***SeaSoul***

sixres

Hey there!  Saw your post below about getting easier at 3 months...I so didn't believe it when I heard it cause the newborn stage is definitely more than difficult.  It's like when you're trying to get pregnant and people say, "it'll happen!"  You didn't see it.  It's already getting easier and DS is 9 weeks today...what a huge difference from 3 weeks!  I can't wait till 3 months with all the new things he'll be doing.

I wanted to ask you though about your routine/schedule.  Is Cal sleeping in his crib or in your room?  Did he let you know he wanted to go to bed that early and when did it start and how?  Aiden seems to be much sleepier around 8:30/9:00 now, when we were going to bed at 11.  I was nursing him at 9 and putting him in the swing, then he'd fall asleep and I'd wake him at 11 to change his diaper and feed him...well, he really didn't wake up, so it like a dreamfeed. Then its swaddle time and bed, he's usually out for all of this.  I only did it so we'd get longer hours of sleep.  Do you think I should just start putting him to bed all swaddled like I would at 11 but much earlier like 8 or 9?  I start back at work next week and would like to start getting a routine down.  Thanks for your help!

SeaSoul

Hi!  I'm glad to hear that things are starting to improve for you...that will definitely continue!  When Cal was around Aiden's age, he slept for 6.5 hours straight one night.  That was a fluke, but he did seem to be falling asleep around the same time and staying asleep for longer stretches than he used to.  So, we started to pay attention to what time that happened, and think about "putting him to bed" around then.  He did, and still does, sleep in a bassinet in our room at night.  We used to just bring him in with us when we went to bed and his days & nights were basically a series of naps.  There was no "going to bed."  He'd just sleep in our arms, or on the couch (well-secured, of course!) and then when we got tired we'd wait until the next time he fell asleep and we'd all go to bed at that time. 

When we started to notice a pattern, we experimented with putting him to bed after he fell asleep during that timeframe.  Since our BR is the farthest room from the LR, we put him in his room in his crib, which is closest to the LR.  I just feel more comfortable that way, even though we do have a baby monitor.  So, he goes down in there when he falls asleep somewhere between 7:30-9 then he usually wakes up for 1 feeding right around the time we're ready for bed (usually around 11/11:30) and we'll bring him in with us at that time.

There are still tough nights, for sure...when he hit 3 months he went through a growth spurt and was up every hour in the night all that week, which also happened to be my 1st week back at work!  The following week he was sleeping for 2-hour stretches at a time, and this week it's been 3-5 hours at a time (which is what it was before he hit his growth spurt).  But randomly there will be a night where he's up every hour.  It's so unpredictable.

Anyway, I hope that helps somewhat.  I think if you just follow his cues and put him to bed around 8 or 9, like you said, that's a good place to start.  I have never awakened Cal for feedings except when he was brand new - I just feed on demand.  So, maybe you can try that and see how long Aiden sleeps once you put him down?

Good luck!