HELP! 6.5 month old & 4 Hr EASY problems

[shanaz]

Hi

Any help with my problem will be gratefully recieved.

My DD has been doing really well on 4 Hr EASY but since upping her solids intake quite a bit since hitting 6 months (we started early due to reflux) she has gone a bit wierd, in particular during the last week.

She has dropped the 11am milk feed and we just skip to doing lunch at about 12 - 12.30pm which I'm not bothered about as she normally naps through that E time.  The main issue is that she's now staying awake for 3 hrs easily and a lot of times 3.5hrs.  Obviously this effects the 4 hr easy routine quite a lot.  I feel like I'm just winging it and trying to fit feeds in where I can which is confusing.

This is my routine so far today:

7am - woke
E: 7.25am - only took 3.5oz
A: 7.30
SOLIDS: 8.45 - 9.15am - approx 5 tbsp porridge & mango
A: 9.15 - 10am.  Put her down @ 10 after spotting sleepy signs.
S: 10.20 - 11.25am - I had to go up to her about 4 times, she was totally manic and smiley, just didn't seem tired.
A: 11.25 - 12.40pm
SOLIDS: 12.40 - 1pm - approx 4 tbsp salmon, veggies & cheese sauce
A: 1 - 2.35pm.  Only spotted a couple of vague sleepy signs but put her down at 2.35pm.  She then screeched & chatted to herself til 2.55 when I got her up & fed her.  She seemed really hungry & drained the 7oz bottle (she normally takes about 4.5 - 5oz)
E: 2.55 - 3pm: 7 oz
put her back down at 3.05pm, she then screeched & rolled about for a further 30 mins.
S: 3.30 -

She's still sleeping now (4.05pm) and I'm going to let her sleep for as long as poss (but not passed 5pm - wishful thinking to get her to sleep this late!!). 

She used to sleep 1.5 - 2hrs at each nap no problem and also want a catnap.  That's all out the window now and I'm often struggling to get her to have more than 45 mins.  Her feed times are being pushed all over the place and I'm not sure if I should be doing anything and if so, what?!

I aim to have her in bed asleep by 7pm.  She often doesn't take very much milk at bedtime if she has her dinner too late so I have trying to fit in with her nursery timings and feed her dinner at 4/4.30pm.  This is just not possible the way she's sleeping at the moment. 

Oh hang on, she's just woken up (after only 40 mins  ), DH is seeing to her.

She has started waking at night, different times, the last couple of nights it's been 3am, last night she was awake for 45 mins.  Then she woke again at 6am for 10 mins. 

I know that as long as she has a min of 500ml (16.5oz) a day of milk she'll be ok and she generally does that but her sleep is really low - somedays she only has about 12 hrs in a 24 hr period.

Any suggestions?  Sorry about the rambling nature of the message.

Shanaz

[*Kimberly*]

Okay, your post was a little bit confusing.  I think it was mainly the routine.  I know you must have trouble with your days because I had trouble reading that day.   

I have a couple of questions:
1. It seems like you wait a long time between the bottle and the solids at breakfast, why?
2. How many total bottles and solid meals does she get a day?

My lo is a good two months older than yours but his A time is about the same, 3-3.5 hours.  Here is his schedule.  I think the main difference is that my lo just switched to solids before bottle and you lo gets up an hour later (I wish!).

6am Wake up and chill in crib
7am Get up
7:15am Solids
7:45(8am) Bottle
9:30(10am) Nap
11:30am Solids
12(12:30pm) Bottle
2pm Nap
4pm Solids
4:30(4:45pm) Bottle
7pm Bedtime Bottle
7:30pm Bedtime

I think one of the things you have to be consistant about is meals.  If her meals are messed up it could be messing up her naps.  She has also got her E, A, and S mixed up and that could be causing some of the problems.  I would suggest you come up with some sort of routine and then try sticking to it.  You may find that it does not work at all or that it needs some minor changes but it should hopefully give you more consistency in your day.

HTH,
Kimberly

[shanaz]

Hi

Sorry my post was so confusing!  Answers to your questions:

1. We wait a long time between milk & solids as I was told to introduce solids about an hr after milk.  Didn't know I was meant to change.  Also, I go to work 3 times a week and have to be on the road by 7am.  It takes me about 20 mins to give her her solids so I tend to give her milk just before we go then she has her porridge at nursery when we get there (about 8.15/8.30ish).

2.  She has 3 bottles during the day plus a DF at about 10.30pm so a total of 4.  She has 3 solid meals a day, approx 8am, 12pm and 4pm or variants of this.

I did have a very good routine in place but she is forcing herself out of it.  She just will not sleep so this is messing everything up because by the time she's fallen asleep she's due food etc.  She only had 40 mins this afternoon giving her a total of 1 hr 45mins all day. 

The routine I have for her is:

6.30/7am wake
E: 7am bottle
A
Solids: 8am - 8.30
A
S: 9.30am - 11
A
E: SOLIDS 12pm - 12.30
A
S: 1.30 - 3
E: 3pm bottle
A
SOLIDS: 4pm - 4.30 or 4.30 - 5
A: Nighttime routine, play, bath, stories
E: aprox 6.30/6.45pm
S: approx 6.45/7pm
DF: 10.30pm bottle

I am just so tired and really resenting her at the moment, driving me mad.  I'd just like to add that she doesn't always sleep til 7, she often wakes at 6am and if I'm working then I leave her awake.  She was up & down last night so I wanted her to have a bit more sleep (and myself!) so I managed to get her back off between 6.10 - 7am.  She never feeds well if I give her her milk straight away so I tend to leave her for 15-20 mins.

