Photo by Theodore Scott
I recently blogged about the Baby Whisperer’s E.A.S.Y. schedule for babies under 4 months of age as one option to get your noob on a reasonable routine.
However, by 4 months, babies are gradually able to transition into longer wake/activity periods, as well as eat less frequently – around every 4 hours. By getting baby used to eating every 4 hours, you’re also setting her up for an easier transition to sleep through the night (cross your fingers … ah heck… cross your toes too for good measure). Isn’t that really the Ultimate goal we are striving for as parents?!
Noob Baby, also known as Her Chunkiness, didn’t exactly appreciate a sudden transition into eating every 4 hours vs. every 3. Silly me. I forgot to reveal my plans to her. So, we called together a G4 type summit and came to an agreement.
To make the transition more agreeable, we slowly increased the time between her feedings each day (tacking on a few extra minutes). 3 hours between feedings became 3 hrs. 10 min. Then 3 1/4 hrs. 3 1/2 hrs. etc.
At last, she was eating approx. every 4 hours (give or take a few days where I assume she was going through a growth spurt). Her E.A.S.Y. routine looked similar to this example from The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems:
4-Hour E.A.S.Y.
E – 7:00 – Wake up and feed
A – 7:30 – Activity
S – 9:00 – 1 1/2 – 2 hr nap
Y – Your time
E – 11:00 – Eat
A – 11:30 – Activity
S – 1:00 – 1 1/2 – 2 hr nap
Y – Party (I mean … take a shower and get out of jammies!)
E – 3:00 – Eat
A – 3:30 – Activity
S – Catnap between 5 -6 pm
Y – Relax, prep dinner, breathe.
E – 7:00 (cluster feed at 7 and 9 pm if going through a growth spurt)
A – Bath time
S – 7:30 – Bedtime
Y – Unwind until either your 9 pm cluster feed or 11 pm dream feed (see below).
E – 11:00 Dream Feed (until 7 or 8 months, or whenever solids are firmly established)
What is a Dream Feed?
A dream feed is simply nursing or bottle-feeding your little one while he’s asleep. You want to try your best not to rouse him from his sleep while you essentially “top him off” for the rest of the evening. When he stops feeding, put him back down and you go on your merry way. It’s sort of a like a hit-and-run feeding. The idea is that this will extend his nighttime sleep for a longer stretch of time.
Unfortunately, this never worked for us. While I was able to do the dream feed like a stealthy breastfeeding ninja, it just didn’t make Noob Baby sleep any longer. So, give it a try if you’d like, but if it doesn’t work … don’t stress!
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Thank you for your posts. My son Baby O is almost 6 months and we tried the Ferber method- along with a dream feed at 11 and he sleeps from 7:30- 7 (but fusses from 5:30 and on…) But today is Friday and we started on Monday so that is great! We previously tried Tracy Hogg’s shush patting method but he began to wake up every two hours because he loved being patted! We realized that he was not able to get back to sleep without it.
We tried tracy Hogg’s E.A.S.Y at 4 months as well for a month and it was miserable for everyone- especially since O could only nap for 25 min. at a time, no matter how much shush patting and crying he did. I felt pretty down on tracy Hogg- especially as alot of her breastfeeding facts are harmfully wrong according to my Dr. and nurse/mom. I read that babies cannot regulate their daytime sleep until 5-6 months, and sure enough baby O is naturally sleeping longer. So because of this and the successful night time sleeping, I decided to try it again after reading your blog.
We started the E.a.s.y. this week along with Ferber (alot of changes all at once!) and this is the 4th day. Baby O usually wants to eat every 2 hours and sleep for 45 min, every hour and a half. Now he goes down at 9 and 1 and sleeps for 45 min., cries for 15 and sleeps for another 45. He is not well rested afterwards and totally starving- and breastfeeds for 45 minutes after- if I take away the breast sooner he screams. He then wants to sleep another hour or so before bed. so- I think that eating every 4 hours is not enough for him to take long naps- so today I fed him at 7 when we woke and alittle before his nap and he slept for 2 hours straight!
Since you have read both Tracy Hogg and Ferber, and are a physician, how important/accurate is it to think that a 6 month old should only feed for 30 minutes every 4 hours? Is this something I should transition to? When I pump I only get about 5 ounces- so maybe I am not making enough for this schedule?
