Since Little Bug’s birth, I’ve been striving to get her on a consistent eat/wake/sleep routine … The EASY Routine. It has definitely been a work in progress.

During the month of November, we’ve made wonderful progress! Little Bug now has a pretty consistent daily routine that makes for a happy baby and a happy Mommy:

7:30am wake up
9:30am nap
11am eat
1:30pm nap
3pm eat
5:30pm nap
6:15pm eat
7:45pm bath
8:15pm (tank up bottle before going to bed…usually only 2oz.)
8:30pm bedtime
11:30pm eat
4-6am (sometimes she will wake to eat during this time – if she does I give her 2oz. and she goes back to bed until 7:30am)

For several months now Little Bug has been doing the EASY Routine. However, the times were never consistent from one day to the next until I set a wake time. She had been waking anywhere from 7:30 – 8:30am. We were not able to have a consistent daily routine until I started waking her every morning at the same time (7:30am)! Now, I do not have to wake her. She wakes up on her own at 7:30am.

So, if you are doing the EASY Routine with your baby and are trying to get him/her on a consistent daily routine, the key is making sure your baby wakes at the same time every day!

When I read about baby waking at the same time every day, I also read that waking at the same time every morning also helps baby start sleeping through the night (if, of course, they are at the age where sleeping through the night is an achievable goal). Sure enough, the week I started waking Little Bug up at the same time every morning was the week she consistently started sleeping through the night (11:30pm – 7:30am)!

Little Bug eats and sleeps within 30 minutes of the times written above. For example, at her 11am feeding, Little Bug eats anywhere from 10:45am to 11:15am. For her afternoon nap Little Bug lays down anywhere from 1:15pm to 1:45pm. This is also key in getting baby on a consistent daily routine. I found that if Little Bug ate or slept outside that 30 minute window it messed up her eating and she wouldn’t get enough calories during the day and would wake more in the night for those missed calories. This 30 minute window also allows for some flexibility in baby’s routine so that you are not tied down to a schedule.

When you first establish set eating/sleeping times, you may have to wake baby or keep them awake longer before putting them down for a nap. That, however, doesn’t last long at all because sooner, rather than later, baby’s metabolism and body clock set itself. For example, Little Bug almost always wakes by 11:15am and 3:15pm from her naps to eat. I rarely wake her but when we were really trying to get into this routine, I would have to wake her sometimes. It really is cool how their little bodies regulate over time!

The above routine can now easily be tweaked when Little Bug’s eating and sleeping needs change over time. Eventually, she will drop that evening nap and I am thinking her other two nap times will be a little later than they are now. Only time will tell!

I know several of you that read my blog are doing the EASY Routine so I wanted to pass along these tid bits of information I’ve discovered by trial and error along the way!

Little Bug is (almost) 6 months old and we are just now getting into a consistent daily routine. I think, had I known these key components in getting baby on the EASY Routine, we could have gotten here sooner. But what can you say … Little Bug is my first (the guinea pig!) and I’ll remember what I learned with her for #2! (Which is another reason why I am writing it all down in my blog!)

I love the EASY Routine and so does Little Bug … it really does make for an easy day because both baby and mommy know what is expected when in the day!!

Can you believe Little Bug is just a week away from being 5 months old?

Good. Okay. It’s not just me.

Five months old? That is just one month away from being half-way to the one year mark!

Well, at almost 5 months old, we’ve established a new normal around here and it is oh so nice!

We have a pretty good, well established eat/wake/sleep routine with Little Bug so that life, for the time being, is somewhat predictable.

I know when the teething starts and Little Bug gets her first cold, we’ll have to be flexible but that is the beauty of a routine – they leave room for flexibility.

Little Bug wakes up anywhere from 7:30-8:30am. She has 3 naps a day – morning, afternoon and evening. The morning nap lasts typically 2 hours. The afternoon nap lasts 1.5 hours and the evening nap is 30 minuets. Little Bug naps in her Miracle Blanket.

