4 weeks old trying to start routine

[Chloevalentine]

He is a big baby. Over 14 lbs not even 2 months yet and he takes about 5-6 oz a feed. Could that possibly make a difference in how long his A times are? So I should try to put down for nap every 2 hours? Can't hurt to try. Although mornings he usually goes down at 1.5 hrs. Tiday is the first morning he actually feel back to sleep after his 5 am feed and is still asleep at 7 am!  At night he's been wrong around 6/630 and not waking to eat until 130/230 and then again around 5 am.

[creations]

No, I wouldn't do 2hrs for all A times. Those morning A times seem to work well most days at 1hr 30 so I'd stick with that and if you get 2 good naps (1hr 30 or more, some of his long naps are up to 2hr 30) then for the third A time try 2hrs.
As he isn't sleeping well most evenings anyway I don't think it can do any harm to try. It's pretty out the box but all LOs are individual aren't they.
If you get shorter naps for those first two then I'd probably aim for 1hr 30 instead.

Going back to sleep this morning is great

[Chloevalentine]

Ok this morning we did 1.5 A time got a 1 hr nap then 2 hr A time got a 35- 40 min nap then a 2 hr A time and he's still sleeping 2 hrs 15 mins later. So I guess it's just a crap shoot. Maybe the rest of the afternoon will be better mood wise and I'll do the usual 630 feed bedtime which is another 2 hr A time before bed.

[Chloevalentine]

My question is .. Am I supposed to be getting some kind of nap routine down or is it too soon? Lo is only 7 weeks but naps are awful. Is the ideal schedule to get an 1.5 hr nap every 1.5 hours? We definitely aren't getting that. As a matter of fact today he only took a few naps of 15-30 mins long!! And was up since 5:15 to feed! It's awful. He didn't seem very hungry for a few of the feeds nor did he seem tired until he started crying for most of the day. I tired everything. The swing bassinet the car nothing worked. I fed him at 6 and he went straight to bed. No call backs.

[creations]

Honestly I don't think there are many who have an established routine this young. I know Tracy starts EASY from day 1 but it really does take time to establish a consistent routine.  I think that's why many people choose to use slings or strollers for the first few months.
I started EASY at 4-5 weeks (but keep in mind I had no older child to care for and could spend a long time helping DS to sleep), I would say my LO was self settling around 8 wks but that definitely doesn't mean we had equal A times and equal length long naps across the day.  At that point I was feeding at 3hrs but for sleeps I was following cues and I think some were long and some short, sometimes when he was supposed to be asleep he woke and lay quietly in his travel cot just looking around, turning his head if I moved or walked past, turning his head towards sounds etc, and he could lay like that for ages and ages and eventually fall asleep again.  We did not have the sort of 1.5hr A and 1.5hr naps you are asking about.

Despite it not being a 'perfect' routine in terms of every nap a long one, your day with eht 40 min nap and 2hr 15min+ nap actually sounds quite promising even if only in terms of ability to transition from cycle to cycle.  it's still early days.

[Chloevalentine]

Thank you for that info but now we've had 2-3 days in a row with barely any naps. 15-20 mins here and there. Today he did an hour in the morning and maybe 20 mins in my husbands arms around 430! So he was pretty much awaje from 12-430! He did fall asleep a few times and I would try to put him down and he would wake 5 mins later. Tonight I brought him up at 545 got him ready for bed fed him a little bit again (2hrs after last feed) and put him in bassinet for bed. He's moving around a bit but hopefully will knock out.

[creations]

Sounds like he feels as though he's had a full nap when he's only had a few mins, putting him down is disturbing him because he's in light sleep. Really that would be my reason for getting him down before he nods off so that you avoid the disturbance (or to decide to hold throughout).

[Chloevalentine]

I've tried that but I really feel like im missing the cues. Sometimes when he looks sleepy I put him down and it takes him 30 mins to fall asleep! Then he sleeps for 30 mins.

[creations]

You can only do what you can do though hey?  You can't force him to sleep.
hugs, I know you'd like a more predictable routine. I'm sure it will come in time.

[Chloevalentine]

Now with my 3 year old at school 3 days a week im hoping for some better naps with a quiet house
I'm thinking of this as an easy:
Wake him at 6
Feed 630
Nap 730-830/45
Wake him if still sleeping put into car by 845 to bring big guy to school
Feed 930
Nap 10-12 hopefully get a long nap here
Back in car by 1215 to go to school where I can walk with him in stroller until pick up at 1pm
Get back home by 115 to feed
130 feed
2 nap until he wakes
430 feed
Nap 5-6
7 feed and to bed

I'm not sure if he will go 4 hrs in between feeds though from 930-130 unless I feed him at 12 then leave for school which might not leave me evough time for the walk before 1pm pick up
Any suggestions on schedule?
Today he was up at 630 at around 7/730 he's not usually ready to eat as soon as he gets up. Then he went down for nap at 745 until 830 I got him into car by 845 dropped of my son at school for 9 came back home fed at 10 but he fell asleep during feeding I put him down for nap but now he's awake in swing. He does this all the time and then it takes him a while to actually fall asleep. And I'll need to leave again to get my son by 1245. Which means no time to walk in stroller.

[creations]

The nap routine you've roughly planned out looks well worth a try, yes.
I agree thought that it is a very long time to wait for food from 9.30 to 1.15pm. Do you really need to walk with the stroller then? Could you feed at home at 12/12.15 and still make it in time for school pick up at 1pm?  Or could you set off for school and find a suitable place to feed (or feed in the car on your lap once you're parked up?).  Maybe you could have a walk after school pick up and head home in time for nap or if your older one likes to go to the play park maybe let LO2 sleep in the stroller (walking and whilst LO1 is having a play?)?

[Chloevalentine]

Nah I'm looking to walk alone for exercise plus big boy is too tired after school to go to playground.
I might just have to walk in the morning after drop off. Because i don't want to wake him early from his good long nap from 1030-1230.
So maybe I'll do this:

Wake at 630 am
7 feed (he usually can wait to eat in morning )
745/8-845 nap (is a 45 min nap restorative ?)
Walk from 915-945 home for 10 am feeding
10 feed
1015/30 nap-1230
Into car for 1245 for Pick up from school
115 feed
2-3 nap
4 pm feed
430/5 nap-6 this nap is hard sometimes I can get 30 mins in my arms otherwise he just cries all night until bed)
7 feed if he naps if not I usually feed at 6 and right down for the night
715 Bed

[creations]

is a 45 min nap restorative ?

No it's classed as a CN, not restorative. But the thing is many parents need to go with a CN around school run times anyway.
My DS had a long time where I could only give him one proper long nap at home and the other naps were in the car, for a phase it was a good nap in the car (and me stuck there while he slept!) but later on we reduced to CN on the way out and CN on the way back.  We can only organise what we can organise can't we?  We can't make absolutely everything around one family member so it's a balance of everyone's needs.

The plan looks fine as something to try out

[Chloevalentine]

Any suggestions on how to extend night time a bit. He napped from 230-4 which was great but then he gets tired again by 530 but can't seem to take a cn so every night we end up just going up for feed and bed at 6. My poor husband doesn't get to see him all week

[creations]

Sorry no.
The only thing I can think is to get him up for DH to see him and then put him back to bed - not sure I'd do that personally though.