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. Download my EASY Cheat Sheet here that includes 4 samples EASY schedules!
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!
Hi! Im trying to switch my 4 month old to a 4 hour EASY schedule but she still wants to nap after one hour of being up in the morning which messes up the schedule! She’s then ready for a nap by 10 and she needs to feed at 11 so she will wake up! I don’t know what to do and I feel like I will never establish a routine
My advice is to just try to keep stretching the time. Don’t worry so much about the clock but about the pattern. Feed baby right after waking and never before nap. It might just be 3 hours but it’ll lengthen. Maybe the first cycle in the day is only 2 hours, but the second and third cycle are 3. Does this help?
Thank you thank you thank you for this incredible wisdom!! I was totally frazzled and unable to figure out how to help my sweet baby sleep until a friend recommended your website. Your guidance on the E.A.S.Y Method has truly changed my mommy life forever. I even posted about it on my blog here: http://urbansuburban.life/sleep-training-lessons-every-tired-mom-should-know/.
If you have a chance to read my post I would love your thoughts!
I’ve followed EASY since my son was born. He’s now 3 months with wake time of 1-1.5 hrs between naps. He usually naps for 30-45 mins. Occasionally 1-1.5 hrs but that only happens once every few days.
Following EASY he’s still eating about every 2-2.25 hrs. How do I get him on the 3 or even 4 hour schedule. Maybe EASY isn’t for us? I’m not sure.
Hey I do e.a.s.y baby. My baby is 4.5 months and is bat crap crazy all of a sudden bc of growth spurt and then sickness. Anyway he use to go back to sleep after a 5 am feed but recently he will not. He wants to be awake for 2 hours then, and then will go back to sleep for about an hour..is there any way I can encourage a later wake time? He use to wake for the day at around 7.
My advice to you Ruth is to stop doing a 5 am feed. Your first feed in the morning should start the day off (no going back to sleep). Ideally that feed is 7am. The first few days will be crappy though until baby gets used to the new routine. Make sure you’re doing a cluster feed at 9pm and a dream feed at 11pm.
Hello Noobmommy,
Thank you so much for all the posts and effort to help other mommies. I have followed you for a while. My boy is 19 weeks and was strictly follow E.a.s.y 3 since he was 2 weeks old. I think it’s time to change to E.a.s.y 4. Yet there is always problem =P We do not have condition for him to sleep in different room, so he sleeps with us. He nurses very little at day due to curiousity. And he wakes up easy 3 hours at night to nurse. I know that I need to limit the time he nurses at night, so he can eat more at day. I have tried to pat him back to sleep or use pacifier, but nothing works. He keeps crying until got feed (and because my hubby has to wake up early for work, so I have to nurse him to sleep again.) Do you have any other ways that can solve the problem here? Thank you 😊😊😊
Okay so I am feeling very frustrated and confused as to what to do. I have a 7 month old who had colic for the first few months of life, that progressed to gerd which he is still on medication for and to top it off has been classified as a high needs baby by my public health nurse who followed up with me from the time I brought baby home. I still have to nurse him to sleep for bed and naps. So first I would like to know the best way to get him to stop nursing to sleep. Once he falls to sleep for bed time, he is usually up within the hour wanting to feed again, he will not be rocked, patted or soothed to sleep other than nursing him again.Also he is and always has been a cat napper and will only take 1-3 15-45 min naps a day, he naps best when in bed with me so really only will have one small nap in his crib. So I am wondering how to get him to nap better, longer and more frequently in his crib. He also still wakes up between 2 and 5 times a night wanting to feed. I know this seems like a lot of problems it is just everything I have tried has not worked so far. We had him taking bottles and breast since he was born while I had help staying with me and then after help left I went to just breast at about 3 months of age, since then I have tried and tried to bottle feed again, buying 5 different types and he will not take a bottle, which means that I am the only one who can sooth, put to bed, down for a nap etc, and can not even think of going back to work or going out for a day. I am not looking for everyone to answer all but any advice about anything is greatly appreciated, I just dont know where to start really. Thank you
Help! My LO doesn’t nap for huge amounts of time…so then my EASY routine is thrown out. I either have to feed her way earlier than necessary or not do it in the right order (activity, nap, feed). What do I make a priority here – the 4 hours feed schedule or feed after nap?
Follow the 4 hr schedule. If your LO wakes up after only 40 minutes then they are only getting one sleep cycle. You want them to sleep for 1 1/2 or 2 hrs. do PU/PD until baby falls asleep again.
Does this cheat sheet take into account the 4 month regression stage? Cos i’m dieing here her naps are nearly fine tuned but her nighttime sleep varies quite a bit i dont bath every night either cos my LO has eczema and i’d prefer her to go to bed around 6:30. what would be the best way to tweak it to include those things?
Going to bed at 6:30 for the night may not be realistic – to the near future, the fact that the sun is only starting to go down, house activity, etc.
Also, because your LO has eczema doesn’t mean you should avoid “bathing” her everyday. Just avoid using soap. On those days in between just let her bathe in the tub with water and a bit of olive oil (no soap), to help moisturize her skin. It helps a ton with dry eczema skin!! Good luck! My LO is at the 4 month mark and has regressed a little too as she wakes more in the night when she use to sleep throughout! Trust that it will pass and keep doing what you’re doing.
Thank you so much for posting this routine. I really want this to work on my 4 month old son. I’m a first time mum, his feeds are 3 hours apart at the moment & waking twice in the night, around 1-2am then again at around 4-5am. So this morning, because of the very quick (then ended up falling asleep on the boob feed, maybe not required feed), he wasn’t hungry at 7am. So maybe try to resettle him before offering a feed?? Will need to work on getting his feeds 4 hours apart before this EASY routine will work. He does feed till drowsy normally so to take the extra top ups away that I give him during the day is a huge change for him that he is used to by now (mainly my fault as I use them to regularly to calm him down). I used the evening part of your routine last night and it worked really well, he put himself to sleep within half an hour. My problem normally is that it takes 2 hours + to get him to sleep, then he gets overtired, whether that be a nap or bedtime. Last night that didn’t happen at all. But this morning so far the routine is out the window as he is tired at the routine times but just won’t sleep. I give in a give him extra feeds to calm him down, so the pushing out the feeds to 4 hourly is not working today!! On the routine where it says sleep times do you wind bubs down say half hour beforehand. Any tips for a beginning/new mum wanting desperately for this routine to work. Sick of the 2+ hours of sleep battle.
I’m going through the same thing! Seems like all day long I’m just trying to put her down for a nap and she is NOT having it. I find myself nursing her to sleep during the day and THAT isn’t even working; because once I plop her into her crib she wakes up and wants to play! Have you had any luck???
Kelly, I’m right there with you! As soon as she touches that crib, she’s up! And yes, I use the boob to soothe and calm her and to try to get her off to sleep. Trying to stop, but gosh, the new mom in me hates to hear her cry, especially when I have the solution to it in my shirt.lol
Did you resolve this? I am having this issue too and my LO is 5 months old and she doesn’t sleep for longer than 45 minutes for her naps. HELP!
I just started this today. My lo is almost 4 months (next week). The times were pretty close to what I was doing except the nighttime. I was putting her to bed at 9, but that hasn’t been working for the last week. Put her to bed at 7:30 and so far so good. During the day, she naps in her swing for the morning nap and then usually in her stroller for afternoons. I haven’t tried her in her crib for naps yet with this schedule, but I think as soon as she’s used to these times I will try her in the cribs for naps (she usually cries or only sleeps for 10 minutes in the crib when I have tried).
My LO eats 6 times a day and I’d love to decrease it to 5, but he already spits up and has reflux with the 4.25oz bottles he’s getting now. If he doesn’t eat more per bottle I won’t be able to decrease the number of feeds. Any suggestions? He’s on breast milk and he’s 3 months old. The EASY schedule has been working since I found it two weeks ago, but he doesn’t seem ready for the naps which is why I was thinking he should transition to the 4 month old schedule. Thanks!
You are getting me through sleep training! I’m looking for advice for my almost 5 month old- we started sleep training a week ago and he’s doing a lot better at night! For naps he’s typically been going down easily but will wake after 40 minutes! This makes it really hard to follow any type of schedule! Do you have any advice on this? Do I let him cry while checking on him after his 40 mins? Any advice is appreciated!
