Photo by Peat Bakke
There are so many things I wish I had known right after having Noob Baby. I remember so many people telling me to “sleep when the baby sleeps.”
At the time, it sounded like a no-brainer.
Well when the Noob Baby invasion was finally upon us, all wisdom and logic went out the window. I was so enamored with this 24/7 pooping machine, that when she was asleep, I just ogled and cudded her like a big fat dummy noob! Truth betold, I tried to sleep when she was sleeping, but then this madness descended … and I felt like I had to clean, had to do the laundry, and whatever other domestic task Martha Stewart would be proud of.
I was so go-go-go, that I didn’t realize I could take control of our day and actually start carving out a routine.
I was just … on call. Sure I was keeping logs of when I was feeding her and when she was pooping, but I certainly didn’t realize that her eating, then staring at visitors, and finally napping in her bouncy seat was a baby routine in itself starting to emerge.
After reading Tracy Hogg’s book, Secrets of the Baby Whisperer
In this post, I’ll share what I learned from Hogg’s book about getting a 1-4 month old on an E-A-S-Y routine. Also check out the EASY for 4-9 month olds. And I’ve also created an EASY Cheat Sheet that includes 4 side-by-side schedule samples that range from 4 weeks to 1 year. It’s a great free printable you can keep referencing as your little one gets older!
And one really important note: Take this as a loosely designed routine, but one that you need to adapt and shape to work with your noob. If you get too Type-A psycho on the time slots, you will drive yourself crazy. A-hem… guilty as charged. Trust me when I say that you will probably never have an identical EASY routine. That’s ok. Just try and keep with a predictable E-A-S-Y pattern, and you will be ok! Now breathe…
E is for Eat
Just plain old eatin’ time. Take a look at Hogg’s Feeding Guide for an idea of how much to feed at each age.
A is for Activity
After eating, try to encourage your little one into some activity time before falling asleep. This may be especially hard to do for the super noobie babies; but as they hit the 1-month mark, it’ll be easier to keep them awake for a short time before napping. Activities for newborns can be as basic as cooing, staring at a toy, diaper changes, singing lullabies, bath time, and hanging out with visitors. Just keep it limited — too much activity and you will have an overstimulated noob who wants nothing to do with naptime.
S is for Sleep
Sleep is the precious time when our little ones grow and develop their brains. Naps can range from 20 minutes to 2 hours (after the first few months). Good naps during the day will actually help baby sleep better at night. Contrary to popular belief, keeping your noob up late won’t make her sleep longer! I just pray you don’t have horrid Nap Town mishaps like me!!
Y is for Your time
After baby is asleep, you get sacred time to do whatever you want. I strongly suggest you take a nap and recharge, too. But if your “house” is looking more like “the city dump with upgrades,” then by all means … wash dishes, scrub the spit-up from your clothes, and quickly push the take-out boxes under the couch. Oh yeah, a shower might be called for, eh? Count backwards from 20 (because that’s all the time you have before the noob is up again, seriously.)
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
For the first month, you probably won’t even try to get a routine going, but after you slowly emerge from your zombie-chrysalis, you will be begging for some predictability! Here’s an example from Hogg’s book of what an E.A.S.Y Structured Routine may look like for a 4 wk-old. Heed the words … Be flexible.
Typical E.A.S.Y. Routine for 4 weeks to 4 months
E – 7:00 – Feed
A – 7:45 – Diaper change. Some playing, talking. Keep an eye out for sleepy cues
S – 8:15 – Swaddle and lay baby in crib. May take 15-20 min. to fall asleep.
Y – 8:30 – You nap.
E – 10:00 – Feed
A – 10:45 – See 7:45 above.
S – 11:15 – 2nd morning nap.
Y – 11:30 – Your time.
E – 1:00 – Feed
A – 1:45 – See 7:45 above.
S – 2:15 – Afternoon nap.
Y – 2:30 – Your time.
E – 4:00 – Feed
A – 4:45 – See 7:45 above.
S – 5:15 – Catnap (about 40-45 min)
Y – 5:30 – Your time.
E – 6:00 – 1st Cluster Feed
A – 7:00 – Bath, bedtime ritual
S – 7:15 – Another catnap
Y – 7:30 – You eat dinner.
E – 8:00 – 2nd Cluster Feed
A – None
S – Put baby right back to sleep.
Y – Enjoy your time until the Dream Feed (between 10-11).
This routine assumes baby doesn’t have special needs, isn’t below birthweight, etc. that may require more frequent feedings.
For babies older than 4 months, see Hogg’s EASY for 4-9 months. Don’t forget to print out my free EASY Cheat Sheet to use as a reference guide!
Have you tried this or another routine that works for you? I would love to hear about it.
Want your own copy of The Baby Whisperer’s book? Share the love and buy it here:
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I have a 4 wk old and we’re trying EASY. We’re still trying to master the cluster/dream feeds so she’ll sleep longer at night but it’ll come with time. Overall, it’s been a great book for us.
