you been on 1 hour 45 A? As LO is 18 weeks, I would push that A to 2 hours and hold it there for a week and see if he will go back out after 45 minutes more easily. Some 45 minute naps mean that LO is UT.

I've tried pupd previously w/o success (for 2.5 hours at night until next night feed) and have given in, perhaps not old enough.

I would stick with shh/pat for now, especially given LOs age and PUPD is generally for when things have gone wrong in an older LO.

I hope this helps. In looking at your EASY, I know that you want to get on 4 hour EASY but in the interest of keeping some OT at bay for the end of the day and all the grumpiness, I would pull the A time back about 20 minutes if LO does less than an hour nap.  Hang in there, it is a rough age!

[Rook76]

Thanks for the response Nevinsmama. Much appreciated.

We've been on 1.45 A (for first EASY cycle of the day only) for about 7 days. The transition post suggests moving on to 2 hours after 5 days I think, but TBH we're barely making it to 1.45 A, so I have yet to try the next stage of 2 hour A in the morning. Before that we were on 1 and a half hours A throughout the day. This was 1.5 hours A + 1.5 hours sleep, however when he halved the nap, I looked for a solution and it seemed like moving to 4 hours would be good. So far, it's not the answer!

You suggest both extending the A time to 2 hours and pulling A back by 20 minutes. I had been trying to figure out which way would be more likely to work. What do you think? Pushing back 20 minutes takes us back to where we were when the naps became only 45 minutes but on the other hand I think we'll struggle to get to 2 hours A.

If the A time counts from eyes open (ie Wake and feed 7am, 1 hour 45 A, S 8.45, wakes at 9.30) then is it advisable to have next feed at 9.30 (perhaps 9.50 after 20 mins shushing)? This seems really short and when I was trying this, he wouldn't take a good feed.

Over the last 3 nights, we're back to random night wakings. Up 6 times last night, including 2 feeds, which generally means shush patting until time next feed is due rolls around ;-(