Anon – Thanks for posting your comment and reading my blog! First off, I’m not a physician. It’s just sort of a running joke I have with the readers about how I pretend I’m doctor. Sorry for the confusion!
All I give is some advice from my personal experience thus far with mothering, but nothing medically “sound.” I always recommend you speak to your pediatrician as the #1 source.
Now, with that said, I would think that if Baby O is a healthy weight and doesn’t have any special circumstances, he should be transitioning by now to feeding every 4 hours. Around 6 months, babies can start eating the basic solids too (cereal, baby food, etc). You will notice with some extra baby food, the amount of milk he needs will gradually become less and less. Your goal should be to space out his feedings more (at least around every 4 hours) which will be helpful to you too if you’re out running errands, etc.
If he’s nursing every 2 hours like you mention, it sounds like he’s not getting enough milk or he’s become a snacker? You should calculate how much milk he’s drinking overall the whole day. You can find a recommended feeding guide on my blog in the Noob Parents 101 section. 5 ozs may not be enough, but may be too much if it’s every 2 hours or so.
When you start spreading out the feeding times, do so gradually. Maybe tacking on 10-15 minutes from your normal time till eventually you get to around 4 hrs. From what I understand, my goal over here is to start feeding Noob Baby more solids and only 16 oz of milk total a day by age 1. You see what I mean.
As for PU/PD method and shush-pat, that has never worked for us. Noob Baby would have none of that. So I always take what I can from these books and not get bogged down by following each technique if it’s going to frustrate or drain me.
Well, this is just my interpretation of what’s happening. I’d consult with your doc though. Email me if you have more questions! Good luck.
my baby boy wont go to sleep on his own he is only 15 weeks and he is up every 2hrs at night what should i do
Lesley – Is your LO on some sort of schedule or routine yet? Make sure you have some sort of routine each day, with lots of restful naps. Good naps in the day = sleeping better at night. Also, if he's dependent on you rocking to sleep, that may contribute to him waking up at night. He hasn't learned to self-soothe. Also, make sure he's getting enough oz. of milk during the day so he's not hungry either. If the waking is something new, it's possible he's going through a growth spurt or teething. Try giving him a paci during the night and see if he'll fall back to sleep. Good luck!
We recently transitioned to the 4hr EASY and I had a question about your sample schedule/routine…what does LO do during the gap between the catnap from 5-6pm and the 7pm wake & feed…what does LO do from 6-7? An activity?
BTW – Thank you for your awesome blogging; you have been a huge help to us other newbies or "noobies"!
Stacey- Sorry for the delayed response. I've been out of town and just got back. Thanks for reading my blog and grats on being a noob mommy as well! As for your routine, I would use the little time in between catnap and feed/bedtime to do a quiet activity. Maybe just sing lullabies, read some books, snuggle, anything mellow that will help your little one transition into bath/bedtime. Some babies also love a little soothing massage or backrub to help get sleepy too!
Hi there! My son's approaching 4 months now and we've been trying a 3 to 3.5 hour EASY on him for more than a month now. Now he generally sleeps from 730pm to 630am, waking up to feed at 230 or 3am (and sometimes 5am – but not last night, as we put him to sleep earlier, at 7pm instead of 730pm…Wonder if the earlier bedtime had anything to do with it?)
Well, I feed him at 645am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, then "dinner" for him is at 630pm, followed by bath and bedtime (where I top him up with breastmilk before singing a lullaby and putting him into his bed). He's come to expect the 630pm feed and his before-sleep top up, and I guess I shouldn't change something that's working!
The problem we're facing is that his daytime naps are always so short (45min); I always try to wind him down 1h 15 min to 1.5 hrs upon his waking from a nap, since he often also shows signs of tiredness and fussiness. But following the 3.5 hr EASY is impossible IF HE SLEEPS ONLY 45 min! I've often tried shhing him back to sleep when he wakes crying(which is almost always, n kinda with eyes closed and a moody cry) But it rarely works, and it tires me out to be honest.
So if others have experienced short-napping babies…how do u get around this? Right now, my LO takes 3 naps minimum a day (all around 45 min), and cos he naps 1.5 hrs after waking, I have to occupy him for the remainder time (during which he only gets more tired, I believe)…then when it's approaching his feeding time, I usually have to either try n put him down for a short catnap BEFORE I feed him, or just feed him and shortly after, put him down for a nap (N that's not really following EASY anymore, gggrrr)
Any comments?