**We now break for a Miracle Blanket commercial**

I cannot say enough good things about the Miracle Blanket except to say that I don’t know what I would have done without the Miracle Blanket these past almost 5 months. Seriously.

The Miracle Blanket has bought me (and Little Bug) HOURS of uninterrupted peaceful sleep. And when you are talking about a newborn or young infant, uninterrupted peaceful sleep is gold.

There was a time when Little Bug was not napping in her Miracle Blanket. But as soon as she learned to roll from back to tummy, sleep during naptime was greatly interrupted.

I decided it was time to put her back in the Miracle Blanket for naptime. Since the day I started putting her in the Miracle Blanket for naps, she’s been taking GREAT naps.

One day Daddy put Little Bug to bed for her morning nap without swaddling her in the Miracle Blanket. (The Miracle Blanket was in the dryer still damp from being washed.) So Daddy just laid Little Bug on her back in the crib. She did go to sleep but as soon as it was time to transition from light to deep sleep, about 30-45 minutes into the nap, she woke all the way up and couldn’t get herself back to sleep.

That same afternoon the Miracle Blanket was dry. I put Little Bug to bed in her Miracle Blanket and she took her typical 1.5 hour afternoon nap!

I started using the Miracle Blanket with Little Bug when she was 6 weeks old, but my second child will be using it from Day 1!

In my opinion the Miracle Blanket is just as much a necessity for baby as breast milk or formula!

Go to www.miracleblanket.com to order one!

**Back to my regularly scheduled post**

Little Bug’s bedtime is 8:30pm. I was very hesitant to move her bedtime to this earlier time because I was afraid she would be up at 5am ready to start the day! But when she really started to be very cranky (and sleepy) from 8-10pm, I figured she must just be ready for an earlier bedtime.

And she was!

Little Bug is such a happy little baby. She doesn’t meet a stranger, although she sometimes gives this shy little smile to people that I just find so adorable because she smiles and then buries her head into me.

I can’t imagine life without Little Bug and know the next 5 months will only be sweeter.

Month three has been a BIG month of growth for Little Bug!

We took Little Bug to Olive Garden (our favorite) for the first time last weekend. She sat with us at the table for a while and then when she got sleepy she fell asleep in her car seat.

The shoes you see Little Bug wearing are the one I had for her to come home from the hospital in. They were entirely TOO BIG for her teeny tiny feet when she came home from the hospital weighing only 5lbs. 10 oz.! Last Sunday for church I put them on her feet and they finally fit!

Little Bug is learning to grab and hold her toys!

Little Bug is doing very well with tummy time!

And Little Bug’s greatest accomplishment this month …

sleeping in her crib for naptimes!

She continues to do so well!! Today, I had a Baby Shower at my house for Angele. In the middle of the shower I was holding Little Bug and noticed she was getting sleepy and ready for another nap. I was hesitant to go lay her down in her crib, afraid she would cry. So I kept holding her. She would fall asleep in my arms but kept waking up. She started to fuss so I decided to be brave and lay her down in the crib.

Turns out that is exactly what Little Bug wanted me to do! I laid her down in her crib and she immediately went to sleep and took a good nap!

Little Bug is on nap #3 right now and the most crying she has done when laid down today is FIVE minutes!

Pretty cool, I’d say.

I’m so proud of Little Bug (and myself)!

Nap #1: Cried for 10 minutes when laid down and then went to sleep. After an hour, woke but put herself back to sleep twice! She had a 3 hour nap!

Nap #2: Only a slight whimper when she laid down. Two hour nap!

Nap #3: Cried for 5 minutes and is now sleeping soundly.

It does my heart so good to know that I can help Little Bug learn to sleep well. She wakes up so happy and has been eating so well today. She is rested when it is time to eat and I think this attributes to her getting in a good feeding.

There is nothing like a well-rested, happy baby!

