7mo NW, EW and pacifier

[Bella89]

Hi Ladies,
I think I might need some help. I didn't know which sleep boars to choose, so I will post on general one.
My DS is 7 mo and has frequent NW for almost 2 weeks now. We use pacifier to put him to sleep, i put him in his cribb and it doesn't take long for him to fall asleep. Then he spits it out or i take it out. We have 2 routines, because sometimes he wakes at 5:30 sometimes at 6:30. I never know whats gonna happen tomorrow. We usually have 2 naps, sometimes even 3 h long.he doeasnt have teeth yet.

Routine 1:
530 WU
630 formula, he wont take breast, drinks 4 oz
8 solids
830 S till 10
1030 formula 5-6 oz
12 solids
1:30 S till 3
3:30 formula 7oz
5 solids
6 cat naps for 45 min to 1h
7:00 4-6 oz formula or BF
8:30 BT
10:00. 12:00, 1:00, 2:30, 4:00, 5:00 NW. Sometimes its enough to give him paci. Sometimes i would BF him even 3 times. More often he wakes up crying.

Routine 2
6:30 WU
7:00 E 4-6 oz formula
8-830 solids
9:30 S till 1200 or 1230
12:30 E 6-7 oz formula
2:00 solids
3 S till 4 or 4:30
4:30 formula
6 solids
7:00 BF or he wont have any
7:30 BT
Same night wakings.

We have some trouble with solids, he started eating more though, formula as well. We have good naps, sometimes very long as you can see.
It's difficult for me to get some rest these days with all these NW and 6 am WU, It usually takes some time to put him back to sleep at night.
Any help appreciated!

[lauradj]

Hi there!  Thanks for posting your routines, it makes it much easier to help you out  .
What I might suggest for you is set naps.  They don't work for everyone but seeing how varied your days can be, I think you might find it helps things become more consistent, and that can really help minimize stress.  At 7 months your LO is probably ready for 2 naps of about 1.5-2 hrs in length, any longer and your going to start getting lots of NW's because he's not tired enough to sleep through the night.  With my DS1 I had him nap at 10am and again at 3pm, however that was based on a 7-7 routine, so feel free to tweak it however you feel is best. 
If you feel the NW's are a result of hunger, could you add an extra ounce or two to each bottle during the day?  That way the majority of the calories are getting in during the day time, which is what you want.  It may also be teething that's disrupting his sleep, in which case a child friendly pain medication would likely help. 
Think on it and let me know if you have any more questions.  I've also attached a helpful link below.
     
Average A times- BOOKMARK ME!

[Bella89]

Thank you Laura! I hope you don't mind me asking you some questions.
I know that we are ready for 3-2. I know this because when we manage to have 2 naps instead of 3, the nights are actually better. My DS doesn't wake that much and he is much more calm. The problem arises when he wakes at 5.30 in the morning. The day is way too long for him:/ He can do 2.45-3.15 A time depending on a day. Today he woke up at 7 (yay) and went to bed at 7.15. Two naps, perfect day:) can't wait to see what the night will look like.
Do you think I should wake him up at 2h mark when it comes to naps?
Last 2 days he woke up 3 times. I BF him at 7pm, gave him paci at 12, woke up again at 2am and i BF him, woke up at 5.15 and I BF. I am trying to move that 5.15 feed closer to 7am in 15 min increments. What do you think?
After that I will try to eliminate that feed in the middle of the night. When it comes to adding some milk during the day, do you think I should do something like: 12 milk 1.30 solids 2.30 milk? I think it's a vicious circle, he doesn't want to eat in the morning, because he eats at night, he eats at night because he doesnt eat enough during the day. Ehhh don't know how to break it:/
Last question, I promise:) how do I know if my LO wants to eat at night or if he is thirsty? If he would be hungry I would be unable to settle him or he would wake soon after I settle him right? Do you think it's ok for me to use pacifier to get us where we want to be?
Thank you so much!