I am looking for the 4 month EASY plan: I was eagerly following the plan until my little guy was 3 months old with good success. He then hit the 3month growth spurt along with the 4 month sleep regression! Who knows??? At any rate I believe I got into the habit of feeding him when he was tired, upset, and hungry and need to get back on track. Thanks!
I have the second part to this plan on the Noob Parents 101 link. It’s EASY Part 2. Hope it helps!
I have a 3.5 month old and we’re TRYING to do the every 3 hour EASY schedule, but we’re stuck on those blasted 45 minute naps! (sometimes 30 mins! ugh) How did you lengthen these naps? Did it just take time?? Im finding it near impossible to do EASY while the 45 minute intruder has visited us…
Hi Hilaree- We tried giving her the pacifier, patting her on the back, and just letting her play in the crib hoping she’d fall back to sleep. Honestly, the 45 mins didn’t lengthen until she was about 5-6 months old (at which time we sleep trained her). I think that was the biggest factor … her ability to soothe herself. You can try wake-to-sleep – going in right before you know she’ll wake and giving her a pacifier or rocking, soothing until she falls back into the next REM cycle. Good luck!
Hi, I started this EASY routine after your comment on BabyCentre. We're also threatened by the 45 min wake up during the naps, usually he has some tummy discomfort and I try to soothe him back to sleep (rocking, dummy, etc.) Sometimes he falls into deep sleep again and past the 3 hour feedging time, should I wake him up then?? Don't want him to have his longest strech of sleep during the day but rather at night time . Thanks! Marcela
Love your page by the way
Marcela – Thanks so much for reading my blog! How old is DS? If he's already a few months old and at a healthy weight, I wouldn't worry too much about cutting into his night time sleep or feeding time. If he's taking an epically long nap (say more than 3 hours) then you should probably wake him. Otherwise, it's normal for babies to take 1.5-3 hr naps… though the other 2 naps may be shorter. This is the case with Noob Baby. Again, if he's around 3-4 months old, then he may be getting ready to transition into the 4-hour feeding routine as well. Email me if I didn't answer your question
He's 8 weeks and 6 kilos. I let him sleep during the night, even happier if he goes 6 hours! He sleeps from around 11-5 ish on a good night. During the day I wake him up after 4 hours from last feed, these naps sometimes break in 2, after your advise I'll wake him up during they day so he doesnt go more than 4 hours from last fed and won't feed him before 3 hours unless he doesn't settle even in my arms! Do you think this is a good idea? I'm also a newbie and trying new things every day! Thanks
Marcela – At 8 weeks, you should probably feed him at least every 3 hours, just to make sure he gets enough nutrition. Every 4 hours comes around the 4 month mark. As far as sleeping at night though, I'd say just let him sleep through the night and don't wake him…but during the day, make sure he gets enough calories. I guess you should take a look at my Feeding Guide and check how many ounces or minutes of BF to be safe. I think the calories/amount of milk is probably more important than the time in between
Gotta give this dream feed a try! My little one is 9 weeks old now and I more or less demand feed him, but it tends to fall into a 3 hourly schedule. But for a few tough nights where he has fed every hour, he has been great – sleeps for a stretch of 5 or 6 hours and then back to the 3 hourly wake up calls. Last night I bathed him at around 7:45 then put him in his rocker for a while to calm him, as he is not a huge fan of bath time at the moment, and then fed him at 8:15. Went straight to bed with him and we both nodded off at around 9. He then woke at 1:30am and again at 5:00am. Going to try to dream feed him at 11:00pm tonight and see if he skips the 1/2am feed … wish me luck!
My little one is 4 months this week, and doing the same, 40 minute catnaps making it impossible to follow EASY. This week I'm having problems even getting her to nap. You mentioned above that naps didn't get longer until 5-6 months of age… so until then – what?
Jasmine – The naps didn't really get easier for us until after we sleep trained the Noob at 5-6 months using the Ferber technique (mentioned in previous posts). Until then, I'd be consistent with naps, try to give a pacifier or other comfort without "over soothing" – meaning, don't get into the habit of rocking because your LO will end up depending on that later on. I've also read about other people who go in right before they expect their LO to wake up, and soothe them back to sleep before they hit that 40 minute "alarm". I'll try to think of more ideas. Email me if you have other questions!
Noob mommy…if baby sleeps at 8, 9pm or 10 pm should we wake him up around 11 to dream feed or just let him sleep til he wakes up for his feeding? He's 10 weeks tomorrow.
Just started the EASY the past two days….working!!! Love it but I agree the 45 minute mark is killer. Just have to do the shh-pat or PU/PD if they fuss more than a few minutes. I've held myself back from going in when she fusses and she put herself back to sleep. Grace is 11 weeks and 12.5 lbs. How did ferberizing work with this routine??
