Tracy Hogg's EASY routine... how soon is too soon for a newborn ??

[JoGehani]

Hi,

My baby boy (no names decided yet) is only 7 days old and I was wondering if it's too soon to try and put him on Tracy Hogg's EASY routine ??

Cheers,
Jo

[pointyfangs]

Far too young - your baby won't even be able to tell night from day until about 4 months.

Your baby will have growth spurts at roughly 10 days, 21 days, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks and 20-24 weeks. These will disrupt any routine you try to impose.

It's far easier to go with the flow for all concerned - and when you see a pattern emerging (which you will, after 2 months or so) you can then 'nudge' that pattern so that it becomes a routine. But it should always be led by your baby's needs, because that saves a lot of stress and screaming.

[QTPie]

I agree and disagree with the previous poster...

We introduced a bedtime routine at 3 weeks (in desperation - chronic over-tired baby who screamed for hours), then watched for feeding and sleeping patterns and built on those. By 5 weeks (and by encouraging the baby's natural patterns) we had a routine (although naps were haphazard until 6 months), feeding and sleep time routine was in place. DS was breastfed, was a very healthy chunk and rarely ever cried (had all of his needs met). He was - and still is - "textbook spirited"

We had no upsets like the previous poster suggests.

If we conceive DC2, then I would look to "encourage" a routine pretty quickly - within one/two weeks. I think that yhe key is listening to your baby, but taking bits and pieces from the books that you read (like baby whisperer) to encourage a routine that suits both the baby and you.

QT

[crackcrackcrak]

Yes and no. The easy thing is focused on separating feeding from sleep iirc. This is a bit random because feeding is soporific - even in adults!
That said I did get a lot from TH description of sleep cues and that really helped with the you time because I got much better at getting dd to sleep in the first place.
It's nothing like GF and I don't think it's a mean routine or anything I just don't thi knit has much chance of working!

[thezoobmeister]

The baby whisperer routines can really disrupt breastfeeding (as can any routine that restricts feeds to set times), so if you have your heart set on breastfeeding it may be worth waiting at least a few months before going down that road.

[crackcrackcrak]

Thezoo - god yeh that too!

[cowboylover]

I tried when DD was 8 weeks and dreadful for us and had issues with breastfeeding because of it.

But I took some ideas from it which worked but I think it's a case of finding what works for you both. For us it's a combination of Tracy Hogg, No Cry Sleep and info from wonder weeks.

Enjoy your new bundle x

[griphook]

I might have got this completely wrong it over 2 years since I read the book and I was very tired. But isn't her routine about doing things the same hopefully in the same order but without the restrictions of doing things at a certain time. So you might do bottle/ breast before bed with dimmed lights and a bit of music, but it didn't matter if that was at 7pm or 9 pm. Might be completely wrong! But doing the same things but not necessarily at the same time works for me

[griphook]

Her ideas of observing you baby for clues particularly sleep really works for ds 2

[QTPie]

It can work with breastfeeding - did for us - but probably depends on your baby and how settled they are with breastfeeding. My DS was an absolute natural feeder and he meant business when he fed (didn't faff about) and i had a massive supply. I could easily spot patterns in demand and encourage them. He would feed efficiently and fill himself up, he then rapidly dropped night feeds (down to on at 5 weeks and slept through from 12 weeks) - he was "tanked up" during the day, so didn't need night feeds.

Maybe I was lucky - as I said, "spirited textbook" baby - but routine breastfeeding can be done with at least some babies. It is about knowing your baby and working out what will work with them.

Putting too much pressure, in an direction, with a new baby is a bad thing. But having a direction to follow can help retain some sanity.

[lola88]

It never worked for DS he always wanted to eat then sleep then play he had no interest in being awake after a bottle and would just cry if i tried to keep him awake.

Like others have said i just watched for his natural pattern and went with that. I read somewhere from about 2/3 months until 6/7 babies would need a nap 2 hours after waking from the last it was very true of DS and helped me to know when he would be sleepy next so i could plan around it.

[FunnysInLaJardin]

I found EASY the right thing for my 2 DC. I didn't follow it to the letter and was bottle feeding but the rough guideline of Eat, Activity, Sleep, You really helped me to get into a 'routine'. Really it was just following the natural rhythm of my babies, but when exhausted it was a useful and easy way to remember what we were supposed to be doing next. It didn't matter what order either DC did EASY, just that for a block of time that is what they were best doing. I did it from a few weeks I think

[FunnysInLaJardin]

a few people have mentioned EASY being a routine which you fit your baby into. My experience was the exact opposite. You just use the EASY bit to know what's next for your baby, it's far from a proscribed 'routine'

[QTPie]

It is a set of guidelines that allow you to develop your own "routine" (to a greater or lesser extent)

[narmada]

It's OK as far as it goes re. watching babies closely for signs of tiredness and making sure to put them to sleep after a short period of awake time. However, some things to be wary of:

• Her breastfeeding advice is absolute bolleaux - e.g., stuff about babies 'snacking'. This is normal and healthy, not a 'problem'. Actually, having overly-large, sporadic feeds is believed to be linked to adult obesity. And for many babies and mums, feeding only every 2 1/2 to 3 hours is not going to help with getting your BM supply established. She also advocates lots of dodgy things such as pumping to check your supply. Load of rubbish, proves nothing.
  