[lauradj]

Does your son always wake at the same times at night?  If so, he's waking from habit, not hunger, in which case I would use PU/PD to help him resettle, or simply don't go in unless he's crying.  Sometimes babies wake at night, make some noise, have a little wiggle and then go back to sleep.  If we go in too soon, we take away their independence and ability to self-sooth.
With regards to the bottle.  The common belief is that you offer the bottle first, and then 30-60mins later, you offer solids.  Milk continues to be the primary source of nutrition for their first year with solids being offered for interest and variety.  I believe DS1 was having somewhere between 6-8oz at each bottle feed at 7 months and he'd only have 2-3oz of solids, however I make very small babies so yours might take 4-6oz of solids. 
I would treat the 5am WU as a NW and attempt to resettle him so that he wakes later, 6:30-7am is quite reasonable.  Yes, you can use a pacifier to help your LO back to sleep.  Long term you don't want it to become a prop but take it one step at a time.  HTH!

[Bella89]

Thank you Laura!
I am pretty sure he wakes out of habit. Lately it's always around 1 and 4. He always wakes up crying though:/
I will try PU/PD, but I know it doeasnt go with paci, so I think its gonna be horrible. I am just plane scared:(

[lauradj]

HUGS!  Try not to be scared, because your LO will sense it. You're not leaving him alone, you will be with him every step of the way.  Tracy recommends that the same parent do PU/PD for 2-3 nights, with no intervention from the other parent or partner, and then the other parent takes over the next 2-3 nights.  This is because if you switch halfway through the night, it's a new stimulation for your child.  Also keep in mind that Tracy's 'personal best' was 100 PU/PD's in one night  She also noted that often it's the Dad's who fair better with PU/PD because they're not able to give in and offer the breast, as Mom's sometimes do.  Perhaps he could take the first two nights, seeing as the weekend is fast approaching.  Just a thought!  It also allows the Dad's to feel connected to the processes of fixing the problem, and heaven knows many men like to fix things!

[Bella89]

Thank you so much! We're having guests over for the weekend, so I better wait till Monday. My plan is to first move that 4am feed (its just 3h after 1am) to WU and then work on 1am.
I will talk it through with my DH. He helps a lot, but I think he will be horrified. He often gives me my DS when unable to calm him. He gives up too fast, cannot stand crying. He's making progress though. Today he calm DS on his own after a bump, I just told him how. Anyways, will keep you posted! Thanks again.

[Bella89]

That's me again:)
Sorry, to bother you again, but I don't know how to approach this.
It's a 2 day thing, so I know it's not a rule yet, but maybe you can help me understand what to do.
So now our NW are at 2 (full BF) and then DS wakes up at 5.30. I didn't want to feed him right away, so today I managed to rock him with paci till 6. By then he wanted to eat, but ate only 1 breast. I don't change his nappy during the night, so it needed to be changed (wanted to avid that but couldn't, next time I will probably do it at 2 oclock feed). I put him to bed, but he was wide awake. Cheerful, rolling over, crawling in his crib back and forth. My DH took him to his playmat. By 8 he was so tired I couldn't even change his nappy, he was rolling over, crying. I needed to rock him, I knew he was OT.
I know first A time during the day is suppose to be the longest, but that is not the case with us. First A time is usually 2.5h- 3max.I can rarely get him to 3h, he is histerical and I dont want to do this to him. I know you are suppose to increase by 15min, but I simply have no idea how

So our last 2 days are:
5:30 WU and BF
7:00 formula 2 OZ (he is def not hungry after BF and NF, but I wanted to offer at 7, so he knew it's his correct feed. Don't know if it makes sense. Also, I want to shift his EASY, every week by 15 min, so try to keep regularity)
8:00 - 10:00 S
11:00 E here I know that if he would WU at 6.30 or 7 it's a good time. I don't know if I'm doing the right thing making him wait
12.00 solids(eats 4-5 tablespoons)
1.30 S
3:00 formula
4.30 solids (eats 4-5 tablespoons)
6 or 6.30 BF (eats 1 breats)
7.00 BT

1. Later during the day he can do 4h no problem
2. First A time is so short, I think he needs it because of early WU
3. I noticed he might not need 12h night sleep. That's why I would dream to shift his schedule to 8.00pm- 7.00am I don't know how to approach this though. Will start shifting by 15 min on Monday.
4. Still need to move that 5.30 BF closer to 7.00
5. We don't have enough time for breakfast solids. I think it would be beter if he had solids in the morning rather than afternoon. It might be a little too much, because he is not taking enough milk I think. Around 16 oz a day and full BF at 2am.
Am I on the right track here?