This is my problem. My LO is 4.5 months and his naps are 30 minutes like clockwork. So then if I wait after he wakes up to feed again – by the time he eats he’s falling asleep on the boob and schedules are out the window. My days would be heavenly if this schedule worked!
This is exactly my problem too! My lb has needed rocking and bouncing to sleep since birth, and although I can get him into his cot he always wakes after 30 minutes… not the dot! He’s obviously still tired but won’t go back down. It makes feeding (which is all over the place) and naps a nightmare. He was better at night with only 2 wakes and getting up at 7-7.30, but now water 6 times overnight for 6 weeks! Ahhh! I would like to get him on a routine but makes it difficult when he doesn’t nap for long enough.
Did you get this sorted out? I’m kinda in the same boat!
You mention a dream feed at 11pm….I try and go down at 9:30 pm myself for bed bc I need to be up by 430 am to get myself and kids ready for daycare so I can be at work at 730am….what do you suggest I do dream feed? My son’s last feeding is usually at 830.
Thank you
Michelle – Since you wake up so early anyway, you may not need a dream feed. Does your son wake up a lot during the night to feed? How old is he? If his last feeding is at 8:30, you could try and do one around 10… if you want to stay up a tad later. But if his waking isn’t that frequent, you might not need the dream feed after all. Don’t stress about the dream feed if it isn’t working with your schedule.
Hi,
My little girl eat 4 times a day:
6:30 am
10:00 am
1:00 pm
4:00-5:00 pm
7:00 pm
And after last feed she going sleep.
We don’t have dream feed.
Hello
i wonder what i can replace the bath time with? my son is coming to 5 month, so i want to try to bring him close to this routine. hi still eats at night 2-3 times, actually snacks more like. and is checking if he is not alone. the water in my area is very hard, my older daghter has eczema. so i try, if possible, not to bathe- just wash ‘top and tale’.
thanks
How do you start? My baby is 4 months anf takes bottles during the day and breastfeeding at night. She still wakes up every 2 hours at night to feed, but first thing in the morning she barely drinks anything maybe an ounce or 2 max. She naps in the morning for only 30 mins or so, I try to feed her when she wakes but again she barely takes any. How do I get her to take in more at the feeding times so she can actually last until the next “scheduled” feeding?
I’d like an answer to this as well. My baby is 5 months
Kristin – 4 months is a tricky time, and often hear more surprised mamas wondering what happened to their awesome routine?! There is often a 4 month regression in both sleep and just behavior in general. Probably due to more growing and milestones. This could be one reason why your little one is distracted or maybe not that interested in feeding at the moment. However, if this is just normal typical behavior, then perhaps you can go over your feeding patterns to see what may be amiss. Is she taking the whole amount or snacking a lot during the day? If she just snacks here and there, then she’ll also want to wake up at night and do the same. Are you stretching out your feedings times to every 3-4 hours? If your baby is higher in weight, then she can go longer with a heartier feed. Also, if she’s feeding every 2 hours at night still at 4 months, it is probably the reason why she’s not hungry right when she wakes up. She’s been grazing all night! At 4 months, she can go with just one night time feeding. And then close to 6 months, she’s good to go through the entire night! So kind of keep that in mind as your goal to limit the night time eating. Even if she wakes up, pat her back to sleep or use a pacifier. Once the irregular eating is diminished, her appetite may grow stronger during the day. Hope this helps!
Thanks for your response. Unfortunately she isn’t a heavier baby, she’s really small for her age (weight wise), so that’s why I am having so much trouble trying to stretch out the time she goes without eating. Since my original post I have completely switched to formula feeding. She isn’t waking as often through the night, but is still waking up a 2-3 times, she drinks between 3 and 4 ounces at those feeds. I usually put her down at 8 and she is up at 11/12 then 3 or 4 and 6. She did go two random nights from 8 – 3, and it was glorious, but didn’t stick. Hopefully once she is 6 months and eating solids we can start getting through a full night.
Just found your site and wanted to say…I think you’re kinda awesome! Baby #3 is 5 months old with lots of nasty sleep habits and a poor daily schedule. All of my babies had bad sleep habits but didn’t have a problem integrating into a daily schedule. We’re just starting the Ferber method so I need to clean up his daytime, too. This article was what I was looking for! 🙂
Thanks so much Jessica! Hope the Ferber method has helped you!
I am SOOOOO TIRED of seeing these lists. They are ALL THE SAME. STUPID and unrealistic. A 6 year old could type this up. If I could type a schedule and the baby would simply ABIDE it, well, yes, that would be wonderful. But VERY FEW 0-1 year olds would.
“EASY” Ha. My granddaughter is strong willed. She is super sweet but EXTREMELY active and intelligent. She will not lay down to nap. I have tried everything.
Just my two cents. I am tired of googling “Agenda for active 1 year old” and all million bloggers just go in circles with the same shit acting like it is their own and so magical. Uh, no, any 15 year old would type this same schedule.
Best of luck Moms, Dads, and everyone else. I hope your day is that easy. Looking for someone to actually offer advice. Clever, economical, original, SAFE and attainable.
I’m sorry you haven’t found success with this schedule. However, I have with both my children, which is why I’ve shared it with others in hopes that other parents will find it useful. It’s not for everyone, but it is a routine that fits many 0-1 year olds. I disagree that it’s “stupid” and immature just because the timeline hasn’t worked for you. Best of luck in finding a routine that works for you.
I understand you are frustrated and releasing that frustration but there is a reason why these schedules are popular…..because they work. Not everything works for every child but it’s no reason to throw a tantrum and insult, disregard people and techniques presented. E.A.S.Y. is an acronym for Eat, Activity, Sleep and You time…. it doesnt literally mean easy lol. Parenting is not easy in any way shape or form. I urge you to try and keep your focus on one technique long enough to understand it well, implement it for a while (a child doesnt change habits in one or two days). Then determine if its time to try another technique. Best of luck to you!
This is so helpful and very similar to my almost 4 month old’s current schedule with a few exceptions…
He’s not a great (or consistent) napper so we really try not to disrupt his nighttime sleep at all.
Baby goes to bed around 7:30 or 8 pm so I would really would not want to wake him at 9 (or shortly thereafter) for another feeding. Also he has had some major reflux issues which sort of eliminates a dreamfeed. He must be upright for 20-30 minutes after his feeding to ensure that he doesn’t spit up.
What ends up happening is that he wakes around 3/4 a.m., which is about 8-9 hours after his last feeding. We obviously can’t and don’t expect him to go longer than that without a feeding.
So…any thoughts on stretching his last feeding of the day (usually around 6 or 630 pm) to be a bit later, thus extending his late night feeding?
This also means extending his bedtime, which I realize is not ideal. I just don’t see how we’ll get around this without compromising either sleep or feeding. He’s on the small side, so his consistent weight gain is always my top priority.
Sorry for long-winded question…any suggestions?
Just wanna say that this schedule works great for my LO.. It really helped with her fussiness and the “guessing game” as a new mother.. I suggest your website to all my new mommy friends!
Thanks so much Breanna!
What should I do if my 9 week year old can only stay up for 45-1 hour without going crazy? He also never naps for more than 1 hour and it takes him over 30 minutes at least of crying to take a nap unless he is in my carrier then it’s automatic. I have so much time on the schedule unaccounted for. What do you suggest?
Brittany
Brittany – When he falls asleep in your carrier, does he also just sleep for 45-1 hour stretch? At 9 weeks, I would be more inclined to say that the sleep patterns are only just starting to become more consistent. Short, frequent awake stretches is very typical of newborns. They sleep throughout the day and are only awake for short stretches of “activity.” However, another cause could be what you mentioned… brief naps. If he is just too overtired, then he will sleep restlessly throughout the day. This is where the 5 S’s really help. Swaddle (tightly), shush or other white noise at loud volumes, swing/rock if needed, suck (pacifier) and the last – sleep on the side (is not that helpful).
I always find the last part of the day really non specific on times, whereas it’s so specific for the rest of the day. For example, according to the 4 hour scheme above, if baby cat naps between 5-6pm, and eats at 7pm – what do you between 6-7pm?
Lisa- The schedule is open to how your day flows. So if your little one does catnap from 5-6, then 6-7 can be a quiet activity while you meal prep. Sitting in a bouncy seat and watch Mommy. Could be some quiet activity time on a playmat. It’s not rigid… but basically you’re already preparing to wind down for the evening. Hope that helps!
