Five days in and I think we may be getting somewhere. I have managed to extend his feeds from 3 hourly to (mostly) 4 hourly, and he has stopped catnapping and now sleeps for around 1.5-2 hours at a stretch (as per routine below). So two successes there.
What is still being worked on is the self-settling but he has not used the breast to go to sleep for 3 days now. Not that I can't say I haven't been tempted to let him have a little feed when he is screaming very loudly in objection at being put to bed. The longest he has gone is 1 hour - quite a few times - but this morning it was 30 minutes and this afternoon it was 15 minutes. I do not believe in controlled crying at this age so am trying a mixture of ssshhhhhing while patting and picking up if he gets really distressed but putting him back down still awake, which usually results in crying again but I am trying to break a habit not create a new one, so am sticking with him going into bed awake even if it takes me an hour sat there each time. Am hoping that today's reduction in the time it has taken for Nathaniel to go to sleep is a turning point and he will be completely self-settling by next weekend.
The other difficulty that I have found with the routine is sticking to the times, which isn't the end of the world as he is mostly in a 4 hourly EASY (Baby Whisperer) routine but the problem is that I also need to be able to fit a toddler and her activities/clubs into the day, which is why timings are very helpful. However, I am hopeful that once Nathaniel is sleeping as soon as he is put down and being more consistent in his feed times, the actual timings of the day can be more easily predicted and organised around activities of the day. Give me a little longer (1-2 weeks) and we will be there.
In the meantime, I have another busy week but all in a good way - meeting friends and going to new baby/toddler groups - loving maternity leave!!
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