I recently blogged about the Baby Whisperer’s E.A.S.Y. baby plan as one option to get your LO on a reasonable routine. This “schedule” works well for babies under 4 months of age.

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. Eventually, by getting baby used to eating every 4 hours, you’re also setting her up for an easier transition to sleep through the night.

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.

We would slowly drag out the time between her feedings each day (tacking on a few extra minutes). After she *dinged* the big 4 (months that is), we began the transition. 3 hours 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 Secrets of the Baby Whisperer:

4-Hour E.A.S.Y.

E – 7:00 – Wake up and feed
A – 7:30
S – 9:00 (1 1/2-2 hr nap)
Y – Blog Time (I mean … your time!)

E – 11:00
A – 11:30
S – 1:00 (1 1/2-2 hrs)
Y – Party (I mean … take a shower and get out of jammies!)

E – 3:00
A – 3:30
S – Catnap between 5 -6 pm
Y – Really, peel yourself off the computer now so Noob Daddy doesn’t think you’ve been web surfing all day!

E – 7:00 (cluster feed at 7 and 9 pm if going through a growth spurt)
A – Bath
S – 7:30 Bedtime
Y – Chest bump Noob Daddy. Then, catch up on Google Reader, CNN, Facebook, Twitter and a little thing called WoW

E – 11:00 Dream Feed (until 7 or 8 months, or whenever solids are firmly established)

As for us, the Dream Feed never really worked. Noob Baby seemed to wake up at least once at night despite our efforts to pull a fast one on her. Luckily, that changed with our sleep training efforts.

A Ferber follow up post to come soon!

There are so many things I wish I had known right after having Noob Baby. I remember in our parenting class called “Post Pregnancy,” the instructor just kept saying, “Sleep when the baby sleeps!” It’s a mantra I heard over and over again in every parenting book I read.

Well, when Noob Baby was finally here, and it was just the three of us (oh yeah, plus the entire family tree. Hey, who’s that sketchy guy? Ohhhh… Uncle Jim… oops), that piece of advice goes out the window.

Even though you are exhausted, sleep-deprived, hungry, and just plain Funky Town with your sexy-eye-bags-post-prego-belly-ginormous-juggs, the adrenaline will keep you awake; particularly when you are hiding out in the closet praying for sleep. Gosh, for just once, why can’t Noob Daddy breastfeed the baby?!

I thought a good plan was basically being on-call, on-demand for Noob Baby. I was so beat that I didn’t really think of easing her into a routine. Sure I was keeping logs of when I was feeding her, 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 emerging.

After reading Tracy Hogg’s book, Secrets of the Baby Whisperer, it finally dawned on me that having NB on a routine would help me figure out why she was crying and prevent her “unexplained” fussiness! So, I will try to summarize Hogg’s E.A.S.Y. and what it may look like for a baby 4 months and younger.

Eat - Babies most importantly will need to eat. Take a look at Hogg’s Feeding Guide for an idea of how much to feed at each stage.

Activity - After eating, it’s best to encourage baby to have a little bit of activity 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 or visitors, diaper changes, or bath. No need to overdo it.

Sleep - Sleep helps baby grow and develop. Naps can range from 20 minutes to 2 hours (after the first few months). Good naps during the day help baby sleep better at night. Protect those precious naps and pray you don’t have horrid Nap Town mishaps like me!!

Your Time - After baby is asleep, you get precious time to do whatever you want. Wash dishes. Laundry. Slyly push old take-out boxes under the couch. Clean kitty’s litter box (finally). Shower. Eat.

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 of what an E.A.S.Y Structured Routine may look like for a 4 wk-old. My routine is similar, but not the same because NB wouldn’t nap longer than 45 minutes (in the beginning). Just be flexible!

Typical E.A.S.Y. Day for a 4-week-old to 4 months

E – 7:00 – Feed
A – 7:45 – Diaper change. Some playing, talking. Watch cues for sleepiness.
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 – 7:30 – 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.

E – Between 10-11 – Dream Feed.

This routine assumes baby doesn’t have special needs, isn’t below birthweight, etc. that may require more frequent feedings.

Later this week, I will post a sample E.A.S.Y. plan for babies 4 months and older.

Have you tried this or another routine that works for you? I would love to hear about it!