You said she's got her EAS mixed up - how?

Cheers
Shanaz

[*Kimberly*]

You poor mommy.  I know how it feels to get frustrated with you lo.  My lo is a fairly good and easy baby but there are times when he really tests my patience.

1. I totally understand about the work thing.  I actaully do the opposite of you sometimes.  I will push his bottle and solids closer together so we can be out the door at a decient time and get to church, or where ever, on time.  I have seen moms who will have the bottle and solids one right after eachother and some that wait a full hour.  I think you have to find what works best fro you and your lo.  My lo used to be about a half hour apart and then we moved it to an hour and now we are back to a half hour or 45min.

2. Okay, because you didn't have a full schedule I wasn't sure.

EAS Mixup- There was one point where you said she was down for a nap and then you got her up to eat and then put her back down.

What worked for my lo was to always try to stick to the schedule in the morning.  If we could get a good morning then the rest of the day normally followed.  Also, is she is doing fine with her A, allow her to extend it a little.  Change her day from a 4 hour EASY to a 4.5 hour EASY.

Have you started thinking about when you are going to wean the DF?  If she is only eating a little in the morning it may be that she is drinking too much at the DF.  My lo drank almost nothing in the morning until we dropped the DF and then he started drinking tons.  Just something to think about.

Another thing to keep in mind, every child is unique.  Your lo's daily schedule may always look different from everyone elses.  The goal is to make it something that works for both her and you.

Kimberly

[shanaz]

Kimberley

Thanks so much for the reassurance, sometimes you just need someone to say "it's ok". 

Re: EAS mix up - I fed her as that is normally when she would feed and I thought it may be why she wasn't sleeping - it still took her 1/2 an hr to fall asleep!!

If I go to 4.5 EASY does that mean 4.5 hrs between solids or should I stick another bottle in the morning bit?  Just feels like I'm cramming feeds in at the moment!

Thanks once again

Shanaz

[*Kimberly*]

EAS mixup- Okay.  I understand, I have done that before.

4.5 hour EASY would mean it is 4.5 hours between the bottle/solids, which ever you do first.  At 6.5 months, her main meal should be the milk and not the solids, so you want to do what you can to increase her solids.  I would always offer the bottle first, even is she doesn't take much from it, and then offer solids about 30min-1hr later, depending on what works for you and her.

I am always here to say "it's ok", my other favorite phrase is "it's only a phase, it will pass".  I actually needed someone to say that one to me just recently.

Kimberly

[* Paula *]

Hi Shanaz,

I have attached a link so that you can have a look at other peoples schedules for babies that are about the same age.

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=61945.0

Hopefully this will help you.

When my DS was that age we were also on 3 bottles and our schedule looked something like this.

E - 7:00 - 8oz bottle followed by Cereal straight after ( we always did solids straight after as it has always worked for us)
A
S - 9:00 - 10:30

A - 10:30 - 11:30
E - Solids for lunch
A - short
S - 12:00 - 1:30

E - 14:30 - 7 oz bottle
A
S - 3:00 - 4:15

E - 4:30 - Dinner - Solids
A - Bath time etc
E - 6:30 - 8 oz Bottle
S - 6:45 - for the night

HTH

Paula x

[shanaz]

Hi guys

Thanks so much for your replies.  I think I'm formulating a plan.  I'm going to leave her awake in her cot til about 7 if she wakes at 6am or later (but re-settle her before this time!!).  That way it should be consistent throughout the week, regardless of whether she's at nursery or not.  That way I will always give her her bottle at the same time each day (i've got a bit slack on this due to tiredness  .  I will give solids at 8am (they won't be able to do these til 8.15 at nursery) then I think I will try having an 11.30am bottle in and see how much she takes.  hoepfully she will go down by 9/9.30am if I've left her awake from 6.  Hopefully the day will move along better if I can sort the morning.

I also have the phrase "This too will pass" but sometimes I need reminding!!

Paula - thanks for your routine, at the moment, there is no way I could put Seren down after only 2 hrs, she just wouldn't sleep.  Thanks for the link - I'll have a look now.

I'll let you know how it goes.  She tends to do good day/bad day/good day/bad day so it'll be hard to tell.  She also has nursery on Mon and she never sleeps v well there either - oh well, we'll muddle through I guess.

Shanaz

[*Kimberly*]

Yes, please let us know how everything goes.   

Kimberly

P.S. If it makes you feel any better I just spent the last hour and fifteen minutes trying to get my lo to sleep.  He is having problems because he has figured out how to sit up and I think some SA combined with me being a prop is playing into it.  It was tons of fun.

[shanaz]

oh poor you, you have my sympathies 

That's the one thing we've always been really lucky with - Seren sleeps really well at night, well she goes down really well at least!!  I've been reading some of the posts on the 6-9 months routines, v interesting.  I may post mine tomorrow for some extra feedback!

I hope you have a relaxing (if short!) evening.

Take care
Shanaz x

[*Kimberly*]

Thanks, you too.   

Kimberly