baby whisperer help

newmother

Sun, Nov 06 2011, 9:39 pm

Based on numerous comments on here I just bought the baby whisperer book and want to start the EASY routine with my 3 and half year month old ds. He has recently been waking up between 7:30 and 8 and goes to sleep around 7:30. Can I adapt teh EASY schedule to start at 7:30 or 8 instead of 7? If I start the day at 7 then I am goung to have a problem with the 9 o'clock nap because my older ds's playgroup starts at nine and I don't get home from dropping him off till 9:15. Any baby whisperers that can help? Thanks!

seeker

Sun, Nov 06 2011, 10:10 pm

Did you even read the book? She says very clearly in multiple places that her program is not a schedule, but a routine - I.e. things don't happen at specific times but rather in a specific order.

shabri

Mon, Nov 07 2011, 11:38 am

She just uses 7 as an example but you have to do what works for you. My oldest I had on an 8am-8pm schedule. My middle I don't remember and my youngest 6:30am-6:30 pm it is just what worked at the time.

In terms of waiting until 9:15 for a nap should be ok. If he wakes up at 8 anyway he wouldn't go down until 9:30 or 10ish as about 4 mos they move to a 4 hr EASY.

amother

Wed, Nov 09 2011, 8:08 am

were huuuge baby whispere fans! changed our family! you for sure do not 'need' to do anything she recommends at a certain time, at all. When I started, I was still putting down my 4 month old at 930 at night, I just took the overall concept, and then slowly adpated it to our needs. I loved the easy method, bc once I got the hang of noticing when my baby was tired, life was a lot simpler
good luck!
p.s. I read the back a million times lol

newmother

Thu, Nov 10 2011, 8:50 pm

Okay- I need some chizzuk here. I started my ds on EASY on sunday and having been having a very hard time. Nighttime is pretty good by bedtime ds is tired and usually falls asleep within 10 minutes of me shushing and patting, in the middle of the night I need to do PU/PD but it works and ds goes back to sleep. Naps are the problem. Each nap is supposed to be an hour and a half long but it usually takes me at least 25 minutes to get ds to sleep, he sleeps for 40 minutes and then wakes up, then I start PU/PD and shushing him but after 15 minutes he is still up and it's feeding time. This has happened every nap except 2 of them since sunday! Is that normal?

My baby is also a spirted baby so when I try to do the wind down routine I have noticed that after I swaddle if I just hold ds while I sit like I am supposed to do he gets ansty. So I end up taking a happy baby into the room within five minutes he is upset. Any advice?

chevron

Thu, Nov 10 2011, 9:00 pm

Was he always on the pattern of wakinf up after 40 min. or only since you statred this? She gives advice on that by going in to the room ten min before will wake up and lightly patting babys bottom untill fifteen min that hes deep int next cycle.
The doing pu/pd when baby woke up already didnt work for me.-I aually didnt like the whole pu/pd thing.
If anyone has any other ideas for babys who only sleep through one cycle- I'll take it Tongue Out

newmother

Thu, Nov 10 2011, 9:08 pm

He was taking basically no naps when I started! Amazingly he can go a whole day without a nap and still be a pretty good baby. My sister was commented that once he actually starts napping he will be a angel baby!

chatouli

Thu, Nov 10 2011, 9:11 pm

chevron wrote:

I can't find my book right now, but I think "wake to sleep" was one of the 40-minute-nap-fighting techniques she recommended. I used to sneak in there at the appropriate time and stick his paci in his mouth, then sneak out. It did work. This was a 3-6 months issue for us IIRC. After 6 months he started taking his full hour and a half or two hour naps.

But I have to say that until sometime after 3 months, closer to 4, he napped in the swing. I know, I know, it's anti-BW, but what can I say, it worked, and he took really long, good naps in there.

chevron

Thu, Nov 10 2011, 9:26 pm

chatouli wrote:

chevron wrote:

thats right I never really tried it enough to see if it works. Think I can try it with my seveteen mnth old? Rolling Eyes

amother

Fri, Nov 11 2011, 3:22 pm

I remember at the 4 month mark having issues with napping..because DD didnt need to sleep all the time, but still needed naps! I remember starting (and still do) the same routien for nighttime (minues the bath) before nap time, at the same time everyday. so in a dark room, feed, sing something, put down with paci, out the door. If she woke up after 30-40 minute, I prob let her cry and she fell back asleep, and then after like 2 days of taht, she started napping longer...
btw only once DD turned like 6 months, thats when she took solid 1.5-2 hour naps..