Babywise Update

 Okay, as usual, this is really much more for me than for anyone else.  I just want to have a record of Jack's schedule at this point for future reference/children.  So, if you are going to think this is super boring (which you probably will), just skip this post! 

Jack is 23 weeks and now on a 4 hour schedule, and he is doing so great on it!  This is actually, from what I've read, not the Babywise method but the "Baby Whisperer" method.  Babywise suggests you first completely drop the dream feed before moving to a 4 hour schedule, but the Baby Whisperer suggests 4 hour schedule before dropping the dream feed.  

We decided to move to a 4 hour schedule because Jack just seemed ready for it.  There were a few times where we were out and he wasn't eating right on the 3 hour mark--and he was totally fine and happy.  Also, he wasn't napping well anymore on the 3 hour schedule.  So we moved and he has done so great on his new schedule.  He is back to taking great naps.

Right now, his schedule looks like this:

7:00 -- wake and eat (sometimes on the weekends,we sleep in until 7:15ish)

9:00 -- 1st nap

11:00 -- wake and eat 

1:00 -- 2nd nap

3:00 -- wake and eat

5ish -- cat nap

6ish -- wake up from cat nap

7:00 -- eat

7:30/8:00 -- bedtime

9:30 -- dream feed

A few comments:  Thanks to daycare, I actually know how much he eats--about 6 ounces.  When I drop the dream feed, I will probably bump him up to 7 oz at daycare to see how he does.

Sometimes he wakes up in the middle of his naps.  If I go in and give him his pacifier (as a side note, I hate when people call pacifiers Nuks or Binkys--it gives me the heeby jeebies...no idea why, I guess I am just weird), he will go back to bed.  Sometimes he will wake up about 15 or 30 minutes before his nap is over.  If he is just talking to himself, I leave him in the crib.  If he's fussing, I'll grab him, but (as long as he's happy just being awake and playing) I will wait to feed him.

I am about to drop the dream feed from 9:30 to 9:15...we are getting so close to being done with it!  Usually after you have dropped it down to 2 hours after the last feeding, you just drop it completely.

And a final note--I hope you all know that I don't think Babywise is the only way to do any of this, or that I think I am an expert by any means.  Babywise has just worked really well with us and with Jack.  Part of that is that I am a scheduled person--I work best with a set schedule.  Part of it is that Jack is a really easy baby--and that is definitely not because of us.  I plan on trying Babywise on all subsequent babies, but who knows how they will do with it?