Tired Babe and Mummy
These E.A.S.Y. routines are so helpful…is there a sample schedule for 9-month-olds and older?
My baby girl had trouble settling back for a nap until I got her to take a paci. She would wake up after 45 minutes, but her cry would be the moody cry with eyes closed mentioned above.) I had to use gripe water (can't live without it) to get her to take the paci. Tiny little drops a few times when she is already tired and she goes right to sleep with her paci while I pat her. She is starting to go right to sleep in her bed with it. I always go in and remove it when she is zonked.
Gripe water (ginger and fennel in water-available anywhere…I get it at New Seasons) works for upset tummies. It is a lifesaver. I keep track of what makes up one "dose" and space it out as needed to get her to take her pacifier. She is starting to take it without it now…
It is also how I got her to take a bottle after weeks of trying. She is ebf but we give her pumped milk at night.
Of course, I sometimes actually need the dose for gas, hiccups, or discomfort. I take it with me everywhere.
Hope that helps!
Can you use this schedule for 9 or 10 month olds? Or is there another E.A.S.Y. Routine for older babies/toddlers?
This schedule works up to/around 9 months. I’d say the difference is that as they hit around 10 months + noobs will eventually drop a nap to about 2 naps a day. Then after 1 yr +, about 1 nap a day. Feeding times will be more similar to adults, 3 regular meals a day of solids after 1 yr with regular whole milk. Hope that helps!
My little boy is 5 months and on a 3hr EASY, which he does very well now after a long time doing annoying short naps (they got better on their own). I think he could now start going 4hrs with just 3 naps, especially as he takes a while to go to sleep for the 4th one and it’s getting shorter…. BUT – at present he only has 5 feeds a day, because I just couldn’t get him to master dreamfeeds. It doesn’t bother him – he doesn’t wake at night and sleeps 7pm – 7am like an angel! But I’m concerned that going to 4hr EASY would mean just 4 breastfeeds a day – is this enough??? I’m reluctant to add a nightfeed as I feel so lucky to have such a good sleeping bubba!
Currently he wakes and feeds at 7am/10am/1pm/4pm and 6pm, bath at 6.30pm, bed at 7pm. I’d like to go to feeds at 7am/11am/3pm and 6pm, to preserve the same bedtime and allow him longer naps and wake-times. But only 4 breastfeeds….eek! He’s not good at staying awake longer than 1.5hrs at a time, so I’m not sure how to arrange things if I keep 5 feeds but go to 3 naps, if you see what I mean.
Any advice?!
Hi Mim- Thanks for posting! Sounds like you have a pretty sweet set up right now. With your noob sleeping 7-7, who can complain?! I’d say don’t even worry about the dream feeds. This is more for those noobs that have trouble getting through those hours at night. It probably is a wise idea to slowly start transitioning your little one to a 4 hour schedule. As he gets older, his belly should be able to take in more and function on the extra calories during each feed. Is his weight healthy? If so, then don’t worry about cutting down a feed to 4. Just remember that you will be increasing the amount at each feeding to make up for it. So he shouldn’t be losing the nutrients in between. I found that moving from a 3 to 4 hour schedule was easiest by going slowly. So tacking on a few extra minutes (5-10) between feedings to space it out a little longer wasn’t too intolerable for Noob Baby. And like I mentioned earlier, he will be a bit hungrier too… so you can up the amount of milk. If he resists to the change, go even slower. Maybe just adding on smaller increments of time in between. Eventually, you’ll be adding in solids to this schedule at around 6+ months, so it’s a good idea to start moving him forward with his feeds
Hope this answered your question. If not, email me and I will try my best!
hello!!! i just finished reading the book. My baby will be 4 months on May 1st. Should i start this easy routine or the one that is for up to 4 months? also, i havent done what the book suggests to do for a few days, to write down the baby’s day so we can understand our baby’s sleep/eating pattern…. should i do this before? cause her days are just so diferent, there are nights that she will sleep from 8pm til about 5:30am, breastfeed and fall back asleep til about 10am and nights that she will wake up around 2am….