I am just trying the easy routine and am a bit confused. Little one is nearly 7 months, never was great sleeper and breastfed from birth. Since July she started solid foods. What do I do about breastfeeding with easy routine. I don’t want to stop but I also don’t want to get her in to snacking habit. Is it ok to give breast when she wakes up at night( still does it twice ) . To get her to sleep I am doing pick up put down to get her off falling asleep on breast.. thought day one meant be worst, but on day 2 she was grumpier and took longer to settle her in the evening.. thought it meant to get better..
She is 5 months old, I don’t think that this is about the temperature…especially not for 1,5 months now:(
Hi Zita what you are experiencing sounds like the “4 month sleep regression” you mentioned your daughter is 5 months but apparently it can happen at 5 months as well. Maybe you should check into it. My daughter was doing that too recently and she is 4 months old. I was like what the hell is going on! It seemed so random because it was unusual for her and i was extremely exhausted. Luckily it did not last long. For others it does. Im no doc i could be wrong even about what happened with my girl but I hope it helps! Much love.
Hi,
I am totally stucked with my sweet baby girl. I started to use the EASY routine since she was born. She is a very easy going happy baby, who smiles all the time…but really all the time.
She learnt to fall asleep alone very early during the day and evening as well. She slept from 7.30 pm to 5 am from 8 weeks, but then after 4 weeks all of the sudden she started to get up between 2-3 am. First I thought she was hungry so I fed her, then introduced the dreemfeeding between 10-11 pm, but she still gets up 90% during the night.
Mostly she goes back to sleep with a little help (pat her until stop crying)but about twice a week she keeps crying for about 2-3 hours. I tried pick up/put down method as well, but soes not work neither. She has never used a dummy as she refused from the beginning and slept in her room from the beginning. She used to eat a lot, but started to eat much less about 2 month ago, still a big girl about 7500g. (she is very active rolling both ways and moving all the time during the day)
She has two teeth for about two weeks now and have not realized that this sleep problem woulg get better or worse during this period, so I don’t thing there is a connection between the night wakings and her teeth.
Her schedule is the following:
6-7 am: gets up
8 am: eats
9 am: sleep about 1-1,5 hours
12 : eats
1pm: sleep about 1,5-2 hours
sometimes she has a cat nap at 5 pm
7 pm: bath time
7.15 eats and goes to sleep right away alone no problem
10 pm: dreamfeed
and between 2-3 90% wakes up and rolling moving a lot in her crib until wakes herself up and starting to cry
Plese help me as I got totally stuck and have no idea what could be the problem and how could I help her to start sleep throughout the night again!
I tried to look into the internet for solution but have not found anything useful, especially as she has a routine, good day napper and no problems to fall asleep on her own except during the night…
I hope you could help me and I would extremely appreciate it!!!
Thanks a lot and looking forward to some good advice!
Best,
Zita
How old is your baby? She only eats 3 times a day or does she snack? I had read before that outside temperature drops at about 3am, and this could cause waking if your inside temperature is not a maintained temp.
My son is exactly 5 months and this is his routine for EASY
6:45-7:15AM WAKE AND FEED 7.5 OZ
7:30-8:30AM ACTIVITY
8:45-9:15AM SETTLE FOR MORNING NAP APPROX 1 ½ HOURS
10:45-11:15AM FEED 7.5 OZ BOTTLE
11:30-12:15PM ACTIVITY
12:15-1:00PM SWING – POSSIBLE CAT NAP 30 MINUTES IF HE WOKE EARLY FROM MORNING NAP
1PM-LUNCH 2 TABLESPOONS CEREAL MIXED WITH 1 ½ OUNCE FORMULA
AND 2 TABLESPOONS VEGGIE OR FRUIT
1:00-2:00PM ACTIVITY
2:00-2:30PM SETTLE DOWN FOR NAP
APPROX 1.5 HOURS
3:45-4:15PM FEED 7.5 OZ BOTTLE
4:30-5:30PM ACTIVITY
5:15-6:00PM SWING – POSSIBLE CAT NAP 30 MINUTES IF HE WOKE EARLY FROM AFTERNOON NAP
6PM-DINNER 2 TABLESPOONS CERAL MIXED WITH 1 ½ OUNCE FORMULA
AND 2 TABLESPOONS VEGGIE OR FRUIT
7:00-7:15PM BATHTIME
7:30-8:00PM BEDTIME 7.5 OZ BOTTLE
Is this a normal routine for a 5 month old, I have followed your blog since birth and had to find a happy medium for between 4-6 months that included solids. My son was definitely ready for some real food once he mastered his tongue. His pediatrician told me that I can start giving him a third meal (breakfast) and I am thinking that time should be about 8:30am but does everything else look similar to a 5 month old on solids?? Thanks for your input. My son stopped his nighttime feedings about 3.5 months and began solids at 4 months.
Hope someone knows the answer. How do I implement the EASY schedule if my baby is colicky every day from 5.00 t 9.00 pm? He won’t eat anything when it happens….
Great website by the way!
maybe if you fed him a little bit before 5 pm them it’ll be his time to eat after the colic episode, also he’d probably be famished from all the crying and will be ready to eat after calming him down of course.
So at 2/3 months my LO was sleeping through the night and napping for 2-3 hours beautifully during the day. At about 14 weeks she decided that she was not going to nap for more than 20-45 minutes and started waking at 4 and 4:30 in the morning! Sometimes she will go an hour for a nap, but the nap is fragmented because she wakes then needs to be put back down. She is now 17 weeks old, and I am thinking she has outgrown the 3 hour schedule, but I don’t know! I am confused about the EASY schedlue…if she goes down at the scheduled nap time but wakes an hour or so before the feeding, do I feed her right when she wakes up and re-start the schedule or do I keep her busy until the next feeding? I guess my concern is that if she wakes early, then sometimes her wake time is really long. HELP!! TIA 🙂
I was told to keep resettling until the next feed. I went to a fantastic place called Mothercraft at Waikato hospital in Hamilton NZ. The routine is pretty much like the easy routine. The first few days are the hardest but its bliss after that.
Hi there, just came across your blog. Super helpful!
My almost 4 month old is bottle feeding during the day 4-5 oz. and will breastfeed at night. For some reason she wil only nurse at night but it’s every 2 hours versus the 4 hours with a bottle.
She eats approximately every 4 hours with interval getting shorter in the evening. I’ve tried tanking her up before bed but doesn’t seem to do the trick to sleep longer. I think I may need to cut out all the nursings if I’m going to get any sleep.
This will be a long one, sorry! My daughter started sleeping through the night — a full twelve hours, at nine weeks, using the EASY method from the baby whisperer. I had started her on it at about 5 weeks, and there has been ONE night waking in the full past two months — she’s 4 months, one week now. She is and has been on a three hour schedule, which means she eats once every three hours during the day, or 5 times a day. She is now eating about 8 ounces per feeding (so much, I assume, because she doesn’t eat at all at night). When she first started sleeping through the night, it had no real visible effects on her daytime naps — they usually weren’t that full hour and a half, but they were always over an hour, making keeping her on the routine pretty easy. In the past month however, the naps have gradually gotten shorter, and now are naturally (for her) at about 30 minutes each. However, she’s not reliably able to stay awake 2 full hours yet, either — she’s getting there, but not quite there yet. SO. Let’s say she gets up at 7 and eats, meaning she’ll be ready to eat again at 10. She gets tired say, at 8:30, and has a thirty minute nap till 9. That gives me an hour till it’s time for her to eat once she’s awoken, which is fine by her. But as the day progresses, her sleep times and eating times sometimes get wonky and in the way. I’ve noticed that if I don’t rush to her when she first wakes from a nap, she’ll soothe herself back to sleep and sleep a full hour or more. That’s great, I thought! But… it also resulted in her waking up at like 5 or 6 am instead of 7 or 7:30. Not so good! Anyway, she’s also eating SO much that I don’t see how I can get her down to eating four times a day — she can’t FIT ten ounces in her. So her natural inclination is to have 4 30-minute naps a day — resulting in about 2 hours of sleep during the day (I’ve noticed if she sleeps MORE than 3 hours in the day she will wake very early in the morning). Anyway, I’m assuming this is a transitional “problem” and believe me, I’m not complaining. But HOW should I approach moving her to a four hour feeding schedule? Is she just not ready? Once she is consistently able to stay awake 2 hours? How can I be sure she’s getting enough to eat in only four feedings a day?
