Author Topic: wake to sleep (Read 2497 times)

ireneasheard · « **on:** July 29, 2016, 04:03:37 am »

Hi I'm looking for support - some success stories with wake to sleep? Noticed my son seems to be waking 4.41am-4.50am last few mornings but resettles. Need a bit of courage to try it!
Thanks.

jessmum46 · « **Reply #1 on:** July 31, 2016, 18:54:34 pm »

Bumping for you as no personal experience I'm afraid - hopefully this means more people will see your post x

Scottishmummy · « **Reply #2 on:** July 31, 2016, 19:15:03 pm »

I remember considering it with my DS and even once set the alarm for 4am to do it...I tried but he still woke up so I chose to not set alarm for so early again!

Sorry, that's not a success story...but what did make a difference for early waking for us is nap routine...EW often happens around nap transitions for us. Could your LO be in need of a routine change?

Either that or it could be waking from hunger. Real or habitual. Do you need to feed to resettle?

Or morning light? Do you have black out blinds/curtains?

How old is your LO?

This link is also helpful : Early Waking

ireneasheard · « **Reply #3 on:** July 31, 2016, 23:59:25 pm »

My 4 month old is already transitioned well to 4 hour routine and has been sleeping through for some time ans is taking good feeds all day. He resettles at 4.50am wakeup hence I thought habitual waking. He woke again 4.50am this morning but legitimately as he needed a nappy change. Thinking I might see how he goes as the night before he slept until 7am without stirring. I don't believe hunger is an issue given easy resettle. He is sleeping during the day anywhere from 1.5-2 hours at a time (if he catnaps i resettle. This was an issue a while ago but catnapping has reduced now and sleeping well during the day again). A typical day for us is:

E 7.00am
A
S 9.00-9.30am
E 11.00am
A
S 1.00-1.30pm
E 3.00pm
A
S 4.30-4.45pm
E 5.15pm-5.30pm
A
E 6.00pm-6.40pm
A
S 7.00pm

Dreamfeed 10.30pm

The last part of the day my son likes to feed before and after bath - that's our routine as he wasn't getting through bath without a feed -then continues to feed after his bath time for a long period before playing again and then to bed. I know this bit isn't "ideal" according to the book but it works well for us and he won't go through bathtime without a feed so it makes bathtime unpleasant if I try pushing him forward re feed atm.

My son also has longer awake times now - I think he is low sleep needs.

Scottishmummy · « **Reply #4 on:** August 02, 2016, 12:44:24 pm »

Sounds like he and you are doing great

I did the before and after bath feed too with both of mine. They ZbF so one side before bath and one side after. As you say, it made bathtime a lot calmer.

How have your last couple of nights been?

ireneasheard · « **Reply #5 on:** August 03, 2016, 01:20:53 am »

Had good nights. Slept straight through with dreamfeed so thinking that I don't need to do w2s thank goodness as was not looking forward to trying it. Thanks for follow up. We are doing well, despite 4 month sleep regression which is changing my son's daytime sleep. I noticed his awake time is pushing to 2.5 hours, he really does appear to be low sleep needs during the day.

ireneasheard · « **Reply #6 on:** August 03, 2016, 04:37:33 am »

Although I've noticed my son is fighting the afternoon nap and seems to be consistently catnapping for it. Unsure what that means.

Scottishmummy · « **Reply #7 on:** August 03, 2016, 06:21:57 am »

Could be the very start of the 3-2 if he's pushing A times. An increase might help get a better afternoon nap but then probably need a shorter third nap to maintain BT.

Have a look at this link:

All about the 3-2 transition- 5/6 months

ireneasheard · « **Reply #8 on:** August 04, 2016, 04:13:59 am »

I actually suspected this. Was hoping not but it is what it is. Struggled through 4-3 as my son pushed for it before he was able to sustain the required awake time so it was a few weeks of earlier BT to cope so a longer night. Thank you!

ireneasheard · « **Reply #9 on:** August 04, 2016, 04:26:18 am »

Sorry but how does feeding fit in with 3-2 transition?

jessmum46 · « **Reply #10 on:** August 04, 2016, 19:00:34 pm »

Usually the 3-2 starts to coincide with the introduction of solids so the day roughly becomes

WU and milk
Breakfast
Nap 1
WU and milk
Lunch
Nap 2
WU and milk
Dinner
Milk and bedtime

If your LO isn't yet taking much in the way of solids then you can add in an extra milk feed (as a top up) 30-60 mins or so pre-nap, which should get them through the the main feed after sleep time xx

ireneasheard · « **Reply #11 on:** August 04, 2016, 23:52:49 pm »

My son is only 4 months old. This is only just of this week so a very young 4 months. I am not in tendon to introduce solids until closer to 6 months (preferably 6 months as WHO recommend and it's what I did with my first child). I should then do EAEAS? He is pushing toward 2.5 awake time, this morning he made 2 hours 25 minutes and went to bed without a fuss. If I put him down too early he protests and catnaps. Yesterday he did a short nap in afternoon (should have been 2nd sleep but he did a micro nap on me while I was baby wearing him during a quick shop at supermarket) and a late afternoon nap 4.45pm for about 25 minutes and then BT was pushed out a little later and he protested bedtime terribly and was quite difficult to settle.

ireneasheard · « **Reply #12 on:** August 05, 2016, 00:34:59 am »

Does not an extra milk feed at 3 hours or 2.5 hours not make this a revert to a newborn routine?

