Help Needed ASAP!

[BoxerBaby]

Hello all -
My LO, Ayda, will be 8 weeks old tomorrow.
Her  nighttime routine has been ok for the last 10 days, typically going down for bed in her crib at 9:30pm w/ little to no trouble, dreamfeed at 11 or 11:30pm, then sleeps until 3am (or a little before or little after), then back to sleep until sometime b/t 6am and 7am.

BUT...her naps have been horrible. She can't stay awake for more than an hour, or an hour and a quarter w/o yawning and getting heavy eyes, but she fights going to sleep in her crib for those naps! 

Here's my problem - last night was bad - she did fine until she woke at 2:30am but then did not sleep well after and was up every hour (which is NOT like her).  This morning she didn't really wake up fully for the day until 8:30pm - so I had fed her at 5:30am and again and 9am.  She fed at 12:30pm, 3pm and just now at 6pm BUT she went down well for a nap at 4pm and I had to take her out at 6pm to feed her and she never really woke up for that feed although she ate for 20 minutes and I could hear her swallows.

Now she is nappingn still but in her chair in the family room. 

I don't know if I shoudl wake her for a cluster feed around 7:30pm/8pm, then bathe her and put her to bed for hte night (do the dream feed at 10:30pm if she makes it that long) or feed her at 7:30, then again at 9:30, dreamfeed at 11:30?

I'm so confused.

My goal is to get her where her last feed is at 7:30pm and she is in bed by 8pm/8:30pm at the latest - she takes a while to eat sometimes.

I started easy from day one but I don't feel like my LO is doing so well on it (or maybe i'm not) - it's hard with a spirited baby, which i think she is!

Even if you can't give quick responses, please help - i'm sure i'll have the same questions tomorrow.

Jessica
Mom to Ayda

[rebecaq]

Hi Jessica! Welcome to BW 

I know how hard it is with a spirited baby {{{{{HUGS}}}}}

Can you post what a typical day looks like for you, before her icky night?

Do you wind her down before she gives you such big sleep cues? You might be missing her window and by the time you take her to her crib she's overtired. And an overtired spirited baby is tough to settle down.

I think it's great you want to scoot up her bedtime, becuase I agree that 9:30 pm is WAY too late for an 8 week old.

When a spirited baby is involved you need to be real consistent with EASY and make sure the transtions between E to S to A are obvious but not abrupt. Spirited lo's have a hard time with change. Waht does your wind down routine look like?

How did last night go?

I'll be waiting for your answers 



- Beca

[BoxerBaby]

Beca,
I'm guessing you are absolutely right that I have to start her winddown earlier.  I've been aiming now to move her up to wind her down immediately after the first yawn...but it's hard b/c it doesn't seem like there's much time b/t the time she finishes eating and the time she first yawns.

Here is a sample from last week when things were a bit more predictable.

6am - 6:30am E
6:30-7:30am A
7:30am - 10am Sleep in Crib
10 - 10:30am E
10:30 -11:15am A
11:20 - 1:20pm Sleep (if i have to run errands I do it during this time and she sleeps in the car, rarely stirs)
1:30pm - 2pm E
2pm-2:45pm A
3-4:30pm S
4:30pm - 5pm E
5:00 - 5:45 A
5:45 - 7pm S
7 - 7:30 E
7:30-8pm A (bath/jammies)
8-9 S
9pm - 9:30pm E then bedtime

Dreamfeed at 11

3am - E
3:30am - 6am S

I'd like to get her wake time to 7am and bedtime at 8pm

For wind down here's what I've started doing:

I try to keep activity to a minimum in the nursery other than music and book reading and talking/singing w/ her on the changing table.

Once she yawns, I bring her in the nursery, close the shade, turn on the baby mozart (low) and swaddle her.  Then I sit in the rocker w/ her quietly and gently rock for about 5 minutes.  Then I stop the rocking and just  hold her close until she starts getting droopy eyes, all the while i'm doing a quiet shhhh and rubbing her back (I don't pat b/c she has reflux) - then i put her in the crib before she is completely asleep her eyes usually pop open but i continue shhh pat a bit and then she drifts off.  At bedtime she LOVES her bath though it's not a very active thing forher she just likes me to drizzle water on her and she coos and smiles.  I also added a book to the bedtime routine just this week.

Her naps have become fitful where she'll sleep well for an hour and then wake up even though she's still yawning - i've (bad) resorted to moving her to the swing to get her to go back to sleep for that additional 1/2 hour - i have to break that habit i know.

I feel like i'm just not good at this, you know?

Any advice is appreciated!  Thanks for your quick response already!!!

Jess

[hatshetsut]

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Hugs}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} to you! I was in your shoes a few months ago.

At 8 weeks, that is really about right for her A time. They still aren't awake that much so there isn't really much play time between eating and going back to sleep. You may be trying to push the A times too long and that is why she is sleeping to fitfully.

Your winddown sounds good. I wish that I could be of more help to you. I just remind myself daily, "what ever it is, it will pass!"

[rebecaq]

Jessica,

I totally agree with Holly. At 8 weeks you will feel like you feed and put them to sleep all day long. I made the same mistake in thinking that ds needed more A time and got myself quite the overtired monkey on my hands.  Her day looks exactly the way an 8 week old's day should look like. You're doing a geat job!! 

As for her winddown it looks really good. The only thing I would try to slow take out is the rocking. This can easily become a prop too.

Trust me, as soon as a spirited baby yawns you take them into their wind down routine! Take advantage of the faact that she sleeps well and gives you plenty of Y time!

You are very good at this, I can tell 

Let me know how you get on 

- Beca

[BoxerBaby]

Thanks guys - I'm sure I'll be on here more -
Today went really well, even the naps were a bit better - I think b/c I was careful to wind her down at the first yawn - she still wakes afer 45 minutes so i'm working on that...but we'll get there i hope.

We did her bath earlier but she is such a SLOW eater sometimes we didn't get her to her crib for bedtime until 9pm again  - arrrgggggg

[rebecaq]

Baby steps my dear  The unfair thing about babies is that problems can be made in one day, but problems take days or weeks to fix!  Oh well, it's all part of the joy of motherhood 

Take your victory's where you can! So I'm really glad to hear you day went well yesterday 

- Beca

[hatshetsut]

Just a thought about the bath.....
My LO is textbook, except when it comes to sleep, then she is spirited. I moved the bath from before bed to the afternoon because it would wind her up too much. If you are having trouble before bed, that might be an option.

I'm glad to hear that your day went better. Enjoy each small victory.