Thanks!
Hi. I’m just reading your post now about how to transition your then 4 month old (who was eating every three hours 8oz at a time) to a 4 hour feeding schedule while still getting her enough food with 4 feedings a day. I assume you figured this out because your post was a while ago — would you mind sharing how you dealt with this and what worked for you? I am having the same issue — my 4 month old little girl sleeps through the night, eats about 7 ounces every 3 hours, but can now go 3.5 hours between feedings and probably even 4 hours, but we are waking her up from her naps during the day to feed. How were you able to make sure she gets enough in only 4 feedings per day? Did you end up doing a dream feed? Thanks so much! Jen
Hi there –
We’re doing progressive CIO like Ferber and transitioning to a 4 hour schedule for our 5.5 mo. She eats about every 3.5-4 hours. She has acid reflux so feedings – in general – are typically anywhere from sub-par to screaming. She always wakes somewhere between 2 and 5 am to eat. It seems totally out of habit. Even if I try and dream feed her before 11 pm, she still wakes. Any tips on stopping this habit, theories behind the dream feeding before 11 pm, or general tips for a schedule with an AR baby. I’m open to any advice.
My 19 weeks has silent reflux and it is absolutely hard to feed him. He is currently on zantac 0.8ml twice a day for about 1 1/2 month now. We started to dream feed him and it works wonders! No more screaming and waking up in the middle of the night. We bought a baby lounger (daydreamer from babies r us) and put him there for about 30 minutes after each feed. Sleeping on the side helps tremendously too (but you need to supervise to prevent SID) or try to let your baby lay on her tummy (also needs to be supervise). We usually put him to bed around 8pm and start cluster feed (8p, 9:30p & 11:30p). He doesn’t wake up during the night anymore because he is FULL. I’m sure he is hungry since he doesn’t really take much milk during the day when he is awake. Hope this helps!
Hi
My 4 month old eats every 3.5-4 hours. Takes 3 naps and sometimes 1 cat nap. However some of his naps are short as 45 mins. What do you do if he wakes up early. Do you wait till his next scheduled feed time? Or just feed him when he wakes up?
He sleeps 8 hours after his dream feed at 10:30 and wakes up around 7 am
I have loved this schedule – It really seems to help keep my LO happy and sleeping well. He is exclusively BF, but at daycare, so taking three 3.5 oz bottles at daycare. My question is that as they transition to eating every 4 hours, do I need to increase the amount of milk in each bottle?
Kim – Yes, but a gradual transition of just a little more at each feeding. You will notice that he’ll go through these growth spurts naturally and be hungrier. As he hits the 6 month mark and starts eating solids, you’ll adjust the feed to accommodate for a little bit of solids and a little less milk too! Good luck!
Babies need 24=32 ounces of breastmilk or formula a day. So less frequent feedings means they need a larger bottle. If they are eating 4 times a day, they need at least 6 ounces a feed.
I have a dilemma!! My little girl it’s 5 1/2 months and eating solids!! Yeah! But I’m having problems with her naps during the day.. Schedule follows
6:30 /7 am wake up and feed. 4 teaspoons of oatmeal and 5 oz of formula. Then activity.
8:45/9:00 am goes down for nap .
Naps until 10:45/11 am
6 oz bottle at 11 am then activity
1 pm goes down for nap until 2:45/300 pm
3 pm 2 oz of veggies and some fruits and 5 oz of formula. Then activity
Dilemma. Sometimes she naps around 5 pm until 6 pm then bath at 6 bottle at 6:30 pm and then bed. Around 7 pm until 7 am .
If she doesn’t nap because grandma doesn’t put her down. She’s a wreck at 6 pm if I give a bath she’s a wreck screaming and fussing once bath it’s done and has a hard time feeding because she’s so tired. So I bath her quickly and feed her walking her around until she finish her bottle and goes to bed soon after. Pretty much if she doesn’t nap after 3 pm feed she’s a wreck.and wakes up several times during the night! Should I put her to nap at 4:30 pm so my night routine goes easily and smoother?? Please help!
We have started dream feeding my 3.5 month old. It’s been 2 days. He gets his night time feed at 8 pm he’s asleep by 8.20. We dream feed him by 11.30 but he still seems to wake up at 2.30 and won’t go back to sleep. He plays till 5.30! We r not sure what’s happening here. This was not a problem before dream feeds . Please help !
Tia
Hi,
I have followed your site since my daughter was 8 weeks old. Now we are at 6 months! When you cheat sheet says solids how much should they be eating. She only eats 1oZ a feeding if that. Don’t think she can go that long without a bottle. Also her wake and feed is more between 8-9 not at 7. So throws off the day a bit. Tia
Hello. My daughter is just over three months old, and has been on the 3 hour easy routine since she was 2 months. I wake her at 7:30am and put her to sleep at 7:30pm. she eats every 3 hours and naps every three hours.( I wake her after she has slept for 1.5 hrs) After her 7:30 “bedtime” we wake her for a dreamfeed of pumped milk (4oz) at 10:30/11. and she sleeps until we wake her again at 7:30am.
Now that she is three months old, and totally healthy weight, I wonder If i should do a month at 3 1/2 hour schedule so that at 4 months she is ready to go to 4 hours between feedings. This means however that I would be dropping a feed. So she would be getting 5 feedings a day, including her dreamfeed instead of 6. Would you transition this early? or should i just keep going on the 3 hour routine?
I will be going back to work at 5 months and definitely need her to be eating only 5 times a day, including dreamfeed at that point. Wont be able to pump more than two times at work.
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!!
Lauren
Hi Noob Mommy, your website is great and seems like the perfect answer to my issue of getting my 4 week baby into a routine. I’m a 1st time mum and was trying to follow the contented little baby routines but neither myself or baby got on with them. I’m just starting to put the E.A.S.Y 3 hour into practice and wanted to ask about the second cluster feed and the dream feed, I see there is no activity but does this include a nappy change? Baby usually always needs a change after a feed and I dont want to get him all wound up but dont want to leave him in a dirty nappy.
Any advice would be great.
I recently discovered your website. I like the E.A.S.Y idea, but i can’t get my almost 6 month old past the 3 hour EASY because no matter what I do he will not nap longer than 45 minutes exactly. He wakes still tired and fussy. Any tips?
Yesterday I tried the 3 hour feeding schedule and it went great up until after bath time. My daughter became fussy and ate at 6, between 7 and 8 and then at 11 and fell asleep at 12:30, I am wondering if trying this schedule made her fussy or was she over stimulated from the bath after eating. Maybe I should try her bath time first and then feed?
But should i just stick with the other schedule she has been on, which is the 7-11-3 schedule and has been for a few weeks now. So she eats at 11 and will last till 3 AM and then 7 AM and so on.
I just trying to keep up with sticking with a schedule, I have kinda gotten off track and a lot of that is just being tired and have been visiting with family.
I don’t know if you can answer this…it is more of just me explaining my situation.
Thanks!
Hi! I am trying to switch my four and a half month old son to the 4-Hour EASY. What were the signs that your Noob was ready to do the switch? What was your three and a half hour EASY like? Any help would MUCH be appreciated! Thanks in advance! 🙂
Hi Noob Mommy, I really appreciate your blog! I have a 4.5 months old girl and I’ve been following Tracy’s method since the day she’s born. However I can’t get her on a four hour schedule by following the EASY method. Mostly because she doesn’t nap for very long and I can very rarely get her down for her 5 pm nap. It seems to be impossible. She used to be an amazing sleeper at night (up to 11 hours without a feed and then another 4 hours until she woke for the day). For the past two weeks however, she’s been getting up to feed up to three times a night. HELP … I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. My first who is now 2.5 years old was never like this because she slept in bed with us.
I just have a question about trying to keep a schedule (E.A.S.Y) I’m conflicted….my daughter is 6.5 months old and takes a catnap in the morning—she could sleep longer if I allowed her, but then her day seems to be thrown off if I allow her to go past 1 hour nap. Should I wake her or allow her to continue her nap? To keep to a schedule do you wake your child or let your child wake themselves up? I appreciate your advice/comments. Thanks again!
