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Offline ksmommyj

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how long sticking to a clock?
« on: December 04, 2006, 22:23:43 pm »
when starting EASY w/ a 4 month old, for how long do I keep watch of the clock? When do I start going strictly by his cues for when to do sleep, etc? And once his body rhythms sync w/ a 4 hour easy schedule, what happens if he nevertheless needs a shorter nap and wakes up a little early or needs to go to bed sooner, etc b/c of yawning? Do you feed right after he wakes, even if it's not been the full 4 hours?

confused...
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Offline *Kimberly*

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Re: how long sticking to a clock?
« Reply #1 on: December 05, 2006, 03:40:27 am »
Step one, breathe.   ;D

I think the best thing to do is a mix of watching the clock and watching your lo.  At 4 months your lo should be okay to do a 4 hour EASY.  He might be at a 3.5 or 4.5 though.  The main thing I do is stick with the same wake up and first feed time.  I find that this helps get my lo's day going in the right direction.  I also tend to stick more with the feed times than the sleep times.  There are times when my lo is all messed up and he his day looks like EAESAE...  You need to watch your lo's cues because that will help you know what he wants.  You also have to remember that he is just a baby and he doesn't always know what he wants or needs.  Do you have an idea of a 4 hour EASY routine?  If not, I can post one for you.

Kimberly
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Offline ksmommyj

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Re: how long sticking to a clock?
« Reply #2 on: December 05, 2006, 05:29:59 am »
Here's the routine I've started on: wake/eat at 6 (b/c he seems to do this of his own accord regardless of what I'd want...), A 6:30, S 8:00, E 10, etc until 6pm E, 6:30pm A, E 8:00, S 8:30, dreamfeed 11:00. (I'm just starting him on the 4 hour routine. He's fine pretty much for the 4 hour spaced feeds except he has been waking at night, so I'm trying to up how much he eats in the day. Naps are still a bear. It's 40 minutes to even an hour and a half of PU/PD. He quickly gets overtired and then gets even more upset/inconsolable w/ PU/PD....
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Offline *Kimberly*

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Re: how long sticking to a clock?
« Reply #3 on: December 05, 2006, 14:47:59 pm »
If he is getting overtired on the 4 hour EASY maybe you should back down to the 3.5 hour EASY and then when he is ready you can slowly work your way back.

When he wakes at night is it hunger or has he gotten into a habit?

Also, do you have a consistant winddown routine that you do for his naps and bedtime?

Kimberly
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Offline ksmommyj

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Re: how long sticking to a clock?
« Reply #4 on: December 05, 2006, 15:41:18 pm »
I'm not sure about the night waking. At first I thought his night waking was habit b/c I'd give a pacifier, and that would settle him. The next night of easy, he again was satisfied w/ a paci but only for an hour. Then he seemed to bf for a full amount of time. Next night he woke at an even earlier, different time and did take a full bf. So I assumed it was a hunger issue and started to pump more in the day. Last night, he again awoke at an early time (2:30) but was satisfied with a paci. So it seems to go back and forth. It's a bit confusing.

We do have a winddown routine. He gets pretty settled at night but days are difficult and he's not really calmed when I put him down. I may try to add to a nap winddown routine. (maybe a song?) He just doesn't get calm in the calming sitting time. He gets animated then and wants to squirm.

I'm considering altering the routine a bit too b/c he's not really taking the dreamfeed. I'm thinking awake at 6:30, last feed at 6:00pm, bed at 7:30. So he wouldn't be getting a cluster evening feed. And he wwouldn't be at the breast before night time. But he'd maybe be hungrier for his dreamfeed?
« Last Edit: December 05, 2006, 17:22:48 pm by ksmommyj »
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Offline *Kimberly*

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Re: how long sticking to a clock?
« Reply #5 on: December 05, 2006, 16:09:52 pm »
For my winddown routine I lay my lo in my arms and rock him a little while I sing him a song.  Then I put him in his crib with his doll and turn on his musical bear.

Usually with nightwakings if they are at different times each night then it means that it is hunger and not habit.

The change in your routine sounds good.  Hopefully by eliminating the bedtime feed that will increase the dreamfeed and he will sleep through the night.

I hope tonight is better.   :)

Kimberly
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Offline ksmommyj

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Re: how long sticking to a clock?
« Reply #6 on: December 05, 2006, 17:24:58 pm »
Thanks kimberly, i'll try that! Maybe just the extra cuddle time will help him settle so he's more initially calmed. Do you do the sitting time that tracy suggests? One time LO went to sleep during that but usually it just revs him up to be sitting so still.
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Offline *Kimberly*

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Re: how long sticking to a clock?
« Reply #7 on: December 05, 2006, 17:33:30 pm »
When my husband puts our lo down he will sit in our rocking chair, holding him in a lying down position, and rock him.  I have always done it standing up.  I also prefer having him in a lying down position because it gets him into a sleep mode better than having him upright.  I believe that Tracy suggests sitting with your lo upright and no rocking.  We tried it that way and it does not work for us.

Kimberly
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Offline ksmommyj

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Re: how long sticking to a clock?
« Reply #8 on: December 05, 2006, 17:47:50 pm »
another question (or 2): If your LO wakes up in the middle of a nap and needs to be put back but is too unsettled to be comforted in the crib, do you immediately go to PU/PD? Or do you do the winddown ritual again first?

second question: if LO doesn't sleep a full two hours, say during the last nap (our last nap will seem to correspond with the catnap Tracy suggests) and he awakes and is fine but not yet ready for a feeding, do you deviate from EASY at that time only and let him have awake time before his next scheduled feeding?
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Offline *Kimberly*

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Re: how long sticking to a clock?
« Reply #9 on: December 05, 2006, 18:36:10 pm »
1. I have tried both ways.  Usually I try to do the winddown routine again and see if that works.  I think mainly because it is a whole lot easier than doing pu/pd.  If it doesn't work and he really needs to sleep then I will do pu/pd.  Back then, I also would give up sometimes and move him to the swing where I knew he would sleep.

2. The older my lo gets the more his routine looks like: AEAS...  I think I really began to notice his routine become more like this around the time I went to a 4 hour EASY.  Here is his routine at 9 months:

6am Awake in crib
7am Solids
8:30am Bottle
9:30-11am Nap
12pm Solids
1:30pm Bottle
2:30-4pm Nap
5pm Solids
7pm Bottle
7:30pm Bed

Kimberly
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