very helpful
oh and another thing, can i change the time from 7 to maybe 8:30? cause i have a toddler ay home as well that wakes up at 9 and needs to go to her school.
thanks and i loved your blog
Hi Anon – I’m glad you’ve found my blog and I hope you will stick around
I think if your noob is going to be turning 4 mos. in May, it would be a good idea to start easing her into the 4 mos + routine. You can always start next month of course and just begin with writing down how your/her schedule looks. I think it’s not mandatory, but a really great idea. When I was writing things down, it helped me to identify patterns and sort of evaluate our day at the end of the evening when I had a moment of quiet. You can also start comparing different days, seeing what helps her sleep better, what activities make her restless, etc. Plus, you can look back at this later on..and just revel at the progress and how much “more” sleep you are getting..hehe. As far as the time, being flexible is totally fine. The EASY guide is a loose schedule that you can use as a guideline around your life and baby’s personality. Ours was never identical to the one from the book, but it was a great starting point for me to structure our days more. Lastly, mucho props to you for juggling a toddler and a noob!! I have one toddler-noob who doesn’t let me rest for a second. How do you do it?!
My baby is now 6 months, i would like to start on this schedule, but i also just started her on solids, when do i fit that in this schedule?? since she is still breastfeeding every 3 hours. thanks
Anon–get the Baby Whisperer Solves all your Problems book and starting on page 39 is a detailed plan how to get your baby on the 4 hour easy plan. Good luck!
Hi,
I love your blog, I am so glad I found it, I am struggling with my now 5 month baby, I wanted a routine, clear for me and her; so I tried the EASY routine; but I am afraid she got used to sleep in the boob, we use to have a AESY routine and I find it very hard to get her out of it; I also have the same problem as Tired Mum, where she sleeps only a maximum of 40 mins a nap.
I would really appreciate any suggestions.
Many thanks,
Far Away from Home Mum
Far Away Mum – Thanks for commenting and finding my blog! I think that you are on the right track with a routine in place. Keep in mind that it doesn’t have to be EASY to the “t.” Mine never was, though trust me, I tried and tried. At some point, you have to reevaluate and see what your own noob is like. Find something that works for you, that you’re both happy with, and just stick to it as a predictable routine. With that said, you don’t want to be instilling any bad sleep habits or you’ll learn to regret it later (I learned that through rocking to sleep). Try to use some gentle shushing, singing, pacifier, swaddling, etc if you can. As for the nap, we were always on a 45 minute nap until we finally sleep trained Noob Baby. Look for my posts on sleep training/CIO to see if that’s something you’re interested in. We did that at 5 months, and it saved us. But, it’s not for everyone… it takes a lot of determination to get through a week of sleep training
Email me if you have more questions. Good luck!
Thank you for the laugh and advice! You’d think with 3 kids id have this down but I think the sleep deprivation from my 16 month old made my brain shut off for my 2 month old…
Hi – I’ve loved reading your blog … I know this is an old post, but I just saw it. My LO is just about to turn 4 months old. I’ve had him on a good 3 hour EASY routine where he eats at 7, 10, 1, 4, 7 and then midnight and 4am. He sleeps from 8-9:30, 11-12:30, 2-3:30, and 5-6. I’m wondering how to go about transitioning him to the 4 hour EASY routine with naps from 9-11, 1-2:30 and 5-6. I can understand gradually spacing the feedings further apart, but how did you go about changing the times of his naps —- did you do so gradually or did you just put him down at the new times all at once one day? Thanks!!!!
Jessie – When gradually extending the times of feedings, etc. to transition to a 4 Hour EASY routine, I also gradually dragged the naps a little later. Go with how your little one is feeling. At first, he may want to sleep at his usual nap time. So, just space it out a little bit later, and then soon enough (when he adjusts to the later feedings and play time) he’ll also learn to nap later. Just remember to be flexible and don’t stress about the exact times!
Dear Noob Mommy,
I love your site. You left me a comment on Baby Center once and I’ve taken many of your suggestions! I have a question that I’m wondering if you might have some advice:
My son will be 6 months next week. He’s sleeping longer and longer in the night which is great. Sometimes he won’t let me put him down for naps or back in his crib after I nurse him. The routine advice is to put him down awake. If I do that and walk out, he cries. I’ve done The Baby Whisperer routine… no takers! DO you have any suggestions for how to get him used to falling asleep on his own instead of me rocking or nursing him?