J's Mom- It's up to you for the dream feed. We tried dream feeds with Noob, and it never seemed to make a difference. However, you can try a couple times and see if it extends his night time sleep. If not, then maybe not worth it. Just remember to keep activity and disturbance as minimal as possible. Feed him and plop hiim back down quietly
Hi
From what I understood the baby whisperer says that we shouldn't feed baby before sleep not to give her a bad habit.
However, according to your "routine" exemple, we give baby a second "cluster feed" and put her right back to bed.
Is it not giving a bad habit?
Also, how did you manage to stop the "dream feed"?
I have tried it for the first time last night (my baby is 5 weeks old). First it was a nightmare to wake her up. But also I am worried about giving her a bad habit of eating late at night.
Thanks a lot for your help!
Anon- I agree that the Baby Whisperer's technique of dream feeding is a bit confusing and does seem contradictory. Noob Baby never really caught on to the dream feeds. It seemed no matter how many times we tried the dream feed, she would always wake up a few hours later anyway. So we nixed the approach, and just toughed it out for several months. Although, I do recall around 4 months she began to sleep longer automatically. And as their stomachs are able to hold more, they will sleep longer
Now as far as the bad habit – Tracy Hogg does try to distinguish between dream feeding, and using feeding as a crutch to sleep. She points out that when you dream feed, baby should already be sleep…and you put baby back down totally asleep. Therefore, baby doesn't "need" the milk as a means to get back to sleep… it's not a soothing technique in other words, rather it's just a way to get them fuller. If they're not awake, they don't really know what's happening 
She suggests you try the dream feed for at least a week before giving up. I'd say at 5 weeks you don't have to worry too much about developing a bad habit. They need the milk at that age, and your LO will wake up just a few hours later whether you like it or not, right? Now, unless your LO is already sleeping through the night… in which case you should stop reading immediately and go buy some lottery tickets …. then, let sleeping babies lie 
Do not disturb and enjoy getting your sleep now! Good luck!
Hi NM
Thanks for answering so fast
Sorry If my question wasn't clear. When I was talking about bad habit about feeding the baby to put her to sleep I was more refering to the second cluster feed.
Indeed after that cluster feed there is no activity and you put the baby to bed directly…
Thanks!
Hi
Would it be ok simply to move this shedule so everything happens 2 hours later? So first wake would be at 9:00 and dream feed between 12-01. Timing like that would be perfect for me and baby seems already to be in this shedule too.
LOL
I have 3 children. My youngest is almost 3 months old. All my kids are different but they shared the same sleep routines. I never heard of the Baby Whisperer,instead I went off the advice from my mother in law. From 1 month on the baby should gradually eat more food and go a longer period of time between each feedings. I 'shceduled' them to do this. Eventually around 2 months your baby should be at 3 hrs between feedings-except at night.And like you stated above at 4 months should be ar 4 hrs. my lil one sleeps 5 or more hours every single night! Also-soft lighting and noise or no noise helps!
Hi – my baby is 7 weeks old. So I'm trying to follow the EASY 3 hour routine.
But what do I do for example if my baby is awake for 45 minutes (including eating and activity) then takes an hour nap.
What do I do for the other 45 minutes before he is to eat again? I don't want him to be overly tired before he eats again. Any suggestions?
Thanks for your blog, I've been researching the EASY approach and came across your blog today.
Anons – If you are already on a routine that is working for you, I say stick with it. If it's something manageable for you and baby, great! Baby Whisperer is just one recommendation. As for moving the dream feed back to 12-1 am… she recommends 11 pm the latest. Anything later will cut into their daytime feeding schedule. With that said, see if your baby is feeding enough during the day. If so, should be ok. One recommendation I do have is to try and get your noob to bed earlier (between 7-8). Even though it is counter-intuitive, babies will usually sleep later when put to bed early. Unless there is something keeping you up … maybe to stay up later and hang out with Daddy etc… otherwise, give it a try.
Anon2 – Use EASY as just a general guideline. Noob Baby didn't follow the schedule to the T because her naps were also 40-45 minutes. So we ended up going through a lot of EAS-EAS-EAS type schedules
I'd say to go with your instinct. If your LO appears tired, put him down for nap. Or if he sees pretty awake but not hungry, give him a little stimulation. I hope that helps. Feel free to email me with more details 
Hello,
We have a 8 wk old boy and we are having some difficulty with the setting a routine. We have read the Baby Whisperer and really enjoyed it. We jumped right into the E.A.S.Y steps. It was a rough few nights but it seemed to be working. After the third night, he started fussing a bit more. We have him laying down in his crib with one of our hands on his belly while shushing him, he stops crying and calms down, but suddenly has a type of spasm and his hands on his face wakes him up (We are now back to square one) Some nights it takes us 30 min while others take 3 hours. We dont talk or pick him up. Also how long should a baby at this age nap for?
