catch 22

[Gage and Sophie's Mom]

My son has been on the 3 hr EASY "routine" for some time now. I am trying to get him on the 3 hr EASY "time schedule" suggested by tracy in her second book. I am having a hard time with this because my son is all over the place in terms of activity and sleep length. I am fighting the 45 min nap thing. Does anyone have any suggestion? Is time really the imoportant thing? I think the lack of is what is messing up our naps, and I dont dare try to extend his A as he get waaay overtired. This is a catch 22.

[Deb_in_oz]

hi

can you please post a typical day showing all A times, E, etc and what age and temperment your ds is.  does he go to sleep independently, any props/aids used (white noise, blackout curtains/blinds, pacifier/dummy, etc) we can work on getting you on track


the short answer to your question is that you shoudl worry less about the times in the suggested routine/guide, and more focus on tweaking that to suit your lo and you.... we can go through it as we examine what you are currently doing and see what tweaking can be done

BTW - i am in Australia and about to go out for the morning (Saturday here) bit will check back later afetr you post details 

[Gage and Sophie's Mom]

thank you for taking the time to help me.  I am trying to move up his bedtime from 10pm to anything that will help him be less crabby.


E 7:30
A
S 8am-9

E 10
S 11:25-12:05

E 12:45
A
S 2:09

E 4:40
A
S 5:30-6:30

Bath 6:45

E 7:10
S 7:54-8:45
Awake again at 9pm and 9:15
S 9:30


This is a little better than a typical schedule. He almost always takes 45 min naps, and I have a hard time extending them. Sometimes he will take a long nap, I am not sure what the difference is.

Also, he is used to going to bed between 10-10:30. Usually, no matter what I do this when he falls asleep. The evenings are the worst time as he is so overtired and I am trying to hold out for a bedtime vs. another nap.

[HeatherC]

How old is your lo?

[Gage and Sophie's Mom]

my son is almost 10 weeks

[Deb_in_oz]

E 7:30  - is this when he wakes up? or does he actually start his day earlier than 7:30
A
S 8am-9

E 10
S 11:25-12:05

E 12:45
A
S 2:09 how long asleep
E 4:40
A
S 5:30-6:30

Bath 6:45

E 7:10
S 7:54-8:45
Awake again at 9pm and 9:15
S 9:30

  what age and temperment your ds is. does he go to sleep independently, any props/aids used (white noise, blackout curtains/blinds, pacifier/dummy, etc) 

can you answer the above questions for me and a few more please.  i just want to have a complete picture of your daily routine before i make any suggestions although i have a few to start with already.

also  is he bottle or breast fed???

what are you currently doing to try to extend his naps?

[CT Mommy]

Hi Gage's mom-

I just posted the message "I feel so defeated" and then read your message.  Your baby's schedule looks almost exactly like mine and I am so frustrated!!  I feel like I am doing everything right (at least according to Tracey) and my friend's babies (that they strap on and take to the mall, market, trips, yoga etc. with complete disregard for any schedule/routine) are sleeping through the night and taking consistent naps. 

What are you doing to help your situation?  My ds is only napping 30 minutes (5 times/day) and eats every 3 hours (all night too--he doesn't sleep more than 2 1/2 straight hours).  Perhaps we can help each other?

Nicole

[Gage and Sophie's Mom]

You poor thing! I know it is sooo hard! I had no idea babies had sleeping difficulties like this. Everyone I know is like your friends baby. I on the other hand, only leave the house for necessities. Anyway, I would love to help anyway I can. How old is your lo?

Here are some of the things I have sort of figured out:

1. I was blessed to have my son start sleeping almost through the night on his own around 7 weeks old. I think 2 things helped with this: a . I bought the miracle blanket that keeps his jolts under control and makes him feel secure. If you need the website for this I can get it to you. Or you can make your own blanket out of a twin sheet cut in half. b. I started keeping track of the number of ounces he drinks and make sure that he gets all he needs during the day. If you need to know how much your lo needs let me know.

2. I suspected my son had a little bit of reflux, so I raised his crib and got him on zantac.

3. I tried the wake to sleep technique where you go in and try to reset his sleep clock by making him stir in his sleep. This only worked sometimes. To save my insanity, I decided to just go with his 45 min naps and wait until he grew out of them. However, this meant that he could only be up 45 to 1 hr max, and I need to have at least a 10 min wind down.

4. Rather than stand by his crib the whole time which we all know can be hours, I rock my son in a chair until really drowsy (not all the way asleep though). Then I lower him into the crib which wakes him a little, but that is okay because he is already really drowsy. Then I pat on the bottom and shh him.

5. My son throws fits sometimes when it comes to naps. It would make me so darn frustrated. I decided to do 2 things. I would get him to wind down as soon as I suspected he was tired becuase his fits are less. I also decided that I needed to change myself rather than change him. Now, when he throws a fit I look away finding a focal point (still patting and sshhhing) and think about dinner or whatever. Also, I know it takes 15 to 20 min. for him to pass through the 3 stages of sleepiness, so when I think that it will never end I look at the clock. Then I can see that it will only be 10 more min. Even if it is longer, it still helps me not go crazy. 

I am not sure what else there is. I hope something helps. What are some of your tricks?

[Gage and Sophie's Mom]

oh yeah.... I started doing baths earlier in the day. I think the baths were too stimulating in the evening.