Almost 5 months and dad still can't put baby to sleep - any tips?

[pradabooties]

Hi everyone,

My Bub is almost 5 months and my fiancé is yet to manage to put her down for a nap or to sleep for the night. Actually no one has except for me - she's only been watched by someone other than us once (my mum) and she couldn't get her to nap.

She's quite a good night sleeper but during the day normally takes a bit of work to get her to nap but generally wearing her in a baby bjorn carrier and patting her to sleep works without too much effort but my fiancé's tried even that a few times with no luck. One day I was sick and he put her in the carrier when she was due for a nap and he came into our room over an hour later saying she was still wide awake...

I don't mind so much right now, although it is hard not being able to leave her even with her dad for a few hours, but I'm thinking of going back to university. Mostly doing it online but the degree would require me to do quite a lot of on the job hours starting around when she's 1-1.5 years old. I know things will change a lot by then but I'm seriously unsure of enrolling because of how hard she is to get to sleep... It would just never work out if by then her dad still can't settle her!

I guess my question is, any tips on helping dad get Bub to sleep? And with anyone with older babies - did they get easier to put to sleep by around a year old or no?

 

[MindUtopia]

Sleep and well, everything, will always be changing so I wouldn't worry about anything in the future based upon how things are now. I'm pretty sure that at 5 months, my husband had never put our daughter to sleep at bedtime (not because he couldn't, just he always did her bath and I always did bedtime). Probably the first time he did was when she was 9 months old (I had to be away 2 nights for a training). When she was 11 months old, I was commuting 2.5 hours each day at least one day a week, so was on the train by 6am and not home until 9pm. He managed just fine. It just comes with time and confidence and then getting to know each other more. If he can wear her more around the house just in general, that will be great bonding him for them. I would also find time when you can disappear for a morning or an afternoon on the weekend when he's home and let him find his own way. There really are no tricks or anything. He just has to work it out for himself, but that can be easier if you aren't around to fall back on. Maybe do that a few times a month and let him just get used to what works for him. And then perhaps start doing it occasionally in the evening. Plan dinner out with a friend and leave him to it. It will come in time, just like it does for us. But yes, a lot will change in 6-12 months, so I would plan for your university course and give it all time to work itself out in the next few months.