Anon- Congrats on your little one! And also congrats on getting such a head start on reading up and setting a routine. That's going to put you way ahead of the game
Does your LO respond well to swaddling? I thought maybe that would help a bit with the arm spasming. Even though they may seem to fight it, deep down our little noobs really find comfort in swaddling for several months. As for shushing for 3 hours… so sorry to hear. That has got to be tiring and frustrating. I think when it's so early on, you can try other soothing techniques. A little bit rocking, cuddling, pacifier, white noise/music. Any little bit helps. I'd worry about the bad habit forming a little later… plus, a little sleep training can break that pretty easily. However, I understand if you're wary to try that. At that age… babies can nap anywhere from 30 minutes up to a couple hours. Noob Baby couldn't sleep past 45 minutes on-the-dot. Go with what you're comfortable with and what will enable you to get some sleep as well!
Hi,
Thanks for your great posts! The schedule you've posted has really helped me with daytime naps. I still have some problems but it's helped me figure out what to try and not to try.
My daughter is going to be 4 months old on 10 November. Nights were going sooooo well until just before 3 months from about 5 weeks old. She was sleeping from 8 or 9 pm until about 8 am every night. Suddenly, about week 12, she started waking up 2, 3, 4 times a night. I'm exhausted! I started feeding her at least once and last night I decided to stop and just give her the pacifier. She still woke up a couple times but didn't need to eat until 6:30 am. I've also started a bedtime routine with bath and massage but she's still waking at night. What do I do?
Also, sometimes she's napping for 1.5 to 3 hours but mostly only 45 minutes. Is this normal? I feel so frustrated trying to do the Shhh Pat because it doesn't work for her. She just lays there staring at me. I put her down while in the 7 mile stare, she goes to sleep easily, and I've sat in her room watching her sleep to figure out the Wake to Sleep thing. I've tried nudging her every minute from 25-35 minutes but she either sleeps over 45 minutes by quite a bit or right at it.
Oh, I still swaddle her too but I'm afraid I'm discouraging her from finding her pacifier for herself. She still can't get it into her own mouth. Isn't that late development?
Thank you!
Hi,
Thank you so much for your blog, it is really helpful! I am just a little confused about how to get the EASY routine to work for me and my 9 week old. He eats about every 3 hours (exclusively breastfed) on his own and sleeps well at night. He goes to bed around 8:30pm every night and will normally wake around 2am (sometimes not until 5am) to feed, then sleeps until morning. He is a healthy weight and is thriving. However, my problem is that his morning wake differs so much and it throws off our whole day. One morning it will be 7am another day it will be 930am! I was trying to watch for a pattern so we could base our daily feeding/sleep routine around that, but there is no consisteny in the morning. Should I be waking him up around the same time each day? I have just always heard never to wake a sleeping baby… I just think if we had a consitent sleep/wake time, I could make the naps easier throughout the day and be able to plan my day a little better. Because right now, he is not napping well at all. Please help!
do you actually wake the babies up for the ‘cluster’ feeds if they are still sleeping? My 4 week old sleeps from 730pm-1am…feeds…then sleeps from about 2am-545am….then feeds but WILL NOT go back to sleep after that, he wants to be awake and drops back of for a short nap about 730-8pm by which pint im tired from being up since the crack of dawn. Any suggestions? He drinks between 4 and 5ozs per night feed. between 2-5ozs in day feeds depending on his mood.
Hi! Great site. I have a 4 week old and we have decided to start the EASY schedule now. Currently he has really long sleep periods, some even 4-4.5 hrs long. Should I be interupting these long sleeps (day and night) so that I can work the schedule? Our bigger issue seems to be that he does not like to be put down sleepy….any tips?
I’m going to buy the book but I’m assuming that for naps they need to be put where they sleep at night?
Sammy – Yes, ideally you should be training your little one to get used to sleeping in his/her crib as soon as possible. Now, in noob world, that didn’t exactly happen. She slept in a swing for months. Which is why it was harder for us to get her on the proper sleeping track. Best to you!
I am wondering does this mean after the 6pm feeding we don;t change a diaper?? seems there is no activity posted..my babies to also sleep in the bouncy seats because mainly of my son;s acid reflux.. when should I start getting them into the cribs. also I have twins born at 36 weeks. Should I really expect all sleep milestones to be that delayed? They are over 7lbs right now (5 weeks)
Julie – After bedtime, you don’t have to change diapers if your little one is sleeping well and he hasn’t gone #2. The Baby Whisperer suggested slathering on the diaper cream and doing a little quickie check just to make sure he hasn’t soaked through. This has always worked very well for us. That way you don’t have to disrupt their precious sleep. As for sleeping in the crib, the earlier the better. This is mostly for your own sanity. Noobs tend to develop habits pretty easily, as ours did. So, she got used to us rocking her to sleep and being in her swing. It made it hard for us to make the crib transition. With that said, if your little one has difficulty with acid reflux and you’ve spoken to the pediatrician, you should follow his/her recommendation. If there are health concerns involved, that should be a consideration. Good luck!
