Hi Sophsk, it's comforting to know I'm not the only one having this problem. Hopefully we can find ways to improve it.
FPT23, thanks for responding. You've helped me before so thank you
and Happy New Year to you too!
I apologise for the essay, but just to give you more info. so you might see better where I'm going wrong.
I should clarify... He's not sleeping for 1-1.5 hour naps at a time, that is usually the total amount of nap time from 7am-7pm roughly. Although in saying that, the naps for the last few days have been a bit better. Nothing I've done, mind you lol we've also only had one nightfeed for the last few nights.
We're having an issue with his eating as well and I'm not sure whether it's a case of we've messed it up... He was going 3 hourly between feeds over a month and a half ago but then the sleep prop of feeding to sleep seems to have messed things up. We ended up offering him his bottle every 1.5-2 hours to help him nap. The problem is now that that sleep prop has stopped working. He gets really tired and then overtired because he doesn't know how to fall asleep without the bottle but if he's not hungry then he refuses and won't go to sleep. I didn't want to sleep train him yet but I have no choice now that every time a nap/BT comes around, we have a screeching and overtired little man. I need to teach him a new way to go to sleep (he has never fallen asleep by himself. Ever. Lol).
With regards to feeding, we've agreed to stop trying to feed to sleep now (because it isn't working) and instead, try to offer feeds at 3.5-4 hourly (or before if he wants it). I feel like I've lost the ability to identify his hunger cues since we kept feeding to sleep because the two became synonymous.
He has never been a great eater. Doesn't take full feeds, refuses a lot (but that could be because we're offering it too much). In 24 hours, he'll take between 22.5-28 ozs (usually s'where in the middle). His weight was 15lb 7ozs a few weeks back. Surely this isn't enough for his size?
He takes around 11-12 ozs between 7am-15:00pm. The only time he usually takes a full feed (7 oz bottles) is evening time and it's usually a circus of feed to sleep, wakes up 10 or 30 mins later, more feed, wakes up again, more feed, until he's finally in his night sleep. At NFs he doesn't take anymore than 2-3 ozs. Then when he gets up at 7am, he's not hungry for his bottle. On Day 1 (below) he took 6 ozs but that was a one-off.
I'm genuinely not sure what his awake times are! When he gets up in the morning, he seems tired within about 30 mins of waking. Then the 'awoo'ing' and hyper noises commence so I presume by this stage I'm too late?
This has no semblance to EASY (no two days are the same but I'm really keen to get there and separate the eating from the sleeping. It's a right mess and incomplete in the evening. He will usually have his last nap around 5:30/6:30 and then BT begins at 7/7:30 but he will usually only begin his night sleep at about 9-9:30 🙈
Log
Day 1
NF at 3:20 (2.5-3 ozs)
Awake 8 (started getting tired at 8:30)
Feed - 8:35 - 6.5 ozs (Bottle 1)
Sleep - 9:30 - 10:05
Activity 10:05 - 11:50 feed at 11:30 - (Bottle 2) 1.5 then refused
Eat - seemed frustrated with milk 2.5 in total
Took a few sucks of water and fell asleep
Sleep 12:00 - 12:35
Took a little then Refusing feed 4 ozs total
13:50 - 2 ozs (6 ozs total)
14:00 - 15:00 sleep - woke up crying
Eat - 2 ozs
Sleep 15:30 - in pram (slept for 10 mins) then awake.
Sleep 16:05 - 16:35
Day 2
Wake 7:20
Eat 7:50-8:05 (1.5 oz)
Sleep 8:05-8:55
Awake and eat 3.5 ozs (5 ozs total)
Sleep 11:00-11:30
A 11:30
Sleep 14:50- 15:20
Eat 15:50 ( bottle 2)
Sleep 16:05-16:55 (in car)
E 17:10 -
S - 17:15-18-15
A
S- 21:15 -4:45am
Today
A 6:55
S 8:00am (showing sleepy cues at 7:30) 30 mins of crying to get to sleep (refusing bottle).
Thank you for reading!