Author Topic: Regression of Baby Whisperer Routine - Please Help!!  (Read 1109 times)

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Offline allylarson

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Regression of Baby Whisperer Routine - Please Help!!
« on: February 19, 2015, 17:14:22 pm »
Hi!

We have just put my four and a half month old on shush pat/PU PD routine and I have SO many questions! He has been in the eat/play/sleep routine for a while now, I just never knew I was doing it before I read the book. He has acid reflux so he has never been the best sleeper and up until a couple of days ago he was sleeping in his swing. We have transitioned him to the crib now (we elevated the crib mattress) and he seems to be taking it very well.

So Night 1 of doing shush pat and PU/PD was a long one. It took him 45 minutes to go to sleep at bedtime, then he was up every hour until 11pm (dream feed) and then up from 1:30am-3:30am and then 5:00-6:30am and then up at 8am for the day. Naps the next day went well with him having two 2 hour naps and a 30 minute cat nap - I was so surprised because he never does that! I thought this whole thing was going to be a breeze.

Night 2 took him around 30 minutes to go down at bedtime and again up every hour till 11pm(dreamfeed) but then slept all the way to 6am (!!) where I nursed him and then he went back down until 8am.  Naps this day were horrible. He fought going down and it took about 30 minutes to get him down and then he would only sleep for 30 minutes each time. So two 30 minute naps and a 30 min cat nap. I tried to do shush pat and PU/PD till his nap time would have been over for both naps to no avail. He was very cranky.

Night 3 was like going back to the beginning! I swear in the book she said it should be smooth sailing by this night. Took 15 minutes to go to bed but up every hour till 11. Fed him and he was then up every 45 minutes from 1:30-6 when I fed him and then he went back down till 8:30am.

SO my questions are -
1. How do you get rid of the waking up every hour between bedtime and dream feed? It's like he never gets into a deep enough sleep to tide him over.
2. Is it normal to go backwards in terms of the routine working? First night was rough, second we made huge progress, and then third we are going back to square one.
3. He settles with the pacifier, but I don't want to get up 1000 times a night or during nap time to pop it back in. Do I ditch it all together? Do i let him have it to settle him and then take it out before he is 100% asleep?
4. If he wakes up early/doesn't go back to sleep for naps, do I feed him early or wait until i "should" feed him according to the routine?

Usually -

8am wake up and feed. He is a super fast nurser and gets super distracted so 5 minutes usually
9:30-45 starts getting tired so we wind down
10 try to have him asleep
Between 11:30-12 wake up and eat (every day is different though! it could be 45 minutes or 2 hours)
1:30-2 wind down and go to sleep
Between 3:30-4 wake and eat
Between 5-6 cat nap for 30 to 45 min
7 eat
715- 730 bath
8 bed time
11 df

that is on his absolute BEST days. Usually it is just all over the place. I feel like I have a lot more questions but we can start from there :)

Thanks so much!!


« Last Edit: February 19, 2015, 17:29:52 pm by allylarson »

Offline katie80

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Re: Regression of Baby Whisperer Routine - Please Help!!
« Reply #1 on: February 20, 2015, 16:19:34 pm »
Hi and welcome to BW! :)

First off, is your DS medicated for his reflux, and if so is the dosage correct? Hourly NWs from BT til DF could defintiely be from pain.

Secondly, PUPD isn't recommended for babies with reflux as the up and down motion can be aggravating for them.  It's best to do shh/pat in the crib, picking up only if he's quite upset and doing shh/pat on your shoulder and then putting down and continuing to shh/pat, basically limiting the up and down motion.  Also, PUPD doesn't work with a pacifier.  PU/PD and Paci Use. Why they don't mix. You can keep it with shh/pat, but if you are having to replace it over and over there's a good chance it will become a prop.  A pacifier can be a great help with reflux though, so you'll have to decide if it's something you want to keep or not.

1. How do you get rid of the waking up every hour between bedtime and dream feed? It's like he never gets into a deep enough sleep to tide him over.
First thing would be to rule out discomfort.  Second, early NWs like that are often considered OT, so getting the daytime routine settled should help.  That many NWs could also be a prop issue.

2. Is it normal to go backwards in terms of the routine working? First night was rough, second we made huge progress, and then third we are going back to square one.
Yes, perfectly normal to go back and forth, although usually it gets better for a few days and then there's a regression.

3. He settles with the pacifier, but I don't want to get up 1000 times a night or during nap time to pop it back in. Do I ditch it all together? Do i let him have it to settle him and then take it out before he is 100% asleep?
Your call! You could try having him calm with it and then taking it out. This may be a helpful link to read through for that... PANTLEY'S GENTLE REMOVAL PLAN

4. If he wakes up early/doesn't go back to sleep for naps, do I feed him early or wait until i "should" feed him according to the routine?
Typically, we would advise to try to resettle a nap for 20-30min only.  At that point, you can decide whether he needs to feed earlier or can wait.  You will want to reduce the next A time after a short nap, though, so he's not too OT for the next cycle... maybe by about 15-20min or so.

I noticed that you're nursing him... is he EBF? It's important to note that many EBF babies don't make a full 4hr EASY in terms of feeds until they're closer to 6mo or start solids.  So, you may need to offer a top up feed either an hr after the first feed or about 30min before nap time to help him sleep all the way through and not wake hungry.  This may possibly help the NW from BT to DF as well.

Hope that helps a bit... let us know what other questions you have!