Thank you for your awesome Blog. I have enjoyed reading it. I have a 12 week old baby boy. He sleeps very well at night in his crib. During the day, we find it very challenging to get him to sleep in his crib. He will sleep a max of 45 mins and this has only happened a couple of times. Usually I rock him to sleep and put him in his crib and he cries. I am wondering if he is lacking self-soothing skills… what is the best way to teach this? He sleeps very well during the day in his Ergo carrier… and sometimes in his carseat (althought this hasn’t been as successful lately).
Thank you!
Hi Michelle – Thank you for posting and congratulations on having your little one sleep in the crib already! That is a feat in itself. Daytime naps can be tricky, and you are probably right that your noob is having difficulty self-soothing. Some suggestions would be to put him down before he gets overtired. Keep on a regular nap schedule as much as possible, which can be difficult if you are out running errands (trust me, I know!). Also, you can continue to swaddle baby for many months. They still enjoy that wrapped up cozy feeling! If you haven’t introduced a pacifier, it may be worth considering. Sucking motion is one self-soothing skill they are born with and don’t outgrow for awhile. You may want to wait in the room and pat or providing little shushing sounds or other white noise as well. It’s very difficult to get good daytime naps in, and you may know from reading my blog that we resorted to rocking for 6 months! That was the surefire trick, but it resulted in bad sleeping habits that we eventually had to break. I hope some of these help… and if you get desperate, I’m certainly not going to judge you if you pop your little one in the stroller or car seat for a ride
I have a 4 month lil girl..she has pretty much slept really well up until a week sgo…she usually goes down at 7pm..wakes at 3:30 back to sleep till 6:30-7. But lately she has been waking up alot more and very restless through the night. I am not sure how much more I can handle..also my husband has been out of town for work. I am desperate for any ideas.
Blaire- It’s very likely that your little girl is going through a growth spurt. This happens about once a month or so, and is usually indicated by change in sleep or eating. This is also likely if she’s been sleeping great before and suddenly things are off. Also, another culprit could be teething. Check around in there and see if you can feel any swollen gums or little protruding teeth. If she’s acting very abnormal and you’re quite concerned, it’s always a good idea to check with her pediatrician. Other than that, I don’t have any ideas really because it sounds like things were pretty well established before. Keep it up and try not to stray from the routine you’ve put in place. Good luck to you!
Hi my daughter is 3 months and will not sleep longer than 4 hrs at night, we’ve decided we will try and introduce e.a.s.y however she always relys on being breast fed to fall to sleep I think I’m going to find it a real struggle changing this habit any words of advice or encouragement to get me thru? Also if she wakes in night how long should I feed before attempting to put her down?
Shell- As far as sleep time stretch goes, 4 hrs is pretty acceptable at that age. It isn’t till about 4-5 months that the noobs start sleeping more towards 5 + hours (which is considered “sleeping through the night” by the way – ha!) It is very difficult to get out of the habit of nursing to sleep. I’d start with naps and gradually try to wean off nursing to bedtime as well in the long run. You can try to substitute a pacifier and see if she’ll accept that. Otherwise, there isn’t a sure trick. Keep trying with different soothing techniques. Just be careful of the rocking to sleep. That’s a hard habit to break, and it’ll break your back in the meantime
Good luck!
Many thanks
Hi Noob Mummy,
It was great coming across your blog. I’m a first-time mummy too and am now tearing my hair out over my baby’s sleeping. I hope you could hear me out and give me some suggestions. My baby is just 10 weeks old and on exclusive breastfeeding. I just started following the E.A.S.Y. routine but the naps are so difficult. She kicks up a fuss before sleeping. I’m catching her cues that she’s tired but even though I try putting her down to sleep, she just refuses. I’m resorting to carrying her in a Baby Bjorn carrier for her naps but I don’t want that to become a habit. What should I do?!
Julie – Congrats on your new noob! I give props to you for trying to install a routine early in the game. I have to say that it was difficult to get decent naps and EASY in at that age. It wasn’t till around 4 months that we really settled into a more comfortable groove. That said, continue to use your soothing techniques. When noobs are still so young, they don’t know how to self-soothe yet. So, you can’t really expect them to fall asleep in their crib yet on their own. Dr. Harvey Karp’s 5 S’s is a good starting point (swaddle, stomach position, shush, swing, suck) http://www.babyslumber.com/happiestbaby.html . Adding in a white noise machine may also help. Continue to keep an eye out for tired cues. You want to put your noob down BEFORE she starts exhibiting sleep signs. I think you’ll soon figure that out and be able to just check your watch to know. Good luck!
