Stacy I need help.

[debo620]

This mornings nap--my son seemed to wake slightly at the transition but eyes continued to stay mostly closed, I was there applying some hand pressure and the wave noise machine was going. I stayed with him but he never seemed to go back in to a deep sleep, many body jolts. I thought it took about 20min for them to fall back into a deep sleep, today I was in his room for over 1hour and he kept on having these partial awakenings. Finally got him up at 10:00am for bf---but back to sleep by 11:00 as still tired.
Do you think I am staying in the room too long?
Deborah

[debo620]

lol.
I have been doing this technique for every nap for weeks!Sometimes it works and other times it doesn't. My son went back to sleep and then awoke at 11:45 am and of course I am there hovering over him and I think he wonders waht the heck I am doing. Then I try to sneak out of the room on all fours--as if he hasn't already seen me. Anyway I will stick with it
Deborah

[debo620]

Yes, I tried this at the 30min mark but then he fully woke up a couple min later--so nap ended up being 30min instead of 40min, and then for a couple days after that the naps were 30min, so I have not wanted to try that again.
Deborah

[debo620]

Stacy, I am wondering how you personally made the transition to the 4hour easy. Did you use the guide. I am finding it someone difficult due to the sometimes short naps. For example, if the 2nd nap of the day is short---then the third nap of the day starts earlier. Today, my son slepr form 11:00-11:45----was not crying and cranky again until 12:15pm but I couldn't get him back to sleep. Fed him at 3hour interval of 1pm. Back to sleep by 1:30pm and just woke at 3:15pm but next feed isn't until 4pm---and thats at 3hours apart. How can I get to the 4hour schedule. It almost seems as though I would have to have set nap times, but at present I am more going by cues and total awake length times. My son is also wakeing up at 5:30am. In Tracy's book she suggests pupd to extend this time but my son is never crying when he wakes up--rather just talking and cooing until 6 or 6:15 and by then I figure we might as well start the day.---but then that 45min he was awake before he eats kind of takes away from the A time after---and therefore difficult to stretch to 10:00am feeding.

Sorry I know this isn't usually your cup of tea. But since you have dealt with the short nap thing I thought maybe you would have some advice. Thanks again for all of your help,
Deborah

[debo620]

Thanks Stacy, that has been my feeling on it too--just to put the feeds where I want them to be. You are right, my son also wakes in the middle of the night and I hear awake for up to an hour but never usually crys and will fall back to sleep.I never really thought about that for naps. What do you think is the best way to deal with the 5:30am wake-up? I would think it work better if it was 6:30 or 7:00am. He woke this am at 5:30am, I left him but he started crying at 6am, so I got him up. Maybe I should of used some technique to get him back to sleep like Tracy suggests pu/pd? Interestingly, on the weekend. he awoke at 5:30am but then must have fallen asleep, (and I fell back asleep), and I went to check him at 6:30am he was sleeping, awoke at 7am.
Thanks, Deborah

[debo620]

I am somewhat confused, Tracy also says that for some babies the early wake may just be their biorythm. Even if he wakes at 5:30am he seems happy. maybe crying at 6am due to hunger? Even if I feed him at 6 and put him back to bed I know he will not fall back asleep. Do you think I should try wake to sleep for the 5:30am wake-up, going it at 4:30am? I have never done pu/pd and somehow I don't think it will work for a baby that isn't crying----I just don't get how pu/pd can extend their wake-up time?

[debo620]

He goes to bed at 7pm ---asleep by 7:15pm or 7:30pm----There have been a couple times where it has been closer to 8pm or 8:30 and he still wakes at the same time. this does work out to a 10hour night which from what I read is good--but the easy is based on a 12hour night/12hour day. that is why it is so difficult----in some ways I really think the EASY plan is flawed b/c maybe it is unrealistic to have a 12hour night.
Deborah

[debo620]

Okay stacy, I think I will try w2sleep tomight at 4:30am. Hope you don't mind if I ask you another question and then I promise that is it!
This am--nap was bad. ds went to bed at 7:15am--awoke at 7:50. I left him in his crib, really didn't start crying until 8:45am. B/c next feed due at 10am or so---had enough time to get him back to sleep. I reswaddled him, and picked him up, ssh=pat on my shoulder, he screamed and cried while I held him for 30min or so. Finally settled and I layed him in his crib with eyes mostly shut. Stayed with him until he turned his head and stayed sleeping. Should I be doing pu/pd instead? It didn't use to take so long for him to settle--but I now I am starting to feel that I am holding him way to long. I can't seem to ssh-patt in the crib with him on his side b/c he arches his back and looks at me. I also have a hard time blocking out the visual stimulation when his eyes are wide open b/c he just moves his head around my hand. As it is, I usually stand in a dark corner of the room with him over mys shoulder. He is now getting way to heavy for this at over 16lbs. Is it time to start pu/pd?
Deborah

[debo620]

thanks stacy, he will be 4months this coming Monday

[debo620]

OK, I will try. I have never really figured out how to settle him in his crib. He sometimes will suck  on his hand but it more then anything just keeps him awake. I am doing the Aussie swaddle.  are you saying just leave him in his crib while he is crying but stay with him and see if he settles. that is what I will try.
deb

[debo620]

Ok, Stacy---so yesterday and today my son will just not go back to sleep after the 45minute nap. It doesn't matter what I do. Where as last week I could hold him and patt/ssh until he got sleepy again and then lay him down-stay with him etc. Now he just cries while I hold him and sometimes he calms for a few minutes but he is still wide awake. If I take him out of his room he calms down. His first nap started at 7:15am, awake by 8am, it is now 9:20am. I was trying to stretch out his feed until 10:00am but now I think I will feed at 9:45 and do his next nap after 10:00am. The problem has also become that if he is tired he will not eat well. I really do think it is time try pu/pd. I am so upset about this b/c he falls asleep so well initially, why can he not do this after a 45min nap? I tried to today to just let him be awake until he got tired again, start the winddown etc, but it just didn't work that way. I am at a loss as to where to go from here. What do you think is the best plan of action to get him to go back to sleep if he does awaken at 45min, leave him until he cries and then start pu/pd?  I really want to be consistent.
Thankyou,
Deborah

[debo620]

Ok, so he woke up at 5:30am this morning, was fussy by 6:50am, did the wind down etc, in bed by 7:10am, cried for 30 sec and then asleep by 7:20 or so. I am going to try to stretch out A time by 5min every day. Would he fall asleep if he wasn't tired enough? I don't want to extend A time too much b/c then I think it will be much harder o get him to bed.
Today's second nap started at 10:30, after bf at 9:45am--(he had been awake since end of last nap at 8:00). He slept usual 45min, was awake for 20min but then fell back asleep(?) on his own. Awoke crying at 12:20, was able to get him back to sleep---(but didn't seem to be deep) Awake at 1:30pm, by now I figure he is probably hungry. Bf at 1:45pm. seems still kind of cranky and it's 2:15pm. I don't think the short spurts of sleep really sustain for the full next A time. There is no way I can keep him up now until even 3:00pm. he is now yawning. Do you think that the short sleep really count's for anything?
Deborah

[debo620]

Well Stacy, third nap started at 3:20pm and ended at 4pm, but ds was crying right away. Got the guts up to do pu/pd and it worked. After 30minutes, ds was calm in crib but just wouldn't close eyes and fall asleep even though yawning. Started crying again and then again pu/pd---finally fell asleep at 5pm. i hope the time it takes  is less and less.
Thanks for all of your help.
Deborah