I love your website, the ease of the lay-out and the topics! I wanted to ask you a question since you’ve read/are following both Baby Whisperer and Ferber methods. My LO is on the 6wk-3 month EASY schedule, and follows the feeding times and bed/wake time beautifully. His naps, however, are not as long as suggested on the EASY schedule. Then, I read from Ferber that babies at 3 months sleep anywhere from 12-14 hrs of sleep. If my LO is falling asleep at 8:30pm, and wakes at 7am, then that’s 10.5 hrs of sleep at night already, which leaves about 2-3.5 hrs of sleep for the day. Well, he sleeps avg of 2 hrs at his first nap (after 7am feed) of the day, then cat naps the remaining 3 naps (ie 45min – 30 min – 45 min). I realized…he is getting his overall amount of sleep, so should I push him (ie CIO) to nap longer for the later naps?
So the idea is catnap from 5-6 and then feed at 7. So what exactly do you recommend from 6-7? I find that hour is absolutely impossible as they (I have 4 month old twins, boy & girl) are hungry and fussy as its the end of the day. Any recommendations?
Did u find anything to help with this? I am at a loss with my 9 week old about all the unaccounted for time. He can only stay away for like 45 minutes without getting really out of control and needing to sleep.
My LO is 8mo old and still eating every 2hrs! We def need help here! She used to be bf but now transitioned to 4oz formula. But even getting her to finish her bottle within the hr is difficult. And if I try to space out her feeding… It seems tht she’ll get cranky/show signs tht she’s hungry so I’ve had no choice but to feed her every 2. Wht do I do???
Can I implement a routine of 4 hours with exclusive breastfeeding? My baby has 4 months (with 3 hours routine)?
Raquel – Yes you can! As your little one starts to consume more at each feeding and retaining more calories between meals, you should also be able to slowly adjust together. Theoretically, your supply will meet the needs and schedule of your little one as they grow!
Hi, is there any reason why I can’t feed my 10 week old baby when I wake up in the middle of the night at say 3am? I currently dream feed about 10:30pm and thought another dream feed around his normal feeding time might trick him into thinking he doesn’t need to wake up at night and he might sleep through the night sooner. Any thoughts? Thanks.
We followed EASY for our eldest daughter who is currently 2.5 and she is a great sleeper. Our 5 month old has proven to be a bit more spirited. She recently decided to reject her paci. We have tried various brands and sizes to no avail. She is currently on a 3 hour schedule as she is only able to stay awake for 1.5 hours a time. This usually means 3 naps and then bedtime. At nap time we put her down sleepy awake and while she always protests she spends less than 5 minutes crying before calming. Night time however is entirely different since she now refuses her paci. She cries and cries with no sign of stopping. The bottom pat shushing does not seem to work, the pick up and put back when calm does not seem to help either, and I have succumbed to feeding her to sleep at night the past few nights after over an hour of crying. She is so upset her poor little body heaves up and down and she is unable to catch her breath. She puts herself back to sleep when she wakes until about 4 a.m. when she relentlessly cries again until fed, she then sleep until 7:30. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
If I’m doing everything that baby whisperer says and my 5.5month old daughter has no problem with the routine…why is she still not sleeping through? Simply a case that baby whisperer can’t resolve? She wakes up 4 times at night. No napping problems.
A big thank you! This site has helped so much with number two! Her older sister was a complete nightmare and I was determined not to fall into the same trap with over-tired baby. Both my first and numero due suffer from the 45 intruder! Yet this time I am much more aware of it (I.e that it exists) and have a plan on how to deal with it. If sge wakes crying I try and soothe her back to sleep. If she wakes happy and smiley – she is happy and will not be cojoeled no matter how hard I try so she gets up. The real difference is not letting her get over tired. Catching that window. Some days she will sleep for 4 or 5 separate day naps and others I get the odd 2 hour!!! But generally she is a much much much happier baby than number one!!!!!! Thanking you for my sanity. A x
What an amazing blog, we implemented this 2 months ago (when my baby was 2months) and it saved my sanity, I was going crazy with irradic days, no schedules, nothing. You really helped me! My daughter is great at the 3 hr schedule, now I want to transition her to the 4-6mth schedule, going about 4 hrs between feeds which I’m sure she can do but her problem is she can’t stay awak any longer than 2 hrs max, then only naps for an hr. So I’m not sure where I should be making changes, keep her awake longer or cut out a nap, or encourage longer naps? I’m just not sure the best way to get her on the 4 hr wake, feed, play, sleep schedule. Or maybe she’s just not ready? I know her stomach is, but her napping and wake time is not. Any help would be appreciated.
Hi! Great blog, I am so happy I stumbled upon it! So dilemma, we have been co-sleeping with our son since we brought him home from the hospital. He is now a week away from being 9 months and we are just now starting to transition him into his crib. He hates to sleep alone-even with nap time. I made the mistake of cuddling with him while he napped during the day, down time for mommy to vegg and relax while baby slept. Anywho, now he won’t sleep alone and when I put him in his crib when he’s sleepy/drowsy he immediately wakes up and cries. We just started this transition and my question is what technique should I use to get him to sleep in his crib during the day?
Hey Ellen, would you consider cry it out a bit? Or do gradual… Maybe just sit next to him for a few days, then sit by the door for a few days, then outside the room, etc etc. we had the same problem right at the beginning and I did that for a few days and it made a huge difference, now she naps in her crib, on her own like a gem. It’s hard but just keep going in to reassure him, try not to pick him up or talk because then he thinks its play time, but just go in, show your face, then go out for another few minutes. My LO spent the first day crying thru her entire nap times, then got a bit better each day. Hope that helps?
Hi. I Love your blog and the schedules/routines have been really helpful, but I have a question regarding the wake up time. We have a 3 month old and we have been following the 3 hr EASY schedule. She gets fed every 3 to 3.5 hours but following the schedule to a tee is challenging because she catnaps frequently through the day. She wakes up between 4 and 5 am so I bfeed her (this is the only time she is breastfed) then she is bottle fed for the rest of the day at 730/8am, 10, 1, 4, and 630/7 before she is put down at 7pm. I have a hard time getting her to feed a full feeding at 7 because she is usually very fussy and tired by then. She is also fed at around 12am. We tried dreamfeeding her between 10-11pm and realized she would wake up at 2am anyway even if we dreamfeed or not so we switched to 12/1230 so that she sleeps 5 to 6 hr stretches from 7pm to 12 and then until 4 to 5. If she is fed at 5am, do we skip the 7am feeding? she often falls asleep for a catnap after a feed and short activity so waiting until the next feed is a challenge. Should we wake her for a feeding if she happens to be napping or wait until she wakes to feed?
The E.A.S.Y method sounds great, thanks for all your helpful info I just have a few questions about the evening part of the schedule;
S – Catnap between 5 -6 pm
* I assume wake them up? then have quiet activity time for an hour?
E – 7:00
A – Bath time
S – 7:30 – Bedtime
* How do you fit in a feed and a bath in 30mins in time for bed time?
* If they wake for a 9pm cluster feed do you put them straight back to bed till the 11pm dream feed?
So if this works correctly he should be sleeping from 7:30 bedtime till 7am? Excellent !!
Thank you so much for your help x
Hi Noob Mommy! Thanks for this amazing website and all the great info.
I have a question about moving my babe to the 4 hr schedule. He currently eats btwn 6 and 8 oz 5 times a day pretty much every 3 hrs at 7, 10, 1,4, 6:30. I’ve also just started solids but he only eats a tsp or 2 at a time. If I move to a 4 hr schedule how do I account for the ‘dropped’ feeding? Do i just increase the amt he eats at each feeding? But I have another recent problem. It’s a battle to get him to finish his bottles right now. He usually leaves about 2 oz but will eventually finish it over a 2 hr awake period. So I’m reluctant to add even more food At a feeding since he’s barely finishing his current bottles. Also when you move gradually from a 3 to 4 hr schedule I.e, 3 hrs 10 mins etc, is that when you start increasing the amt they eat? Hope that makes sense.
So far babe is a good napper but his nighttime sleep is very unpredictable. He stopped eating at night on his own. But still wakes up unable to get himself back to sleep because we rock him to sleep. We are going to try Ferber but I can’t seem to pull the trigger. Your comments on ferberizing have definitely give me hope though.
