I'm still struggling with this routine thing and wonder if I can pick your brains. What do you do on a morning? Do you get your LO up at the same time, even if it means waking them? Do you feed straight away or do nappy? When do you change them into their daytime clothes?

I just can't decide what to do first! Looking forward to hear what you do, thanks xx

Morning!
Was start our day at 8.heidi is awake from about half 7 but she would happly roll about cot for hour or so befor she would moan for bottle!
So I take her out cot bring into my bed for wee 5mins cuddle n smilers! Change nappy then feed at 8 all still in bed.then if I am going out I get us both ready in bedroom n out.but if not goin out to later in day we just lay in bed for wehile with cartoons on then get up in living room around half 9 10ish n I just let heridi play about have nap bfor I get her ready when we going out!I find she is more cuzy in pj till going out!
As u can c apart from getting up at same time we r very layed back on what we do after that everday is diff!
I give heidi a bath some mornings as she enjoys them more at this time!

Xx

Hi Lawso

Toby usually wakes up at around 7am depending on how the night went. I am doing a rough EASY routine and I start that properly as long as he wakes at 6am or later (if necessary I then adjust the later feeding times in the day by half an hour or so each time to get back on track). My routine for each cycle is always feed, nappy change, play/activity time (or bath in the evenings), sleep.

So after he wakes up I feed him first - ideally downstairs in the light but if it's really early I sometimes selfishly do it in bed Then I change his nappy (and into dayclothes as long as it's not too early) and he has a kick around on his playmat until he starts getting sleepy when he goes down for his first nap and we go from there.

If he woke up quite early I might keep him in his night clothes for that first cycle and I would have a nap when he naps, and change both of us into day clothes after the next feed & nappy change.

On the rare occasions that he sleeps well past 7am I just let him and adjust the later feeding times accordingly. Normally I feed at (roughly) 7, 10, 1, 4, 7, 10:30 and then whenever he wakes in the night. Yesterday he slept till 8:30 after a slightly off night so I fed him at 11:00, 1:30 and 4pm to catch up so that he didn't miss any feeds entirely, if that makes sense.

C

Thanks for your replies, we're trying to follow the EASY routine but could never work out what came first on a morning, I guess it's food!

CharlotteB - how are you finding it? I must admit we've only been trying it for a few days and it seems to be going well, he's down to only one feed during the night. I'm struggling with the naps though, might pop another post up about that one!

Thanks again xx

Hi Lawso,

We're following the EASY routine loosley but it's difficult as my LO doesn't usually sleep for the recommended amount so our routine ends up EASA but sometimes it's AESA. Think our problem is that he doesn't sleep the full 12 hours and usually stirs at 4.30/5ish and I have tried to re-settle him back to sleep at this time, sometimes with a feed, sometimes not and he refuses so by the time we get up properly (6am) I think he is overtired and hence why he only does short naps!! Like you he seems to have dropped this late night feed as it's getting later (although last night it was earlier).

I ususally change his nappy first in his nursery (as we don;t change it during the night so I think he'd be more comfortable with a dry nappy whilst feeding. He's usually sleepy after the morning feed so we head upstairs and wind down and he normally has a 30-45 minute nap. On the odd occasion it's been 1.5 hours.

Hi Lawso,
I will either wake LO at 8am latest or if she wakes earlier, bring her into my bed for a cuddle and maybe bit more sleep. Then we change nappy, into day clothes and downstairs for feed. Then mummy has shower, does bottles and has breakfast whilst Lo gurgles in chair (or cries sometimes when in shower !). Then play and time for first nap - sometimes on play gym, sometimes in my arms, sometimes in cot. Got to get into self sleeping in cot more I fear.....! Or out in buggy or car if we have somewhere to go.

Hi
We wake up at 7am every day. One of us will grab bottle and warm it and whilst this is doing I change nappy and clothes whilst cuddling/talking,lol. I then fed Lizzie. This is about 7:15 and is all done in our bedroom (lizzie sleeps in swinign crib by our bed)
After this my older daughter has normally finished breakfast and is upstairs getting dressed. Lizzie will then lie in crib whilst I get washed and dressed and we are all downstairs before 8am. Lizzie is then entertained by my DD1 talking (which is never ending) and lizzie normally coos back at her until she falls asleep on lounge floor! Whilst they are talking to each other,lol, I wash bottles and get coats ready to leave house for 8:30 to take DD1 to school.
Even at the weekends, we wake at 7am (not DD1 but rest of us!) and once nappy/change of clothes and bottle is done we just cuddle in bed/sit talking with tv on low until Lizzie falls asleep then we get up and washed and dressed x

Hello,

Well midweek he will wake about 6/6.30 same time as my husband so he will go and get him out his cot and change his nappy then bring him into me for cuddles and we watch the news. I then get up put him in his bouncer/playmat whilst I have breakfast etc, then I feed him and we have a little play. If we arent going out I will leave him in his PJ's until after his nap at 8.30/9 then we have bath and get into daytime clothes. I then potter around making bottles etc then we have a bit more playtime, read a book, dance to music etc.