Thanks so much!!!
Hello!!
My daughter is 6 1/2 months old now and I have her on 2 solid feeds a day – with breastmilk (pumped or breastfed) 6 times a day. She is still on a 3 hour EASY schedule and it has seemed to work. (E = 6a, 9a, 12p, 3p, 6p, then top her off after bathtime at 7:30/7:45p.) I start her day at 6am because I breastfeed her before taking her to the sitter’s house. We leave at 6:20 at the latest so literally I breastfeed, burp, then into the carseat she goes. She gets solids with her bottles/breastfeeds at 9am and 6pm. I’m guessing from reading all of your replies and yoru blog that at this age she “should” be on a 4 hour EASY. But if she has a hard time staying awake for that long, how do I work this? Should I force the issue? I don’t believe her being hungry is a problem. I could push her to do 4 hours between feeds. But the awake/activity time is what concerns me. I’ve never done a dream feed and until 2 nights ago she has been sleeping through the night (8pm-6am, give or take about 15 minutes.) Our nighttime routine is perfect. If she’s tired early, I start it early and she goes down. Not a problem. So it’s just the daytime awake times I think will be an issue. How important is it that I push her to do the 4 hour schedule?
Thank you for any feedback. I’m learning so much from your site already!
Hi Cheryl – Congrats on your noob! Sounds like you have a pretty good routine down, even though it doesn’t quite follow the 4 hr EASY. Part of me wants to say, continue what you’re doing since you seem to be happy, she’s happy, and she’s sleeping through the night! Can’t beat that combo! But another part of me is wondering if she’s going to be in the habit of eating so frequently, which in the long run … could make it difficult for you to get about your daily routine. It’s nice to have longer stretches between feedings to go out run errands, etc. You mentioned that she probably doesn’t *need* to eat so often, so it’s more of a habit/routine at this point. You also wonder if she can stay awake for so long. Does she take a nap after every feeding? In which case, that does seem like a lot of napping as well. Since she should be getting into the habit of eating more solids and having more awake time, it’s probably not a bad idea to start easing into a 4 hour EASY (no need to dreamfeed). It will also make it easier for her to adapt to going longer stretches at night without getting hungry. I’m sort of wondering if she’ll expect that full belly feeling in the middle of the night, you know what I mean? If in your heart you know that she isn’t really hungry and doesn’t need to be eating so much, then it’s probably a good idea to slowly change up her schedule. In the end, it’s up to you and your little one. And certainly ask your ped as well. Also, I forgot to mention that if she was a preemie … she could be on a slightly slower schedule. Good luck to you and whatever you decide! I’m happy you stumbled upon my blog and I hope you’ll subscribe.
I have recently started to use the 4 hour EASY routine with my 4 1/2 month old but find that she will not take naps long enough to bring me closer to the next E and then needs to S sooner than what a 4 hour cycle would allow. If I go into her room, for any reason, she escalates into a complete mess and I find that PU, pat or pacifier never works. Essentially, I have tried CIO and that still doesn’t convince her to go back to sleep. She is sleeping in one hour increments. She is however, an awesome night sleeper and sleeps from 8-8 when I make her get up. Any suggestions for how to extend naps because she is constantly whining ALL day and it’s very hard to handle.? I also have a 2 year old in the house and it has been impossible to ever get out of the house
Hi Noob Mommy!
Love your website – it is the most helpful and real site I’ve found. I, too, have had success with the Baby Whisperer / CIO combo…but alas my second kiddo has got me stumped!