Many thanks, Noob Mummy! I guess I have to keep trying!
I know you give 45 minutes to eat and 30 for an activity, but what about if your child takes 15 minutes to eat? Where’s the other 30 minutes go?
Brandi – We were never totally en pointe with EASY either. The key is just to establish a routine that works for you and your noob and stick to it, be consistent. If she’s not eating for exactly 45 minutes, no biggie…readjust and try to keep with the E-A-S-Y pattern. It may mean moving up the activity, cutting down activity time or increasing it…and/or heading into an earlier sleep time. Try not to get too hung up on the minutes. I did that for a long time and it drove me crazy. Best of luck!
my 3 1/2 month old boy still does not go longer than a 5 hr stretch during the night. He falls asleep pretty easily with his pacifier in the crib, but then wakes during the night several times. I go in to plug him and it gets him to the next hour where we repeat it again. I am exhausted. He is my 3rd child and the other 2 slept through night at 9-10 wks. Oh, he is also bottle fed 6 ounces/feed every 3-4 hrs. I usually have to wake him at around 9pm to give him a feed. What am I doing wrong?
K…I need serious help. My little guy is all over the map. He is almost at the 4 month mark and is still eating every 2 hours…sometimes I can stretch it to 2.5 during the day and through the night. He naps for 30-40 minutes at the most…and I’ve tried soothing him before he wakes…doesn’t work. If he is in his swing…he will go 1-2 hours during the day and 4-5 hours at night, depending on his mood? He is refusing a bottle (solely breast milk)…most of the time and some days he will take a pacifier and other days spits it out like its poison. He doesn’t seem to show consistency with anything. He hates his car seat and stroller…lucky me! Any advice would be much appreciated!
Natalie – Wish I had some good advice for you. Trust me, I know how unpredictable these little noobs can be, and it doesn’t let up. Oh, that’s probably not what you wanted to hear, huh?! Well, with your little one being so unpredictable, my best recommendation is for you to keep up with what consistency you can. Stick to it, and avoid changing things up too much in hopes of finding the right “cure all.” Try and work on the feeding, tacking on a little extra time between feedings as best you can. When he’s able to go longer, that may help set other things into a better rhythm. I hope! As far as naps, I was at my last straw too. We waited until 5-6 months and did the sleep training. That worked wonders for us, but it’s not for everyone. That’s something you may consider in a month or two. Until then, it may be worthwhile to have him sleep in whatever way gets him that rest (for now). If he can sleep for such long stretches in the swing and it buys you some sanity, I say go for it. In a month or two, he may be more mature and ready to make some changes
Good luck!
Hi, Noob Mom!
Thanks so much for your blog and forum! I’ve start E.A.S.Y. With our 5 week old. Do you think it’s unrealistic to expect one that small to sleep more than 4-5 hrs per night? She did sleep 6-7 hours a couple nights in a row before we started the routine, but that may have just been a fluke (didn’t do anything differently). We’ve cut the dream feed out, as it does nothing for her, but she still goes down around 9 pm and is up around 1-2am for another feeding. She’s a good napper during the day, but I’m just concerned about her night sleep. Am I just asking too much of one so young?
Many thanks in advance!
Jessica – One word – YES. 5 weeks is just too young to be expecting your little one to sleep through the night. I’ve heard tales and myths and legends of this happening early on, but it’s definitely not something that happens to the 97% of us moms! I know you are drooling, dying, lusting for that extra sleep time … and you will have it again…. someday… I think … but until then, if it happens count your blessings. But you have to accept the reality that you will be a zombie for at least a few more months. Welcome to the club
Hi Noob Mom!
I made the mental fatal mistake of reading all the major books out there about baby sleeping and eating “Baby Whisperer”, “Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child”, “12 hours’ sleep by 12 weeks”, “Babywise” among other websites posting and articles. I think all that information has overwhelmed me to the point that I am becoming anxious because my baby is yet to be able to sleep through the night. My 4 month old baby boy and I were on a 3 hours EASY routine up to a month ago. He’s been dreamfeeding around 10:30, and is still waking up once a night sometime between 2-4 am to feed (although many of times, he only takes 1-2 oz). It has made me crazy and I can’t figure out why he is still waking up in the middle of the night for a feed. According to the books that I have read, if he is on a flexible eating schedule and doing well on it, then shouldn’t he now be able to sleep for more than 5-6 hours at a time? Do you have any thoughts about what I could do to help him along to sleeping longer hours in the night? Do you think dreamfeeding him has any benefits at this point?
Also, we are transitioning to a 4 hour EASY schedule, and he seems to be doing pretty well with the transition of eating every 4 hours. However, I’m having difficulty sorting out the activity/nap portions within the 4 hours, because my baby can only stay up for a max of 1.5 hours before needing a nap. And once he goes down, he has decided that a 45 minute nap is plenty. So these two factors result in my baby waking up from a nap and being awake for an hour or so before it’s time for his next feeding. That triggers a domino effect for his next 4 hour segments, because he is not able to stay up long after his feed, goes down for a nap sooner than later, wakes up after 45 minutes, etc… you get the idea.
