EWs and short naps..help!

[leidyornot]

I'm not sure if this is the right board to post this...but here goes..

LO is 4mths 2w. we used BW with much success with our DD when she was 4mths+ so we had no question we were going to use BW with LO. Well, it hasnt been going great but i'm aware he's still young so we're giving it time. Lately (during the last week or so), he's been waking super early at 5 or 530, having a feed and refusing to back to bed. He fights BT tooth and nail till 730 or 8pm so I can't get him down any earlier in the evenings. In fact, if i get a CN in the early evening I thank God! His naps are mostly 45min (4m regression?? WW?) although he does a 2-3 hr nap sometimes in the PM (and I wont wake him to feed coz i know he needs the rest). Sometimes i can resettle him after 45min (yesterday one nap was made up of 3 45min naps!). He's TBF, still has 2-3 night feedings (LO is only about 5.5kg so i'm not keen to drop these), and goes abt 3-4 hrs between feeds. I cant post his EASY as it's never the same 2 days in a row due to irregular wake ups in the AM, but i do follow the EAS routine.

QN: how do i fix the early wake ups in the AM? we try to shh/pat or rock/shhh him but he'll have none of it once he's up.

TIA!

[newkidontheblock]

Hun, I know it might be messy but could you post your EASY routine for the past few days? That is the only way we can see what's going on. Early wakings sound like OT to me but will be able to help more only once I see your day

[leidyornot]

Thanks for replying!

Ok, so Monday went like this:

WU/E: 6.40am
A:
S: 8.45-9.40 and 9.45-10.25 after resettling
E: 10.30am
A:
S: 12.15pm-12.50pm; 1.10pm-1.55pm; 2pm-2.45pm (resettled twice)
E: 2.50pm
A:
S: 4.25pm-5.05pm
E: 5.30pm (he seemed hungry)
BT: start routine at 6.10pm but he fights BT and is usually down at 7.30pm
DF (bottle) at 11.15pm (sometimes this is earlier if he wakes for a feed)
Feed again at 2.15am and 5.30 am then he was up for the day

The previous day was Sunday when we're out and about most of the day so he catnaps in the carrier mostly. Could explain the OT, ya think?

Friday was like this:

WU/E: 5am
8-830am I tried to give him a "snack" before sending DD to school and he fell asleep at the boob so I was inclined to let him rest a bit or risk a screaming baby in the car
S: 9.30-10.15am
E: 10.20am
A:
S: 11.45am-12.35pm; 1pm - 2.40pm (after resettling)
E:2.50pm
A:
S: 4.20pm - 4.45pm
E: feed several times until BT at 7pm
Woke up for milk at 930pm, 2am and 5am.

I know it's all over the place so any guidance will be most helpful! I try to feed on demand but keep to around 3 hrs - 3.5 hrs coz i think he needs the nourishment. and maybe more feeds in the day will help him go longer at night?

Also, he's now taking his 4th(!) 45min nap of the day...do i keep to the same BT around 7pm? in which case I start BT routine ard 6ish to 630. But which means he may have up to 6 naps today?? Or do I shoot for an earlier BT which may or may not work. Ideally I'd like his WU to be anywhere from 7-8am coz that's when DD is up. Otherwise if like today, DS took a nap at 815 which is when i need to be settling DD for school instead.

[newkidontheblock]

At this age, I found that a fixed wake time and bed time worked wonders. Her body clock was so in tune that bedtime was never an issue, no matter how the naps (or lack thereof) went.  4 months is an AWFUL time for sleep. That sleep regression was very very very difficult for us. But soon after we dropped to 2 naps+ CN and things become so much easier. If you need to do many short naps, go for it. Anything to keep OT at bay.

[leidyornot]

We put him to bed as his usual time....cried the world out until 8pm though. And he slept well! only woke for feeds at 1030pm and 2am (which is great) and up for the day at 640! fingers crossed this will keep up!

Anything I can do about the madness at BT? I'm guessing this is major OT?He woke from the CN at 530pm, and was really fussy by 630pm so I started wind down but he cried until 8! Did i start too early? I used to nurse him to sleep, which I really didnt mind and would love to continue but now he wakes up after nursing and starts wailing! every.single.time. BTs are really tiring!!

And is there any way to extend the 45min naps? W2S has never worked. I can only extend by going in when he cries after 45min, picking him up and rocking a bit till he's drowsy then place him in cot while shushing. takes about 5-10min, sometimes 20min if he still fusses when i place him back in the cot. Then it's a lot of pick ups, shushing etc.etc.  He used to do one long PM nap and a few 45min ones. Now they're ALL 45min!

[newkidontheblock]

Wake to sleep didn't work for me but what did work was observing to figure out the approximate time she would wake and being in the room at that point. As soon as she stirred, I would just rest a hand on her and pat lightly.

I'm unsure about the crying at BT unless it is wonder week related. Could you share your bedtime routine? It could just be that he is protesting the fact that he is not being nursed to sleep anymore

[leidyornot]

Thanks for the tips!

Our bt routine is pretty much the same as the nap time routine just with an added wipe down. So it goes wipe down and diaper change, lights off, blinds closed, lullabies, a bit of rocking, then down in the cot. I've tried to nurse him till drowsy but he'll wake up and get more annoyed when I put him in the cot. It Used to work before but you're right it could be ww related. Well, as good a time as any to wean him off that I guess!!

[newkidontheblock]

Yep. I do nurse before bed but she is very much awake when I put her in her sleep sack, sing her night time song and PD.