way off easy!!!

[skibbit]

we started our son on easy since 4 days old, and now its totallly off! he was doing great going down for naps and staying down for 2-2.5 hours up untill about 3 months old. now hes 5 months and doing terrible!! hes on the 30 - 45 min naps and i got him to go 2-2.5 hours for the 8:00 nap, but thats it.

the easy went wrong when he turned 4 months old. he was going from  6-7am till 7-8pm during the day eating every 3 hours and sleeping about 1.5-2 hours at at a time. he gets tired really fast so he could only handle about 45 mon of A time. when he hit 4 months old, we switched him from 3 hour routine to a four hour routine in about 2 or 3 days and was doing fine with going that long with our food. the problem was that he cannot stay awake for 2 hours, much less 1.5 hours without getting overtired, but when he got used to 45 min naps this created another problem with him because then hef wouldnt sleep the full 2 hours. he didnt need more than 2 hours of sleep though. so we had an extra hour in the A time that we didnt know what to do with. also he started spitting up frequently and so i knew he was eating too much. so we had no choise but to feed him less. then the pediatrician told us that he was in the 10 % range for weight and he needed to eat every three hours and only have 3 ounces or so at a feed. this is when he got off the routine. now he sleeps maybe 2 or 3 times a day in 30-45 min. intervals and he wakes up every 4 hours or so at night for food as the ped also said to feed him that often at night to get his weight up. so this is getting hectic.  i need some help here big time!! hes overtired almost all day now and i cant wait for him to fall asleep. today we are doing well though

he didnt sleep well last night as i think he has allergies and is teething and has gas all the time. he woke up at 6 am and stayed in the walker till 7am. he then slept about 45 min
and then woke up for 30 min. fell asleep for 10 min and stayed awake for 30 min till 9:15 when i put him down. he slept till almost noon! thats about 2.5 hours! without waking up once! then he ate and went back to sleep at about 1 and he woke up 45 min. later, but in about 10 min i had him back to sleep. he woke up 10 min. later and again i put him back to sleep in about 5 min. then he lept until 3!! so thats two naps today already that he slept about 2 hours! im so happy. he just woke up and had 2 ounces (which isnt much) well see then if i can get him back on a routine. i need advise on how to get through this though. he transitions very well as he is a textbook baby. so if that helps any, let me know what you think i should do.

thank you everyone!

[HeatherC]

I would normally advise you to go back to the 4 hr feeding routine, but since his ped has suggested otherwise, I feel I need to be cautious.  Has he started gaining weight?  Can you post in detail your daily routine?

[skibbit]

okay, he has gained about 1 lb in 3 weeks (thats since the pediatrician.) hes 13 lbs now at 5 months. but my sister and i were both 4 months old before we hit 10 lbs! so i dont think its anything to worry about, i think it runs in the familly.  here is our normal routine.

between 6:00 and 7:00 am-  he wakes up and eats about 4 ounces. (for the sake of simplicity, i will just go with the 7:00 because its more usual.)
7:15-8:15- Activity in the walker
8:30- sleeps on and off for about an hour
10:00- eat about 4 ounces
10:15-12:30- sleeps on and off (waking every 30-45 min for about 30 min of awake time)
12:30 - just stayes up.
1:00-1:30- eats babyfood(about 2 oz) and then about 2 oz of formula
1:30-- Activity for the rest of the day untill we can eventually get him to sleep. it happens maybe one more time to none at all and if it does its about 45 min. long. he3 gets very cranky.
4:00 pm- eats baby food and formula
6 or 7 pm- has formula about 4-6 oz
between 6:00pm and 8:00 pm- bedtime(originally its supposed to be 7:00. but if he hasnt had a nap we put him to bed as soon as he falls asleep at around 6 pm.)

today on the other hand, (you already saw yesterdays, and he didnt get an evening nap either) he woke at 5:30am for food and didnt want to sleep but i got him down in about 15 min. and he slept untill 7 am.
at 7am he stayed in the walker until 8 and then we put him down at 8:30
he slept for 3.5 hours!!! and he only woke up once at 9:15 and we got him back to sleep immediatly.
at 12:00pm he got up and had 4 oz (we had to wake him!!) and he had activity time for an hour and 15 min.
at 1:30 pm we put him down and its now 2:45 and he hasnt woke up yet!

i feel like this is the beginning of the end of his terrible naps. he goes to sleep easily and in about 5 min. so thats our day recently. any idias for how to finish this?

[HeatherC]

My dd only weighed 13 lbs, 7 oz at 5 months, and she's always been perfectly healthy.
I'm going to enlist the help of some other mods as to your situation.

[corrina01]

I don't where you live, but two things spring to mind.

Do you breastfeed or formula feed? 

You say he is gaining weight, that is all the UK doctors or health visitors worry about, if they start losing weight they are a bit concerned.

Have you tried 3.5hr EASY, this is what my DD was on till about 6 months as she could not stay awake the full 2hrs.

I will post my routine at 5 months

7am Feed
9am Sleep for 1hr 30mins
10.30am Feed
12.10pm Sleep for 1hr 50mins
2pm Feed
3.30pm Sleep for 1hr 30mins
5pm Feed
6pm Bath
6.40pm Feed
6.50pm Sleep for the night.

As for teething they always sleep a bit extra than normal when the teeth are coming through, but when the teeth are on the move (by my DD experience) she always had short naps, but I would say wake after 2hrs - 2hrs 15mins as I think that will interrupt their nightime sleep.

As for gas, is from the bottom end or top end?

HTH

[LŠuren]

When was the last time you were at the doctors?
Has your Lo always been on the 10% weight range? or had your LO dropped to 10% and that is why you were advised to return to 3hr feeds?