Anyhow, any advice would be greatly appreciated. After reading so much about the different theories and schedules, I would love some advice/suggestions from someone who has lived and worked through it.
Thanks in advance!
Emy
Emy and Amanda – Congrats to the both of you for being such informed mothers! It sounds like you’ve certainly done your research, and I highly suggest it’s time for you to start your own blog… because you will soon be more of an expert than you think
As for your concerns… first off, I hear ya! I was on that same boat. Driving myself crazy at the 45 minute nap mark… just waiting for her to wake up. It seems like most parents that email me have that same exact problem way more than the parents who have little ones who nap for hours, right?!
Ok, first off, try and let go a little. I say this because clearly you are informed and trying your best to do the right thing. But, I know that feeling and when things don’t go by the books, you can feel overwhelmed, frustrated and ready to scream. So, just try and accept what routine you’ve got and stick with it. If it’s not exactly a “4/4″ that’s ok. Just keep the E-A-S-Y pattern as much as possible. Try and stretch out the in between feeding time to as close to 4 hours as you can. The key is to not let your little one become a snacker. Make sure he is getting full (and be on the look out for growth spurts). Also keep an eye out for sleepy cues. Make sure you are putting him down before he’s overtired/overstimulated. That first morning nap may sneak up faster than you think. And if he’s up super early in the morning, try and hold back to see if he’ll fall asleep again. You don’t want to break up his nighttime sleep cycle.
As for the snacking at night… I think that’s exactly what it is. It’s habitual waking and not out of hunger. The 1-2 oz feeds is the big indicator that he’s not truly hungry. Try and tank him up before bed, and see how it goes if you cut out the dreamfeed. That never really worked for me anyway
You can try offering the binky during those night wakings or just some shush/rocking back to sleep. Try and break the habit of needing to snack at night.
Amanda – I think the play time in the crib shouldn’t really confuse your little one. At this age, the honest answer is most noobs have a hard time falling asleep on their own in the crib. It does require a lot of help from mommy/daddy in the form of rocking, shushing, singing, swaddling, etc. That’s all normal. The goal is to eventually have them sleep on their own in the crib, but for now… she probably needs that extra comfort. I do think it would be a good idea though for some out-of-crib playtime. If you have a travel crib/playpen or play mat that is out of the way of Pooch, that will let her get a change of scenery too. Good luck!
Hello! Boy oh boy am I happy to have found you! I cannot imagine how you have found the time and energy to take on this project, but I am so grateful! THANK you!
So I have a 12-week-old girl and like “Emy” am overwhelmed with all the different theories. You seem to be the most practical about implementing all of this, and so I too, and interested to hear your response to Emy, as I am in a similar boat, schedule-wise with the waking every 45-minutes. (although she is currently in a growth spurt, eating every 1-2 hrs).
My other question, however (which I can’t find addressed anywhere else yet–I apologize if I’ve missed it), is this: We set up her play mat in her crib where she can bat and kick and play with toys, mostly because I feel she is safest in there, rather than on the floor (where she could get licked by our dog), and due to lack of space. She does NOT fall asleep on her own when laid down for sleep, but rather will fall asleep if swaddled and shh’ed and held and patted for a couple minutes. Do you think that the problem is that we let her have play/wake time in her crib? I really appreciate your thoughts on the subject!
Hi Noob Mom,
Thanks so much for the encouragement and insight.
Hi Noob Mom,
, the baby self transitioned to a 4 hour schedule and began sleeping 9+ hours at a time! Woohooo! Naps are getting better, but I’m trying not to stress too much about it, as I hope that they will eventually fall into place. Thanks again! Emy
Thanks so much for the encouragement and insight. Truly appreciated! I’m overjoyed to report that since I’ve been more relaxed about putting us all on a schedule
Hello and thank you for such an informative blog! I have a question. How to proceed with the schedule when a baby wakes up at 5am? Feed a little or somehow make him wait till 7am? (seems impossible) Thank you very much in advance!!
NMom – The goal would be to try and drag out the feeding time a little longer till you are closer to your 7 am wake up
Easier said than done! I think realistically most noobs are waking up quite early until they hit about one yr or so. We definitely had early wake ups over in the Noob household. I just tried to adjust the EASY schedule accordingly. Find a reasonable schedule that works for you without making everyone cranky 
Good luck!
