Am I on the right track? Advice appreciated

[shanaz]

Hi

My DD is 8 weeks and this is currently her routine from yesterday (times are an estimate as her wake up time varies between 5 - 6.30am!)

5.35 - Wake - tried to resettle & changed her nappy but no go
6.30am - Eat - only took 3 fl oz
6.50 - 9.30 (2 hrs 40) Sleep
9.30am - Eat - 5 fl oz
10.30 - 12pm - A
12 - 1pm - Sleep
1pm - Eat - 4 3/4 fl oz
1.40 - 3pm - A
3 - 4pm - Sleep
4 - 4.20 - A
4.20 - 5pm - Eat - 5 fl oz
5 - 5.45pm - A
5.45 - 6.30 - Sleep
6.30 - 7pm - A - Bath etc.
7pm - 7.30pm - Eat - 5 fl oz
7.30pm - Sleep
11pm - Dream feed
5.10am - Woke (total of 9 hrs 40 mins sleep during night)

I have been trying to phase out the cluster feed before bath etc. but I feel that she's still a little haphazard.  Sleeping during the day can be difficult and she often wakes after only 40-45 mins - Is this enough at this age as I feel she is often still tired and gets overtired.

I have also stopped swaddling her ( it is very hot at the moment and we have been putting her down either in just her body suit or also with a 0.5 grobag) but occaisonally I will have to swaddle her as she will get overtired and flail about.  I had to do this today and has now slept for 1.5 hrs and I'm going to have to wake her to feed her as she has gone 3.5 hrs since her last feed.

During her A time she is often happy to lie on her activity mat/sit in bouncy seat for nearly an hour often seems hapy to have 3.5 hrs between feeds - is this ok at this age?

Any help/advice/comments greatly recieved!

[HeatherC]

I think you're doing great.  You say, though, that she appears to get overtired, so I would lessen her A time, and begin your nap winddown about 15 mins before you want her to be placed down for the nap.  At 8 weeks, I would start the winddown after about 1-1.25 hrs of A time.  However, some babies can handle more time.
If you were to feed her when she wakes at 5:30, and treat it like a night waking, do you think she would go back to sleep?  Then, you could wake her at the time you want the day to start.  Even though she had a good nap first thing in the morning, the rest of the naps are on the short side.  I would just watch for her sleepy cues to see if the A time is too long.  Is she able to fall asleep independently?  When she wakes after 45 mins, have you tried using shh/pat to resettle her?
If heat is a problem, you can even swaddle her with no clothing during the day.  It seems from what you said that the swaddle really helps her, so I would find a way to use it.  It is also recommended to wake her for feeds, and at her age 3-3.5 hrs is a good time limit.  Naps should also be limited to 2 hrs a time IMHO.

Let me know if we can help any further.

[shanaz]

Hi Heather

Many thanks for your reply it was very useful.  I'm glad that I'm generally doing ok, I lessened her A time yesterday as I re-looked at the BW book and tried to get her before she got too tired, even before I saw sleepy signs.  She can go to sleep independently most of the time, sometimes she wakes & needs to be re-settled but I find she doesn't like the shh-pat, it just seems to irritate her so I put my hand on her chest and hold her arms/legs still if needed.

Yesterday was a much better day although I did try & put her down for 7pm (she had been awake at 6.30am) she fought it a little and then woke at 3.30am so I fed her (I had done a df at 10.30pm), she then woke again at 5.30am with a dirty nappy and resettled within 15 mins - then slept til 7.10am.  I don't know why she's started to wake again twice in the night, perhaps because I put her down for bed at an earlier time?  Not a lot I can do about the dirty nappy, I'd checked it at her 3.30am feed... I thought 8 weeks was when they poss started sleeping through, no such luck, she's waking even more!!

Shanaz   

[HeatherC]

I think you'll just find that her routine times will have to be changed alot during the first 6 months, then it seems to even out for longer spells.