Scottishmummy · « **Reply #13 on:** August 05, 2016, 13:12:58 pm »

Just had a look back at your EASY..if he's managing 4hrs between feeds and 2-2.5hr A time that should work out??

I found I sometimes needed to feed at 3.5 or 4.5hrs if a nap was due around same time as feed or if DD's nap ended after her usual milk time.

Does that help?

ireneasheard · « **Reply #14 on:** August 05, 2016, 13:17:08 pm »

I read the 3-2 transition which talks about 3 hour awake time so how does feeds fit in here?

jessmum46 · « **Reply #15 on:** August 05, 2016, 16:21:29 pm »

Exactly as I said above

The pattern is the key, not exact timings. I know he's just 4 months but I don't think we are suggesting he's ready to go all out for 2 naps yet, just that you may be hitting the early starting of that process. So you can keep going with a 4h ish EASY for now - e.g. with 2.5h awake time:

WU 7 and milk
Nap 9.30-11
WU and milk
Nap 1.30-3
WU and milk
Catnap 5.30-6
BT with milk 7.30ish

Which bit of the day are you struggling to work out? xx

ireneasheard · « **Reply #16 on:** August 06, 2016, 03:20:49 am »

Was doing what you've suggested but got confused reading the 3-2 transition stuff as my son isn't yet on solids so I was concerned that offering a top up feed would essentially put him back to a 3 hour newborn routine. He seems happy on around 2-2.5 hours awake time. I am even starting to struggle to get him to take late afternoon nap -yesterday I walked with him in the push chair and he did not start his nap until 5.02pm. I didn't let him nap too long (woke him by opening the cover up at 5.20pm) order to keep a reasonable bedtime which ended up being 7.30pm and he went to sleep quite quickly. He is definitely doing what he did from 4-3 to his current routine and I ended up making bedtime earlier (6-6.30pm).

jessmum46 · « **Reply #17 on:** August 06, 2016, 12:16:30 pm »

I think in all honesty you just have to be a bit flexible around nap transitions, sometimes eating ends up before sleep or two meals end up closer together than usual but it all works out in the end

Once you are on 2 naps and solids you do end up eating every 2-3 hours anyway - I found my first DD was more than happy to go 4.5h between her first 2 feeds (milk at WU, 3h A time, 1.5h nap) but my DS could barely manage 3h between feeds at 5 months as he was so hungry so would have needed a top-up x

jessmum46 · « **Reply #18 on:** August 06, 2016, 12:17:01 pm »

Oh also meant to say EBT is a great idea for transitions

ireneasheard · « **Reply #19 on:** August 08, 2016, 00:04:45 am »

Thanks for coming back to me. Thought I'd clarify as I don't intend starting solids for another few months as I don't believe my son is ready to start any time soon. Was unsure if offering more milk at 3 hour mark would revert him to a newborn routine and also create an association / prop with going to sleep and cause issues at night but if I leave enough time for quiet activity before nap /BT then it shouldn't be an issue I guess.
What is EBT?
I am finding I need to cut the late afternoon nap shorter as I want to preserve a 7-7.30pm bedtime - usually up in morning anywhere between 7-7.30am. Usually I'd allow a full nap cycle which for this babe is around 32 minutes but I'm giving him only 15-20 minutes as otherwise he is sleeping too close to 5.30pm and rhen I would have a later bedtime than 7.30pm.
My son is staying awake well anywhere from 2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes at a time now so he is definitely as you pointed out correctly moving on towards transitioning 3-2 sleeps. All a bit surprising as my 1st babe hung onto his late arvo nap until he was 7 months old.

jessmum46 · « **Reply #20 on:** August 08, 2016, 12:36:28 pm »

That's totally fine, I'm not suggesting you do need to start solids now

Just that by the time he is firmly on two naps and through the transition it may be something you are thinking about and wanted to give you an idea of how that would work.

Quote from: ireneasheard on August 08, 2016, 00:04:45 am

Was unsure if offering more milk at 3 hour mark would revert him to a newborn routine and also create an association / prop with going to sleep and cause issues at night but if I leave enough time for quiet activity before nap /BT then it shouldn't be an issue I guess.
What is EBT?

Well in some ways, yes it is a bit more like a newborn routine but honestly I can't see an alternative - if he can't manage to get through A time plus nap on just one feed, you do have to add another in somewhere and I would suggest around 30 mins before nap is a good time to do so. It doesn't have to be another full feed so more like a 'snack' to get him through the nap without hunger waking him. Unless he is actually feeding to sleep it shouldn't cause issues. EBT = early bedtime

ireneasheard · « **Reply #21 on:** August 09, 2016, 13:58:45 pm »

Thank you. I'll let you know how I go... still hanging onto the 3rd nap but awake times have increased to 2.5 hours steadily so am thinking this info will be useful soon. Thanks again!

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Author Topic: wake to sleep (Read 2497 times)