Any baby whisperers out there?

[cakesareyummy]

Hi! I've decided to try the EASY routine with DD2. DD1 fell into the timings of she who shall not be named with no effort required which I now realise was luck and just how she was! DD2 is not showing any sign of lasting more than 2.5-3 hours between feeds and I think the baby whisperer method will work better. She is almost 7 weeks.

It all makes sense but she does say that if it's less than 2.5 hours since a feed then it's unlikely to be a hunger cry so my question is, what happens if your baby doesn't sleep through their natural sleep cycle having gone for a sleep maybe 1.5 hours after a feed and so they wake maybe 2 hours after a feed? If they are happy do you end up doing EASYAEASY or I can see it slipping into EASYAESY and falling asleep on 2nd feed as tired after not enough sleep!

Also, she doesn't really talk about the bedtime bit. I'm assuming they don't have to have the awake active bit after the last feed?

Sorry to be a bit dense.

Can anyone shed s

Shed some light I meant to say. Iphone playing up!

thanks!

Take her book.

Put in the bin.

2 hours between feeds for a little one is normal. Normal normal! They feed little and often. Sometimes more sometimes less.

So I would go with your instinct. If baby seems hungry, feed her. Get her to nap on the go with her in a sling/pram. Aim for a nap around an hour after waking for morning, then every 90 mins or so after waking. Maybe less. Bedtime - watch your baby, she probably gets tired around 6/7pm?

By 3 - 4 months she'll settle into around 3 naps hopefully then you can structure a bit more as you get to 4/6 months.

I have 11week old, and have tried EASY routine. It made sense, as it wasn't to strict nor loose.
Of course, it doesn't always work, if you're out with baby in a pram, he'll always fall asleep no matter whether is E,A,S or Y time! Also there are growth spurts - my DS feeds every 2hrs for the last 2 days. it was every 3 up until day before yesterday...
I think the secret is to use it as a guideline, to help you break up a day in
manageable cycles, so you can plan your day. Don't get too stressed if the order doesn't happen. Up until 3-4 months they are very little and need your comfort, feed, and care all the time, not giving it to your baby because book says so would be crazy! Good luck

I do easy 'order' but feed on demand. I have an 8 wk old. Last baby I followed it more closely but it's not really possible as I have a demanding toddler to factor in this timee. I also don't bother with the dream feed, but last time that worked great. If baby wakes after a short sleep and seems hungry then feed or do a bit more activity and then offer a feed. Don't get hung up on timings. The easy thing I like as baby should feed when wide awake and take a good feed. This prevents falling asleep in a middle of a feed and getting used to feeding to sleep. Some of what she says just doesn't fit with my baby or lifestyle. But some of the ideas I like.

She says feed at 6,8,10pm. The last two feeds there would be no activity but just strain back to bed. Well the 10 or 11pm one is the dreamfeed in theory. With me this doesnt quite work. baby feeds 6-9pm non stop suckling snoozing. And screams if I put him to bed until he is ready. Then takes one feed in the next 10 hours which suits me fine.

Don't let anyone tell you to ditch the routine. If you want to try it and it works for you, that's up to you! Some people hate anything other than a baby led approach but sooner or later we have set bedtimes and sleep times for our children and for some families this suits in babyhood too.

I would do as a poster has said above and chuck the book. Books just make you worry and feel inadequate if your baby doesn't fit 'the routine', and not many 7 week olds will fit into a routine. They are changing every day at that age. I would honestly try to trust your own instincts, feed when baby cries, let her sleep when she wants to and just be led by her.

I also use a sling for most daytime naps or they tend to be a bit short.

The baby whisperer book is THE WORK OF THE DEVIL and should be burned!!

With my PFB I tried and tried to use the techniques and made myself into a gibbering wreck with them.

Second baby, fed on demand, used a Moby wrap sling, and was WAY more relaxed.

Growth spurts, feeding frenzies, tiny tummies, wind, poop, day/night confusion, and lots more change the rhythms of your baby day to day. An imposed routine is just a stick to beat yourself with.

Hmmm I thought there was a lot of emphasis on reading baby cues and was quite baby-led, with emphasis on finding a routine that fits your particular baby. Personally i use a sling and feed on demand but still like the eat, activity, sleep pattern. Timings are different every day and length of times between feeds so I guess i use some of the ideas very losely.