It’s 9:40 pm here and my LO just stopped crying. I’m exhausted, wishing I knew what to do so… I hop on Google and tada! I’m on your site reading this article in a matter of minutes. 🙂 Here’s my situation and my questions: first son was sleeping 12+ hrs at ten weeks. Had no idea what a blessing that was, and fully expected our second to follow suit. Ha. He’s pushing 6 months now and still wakes, on average, every 3 hours at night to nurse. Sometimes 4-5 hrs, sometimes 2.5. He’s all over the place. He *has* slept 8 hours before, but only once or twice. And his daytime naps are a joke if you ask me – they last half an hour to 45 minutes tops. Up till last week, he was getting swaddled and had a paci to sleep for naps and during the night. Thought maybe he couldn’t get himself back to sleep if an arm got loose or paci fell out, so we got rid of both of those – but the results haven’t improved any! He just seems grumpier during the day now (since I’m not giving him a paci at all). I really feel like I don’t understand what it is he needs or is trying to communicate, and it’s killing me. With my first, man. We were on the same page from day one. Our 6 month old’s schedule is approximately as follows:
5-6 am: Wide awake. Happy, but awake. Nurse, lay in cradle by bed to talk (then fuss, cry and eventually go back to sleep) for approx. 30-45 minutes. Sleeps approx 2 additional hours.
7 or 8 am: Rise and shine! Nurse (one side at a time – he won’t take more than that), lay in bed and chit chat for about 20 minutes, sits in high chair while I fix everyone’s breakfast. Offer cereal which he sometimes takes and sometimes doesn’t.
8:30 or 9:30 am till 9 or 10: Watch baby einstein, play in living room, practice sitting, general hang-time with big brother till he starts getting fussy-ish. Generally speaking, this is about 1.5 to 2 hrs after waking. Most mornings this happens around 10 am.
10 am: Nap time. Turn on sound machine, change diaper, sing, down to cradle in our room. Usually cries for 5 minutes then sleeps just 45 minutes. Almost to the second every time. I let him hang out about 15 minutes to see if he’ll go back to sleep, but he never does.
11 am: Basically repeat this schedule all day of nursing, playing/hanging out and short sleeping till 6 or 7 pm, then it’s down to bed.
6 or 7 pm: My preference is to wait till 7, but he reeeeaaalllly gets cranky at like 5:30, I can hold him out till 6 – maybe I should let him nap at 5:30? – anyway, down for bed between 6 and 7, and it just varies each night how long that first stretch is. Sometimes just 2 hrs, sometimes 3,4,5 hours. After that, regardless of how long that first stretch is, it’s pretty much every 3 hrs he wakes up after that to nurse.
To say I’m tired is quite the understatement. He doesn’t nap long enough during the day for me to feel like I’ve gotten a break. It’s not long enough for me to complete any one task (showering, picking up the house, getting some work done, etc) so then I’m just always behind… on everything…
Any ideas?
Hi! I’m a newbie mommy too, and have been blessed with a baby who fell into the EASY routine and stuck to it pretty early on. She turned four months old yesterday, and right now her schedule is to wake up somewhere between 6-8 a.m. and eat 5 oz of formula every two hours until 7 or 8 p.m., with about an hour of activity time and an hour of nap time in between. Sometimes naps only last for half an hour (like when she’s at child care), and on rare occasions they last for three hours (when she’s at home all day with mom or dad). Her last feeding falls somewhere between 6-8 p.m., and she’s usually down for the night around 8 p.m. We never did the dream feed thing, so I’m thinking it wouldn’t make sense to introduce it now. Usually she wakes to feed between 3-5 a.m., I change her diaper and then she goes back down for a couple hours, but sometimes she makes it all the way to 7 or 8 a.m. So here’s my question: when do I try to stretch our her daytime intervals between feeding to 3 or 4 hours, and how do I do it? Do I just try to distract her when she acts hungry? Or do I feed her more so she stays full longer?
Hi
I love your website and came here after recommendation from another first time mummy! Your blog is so easy to read and really sums up my experiences to a T. I have a 4 month old monster erm I mean baby and we have been on a rough routine of feeding every three hours and I think he is ready to stretch to 4 hours. I see that you did this gradually but my question is how? If I was to feed every 3.25 hours I would be feeding at 7.15, 10.30, 1.45 and 5 but then do I keep to the same 7 feed or move the last feed to 8.15? I have seen suggestions of a reduced feed at 5 but then I am concerned baby will not take his usual full feed at night I nature his longest stretch of sleep! Any advice welcome and keep up the good work, mummies united!!
Just found your website, and wow! This is soooooo helpful! My LO just turned 4 months old, and she has been on a 2 1/2 hour schedule since she was 2 weeks old. I’ve kept her on that because she seems to get hungry that often. Lately, though, I’ve noticed when “things come up” and the schedule gets out of wack, she doesn’t seem bothered having her feedings farther apart. So… time to try a longer one. Thats when I found you. 🙂
My main problem is sleeping through the night. My girl has always been a brilliant sleeper. She was sleeping through the night (7-8 hours) when she was about a month old. When she hit her 3 month growth spurt she went through a few days where she needed some extra food at night, and I let her keep those feedings (meh, wasn’t the greatest sleep training… but it did’t bother me at the time). Now she’s used to getting 2 feedings per night (bedtime feeding is around 8:30-9, middle of the night around 1, and another about 5:00. She gets up for the day around 8:30). I’ve done roughly 4 hour routines the last few days and it hasn’t been a problem–though sometimes it’s more like 3 1/2 hours. Is it too much for me to spring a 4 hour schedule AND take away her nighttime feedings? If so, which is more important? Will reducing her feedings keep her from getting enough food in?
I’m also a little concerned that stretching things out that much that fast will effect my milk supply… is that a valid concern?
Oh, and with the nighttime feedings she seems to be genuinely hungry–like she hasn’t seen food in DAYS. :-/
It is completely normal for babies to nurse frequently. I’ve breastfed 3 babies, and all three will still nurse out of hunger through the night. As well as to keep my milk supply up. Prolactin levels are highest between midnight and 3am, so getting a nursing in during this time is very helpful to milk supply. I’d caution any breastfeeding mother about going to a four hour schedule. Human breasts usually need emptied at least 7 times in 24 hours to keep up a good milk supply. Otherwise you will see your milk supply drop and/or your baby stop gaining weight as well. I caution everybody about Baby Whisperer /Babywise. They both have dangerous advice for a breastfeeding momma. Best thing to do is sacrifice a little of your time and sleep, and feed your baby when he/she is hungry- just like moms have done for centuries!
http://ezzo.info/Aney/cuefeeding.pdf
http://www.ezzo.info/top-resources/mainly-medical-packet-of-pdfs
First off–let me thank you! Your blog is amoung my favorite websites and I have gotten a lot of use (and some extra sleep!) from the EASY routine. I see a lot of moms asking about sleep-nap-feeding issues for their 3-4.5 month olds. I have a question regarding my 5.5 month old. I was going to hold out on solids until 6 months (which is only 2 weeks away) but I am feeling like she is ready NOW. Going off of mostly instinct up to this point, a 4 hour EASY was similar to what we were already doing and so when I found your blog we fell into an even better pattern using it. You have a cheat sheet for 4-6 months and then another (with solids) for 6+ months. What is a good transition? It shows only 3 feedings of milk–instead of 4–with 2 mealtimes of solids. I plan to start her with solids for lunch time first, do I just add that in without changing the rest of her schedule at all in the beginning? I have been so sure of my own intuition up to this point on these things, but adding solids to her diet just really seems to be throwing me off. What is your suggestion for adding solids to the 4-hr EASY? Thanks again for all of your suggestions up to this point!
Instinctual Mommy – Have you already started solids? We just started over here because our ped gave NB2.0 the go-ahead (she’s almost 5 months). I wasn’t planning to start before 6 months, but since she seemed large enough 🙂 and so easygoing, I thought I might as well give it a try. So far it has been great! I also revisited the solids feeding schedule to refresh my memory. In the beginning, 1 meal of solids (2-4 Tbsp) is typical. Some say you can serve the solids before nursing/formula/bottle etc., others suggest offering solids after so she’s not so starving and frustrated to enjoy the food. It’s up to you and your little one to see what works. What I’ve done is offer the meal an 1.5 before her last bottle for the evening (around 5pm ish). However, if you’re just trying a new food … serve that in the morning in case she has any reaction to it. But honestly, don’t worry about when the solid meal takes place. At this beginning stage, the solids is more for fun and to get used to the experience. Our little ones are still getting the majority of their nutrition and calories from their breastmilk or formula. That is still the most important! Oh, and when you do introduce solids, the breastmilk intake may be an ounce or two less depending on how many ounces of solid you served (just subtract that amount from the liquid meal). It kind of evens out that way. So with more solid meals as they get older, there will be a little less milk intake as well. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much (I should have said that sooner!). She is 7 months now and we still follow a 4-hr schedule (usually 7am-7pm, without nap #3). I feed her 2.5-3 Tbsp of solids (combo of veggie and oatmeal) and a small handful of yogurt melts for lunch about an hour after nursing #2 (around noonish). And we just started to do about 1.5 Tbsp of solids (veggie) with a handful of cereal puffs for dinner about two hrs after nursing #3 (around 5pm-ish). At this point she still seems satisfied with what we are doing. I am sure that over time dinner will be about the size of lunch and I will have to add a breakfast. She loves to eat! I was worried for nothing. 🙂 Of course!