As an extra bonus, Little Bug took her second nap at my parents’ house today. I want to train her to be able to sleep wherever we are. That way, when we travel, Little Bug won’t have sleeping issues because she will be trained to sleep when she is sleepy and will not have to have her crib to sleep.

It is really cool how a baby who “needed” her passy to sleep two days ago is now taking 2 and 3 hour naps without a passy at all!

Thanks for all the encouragement!

Little Bug is napping now and only cried for 10 minutes when I laid her down!

I’ve loved Little Bug since the moment she was first placed in my arms in the hospital.

However, over the weeks and months that have passed since that day, my love for her has only grown deeper and deeper.

Yesterday, our first day of “crying it out” at naptimes, made my love for her go even deeper.

I hated hearing her cry. It was so, so sad.

When she would wake up I couldn’t wait to get in her room and pick her up. She was all smiles and it just melted my heart to know this little creature is dependant on me for everything – including learning how to sleep.

Yesterday was a long, hard day for both of us. She really didn’t take very long to settle down to sleep after that first cry it out session that lasted almost an hour.

When she started crying when I laid her down for her nap this morning, I almost caved and let myself go get her. But I stopped myself because I know this is what is best for both of us.

When I read in a book that sleep is critical to proper growth and development of infants and children, I knew I had to do everything in my power to help Little Bug learn to be a good sleeper.

And I know there will come a day that she will look forward to naps, know when they are coming and will not cry when I lay her in her crib.

Until those days, I have to remain strong for both of us!

I pray every nap gets better and better and the crying ceases altogether very soon!

Just laid Little Bug down for her 3rd nap.

Guess what?

No crying!!

The hour she cried this morning????

So worth it!

Little Bug cried this morning for almost an hour and then slept about an hour and a half before waking to eat!

She ate, we played and after about an hour and half of wake time, Little Bug was showing signs of being sleepy.

I was dreading nap #2 for obvious reasons. However, I still decided to be bold and lay Little Bug down in her crib to nap!

I walked her into her nursery which had been prepped for this naptime.

I had hung a blanket over her window to block out the sunlight. I took out all the stuffed animals that were in her crib. And I brought in a CD player so I could play the rain sounds CD that Little Bug sleeps to at night.

When I brought Little Bug into her room, I walked over to her crib and held her for a few moments saying, “Night-Night. Take a nap now. Sleep good.”

Then, I laid her down in her crib, turned the CD on and left waiting for the wailing to begin.

It never came! Little Bug whimpered for about 5 or 10 minutes. Soon, she was asleep!

About an hour into her nap, she started squirming and crying. (I’ve been glued to the Video Monitor since I left her nursery!) I waited a little bit to see if she would settle. When she didn’t, I went in and gave her a pat on the back and told her it was okay and to just go back to sleep.

She continued crying for a few more minutes and now is, once again, sleeping!

We’ve been having wonderful days even when naps weren’t going so well. I can only imagine things are only going to get even better when Little Bug learns to nap well!

I will have blocks of time in the day to take care of things around the house or have some down time and, most importantly, I will have a well-rested, happy baby when she wakes from a nap – making her play times even more enjoyable!

Little Bug is a pretty good sleeper. However, at naptimes I have noticed her waking after 30 minutes or so and wanting me to stick the passy back in her mouth.

Not ready to let her cry it out, I have always just stuck the passy back in her mouth and back to sleep she goes … until she needs the passy again.

Well, as I wrote yesterday, with the EASY Routine, I don’t want to constantly be running to her to put the passy back in her mouth when I am having my quiet with the Lord, doing a load of laundry, cleaning or just trying to sit and relax for a moment with a good book!

I also learned from reading books that babies go through cycles of light and deep sleep. Many wake up during the transition between light and deep sleep needing an aid to get back to sleep whether it be a passy, a pat on the back, a bottle, a rock in the rocking chair.

Guess when babies transition from light to deep sleep? About 30-45 minutes into sleep.

