Very Reluctant to put my 3 month old on 4 hour E.A.S.Y

[suzie767]

Hi all, some of you may have seen my recent post about my 3 month olds day sleep problem. ( as in he doesnt sleep during the day- at all)

a couple of people suggested that i try to transition him to 4 hour easy but im really reluctant.

ive done a little research and looked at the thread on "time to transition" and my lo meets all the criteria bar the night wakings.  he doesnt seem any where near sleepy when he's supposed to- he has only taken 45 minute naps for the last few weeks if he sleeps at all and he just doesnt seem hungry after 3 hours ( sometimes its a struggle to get him to have 2 ounces after half an hour of trying) then on his next feed he takes a decent amount.

i think the the only thing thats stopped the night wakings is that he is naturally an excellant sleeper at night and has been practically from birth otherwise i would be tearing my hair out.

he is 15 lbs which i think is slightly above average but developmentally he has always been about right so i want to be sure before i make the transition- i dont want to make matters worse-ie destroy his good night sleep

id love to hear your comments and suggestions and a little moral support

thanks in advance

(ps i really have tried everything to help him stick with the 3 hour easy)

[*Mona*]

well, TBH, if he's not sleepy and you've tried your best to help him nap but he's still not doing that, why don't you try moving him to 3,5hrs easy first instead of going straight to 4hrs?
and why exactly are you so reluctant to change his routine if it's not actually working for him now?

[suzie767]

that might be worth a try- am reluctant to make things worse for my lo.

i dont think im a very confident parent and i constantly question myself and my decisions. 3 hour easy isnt working for him and i feel like he needs the change but there is a little voice in the back of my head telling me im clutching at straws.

i dont know whether i am making a decision based on what is best for him or just following this piece of advise or that. i spend all my day trying to comfort him off to sleep and find it really difficult to just get a second to gather my thoughts.

are there circumstances where babies need to transition early or is it me just reaching ?

[rebecaq]

i dont think im a very confident parent and i constantly question myself and my decisions.

Suzie, hunny, we all feel like that at  one point or another    I was especially jumpy and indecisive when my ds was that young also. Don't feel bad hun, please don't. It's only natural to second guess things and what mother out there doesn't want only the best for her child.  You sound like quite the terrific mom to me if you have the confidence to come here and post that you feel doubtful. 

I think Monika has given you great advice, and heck you can even try 3.25 hour EASY. And keep in mind if it doesn't go well, then you can also go back to 3 hour EASY and stratch this off the list of things to try.

Please know you can come here anytime and look for comfort and support. People tend to think of us here in EASY as just for technical stuff. Not the case my dear    EASY can be tiring and scary and we're here to help you through it.

- Beca 

[suzie767]

thank you so much beca- this is exactly what i needed to hear.

thats what i love about this website- theres always someone who understands what your going through and sometmes you dont get that in your own life. DH tries his best but theres nothing like the advise of other mothers.

ive watched ds for the last 2 days and im absolutlely convinced that he needs to change so im going to try 3.5 easy tomorow and i'll keep you posted

thanks again

 

[rebecaq]

No problem hunny, like I said, we're here for ya no matter what 

And give your dh a hug, I bet you this is hard for him too, espcially since they have the tendency to just not get it 

- Beca

[Gorgelocks]

Hi Suzie

I had exactly the same worries about transitioning my LO to 4-hr easy. I actually got her on it by the time she was 12 weeks but was then worried she wasn't getting enough food during the day (she's exclusively BF & refuses a bottle  ), so I went back to 3.5hr for 10 days or so. She's just started 4hr again and we're all much happier. I think you have to feel confident about what you're doing because your LO will sense if you're unsure and may become unsettled as a result - mine definitely did. And you can always go back to your previous routine if its not working.

Good luck with the transition
Gorgelocks

[suzie767]

Thanks Gorgelocks- i guess i was just wanting someone to tell me its ok to transition early and that they did it too- bw says not til 4 months so i thought i might be doing something wrong. your definatly right about baby picking up my nervous vibes. i started 3.5 easy today and its worked well so far- he ate more at each feed and has managed to sleep 4 hours in total!

my lo has been bottle fed for the last 6 weeks so it will be easier for me to transition to 4 hour when i think he can stay up that little bit longer.

would you say that things run more smoothly for you both now?

thanks again

 

[pjs mom]

Once I gave up trying to get a 3 hour or 3.5 hour schedule to work, we fell into a 4 hour routine with 3 month old, and it has been fantastic!!  It's worth a try!

[suzie767]

thanks pjs mom- im glad its not just me!

i think sometimes we get so caught up in trying to do it " by the book". its good to hear that you and your lo are happier and are on the right track

x