Our nap & sleep routine has got to change! Help!

[Flower]

Hey ladies,

It takes OH over an hour to put Jensen to bed in the evenings, and after an hour of him still crying it resorts to me going up and having to rescue OH - I calm LO down and stroke his back while he lies on my chest, which gets him to fall alseep, so after 30 mins of this I put him in his moses basket. This is getting too much now! We just can't get him to sleep any other way.

Also for his naps during the day I have to resort to pushing him in his buggy with the kitchen fan on to get him to sleep.

Other than his sleep routine he is a perfect baby - he wakes 2-3 times during the night and he always falls asleep either half way through a bottle or just after I feed him while I try to wind him. This is fine - but what happens if OH wants to do a full night. So we need some advice on getting LO to sleep.

What are your bed/nap routines and how did you get them to work? I'm reluctant to let him to CIO - is he too young for that? I think he will just cry & cry - and I normally have to pick him up to stop him.

Please help! As I feel like I have to do everything and I have to take over when OH tries to do things! Which is not good for either of us.

 

[Whisper]

Hmmm not sure i can help much but i will tell you what i do, and to be honest it doesn't always happen like this sometimes Amelia has a bad day and it takes ages to get her to sleep.

Bedtime usually consists of bathtime around 7ish for about 15mins, she plays and talks to me then i sing to her whilst changing her into babygro. I put her in her sleeping bag then take her downstairs for a feed. Everything is quiet and the lights are dim. I let her fall asleep on me then take her upstairs and lay her on her tummy. If she stirs a little i put the dummy in.

This works most of the time, sometimes she isn't hungry and just very tired and i lay her down on her tummy and she sometimes falls asleep straight away.

To be honest its a bit hit and miss.

If you can start in the daytime getting him really calm and quiet and when you think he is sleepy lay him in his bed(or wherever he sleeps during the day). Do you use a soother? If so give him the soother and leave him for a little, if he stirs go back don't talk to him just pop the soother back in then leave again.

This is how i got Amelia used to being awake and falling asleep on her own, it does take a few trips of popping the dummy back in but usually works. One thing i did notice if i left her to cry she would get soo worked up and then wouldn't sleep at all! But i know some mums use this method and their LO's sleep perfectly, it just doesn't work for us.

I hope i did give some useful advice, but to be honest since Amelia has been here no 2days have been alike with sleeping and how she falls asleep...lol!

 

[Flower]

Hi Whisper,

Thanks for your reply. Nice to know that not everyone's bedtime routine is perfect.

My LO sleeps in his moses basket at the mo, which has a rocking stand - which isn't very helpful as he is almost too big for it and will have to sleep in his cot soon - which obv. we can't rock!

I have a query tho - my LO loves sleeping on his tummy. But I thought that we shouldn't let them til they are a lot older?

 

[marley2580]

It's all about the routine. Kaya has had the same routine for months now - feed, brush teeth, wash face, read book, bed. Now even if she's not that tired when we start, by the end she's ready to fall asleep. The routine signals that it's time for sleep and if we miss a bit out it's harder to get her to sleep. Having an hour or so of quiet time before bed also helps. It's similar with naps, just a different and shorter routine. It does take a while but will work in the end.