[bebe12]

HI,

I have been reading the baby whisperer. My DS 15 weeks is in a basic routine, but have started to follow the E.A.S.Y system more. My DS at the moment only does one sleep cycle and depending on the day can wake up happy or clearly showing signs that he needed more.

I have read about the Pick up/ Put Down method. It seems counter intuitive to me so before i go down this road i would like to know if others have used it -

if so did it work?
How long did it take?
What issues did you find with it?
Did it work for extending sleep to two cycles?

Did it work when you had a disturbed period- ie traveling and changing time zones - to get bub back into routine?

If other method are better interested to hear those too.

TIA

[axiomae]

DD was a chronic catnapper - 45mins to the minute! I tried everything, including PU/PD to extend sleep cycles and nothing worked. I spent weeks sitting in her dark room, patting, shhhing, bouncing, rocking, PU/PDing... and nothing worked. I was SO much happier when I just went with the flow, even though I could tell DD was sometimes still tired, we were both better off.

To answer your original question, I found that the PU/PD method was the WORST for extending sleep cycles. It was far too stimulating and resulted in hysterical screaming. I would wake her up completely and then there was no chance of her ever going back to sleep. I did have some limited success with body rocking and rocking the bassinet - although very few times did it work. At most I'd get another 10mins of sleep.

I did do, however, a basic eat/play/sleep routine, although nothing structured to certain times, which I think works best for catnappers. I read every book and wish I hadn't wasted my time. I found the settling advice to be useful, however, and would always settle in cot after a feed, play and appropriate wake time. This worked wonders. By 4 months DD had herself in a basic 3 hour eat play sleep routine - eat, play, sleep after two hours of awake time, sleep for one hour.

There is light at the end of the tunnel though. At 5.5 months DD started to extended her sleeps on her own, through nothing that I did! She just slept longer one day, and has ever since! 1.5-2hours in the morning, 1-1.5 hrs in the afternoon - bliss! Just works with your LO and you'll both get to enjoy more of each other

Edited for spelling

This post has been edited by axiomae: 24/01/2013, 09:21 AM

[puffsgirl11]

We are having the same problems too. I have just started putting my nearly 12 wk old DS in his cot for day naps but can never get him to sleep past the first cycle. I have noticed his first nap of the day after the first cycle he will sleep longer on my chest, all the other naps he seems fine with just the first cycle.

I also settle him in his cot. Hoping one day he will just pick up what I'm trying to do for him and sleep longer.

[meggs1]

Same as Axiomae. Nothing I did made any difference, until (at 5 mo) he just got it.

We were both much happier when I gave up the fight and decided that I wouldn't do any resettling in the daytime, just get him up and try for another nap in 1.5 hours.

It does have an upside, in that you aren't tied to the house and can get out and about. I just learned to plan all tasks/activities for 45 minute blocks.

[Dylan's Mummy]

Mine never slept much when he was younger either, and like PPs he just started having longer day sleeps. I found that this coincided with when he startd being more active, eg rolling a lot, at around 4 1/2 months. Which also coincided with the dreaded "4 month sleep regression" for his night sleeps and he started waking once a night for a feed.

[feliz6]

My ds is about 3.5 months. His sleep at night is ok now but he wont sleep beyond 45 mins in the day. We had a sleep consultant come out - when the.night sleep was also bad. She has kept in touch and said to give up trying to resettle during the day. He can obviously resettle himself because he does it at night so if he wanted to during the day he would. I jope he decides he wants to soon!