My son is 4 months old and follows a 4-hour EASY with ease (haha). However he does not yet sleep through the night consistently yet. When he was on the 3-hour EASY there were a few nights where he made it from 730pm – 630am and as you know the 3-hour EASY is 5 daytime feedings. When he started to not show interest in feeding and he was able to make it 2 full hours between naps, I decided to get him on the 4-hour for about 1 week now. It was a sinch. His schedule is:
7am: wake and bf
8am: 3 tbsp cereal
9am – 11am: nap (I sometimes wake him up, too)
1130am: bf
1pm – 3pm: nap
330pm: bf
430pm: 3 tbsp cereal
between 5 – 6pm: catnap
7pm: bathtime
730pm: bf and in bed sleeping by 830pm
He usually wakes up between 4am – 5am…but last night it was 145am and 6am. I’m confused bc although he was never sleeping through 12 hours consistently, he did seem to sleep better through the night on a 3-hour EASY with no solids. Now I have him on the 4-hour with TWO solid feedings and it has gone backwards! Should I put him back on a 3-hour EASY and remove the late solid feed? I think this is backwards…he needs to progress. He is ALWAYS put down awake – at bedtime and for naps. And even when he wakes for night feeds, he is put back to bed awake. I do let him fuss when he wakes at night, but I also have a 21-month old who will also wake up if I let the baby cry…and I do NOT need 2 crying boys @ 4am lol. So….should I just stick it out and see what happens or revert back to a 3-hour EASY and remove the late solid feed (I have a weird feeling that I’m stuffing him too late in the day so his tummy is stretching out and then is hungrier sooner – like an adult)? Should he be going to bed eariler? Eeeeeks! Any advice would be soooo appreciated!
Thanks!
Dani- First off, I’m super impressed that your little noob has been able to fall asleep on his own awake! Keep it up if you can. Breaking poor sleep habits later on will be a bitch (I should know!). How is he doing on the solids? If he’s doing great, it’s probably not really affecting his sleep. Although I am surprised to hear he’s getting solids before 6 months, if he’s doing ok … should be fine. I also recall that Noob Baby had a crazy fussy period and growth spurt at 4 months. So, I’d give it a week or so and see if he readjusts or maybe needs to be fed more due to a growth spurt. In my personal opinion (although I know all the books say otherwise), I think most babies do need to wake up at least once until they get more adjusted to eating solids (around 6 months). Sure some can sleep through the night early on, but you’ll often see sleep patterns fluctuate due to growth spurts, teething, illness, etc. And I also agree with you that an early bedtime always helps! 7-7:30 as you mentioned sounds pretty on target! Good luck!
Hello! Love your site! I have a high needs child – always has been since birth. She is 4.5 months old and I’ve triex to get her on schedule. Here is what we have so far:
Wake: 7-8 am and feed; play until 9:30. Nap (45-1.5 hrs… Depends); Wake and eat a few tablespoons of homemade applesauce (just apple and water) then eat at 12. She usually wants a quick nap here around 12:30 for 15-30 min along with a few ounces of milk (she is formula fed). Then she wants another nap around 3pm with about 4 oz. She’ll wake around 4 and nap again around 5:30-6. We used to keep her up until 8 but have gotten her down at 7:30 recently. She gets up between 12:45 and 3:30 am to eat then gets up around 5 and fusses until I get her between 7 and 8. Sometimes falls back to sleep. I tried dream feeding but it didnt change the schedule. Before she hit 4 months she did better. We had her on 4 hour schedule and she woke around 3 and 5. We fed her both times then weaned her off 2nd feeding but she still would get up…. I’m exhausted and would LOVE help and advice… Thank you so so very much. This exhaustion is so terrible, I wont even drive because I know it would be dangerous so we dont leave the house without my husband on the weekends….
Sophie – It sounds like your little one is still waking up around twice a night. When she wakes up in the middle of the night, is she eating a full amount or just snacking? If she’s only snacking a little and doesn’t actually seem hungry, then it’s probably a sign that she’s waking out of habit and not out of hunger. If this is the case, you may consider sleep training at about 5 or 6 months. A good time is also when they start eating more solids regularly and their bellies can hold more at night. Also, I’m wondering about the 3pm and 5:30pm naps. Those seem pretty close together, and may be throwing off her nighttime sleep? Also, try some of the sleep soothing techniques to see if those help her sleep longer (swaddle, white noise, pacifier). Good luck!
So I have been following the EASY routine and my 4 1/2 month old baby sleeps about 1 1/2 hours each nap during the day….since I am feeding every 4 hours should I be getting her early and playing with her for the 1/2 hour she wakes up before the next planned feed?
She is fine to wait 4 hours to feed (she doesn’t cry for food) but she does not lay in her crib once she wakes from her nap. She never cries to sleep but always cries when she wakes.
I think partly b/c she is swaddled and cannot move around.
We still swaddle her because unswaddled her arms go crazy and we are lucky if she will sleep for even 40 minutes but swaddled we get a good 1 1/2 hour nap each time and she is much happier.:-)
So I guess my overall question is : Is it okay to get her from her crib when she wakes early and do a little active time before her feed or should I just unswaddle her and leave her in her crib until the next feed? Thoughts?
