Stuck on a 2 hr sleep/ wake schedule

[humb4375]

I just read the Baby Whisperer and am trying to get my 2 mo old on a 3 hr schedule (from ~2 hr that he set himself). He is eating about every 3 hrs now but can't get the activity and sleep time synced up. He stays up for an hour max then I'm lucky if he sleeps more than 45 mins. I can't get him to stay awake longer without getting fussy. If he's gassy he wakes up and won't go back to sleep, if he sleeps until its time for the next feeding consistently through the day or takes a long nap to make up for the short ones he thinks its playtime at 3 am.

[newkidontheblock]

Hi there. What is your day looking like at the moment? Could you write it out in EASY form. So,
E - 7
A -
S -
If he is eating every 3 hours, then you are already on a 3 hour EASY. It might not be the standard routine, more of EASAE, which is fine.

He stays up for an hour max then I'm lucky if he sleeps more than 45 mins. I can't get him to stay awake longer without getting fussy.

What is his night like? Does he wake a lot? With my DD, we stuck to 1 hour A time before the morning nap, and it worked to get us a long nap. After that, we did 1.15 for nap 2, 1.20/25 before nap 3 and 1.30 before CN. Watch for his sleepy cues. A 45 minute nap is one sleep cycle and usually indicates undertiredness but it could also mean over stimulation.

What you could do, is slowly increase the A time by adding 5-10 minutes every few days and holding to let his body adjust. If you do it gradually enough, it should be fine. This should also help get longer naps. After a short nap, you can decrease the next A by 15-20 minutes and PD again.

[humb4375]

Today/ 2hr:
E - 9
A - 9:30
S - 10:30-11
repeated every 2 hrs till ~9pm
sometimes shortens A or lengthens S

3 hr: which he did for a week and a half till the sitter feed him every 2 hrs and can't get he switched back
E 9
A 9:30
S 10-12
and fussy, doesn't sleep well at night

very confusing

[newkidontheblock]

Would it be possible for you to stick to a fixed WU time and bedtime? That really helps to give some structure to the day. Also, it might help a lot if you bring bedtime earlier - to sometime between 7 & 8 pm- and also wake him earlier. 9 is a bit too late and would not be feasible in the long run

[humb4375]

How do you do that? I tried putting him down at 7 then again at 8 and he just screamed

[newkidontheblock]

Well, basically, you aim for a 12 hour day. If it will help, my routine with DD at that age was
7- WU+ top & tail+ nurse
8-10-- nap 1
10- nurse
11.30-1- nap 2
1- nurse
2.30- 4-- nap 3 but this was only ever 40 minutes. So ended by 3.15 mostly.
4-nurse
between 4.30 & 5.30 - CN of 30/45 mins
Nurse on Wu from CN
And then I would split the last feed around bath
5.45 Nurse
6- bath & massage
6.20ish - nurse
7- bed
Between 10 & 11 - dream feed

As you can see, our routine was messy due to short naps but it helps to know what comes next, so you're not left wondering and confused. And since she was in bed by 7 ,  I got some time to myself to relax, cook dinner, etc. Do you think something along the same lines might work for you? I also want to add that  I nursed whenever she asked, irrespective of how long it had been since her last feed. You want him to get most of the calories during the day, so she is not waking up hungry at night (which he still might though) and nursing frequently also helps to build up your supply.