Author Topic: Starting the day right...  (Read 1469 times)

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Offline EddiesMum

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Starting the day right...
« on: April 11, 2006, 07:48:13 am »
Hi,

My LO is now 11 weeks old and I started E.A.S.Y with him last week. He's now taking all his naps in his own room and sleep there at night :)
He wakes quite frequently at night atm and gets harder to put back to sleep as the night progresses, his last waking is between 5am and 6am I usually have to change is nappy and feed him then put him back to sleep. He then wakes up at around 7 - 7.30 but is still tired and not hungry.. I'm not sure how I should start the day in this case. I've tried leaving him in his crib till he calls for me but this seems to make him more tired as he just fusses (kicking and batting at his swaddle) and talks to himself . He doesn't take a good feed at 7 and i'm not sure when I should put him down for his first nap he is very hard to put down and i'm never sure if he's hungry or overtired...This then gets the whole day out of wack cause he usually will only have a 45minute sleep and wont resettle so gets more and more tired as the day goes on and our feeds get all whacky and snacky.
By the end of the day he starts getting a little easier to resettle for naps, i'm not sure if it's because of the sun going down and I need to get blockout blinds for the rest of the day or if he's finally realised he needs the sleep. We're on 3hr easy, and his bed time is between 7pm and 8pm (depending on how tired he is in the evening from the short naps I adjust it accordingly) hmmm bit of an essay I'm sorry but i've just had one of these days and it's pretty tough on us both!

Is is ok if I feed him to help settle him before a nap? or should I go cold turkey on this.. I can spend 10minutes patting him over my shoulder with no progress but then If i let him suckle for 1minute he's all sleepy (not asleep) and i can settle him in the cot. He wont take a dummy :(

Thanks
Anna

Offline corrina01

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Re: Starting the day right...
« Reply #1 on: April 11, 2006, 13:45:32 pm »
Could you first of all post his routine please.

Do you do a dreamfeed?

How long are his naps?

You will want to get him up for the day at a certain time, and bed at a certain time.  Say 7am wake up, 7pm bedtime.

If his naps are all whacky during the day put him to bed earlier.

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Is is ok if I feed him to help settle him before a nap?

It is okay, but don't feed him to sleep, change his nappy afterwards, then put him in his cot for a nap.

HTH
Corrina
Mum to Faith
A very spirited toddler with a touch of angel



Offline Intransit

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Re: Starting the day right...
« Reply #2 on: April 11, 2006, 14:19:38 pm »
COngratualtions on the progress you have made thus far with EASY!

He wakes quite frequently at night atm and gets harder to put back to sleep as the night progresses, his last waking is between 5am and 6am I usually have to change is nappy and feed him then put him back to sleep. He then wakes up at around 7 - 7.30 but is still tired and not hungry.. I'm not sure how I should start the day in this case.
May I ask what your routine is like during the day and until bed time?
Also, when he wakes at the 5-6am mark is it for hunger, do you think? or habit? I know my ds would wake up early as well, and Id feed him and he'd go back to sleep until 8 or so. It helps to have a set wake up time everyday, even if he was just up 1-2 hours before, it helps set the routine. And when he wakes up, try to feed him again..even if he only takes a little bit.
Do you use the dreamfeed at all?

Is is ok if I feed him to help settle him before a nap? or should I go cold turkey on this.. I can spend 10minutes patting him over my shoulder with no progress but then If i let him suckle for 1minute he's all sleepy (not asleep) and i can settle him in the cot. He wont take a dummy

In regards to this, it is best if you use pat/shh to settle your LO. It can take a while before you see the effects, but it really works! I used to rock, walk ,swing etc my LO to sleep, and it would only work some of the time, and did not help in teaching him to fall asleep on his own. Once I discovered EASY and Pat/shh and stuck with it, I saw amazing resluts. When you let him suckle you are teaching him that he needs to have that to fall asleep(prop).

I hope this helps..and maybe some of the other mothers have some tips as well.



*Sarah*
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Offline EddiesMum

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Re: Starting the day right...
« Reply #3 on: April 12, 2006, 04:39:01 am »
Thanks for your replies..
I think it helped me start fresh today :) i haven't been writing things down the last few days which maybe why it's going all over the place.
So far the routine today has been
6.30am Wake and feed (he woke up hungry and crying so   figured we better start the day)
7.30 - 9.20 sleep
10am feed
11.30am - 12.30pm sleep (Grandma took him for a walk while i got my hair cut)
1.20pm feed
2.00pm -4.10pm sleep (resettled in cot at 2.55)
4.20pm feed
5.45pm sleep .. he's sleeping now so I'll post the rest as the day continues
hopefuly the rest will be
6.45pm bath
7pm feed
7.30pm winddown
8pm sleeping
Naps
I've looked through my logs and his naps are all over the place in regards to length, sometimes they are 45mins, 1hr, 1.5hr or 2hrs there doesn't seem to be a consistant pattern.

Dreamfeed
I haven't been doing a dreamfeed, he wont bf in his sleep and i haven't got him to take a bottle yet. I tried the other night, picked him up, teased his lip, and then put him back down again without waking him. Is that right? or should i have woken him up more or tried again an hour later? The two nights since then he's woken up around this time 1st night i fed him - he was then up every 2hrs that night, last night I settled him back to sleep without a feed and he woke at 2am hungry and very awake!

He seems to be feeding better today with the bigger gaps, he hasn't "asked" to be fed but when I've fed him he ate eagerly and I haven't given him a top up before naps.

I'm also thinking that since his days have been all over the place that's why his nights have been too? wdyt?

It was also great to go get my hair cut and have a 1 1/2 hr break, it's amazing how refreshed I feel :)

Thanks for your help :D,
Anna
« Last Edit: April 12, 2006, 07:58:01 am by EddiesMum »

Offline corrina01

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Re: Starting the day right...
« Reply #4 on: April 12, 2006, 08:17:06 am »
If he wakes at 6.30am, ideally you would want him to go to bed about 7pm.

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I tried the other night, picked him up, teased his lip, and then put him back down again without waking him. Is that right?

How long did you try for?

Maybe he is a baby who doesn't want a dreamfeed.

How often does he wake during the night?

It is normal to have nightfeeds at 11 weeks.
Corrina
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A very spirited toddler with a touch of angel



Offline Intransit

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Re: Starting the day right...
« Reply #5 on: April 12, 2006, 14:25:00 pm »
SO glad to hear you had a break! I did the same a month after my son was born! ;D I think it is so important to take a break from LO every once in a while...helps us to be better Moms!
About the DF...it doesn't always work right away. It is something that can take a few tries, OR like Corrina01 said, some babies do not want one.  I would suggest trying it again...but perhaps a bit later than 7:30..its best to do before you go to bed. Most common time would be between 10pm-11pm. You may find he is hungrier at this point as opposed to 7:30..and may get him to last past the 2 am feeding you mentioned.
One more thing..are the feedings you are doing 3 hours apart? It is good to be consistent in that area as well, especially in the beginning to establish a "solid" routine. Of course, if LO is not hungry, what can you do!
HTH
*Sarah*
Neve treat others as you yourself would not like to be treated.