• Not all babies (and certainly, the VAST majority of tiny babies like yours) don't conform to her idea of sleeping for longish periods. Lots of babies catnap during the day and this can just be how they are. You will run yourself into the ground if you've got one of these babies and you try and make them sleep for longer :)
  

Best of luck with your new snuffly newborn. aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

[ZuleikaD]

Yes, she talks absolute rubbish about breastfeeding and IMO the EASY routine is simply a handy acronym. Babies naturally feed to sleep (in fact both of mine fed when they woke up AND when they went to sleep) - the gubbins she talks about not putting them down with a full stomach is completely wrong.

[Poosnu]

I found BW useful for:

• sleep cues (and generally other cues)
  
• awake times for different ages (certainly on the website if not in the book)
  

I got myself really hung up on it though, and felt I had a problem as DD only catnapped for the first 5 months. This was just how she was! TH also berates any kind of sleep prop, but I think in the very early days babies need to be bounced / rocked to sleep. This doesn't set bad habits like the book suggests.

[LadyLetch]

Agree with the others who said that ignore the stuff about breast feeding, but I have to say I found the rest of it really worked. I did follow it quite closely, I did the whole observe your baby for 3 days, so I ensured that the 'routine' was based around my baby's natural rhythms, needs and desires. It worked for us, I found that my rather difficult DD1, soon came to know what to expect and from 7 weeks, she was sleeping a block of 7 hours, 8 from 8 weeks and so on. I also found it combined well with breast feeding, and I bfed dd1 until she was over 18months. I later used it equally successfully on DD2 as well.

I'd say it was essential to do the observation first for it to work, and remember that it is not a routine as such but more establishing your baby's natural pattern (do you fit round the baby not the other way round) do both you and the baby knows what comes next...

[LadyLetch]

That's so btw, on hubby's iPad!

[waterrat]

I really really loathe this book. If you are going to follow her suggestions can I please point out the serious errors in her breastfeeding advice.

She says that a newborn feeding more than every three hours is a 'problem' - and that it might mean you don't have enough milk. this is ABSOLUTE NONSENSE. Human babies were designed by evolution to feed little and often - they have tiny tummies. Yes, you probably can get a healthy baby into a routine if you want - I think there is nothing wrong with that as long as you are baby led and not rigid about it - and I think you should wait until around 8/ 12 weeks once breastfeeding is established - or the baby is healthy and robust.

IF you want a routine - and it is helpful to the mum to have a structure sometimes - then that's fine - but her argument , that babies 'hate surprises' and want routine is really offensive and wrong. Babies want cuddles food and a safe place to sleep (which at first will be on your boob or in your arms) - its obvious that they are designed that way to keep them safe while they are small and vulnerable.

If babies fell asleep anywhere at anytime they might get eaten by a wild beast (evolutionarily speaking) - that's why they only fall asleep when they feel safe and secure - that's also why breastmilk is designed to make them sleepy.

So - tracey hogg can give advice on helping with routines if she likes - but I really object to her saying that it is the 'only ' way to bring up a baby. that is bollocks - and it makes mums feel shit.

If you want a routine, watch your baby and take your time - and don't get stressed if the baby does different things on different days. And if you don't want one - don't worry about it!
ne

[UserNameAngst]

I have a 4 week old DS2 and he feeds and sleeps whenever he wants and everyone seems happy about this. I frequently think back to the same period in DS1's life and it was a v different story - lots of tears from both of us. I put this down a fair amount to the BW. When DS1 wanted to cluster feed in the evenings I would feel something was wrong because he would'nt go 3 hours without a feed. It was all ok
in the end (got some great irl bf support and discovered MN) but I would definitely agree that it should be taken with a pinch of salt. Enjoy your new baby!

[Loislane78]

I've just started (loosely) doing EASY with my 8-9 wk old; not necessarily in that order. I BF on demand and didn't worry about any routine until now - i found my DDs natural rhythm was about 3 hr feeds during the day anyway so no great shakes for us to give it a try.

BF is well established and she was going 5+ hrs at night sometimes before I started doing this so I don't see how supply will be affected.

Second what others have said re. sleeping cues etc. v helpful.

[QTPie]

Maybe LLL and NCT are not correct for ALL babies?

I spotted and encouraged 2 to 3 hours feeds, during the day, since DS was 5 weeks and he absolutely thrived and has always thrived since (2 years 8 months (you will not find a healthier, physically spot on toddler).

If your supply is excellent and your baby is putting on weight, thriving and healthy, then either feeding every 3 hours or by routine cannot be wrong...