Although I felt poorly the other week so we had a bit of a sleepy duvet day!

Nikola and Joe 13 weeks xx

Hmmm, how are we finding EASY???

Overall it has been great. When we started I was at the end of my rope after a week of no sleep as Toby had his days and nights mixed up (he was 3 weeks old). EASY sorted that out in a couple of days, which was a godsend. Now (at 9 weeks) he usually sleeps from 7/8pm - 6/7am with a dreamfeed at 10-11 and one middle of the night feed (usually 3-4am).

It has been going swimmingly until last week when he started waking frequently in the night. I think this was partly because my husbands parents were staying with us and our routine was generally a bit disrupted.

Since then I have been struggling to get back on track. We are still generally following the EASY routine of E-A-S-Y but I am trying to let Toby take the lead a bit more as to how long we spend on each letter. Now I'm in a bit of a muddle!! But going to persevere with it and see what happens.

What I like about EASY is the predictability. He goes down really well for his daytime naps now so I know I will have at least 45 mins to get things done every few hours, and it just helps me plan my day even though I am trying to demand feed.

I definitely recommend it to anyone who is having sleep issues!!

C

Have to say that I'm not finding EASY that easy at all. I like the predictability and I have certainly learnt a great deal. I struggle with the day-time naps, so much so that I have given up what the book says and went back to what we were doing. It seemed stupid to spend an hour trying to get the LO to sleep for 30 mins in his cot with curtains closed when I want him to be able to sleep anywhere! Who knows we might try this again but for now I'm concentrating on other things.

I admit though the more regular feeding through the day makes more sense, whoever said babies should go 4 hours between feeds needs shooting. We spent the first 10 weeks of his life trying to get him to go 4 hours and now we feed him every 2 1/2 hours he sleeps far better, gives us 9-10 hours most nights so I can't complain at that.

Well as I have rambled on I'll stop but thanks everyone for your comments. I'm still not sure what to do on a morning but for now we're going with change then feed xx

[Modified by: lawso on March 08, 2010 08:08 PM]

well at the mo toddler wakes about 6 so hubby gets him up then depending on night mason is waking at 6.20ish but crying his eyes out (just dont get it think he is still tired) i try get him back off doesnt work, so get up get bottle with him still crying he screams even more at sight of bottle - toddler by this time is shouting mason awake mason awake - YES I KNOW!!! then i try cudderling him very tight with dummy and after while he goes off - he then cat naps wakes and is usually a bit more happy!

at this point we are all still in pjs... toddler watching tv or playing hubby goes to work and i try and get mason to feed first bottle but he doesnt want it (me thinking shouldnt have so much in night but what do i do about that?)
so by 8.30/9 i finally get him to take bottle, toddler having cereal but wanting me to feed him arrgghh! then about 9.30 dress toddler and mason and i shove sumit on... may have cuppa if lucky!

then if heading to friends tend to then load up car and go and mason naps inj car, if at home then hold him until sleepy when winges and he drifts off i try put him in cot awake never works, so lay him on sofa or swing - this is short nap! i do bottles, set train track up for toddler etc...

does that make sense!!!!!!!!?

Hi Lawso,

Know what you mean about EASY not being Easy! I was an advocate of it but like you the naps don't seem to be working as LO isn't as tired as I think he is so gonna let baby take the lead with naps. I do still try and put him down for his morning nap in his cot which he normally goes off but only for 45 minutes or so. It was getting to the point of stressing me out (which isn't good for any of us) so I let LO dictate.

How much does your LO consume every 2.5 hours? Mine isn'e a big drinker and although I'm following EASY with the 3 hourly feed, I'm lucky if he consumes 4oz at each sitting.Wish I could get more into him so he sleeps longer but what can you do? Who knows, he's due his growth spurt soon so maybe his appetite will increase.Here's hoping!

Gi & Thomas 11 weeks & 3days x

Gichu - I totally agree and like you, trying to stick to it so rigidly was stressing me out so we're back to letting LO dictate. My LO does tend to eat well and generally takes 6-8oz 5 times during the day. He still needs a feed about 4am but I can't complain.

Gichu - I totally agree and like you, trying to stick to it so rigidly was stressing me out so we're back to letting LO dictate. My LO does tend to eat well and generally takes 6-8oz 5 times during the day. He still needs a feed about 4am but I can't complain.

The only routine i believe i have is taking ethan to bed.

Our mornings just routined themselves, maybe beacuse i have an elder son, we have to get done quick in mornings.

Ethan usually wakes between 6.30 & 7am, If it's 6.30 he sometimes just coo's away at his mobile or will sit in bed smiling away with us. Either way we're all up when Ethans up lol

So from about 7am I'll get Ethan from his cot, change his nappy and dress him at the same time.

He is then most times happy to lie on his changing mat in the living room, whilst i do other things. I then feed him no later than 8am, due to getting my eldest to school. Ethan very rarely wakes and wants feeding straight away he's usually all smiles for at least 30 mins to and hour.

With both my sons, i've always tried to follow a routine thats good for us, i have the book for EASY routine but never did get as far as trying it, i'm happy with how we are, it works for us