It may be worth extending to a 3.5hr EASY, as Corrina suggests (if you are happy to do so), that will give you a good balance of the same number of feeds - at 4hr EASY you can drop a feed - and a slightly longer 'A' time.

You will probably find as well that you are experienceing the signs of needing to transition, because the ped advised you to go back to 3hrs:
1. Not taking as much at a feed (baby not as hungry at 3 hours)
2. Erratic Night Wakings
3. They are extending their awake times
4. Starts taking 45 minute naps


...must go...feed time...

[HeatherC]

I'm glad Corrina and Lauren popped in b/c they confirmed what I thought.  Also, I wanted to add that his erratic naps may just be a fluke, but I agree with Corrina that you shouldn't let him nap much longer than 2 hrs.  Plus, you want to keep feed times relatively close to the same to keep your day consistent.
Lauren made a good point about his weight %.  If he has been in the same catergory, that is fine, it's usually only a concern if he drops drastically. 
Since he has had long naps and you have been successful at resettling him at sleep transitions (45 min marks), that tells me that he is capable of taking good naps.  Therefore, it's a matter of finding the right balance of A time for him.  Try to keep a log of what times you have naps, and how long he naps for each.  By reviewing your log, you should find which times yield longer, more restful naps.

[LŠuren]

Skibbit
Is he only taking 14-16oz of mik in a day??

Lauren

[skibbit]

i formula feed exclusively. gentlease from enfamil. but also feed him babyfood two times a day.
he started out 7.2 lbs and gained weight slowly until we got to the docs about a 1.5 months ago and she said he was in the 3-5% range. then about 2 weeks later he was in the 10% range. but now, two weeks after that i dont know. i do know that he hasnt gained more than .5 lbs since then though.
no, i havent tried 3.5 hour easy yet. i always thought that people did that because theyre ds or dd wouldnt transition fast. yes i should try it.

as for the teething, im not sure if he is or not. he drools alot and he chews his paci now sometimes instead of sucking it, and it just seems like hes cranky in the middle of the night for no reason at all. he was waking every 3-4 hours at night and as soon as the bottle hit his lips he was sound asleep again and sucked the bottle till he was full. the last week or so though he has a hard time even drinking it but still wakes and sometimes cant go back to sleep easily.
the gas seems to always be from the bottom end with the exception of after a feed if we dont set him upright to burp.

i think he does need to be on a 3.5 hour easy. wont drink much when he hasnt eaten every 3 hours (maybe an ounce or two) and then i will feed him a little more before the 3 hour mark  because i thought he didnt get enough. so he was snacking the last few days in between his short meals. he also had a buiscut yesterday. im not sure about his night wakings. i think it might have something to do with it, but im not sure what it is. it miay be his really long naps, but it has only gone on for a few days...? i will try the log and see if i can find a good balance of A time. is it possible that his good balance of A time could be different at different times of the day?

i dont know how much formula he is taking. id say.....yes 14-16oz. posibbly up to 20. but we also feed him  babyfood. on average 1-2 oz of it at a time. and then finish him off on the bottle. (another 1-3 oz)

he has always been small. ii am not that worried, but when i look at pics of him since he was born, he looks almost exactly the same from 2moths old as he does now. look at his body fat. it hasnt changed at all. all thats changed is the height.

[HeatherC]

Yes, his A times can vary throughout the day.  I have been rereading the SAYP book (in preparation for my new lo, and it will take me that long to finish it again), and Tracy constantly says to follow the lo's cues and not the clock. 
Also, have you considered holding off on the baby food for a little longer?  Could it be that his system can't tolerate the food and that could be the cause of his tummy troubles?  I feel that the formula is much more important nutritionally right now, and perhaps he could take in formula what he is taking in baby food right now.  Unless your doctor has advised otherwise, I would wait until 6 months on the baby food.  ***I do not want to suggest something against a medical professional's opinion, so please follow his advise first.

[LŠuren]

i don't know how much formula he is taking. id say.....yes 14-16oz. possibly up to 20. but we also feed him  babyfood. on average 1-2 oz of it at a time. and then finish him off on the bottle. (another 1-3 oz)

he has always been small. ii am not that worried, but when i look at pics of him since he was born, he looks almost exactly the same from 2moths old as he does now. look at his body fat. it hasnt changed at all. all thats changed is the height.

Skibbit
I always track Calums formula intake, when I first started him on solids his milk intake dropped dramatically because (I think) he preferred the change.  20lb is the recommendation (in the UK) for milk intake IF your LO is firmly established on 3 meals a day.  Do you think it would also be work tracking his milk intake as well?   1 to 2oz may be too much for his little tum and he isn't then leaving enough room for milk.   Also, you touched on him not eating much if he hasn't eaten every 3hours - you may also find he is not at his hungriest every 3hours and thats why he wants fed sooner.  If you leave it 3.5hrs he may be hungrier for his milk and you may see his intake increasing.   

I recently dropped to 3 bottles a day because Calum was fiddling with his 2nd bottle, by dropping one I am ensuring he is hungry for his milk at the times he is due to get it.   I'm not saying drop a bottle, your LO isn't old enough yet, but it was an example of how if your LO is not hungry at the 3hr mark he may be disinterested and only take minimum.

Skibbit, I know what you mean about LO looking the same since a few months    so does Calum, I swear any weight he puts on it in his height not width. I am struggling to get size 3-6 month shorts to fit him around the waist because he is so tall and narrow. I had to return all the 6-9 & 9-12 summer shorts I bought him     Calum has also dropped a weight percentile recently, due to being ill.

I love the pics you posted!
 
Lauren