Hello!
First, I love your website. I happened upon it while desperately trying to come up with a schedule for my baby in an effort to keep my sanity. I am a first time mom. My husband is military so we live far away from our family, friends and their support. I guess I rely on the internet a bit too much to research the answers I need. My baby is almost 4 months old. He has been a dream, so happy and easy compared to other stories I’ve heard. He has been basically sleeping through the night since he was two months old. He has been doing the 3 hour easy since he was a month old. Last week I moved him to the 4 hour easy without even a whimper from him. We have never done the dream feed. Right now he eats at 7-11-3-6:30ish, and then again at 3-4:00am. He always goes back to sleep until 7am. He eats 33oz total (all his bottles are 7oz except for his 3am = 5oz). My question: he is so close to sleeping through the night. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been waking him for his 3am bottle at 4:00. I pump every day starting at 6am, and my husband leaves for his commute at 4:45am. I wake him because I don’t want him to wake up screaming and hungry while I’m on the pump and my husband has already left. I also don’t want to drop his daily ounces if he doesn’t get his 4am bottle. I don’t think he’s ready to take on more than 7oz per bottle during the day either to make up for that missed feeding at 4. Should I keep waking him during the night until he is able to take 8 oz per feeding during the day?
Also, I’ve read that you regret rocking your first to sleep since you had to wean her later. We rock ours to sleep but just until he is drowsy and then let him fidget until he falls asleep on his own. He never cries and he is able to put himself to sleep after about 15 minutes. Just how ugly did it get when you stopped rocking your baby? And did you do it differently with your second?
Thanks for your help and your website. It’s such a relief to hear other people’s stories!
Lea
Hi noob mommy this is the first time I am commenting on any blog but yours caught my eye. Would you tell me, regarding the ‘4 hour easy’ as the dream feed didn’t work for you when roughly was your babies 5th feed in the 24 hours? I am just getting my baby into the more spaced out feeds but My problem is, like you the dream feed doesnt make any difference to my little one. I don’t think she takes enough. So Left to her own devises she wakes at around 4 to 5.30am for a feed. She then doesn’t want breakfast at 7. If I get a small top up in her it takes her through to 10 but this means her evening feed is as early as 5.30/6. It also throws her sleep schedule off (she is a short napper anyway and this makes it worse). The only scenario that works at the moment is if she wakes and feeds at 3am which she does
occasionaly. Then she is good and hungry at 7. I am even considering setting a clock and going to feed her at 3am!! Just until she is bigger and on solids. Is this madness? Any suggestions? Thank you kindly..
We just transitioned our 5 month old daughter to a 3.5-4 hour schedule. She has been sleeping through the night since she was around 2 months old. I was not sure if she was ready for a complete 4 hour schedule since we would be going down to just 4 feeds. I was not about to start a dream feed since I have not done one in a long time. We have been feeding her at 6:30, 10:30, 2:30, 6:00, top off at 7:30, and bed by 8:00. Four of the bottles are 6 oz. and the top off is 4. We have not been able to get her to take more than 6 oz., which is why we are doing the topoff. I know she is not getting the recommended amount for her size, but we don’t know what to do. When she is done, she is done. In general, She is doing pretty good with the schedule. We would love to discontinue the top off and let 6:30 pm be the last bottle but I am just not sure she can last that long and I don’t want to backtrack. She does great with her awake time and naps during the day. The evening catnap is a hit or miss some days. Any suggestions?
Hi,
Thanks for the great site!
Wonder if can get some advice or tips.
My baby boy is now 6 months old. for the first 3.5months he was directly bf. he became fussy and dropped a line on the centiles so started giving him expressed breast milk and distracting him with TV, music etc to get him to take his milk. he was on 3hr easy.
Now, am finding his feeding so tough.
He wakes at 6.30am and is impossible to feed, he wriggles away but somehow manage to get 5-60z into him.
8-30am-10.30 am he sleeps and then cajole him into taking milk at 11-11.15am
12.30-2pm ish he sleeps
3.15-4ish he takes some milk
6pm try to give him some solids but its VERY hard work to even get a teaspoon or two down him
6.30bath
7pm feed (the only one he is interested in)
7.30pm bedtime
11pm dream feed, maybe 10z or two at best
Each of his feeds, besides 7pm is a major struggle and have to use tv, ipad, music.
What am doing wrong? anyone experienced like this?
Thanks so much
Hi Deena,
I had also an issue with my daughter around 3.5 months with feedings (she is solely bf). I felt like we were fighting each other through the entire thing. After a couple of days of this I had to take a step back and reevaluate things, especially since I am a control freak and felt so terribly out of control. I needed to take a minute to realize it was a learning moment. She was trying to tell me something. First, I changed my hold. I had up to that point done a football hold. Now we do a more traditional cradle hold, but the boppy holds her weight instead of my arm (she wanted more independence). Second, when she would wriggle and fuss, I would sit her up for only a few seconds and then lay her back and try again. She was learning how to use her body more around that time and would want to move around even when she was eating. Over time, she realized that it was meal time and she stopped doing that. I found that she gets distracted easily and then ends up eating LESS so she eats in a quiet room, just she and I. I don’t know if this at all helps–but it has worked for us! Good luck!
Thank you sooo much for this, i am really happy to have come across this!! I have a 4 month old daughter and we have recently made the trnsition to 4 months and the leap was rough on us all. We have noticed her normally routine has completely changed and she has started waking up at 4;30am and not wanting to sleep in her own crib, so against my better judgemnt I have brought her to bed with us so we can all get some much needed sleep.
I suppose this is my own lack of research and reading but i have not done a dream feed in her entire 4 tiny months! This is brillant to me and plan to try it this evening!! Thank you so much for your help!! and congrats on the new baby she is a doll! Well they both are 🙂
Holli- Glad you found this schedule helpful! Thank you for your comment!
Hi Noob Mom!
What a great blog!
I have a question:
I think (?) my 5 month old may be going through a growth spurt. He’s never been a perfect sleeper, only sleeping through the night (in my definition 10 hours) a couple of times since birth, but I considered a good night one where he only woke up once for a night feeding. This last week, he’s been waking up twice for feedings, hungry. Could it be a growth spurt? He’s been on a 4 hour schedule with no dreamfeed, but I just started doing a dreamfeed yesterday (10:15 – and he still woke up at 3:30 to eat again). Should I do a cluster feed as well? I think Tracy Hogg says to do cluster feeds at 7 and 9 pm and then a dream feed at 11. Does that mean the 9 pm is a dream feed also? By the way, it’s not really a true dream feed for us because he wakes up.
Susan- It may be a growth spurt if things have suddenly changed… or teething, illness, other milestones etc. Try to determine if there are any changes in routine lately as well. Another indicator that it’s a growth spurt is that you mentioned he wakes up hungry. If he’s just waking up to snack a little, then maybe he’s using the feed to soothe. But if he’s really wolfing it down, then he’s hungry! Honestly, the dream feed never worked for us, but feel free to experiment with what works for you. Good luck!
Question: I have a 4 1/2 month old little girl and she has been on the EASY four hour schedule for about a month…..however, my struggle is with the naps….sometimes she will nap for 45 minutes and other times she stays asleep for 3 hours! The 3 hour naps are nice but they throw off the schedule for the rest of the day……my question is should I wake her up after 1.5 or 2 hours or do I let her sleep? What do I do about the rest of the day?
Any suggestions or advice appreciated! Thanks!
my baby was on EASY for the first 3 months but when she turned 4 months, she couldnt settle herself to sleep independently! Help!