So the issue here with Little Bug is she is falling asleep just fine (with her passy) but then when her little body is trying to transition into deep sleep she wakes needing the passy that has fallen out.

So I have to stop what I am trying to get done around the house to go put her passy back in her mouth sometimes two, three even four times during naptime. (For some reason, Little Bug gave up the passy at nighttime a long time ago!)

I found this scenario was not giving Little Bug the rest she needs since her sleep keeps getting interrupted with the absence of her passy in the mouth and I wasn’t being able to get things done while she is sleeping because I am constantly running to her to help her get back to sleep.

So, today I decided if she woke up after 30 minutes I was going to let her cry it out.

I laid her down at 9:00am. Sure enough, at 9:30am she was crying wanting her passy.

I went to her and gave her a pat on the back and said, “It’s okay, Little Bug. You are sleepy, go night-night!”

She cried and cried.

At the time, I was doing my Bible Study and decided I need to put it away for now and concentrate on our very first cry it out session! (I knew God would understand!)

Five minutes go by and I give her another pat.

Her cries turn to wailing when I go back to sit at the computer desk.

The friend we met at the hospital, Jean, was on-line and I started chatting with her.

Another 5 minutes go by, Little Bug is still wailing. I give her a little pat on her booty, the wailing ceases for a moment and then starts again.

This repeated itself for almost an hour! Sometimes she would just about stop crying, but then start up again. Sometime it was just a cry, sometimes it was a wail.

I had just about decided I have a strong-willed child when she stopped crying and went to sleep!

She is sleeping now!

Success!!

During that very challenging “survival mode” phase of parenting, I kept my eyes focused on the fact that one day, just not today, I would be able to establish a routine that would give stability and order to our then very chaotic, unorderly (is that a word?) days.

Those days are here and like every experience Mama told me, came right about the 3 month mark!

I knew from the beginning I wanted to get Little Bug on the EASY Routine from The Baby Whisperer. The EASY Routine is basically a eating, activity time, sleep time and time for you as Mommy cycle that repeats itself over and over again throughout the day.

For example, Little Bug awoke today at 7:00am. I fed her, changed her diaper and got her dressed for the day. There is the E (eat).

Then came play time from approximately 7:30-8:30am. We played on the floor together and then she played in her bouncy seat. (She has just discovered she likes to play with the toys that dangle from the bouncy seat!) There is the A (activity).

At 8:30am Little Bug started showing signs of being tired so I laid her down for a nap. There is the S (sleep).

And now, while Little Bug naps, I have time for myself and to get things done around the house. There is the Y (you). When she wakes, the cycle starts again with another feeding!

I like this EASY routine because, well, it is easy. I like that it is not a rigid schedule making you HAVE to feed baby at a particular time with no room for some flexibility.

With all the parenting methods out there it is very easy to get overwhelmed. I know I got overwhelmed at the beginning.

I tried the Attachment Parenting method at first and found that just didn’t work for Little Bug and me.

I have found this EASY Routine works for us. Both baby and Mommy are happy with it.

And that is what matters when finding a parenting method for your family.

Find what works for your family and run with it. The goal here is a happy family – not picking the right parenting method.

Now, our next big challenge is going to be moving Little Bug into her room.

I’m sure this is going to be harder or me than her! But I know the time is coming.

Since birth, Little Bug has slept in a bassinet beside our bed. I know it is getting time for two reasons.

The first is I want Little Bug to make this transition before she knows she is leaving Mommy and Daddy’s room.

The second is we are borrowing Angele’s bassinet and she is 8 months pregnant and will need her bassinet back very soon!

I wanted Little Bug to be sleeping through the night before transferring her to her crib and she pretty much is doing that.

She typically goes to bed at 10pm and sleeps until 5 or 6am and then will go back to sleep for another hour or so after that feeding.

So, to anyone out there reading this who has already transitioned a baby or two or three or more from bassinet to crib … I am open to suggestions as to how to make this transition easy for both Little Bug and me!