Maggie – Thanks for reading my blog and leaving me a comment. Cluster Feeding is also referred to as “tanking up” in the Baby Whisperer book. The idea is to fill the little one up within an hour or two after his/her last feed. Ideally, you’d be increasing the nighttime stretch with the extra milk in tummy. I have to admit, cluster and dream feeds just didn’t work for us, but I say it’s worth a try and see if it does work for you guys. As for your little noob, 3 months is still early to be sleeping through the night. And FYI, most consider sleeping through the night a 5 hour stretch. So, it sounds like you’re pretty on target for this stage. Give it a few more months, and if the wake ups seem more habitual than out of hunger, feel free to email me and I’ll let you know how our sleep training helped with that!
I just love, Love your blog! I was wondering what it means to “cluster feed?” also any ideas why my little guy doesn’t sleep through the night? he is 3 months this week. I feed him a 6oz bottle at 10pm and he usually wakes between 3-4am. to only take 2-3oz, then back to sleep. He eats a 10, 2, & 6 throughout the day. Any ideas? Hope to hear from you soon.
I am wanting to start this with my 8 week old but am anxious. She hasn’t been to her crib yet, and naps are rare. Cat naps for about 15 min but sometimes a 2 hr one. I need something before I go crazy…and back to work. Is it best to start this one morning?
How much do u feed at cluster feeds?
She hates her back…ugh…
Please help!
I am ready to move her to her room, and hope this works, and hope daycare doesn’t mess her up. Can I tweak it for day care?
Currently she goes to bed at 10, up at 130 and again at 530 and will sleep till 9! I need to get her to go to bed earlier, and have tried, but it isn’t working
Jenna- Congrats on your little one! It isn’t too soon to start implementing EASY for your 8 week old. But, have an open mind going into this. Know that your schedule isn’t going to look identical to the EASY sample. You’ll have to adapt, be flexible and know when to let go and not be hung up on the minutes. With that said, start creating a structure day for your little one with the E-A-S-Y pattern in mind. Try and encourage naps and bedtime in crib if possible. Use comfort techniques such as swaddling, pacifier, lulling music, white noise, and maybe a little rocking if necessary. Be sure to catch naps and bedtime EARLY! No 10:30 bedtimes. Start shifting everything earlier so she’s not overtired. It sounds like you are already trying to do that … so props to you! Cluster feed is like a little “top off” before she goes to bed, so she has a fuller belly going into nighttime sleep. This may or may not work for you – so adjust if needed. As far as taking an hour to eat. Is she falling asleep during feedings? Are there any other difficulties besides being a slow eater? Is she snacking a lot? Is she at a healthy weight? It’s possible she’s a slow eater, but perhaps there are other issues at play. Email me if you want to chat more about the feeding and I’ll try my best to help ya! Good luck
i have successfully gotten her to sleep at 830 fir 3 nights. she has bee napping in her crib, hates it, but is atleast doing it fir 30 min how do i adjust that? she is doing bette about eating at 3 hr instead of 2.5.
she falls asleep and i try to wake her to eat, doesnt work all the time.
i have also been trying to get to her before she wakes up crying to feed her.
as for the cluster, i cant even get her to finish her bedtime bottle, so not sure she will cluster feed?
Another issue…it takes her an hr to eat all of her btle…sometimes longer
HI there,
I came across your blog while searching for baby routines – you have alot of great information posted. I do have a few questions – if you had errands to do during the day, when did you do them? Was there a certain time during the schedule? Also did your baby eat all of her feedings during the cluster feeding time? I think that I’m going to give it a try and just see what happens!
Thank you so much,
Geri
Hi Geri – Thanks for visiting my blog. Please subscribe as well! Noob Baby and I have always been pretty busy running errands and the like during the day since she was young. There’s no putting those tasks off, and I think it’s a great idea to get out of the house and get fresh air. The best thing is to get your errands done in a manageable time frame, and try to be back for most of the naps. Or depending on how young your little one is, they can be very content napping in the car seat or stroller (just don’t make it a regular habit or they won’t like sleeping in the crib later on IMO). I recommend just doing a few errands on a trip when it works best for you. Late morning (perhaps after the first long morning nap) to late afternoon (before the last nap) is a good time. Of course, don’t do it when your LO is cranky or overstimulated. Visiting too many places in one day can cause an eventual meltdown when you least want it.
As for the cluster feed, we did do this for awhile, but eventually it didn’t seem to make too much of a difference in her nighttime sleep. I say give it a try and see if helps your LO sleep longer at night. If not, no big deal! Best to you
Thanks you so much! I love reading your blog. I just started a blog myself and started the JM 30 day shred as well.
Take care,
Geri
Hi, my little girl is 6 weeks old. She has getting herself into a great morning routine, which is almost identical to the E.A.S.Y steps. The problems start later on in the afternoon. So we begun establishing a bedtime routine a few days ago. Bottle at 7, bath at 8 then bedtime. Shes following this really well. Do u have any suggestions of how I could work around this? She’s a good sleeper so maybe we could try stretching her cat naps into one……….worth a go! Thanks!