I read the book while pregnant then binned it when DD was actually born! However she did put herself into a routine like this anyway at around 12 weeks. What put me off was that I read somewhere that it only takes 90 minutes to digest a full stomach of breastmilk and I had no desire to keep her hungry. Feeding on demand and observing her tiredness cues is all I've ever really needed to do and she will be starting solids soon which, in time, will give her a routine anyway. But as nilbyname says growth spurts etc do throw a spanner in the works and my concern about following a routine too rigidly would be the stress caused during these times of change. But if you can be flexible in that way there's no reason a routine shouldn't work for you.

I read the book. She gives you NO answer to your question, because she assumes babies will follow her pattern. Nor does she answer how to get your baby to go to sleep at night. I found it full of enormous holes.

Sorry not to answer your question, but I think you've put your finger on a big flaw in her supposedly EASY routines.

Thank you for all your thoughts. I'm glad to see I wasn't missing something and that there is a flaw to her methods but it is a useful guide I guess and helps me look out for sleep cues and I'll try not to get hung up on the frequency of feeds! I am a very structured person so I find it hard to "go with the flow". Especially with looking after a 4 year old, I can find that I'm out somewhere in -2 degrees with no inside option and she wants a feed! So I find that quite stressful but don't want to limit going out with my older child...
I know it's still early days and we'll get there.
Thank you!

Get the book called 'Sleep Sense' (by the authors of Baby Sense, can't remember their names). It is really useful and is RESEARCH BASED, unlike the Baby Whisperer's 'opinions'.

Hi, I followed the general advice of the BW for both my girls and found it really helpful in general. Both are now lovely, routine-based, predictable girls who nap well etc - I think BW had a bit to do with setting me up well for an easy life now that they are toddlers. I also LOVE her potty training advice - both girls trained before they were 2 without any dramas.

However, I did find that with both of them as little babies (under 3.5 months) they seldom got beyond 2.5 hours before needing another feed (both BFed) so I just shortened the routine down. Probably better to time everything according to naps? For example, a 7 week old who wakes at 7am will probably want an 8.15am nap and another about 1.5 hours later.
The other thing I took on was instead of cluster feeding at night, I just topped up with a formula bottle before bed. Took the pressure off my boobs and seemed to set them up for a good, straightforward bedtime (no hungry wake-ups).

oh, and the other thing, even though I'm like you and like a bit of structure, it took quite a while for DD2 in particular to get on to a good routine. She was about 3 months I think before I knew what approximate times her naps would be. They are different; DD1 slept through predictably from 12 weeks; DD2 was 9 months (gasp!) before she did. Despite being treated exactly the same.

I vaguely used bw but ds more or less put himself in a routine. I mostly used it for sleep cues as I had no idea how long a baby would stay awake for (not very!) ds fed every two hours down to the minute - his choice, not mine (bf on demand) but no point arguing with a baby

Kiwi me too re potty training and my dd was partially trained, for poos, by doing the early start ahe recommends, at under a year and out of nappies at 22 months. No accidents or stress. I can see why the bw grates on many but some of the ideas really worked for me. I like the emphasis on reading cues and that she is 'no cry'.

Kiwi, that must have been a shock having a 2nd child that took so much longer to sleep through! So many of my friends had 2nd children that were angels compared to their 1st that I foolishly told myself in pregnancy that I might have the same experience!! My first slept thru at about 7-8 months so I know it can take a while but hoped it might be different this time!!!!
Last couple of days her daytime naps have become more predictable but she refuses to "tank up" in the evening. Once she has done her 10-15 min she is done! However much I wave my nipples at her!

I love the BW, used it for both my two. It works excellently as a structure/ way of parenting that isn't too rigid but still gives great routine because you don't get into the habit of feeding to sleep. . Like you OP I am a structured sort of person and I think all children can benefit from it. Perhaps try writing down a typical day to give you some idea of your dd's pattern? At 7 weeks there may still be growth spurts as well which can skew things but if she wants to feed every 2.5 hours then just shorten the timings, it is about reading your baby's cues as well! Oh and she does say somewhere that you don't bother doing the "awake" thing for the night feeds. Good luck!

Hiya, yes I found that it fell into place more at 3-4 months. Before that dd would always fal asleep on the bottle (she was a snacker). The BW sleep forums are really useful if they are still going. Lots of very helpful tips etc.
x

If you want to whisper
When your baby is upset, comfort her and whisper to her that you love her.
When she is hungry, feed her and whisper to her that you love her