The Baby Whisperer's EASY Routine for Babies 4-9 Months | Noob Mommy I was suggested this blog by my cousin. I’m not sure whether this post is written by him as nobody else know such detailed about my problem. You’re amazing! Thanks! your article about The Baby Whisperer's EASY Routine for Babies 4-9 Months | Noob MommyBest Regards SchaadAndy
Love, love, love your blog! Hilarious and so kept me sane last night! I have some questions. Last night I did a horrible version of the Ferber method. I used it on my 21 month old when she was 5 months and it worked beautifully. So we attempted it last night on my 6 monther who likes to ‘drink with the barbie dolls’ and pull all nighters. I messed up and let her nurse before bed, so naturally she went into a slight coma from 8:30-10 and woke up. I then began my Ferberizing. I did 5, 7, 10 mins and 10 mins until she fell asleep. We did this for 2 hours until about 12:30. She woke up at 2:30 and I nursed her (dream feed) and she slept til 8am. Far better than her usual, sleep at 8:30, wake at 10,12,2,5, and 8 just to nurse because I’m her pacifier routine. <— sounded horrible, don't judge but it's true. She won't take a pacifier or bottle. So my question is do I change her bedtime routine from bath, feed, bed to feed, bath, bed and begin CIO until she falls asleep and when do I dream feed? Because when she wakes up she cries and I don't want to nurse her if I'm trying to get her to self soothe. Totally need an instruction manual since she is nothing like my first. Any tip would be stellar!!! Thanks a bunch!
Jackie – If you’re doing CIO and your LO is at least 6 months, there really shouldn’t be any need for dream feeds or middle of the night nursings. At 6 months, most doctors and parenting experts agree that our little ones can go through the night without needing to eat. I would say this is especially true if you’ve even started introducing solids. So, if she’s waking up and you’re feeding her… you’re undermining your CIO training and probably sending her mixed signals. Good luck!
My son just hit 4 months yesterday, and we are in a serious tailspin when it comes to sleep. Currently he nurses to sleep, and usually wakes the moment he’s moved or laid down. We co-slept at the very beginning of his little life, but once he started rolling over I felt like he needed his own safe sleep space. He started out as a great sleeper, and would sleep anywhere (bed, bouncy, swing, sling, on me, car, etc) but I think I broke him because now nothing works. Yesterday all he napped all day was two twenty minute naps in the car. I couldn’t get him down for an evening nap, so by bedtime he was completely and utterly exhausted. It took two hours of nursing, shushing/patting, and nursing again to get him to bed…and then he was up every two hours throughout the night. This is, unfortunately, how the past several days have gone…and I feel like I’m losing my mind! Not to mention that I have two older children that I SAHM and homeschool, and I feel like I’m not able to meet their needs in the midst of all this. I guess what I’m getting at is, I NEED HELP! Baby boy fights sleep like nobody’s business, so how would you recommend I try putting him down? I am going to move his feeds so that he’s eating when he wakes up, and playing is no problem, he loves to play! Getting to sleep is where I’m struggling…I know that I can’t use flat-out CIO, the screaming, vomiting, etc is just not for us. He has his own room with a crib, dimmed windows, and a fan (for white noise and air circulation) so I feel like his sleep space is good…just have to figure out how to get him to use it…
I’m trying to figure things out – it seems we all are…
I have a baby girl, C, who just turned 4 months old. She has been in day care for 3 weeks and they are pressuring me to write down a schedule for her. I honestly don’t have one. She eats when she is hungry and she sleeps when she is tired. She isn’t fussy and she often sleeps all night. I can’t really complain. However, I think I’m confusing the daycare ladies. My approach is to take three 6 oz bottles. She probably won’t ever finish 6 oz in one sitting (though she can when she is hungry) but at least that way I doubt she will run out of food. I am breastfeeding – but never nursing anymore, only pumping. So, how can I get her on a schedule? Some days she sleeps for hours. Other days she is starving. Should I just say feed her at 10, 2, and 6? I don’t think she can go that long – especially since she wants to eat about 3 oz every couple of hours instead of 6 oz every 4 hours…
Hello Noob Mommy,
First of all, THANK YOU for putting this wonderful site together. ? 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!
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! 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!
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!
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 🙁
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.
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!!!
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!
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 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!
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!
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
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?!
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….
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 🙂 very helpful
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!
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?!
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 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!
These E.A.S.Y. routines are so helpful…is there a sample schedule for 9-month-olds and older?
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
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!
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"!
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!
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
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.
Hi, im mummy to a 3.5 yr old boy and a 6 mth old girl….i used tracy hoggs valuable tips to help my son to sleep through the night at 14 mths (when i read the book for the first time). However im having a harder time trying to get my girl to nap well in the day…her current schedule is as follows :
Up at 5.30am. Shoo pat till 6am ( this is a continious shoo pat till deep sleep), sleeps from 6am for abt 45 mins…and is happy in her bed till i get her at 7am for her first feed. Im breastfeeding so we are done by 730am. 8am cereal….have just started…so its a tsp of baby rice cereal. 9am i put her down to bed…with a lil shoo pat and shes asleep in a few minutes…..but is up by 930 am, despite me trying to wake to sleep at 915am. From 930 to 10 i shoo pat with no results, did pupd but slept only by 1040am…was up in 5 minutes..and i gave up…11am feed, 12.30 bath, 1 bed and was up again at 1.30, 2, 2.35pm,,,essentially in intervals of 20-25 minutes,,,needed to shoo pat her for 10 minutes each time. Then its feed time at 3pm, she likes a nap at 5 pm again for 30 minutes, feed at 6pm…bath at 7.30pm, feed at 8pm….feeds are all at the breast…post the 8 pm feed, shes wide awake when i give her a burp and swaddle her and place her in bed awake…its shoo pat again for 10 minutes and shes asleep by 9pm….i dont dream feed at 10/11 as she doesnt take to it well and doesnt sleep well once she is disturbed at that time….hence i had made changes to tracys schedule with my girl. Then from 9 am she sleeps mostly through to 5 ish, at which time her hands are out of the swaddle and she begins to play for a while and cries 15 mins later.
Essentially my questions are 1) how can i get her to take longer day time naps? ive tried wake to sleep by rubbing her cheek 10 mins prior to her wake up time and also holding her on her chest and legs with a firm hand as she transitions from deep sleep to light sleep but it hasnt helped….she gets up anyway. 2) With the introdcution of solids, how can the 9am bedtime be maintained? assuming 7am is breasfeed, 8 am is solids…isnt 9 too early to swaddle and sleep?
Im so grateful for finding your website and i do hope you get this.
Rebecca, I realize that this comment was posted two years ago, but I am having the exact same problem right now and I wonder if you ever found a solution…and if you remember what it was? I know it’s a long shot, but maybe you can help me?
Hi Megan… We have a 5 month old boy that is sleeping better at night but ALL naps are 30 minutes, at best!?! Have you found anything that helps? Thanks!!e
Hi There,
I have a 31/2month old snacker who eats every 2 hours during the day. if we are busy with errands and drives, it sometimes is extended to 2.5 or 3 hours. Even at night, he will go max 3-4 hours. I would like to try and extend his feeds from 2-3 hours but wonder how that impacts the EASY routine? will he in theory miss a feed in one of the cycles? and some cycles, eat before his nap? that is what i was confused about.
thank you!
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?
I have a four month old and I feed her every two hours for approx. 20-30 minutes at a time. Around 5pm I start feeding her every hour. We do bath time at 7 and stories at 7:30, then she’s asleep by 8pm and sleeps until 6:30am. I basically use the E.A.S.Y. method, but I don’t do the patting thing. I put her down, she usually starts crying so I leave her for five minutes, then I pick her up and comfort her until she stops crying. She’ll usually just put herself to sleep after that. We’ve been doing this for about two weeks and it seems to be working. I don’t see what the big deal is if I feed her a lot during the day, as long as she’s sleeping through the night.
My almost 5 month old gets 6oz per feeding. She had been getting 4 bottles during the day and waking for one bottle at night for a total of 28-30oz (she sometimes leaves some behind). As she hopefully begins sleeping through the night (3 times this week so far) and eliminating that night-time bottle, she is only getting about 24 oz in her 4 daytime feeds. This doesn’t seem like enough but I cant get her to take more than 6 oz per feeding. I don’t dream feed. Is this enough? What do I do?