Hello can I get some advise pleeeease… Aidan is 41/2 months old and I have trouble with his sleeping and eating.
Heres the basics (instead of writing an essay)
*
Constant eating (every 1/2 hours – more if he could)
* Has to be very asleep before I can put him to bed
* Will not go to bed at a sensible time – It was 2am for ages, now usually around 12am
* Fights sleep, hardly sleeps at all during the day usually 2 naps around 30 mins – an hour if lucky
* Is very hyper in the evenings, laughing and rolling around when should be asleep
* He slept through the night for a couple of weeks and now is back to being up usually about 4 times
Please note that he is teething and I have recently given him a dummy which is working wonders. He has just started on baby rice to see if this fills him up more
……. baby as just started to fall asleep without being fed to sleep
……. baby as just started to fall asleep without being fed to sleep
Caroline – You mention that Aidan is eating every 1/2 hour. I’m guessing he is just snacking? 4 1/2 month olds should be able to go every 4 hours or so between feeds. If there are health concerns, definitely consult the pediatrician. Is his weight normal/healthy? Check how much he is consuming at each of these feeds to be sure. If you are breastfeeding, make sure he’s nursing thoroughly at each mealtime and geting all the hindmilk (not just the fatty foremilk). Secondly, a 12 am or 2 am bedtime is pretty darn late! If he’s on a consistent daily routine, following loosely the 4-HR EASY, then he should be shooting for his 7-7:30 bedtime. My best guess is that he’s so hyper and wound up from being overstimulated and tired, that he’s staying up so late and unable to sleep well at all. Again, keep to consistent naps during the day and start winding him down around 7:00 with very quiet, calm activities. Quiet songs, storytime, a relaxing bath, baby massage, etc. then one last feeding (or a feed before the bedtime activities if you don’t want him to fall asleep nursing). And as you mentioned, if he’s teething… this could all go away once he overcomes the pain from this phase. Good luck to you!
Alexis- I think it’s up to you if you want to get her early and play with her before the feed, or let her hang out. But if you know she’s not going to fall back asleep, then it seems like you might as well get and have some fun. Swaddling is wonderful, and it is proven to be effective in soothing babies for as long as they want to be swaddled! Clearly, you know that she prefers this technique
Hello Noob Mommy,
First of all, THANK YOU for putting this wonderful site together. İ am a first time mom and my baby just turned 6 months. I think I finished reading the internet about babies and sleeping schedules
and then I found your site. I also read Babywise and Babywhisperer.
My baby has been a horrible sleeper since birth. We found out that he has MSPI when he was 3 weeks old. He would have these horrible crying episodes and the only way to soothe him was to hold him tight on my chest. He still loves skin contact.. I BF him and am on a very boring diet. His acidreflux and MSPI is slightly better.
He has been on a modified 3 hr EASY since hewas 1 month old. I call it modified because his naps/ night sleep was always horrible. I am talking about waking up every 15 to 30 min. I am a working mom so needless to say the last coupl of months have been miserable. I was fundementally against CIO or Ferber method until I read your site. Last weekend when my husband was out of town, i decided to give it a try. I took Friday off and started my journey on Thursday night. It was HORRIBLE. Your humorous comments kept me going. He cired for 65 mins the first time and vomitted all over the place. After couple of sleeples nights, for the first time in 6 months he slept through the night. I couldnt believe it. I checked on him to make sure he is breathing many many times that night. i am writing you this to let other sleepless, desperate mothers know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I was so sure that he wil never sleep well and i have to adjust to this new life syle but now i have hope. It is still too soon to feel like he is completely sleep trained but heis showing a trend in the right direction.
Thank you again for putting all of this very valuable information together.
A big all hug…
Derya
Derya – Thank you so much for your feedback and sharing your success with us! I can’t imagine the challenges you’ve gone through and to go through the CIO with vomiting. I know Ferber says it’s ok if that happens… you just clean it up, make sure baby is ok, and go back to business… but it sounds easier said than done! So the fact that you’ve done it and seem to be having success, props to you! Keep us posted on your sleep training. I hope it continues to allow ALL of you to get the sleep you need!