Sleep Sense Support Group!

[Foogirl]

Do people manage to do any activities if they have to be at home every 2 hours for naps? I am a very out and about kind of person and will find this hard I think.
Thanks all in anticipation
Toots

This is one of the biggest sacrafices on the programme but the good news is, once naps and sleeping are sorted, it becomes less of a problem. You might be out and about all the time at the moment, but is it fun for you both if your LO is sleepy and whingy and cranky? This is one of those times that what suits you might have to be put on hold for a wee while for the benefit of your LO.

2-4 weeks spending more time at home might be enough to get the routine and naps sorted, after that you'll find you can start going out more. Organising the day around the nap can be challenging but it is worth it. One thing I would change in the programme is doing all the naps in the cot. We did find that once she was used to that, she refused to nap anywhere else. that made going out and about impossible. Next time I would do one nap a day in the pram so she knows she can sleep there too.

 

[jessabella]

just stopping by :wave:
Still trying to make my way through the entire thread..pheww
we're on day 3!

 

[Arcanegirl]

Jessa

 

[jessabella]

hi hi friend!

 

[jessabella]

Tonight feels like a step backwards. For some reason liv woke up at 3:30. I decided to not give her a feed as the last two nights she has slept so well until about 6:30/7 before waking for a feed. So I went in and told her to go back to sleep and rubed her back for a few seconds. Same thingbi would have done when she goes down or wake! But she screamed for 20 mins then whined for 10mins them cried for 10 mins and so on. This repeated for 1.5 hrs. You could see she was trying to put her self to sleep several times but would all of a sudden wake then cry and start the cycle again. This is unusual because she usual has no problem to put herself to sleep once she tries! Intact the longest time it has taken her was 50mins and that was on the first night we ever tried this and every other time it has only taken maybe 10 mins!
So at about 5:20 (2hrs later)
I decided to give hr a feed! Aftr a full feed I put her down and she did as she would have normally did the past two days. (whimper for 3mins then talk to her bunny for 5mins until she was asleep)

So my issue is that what happened. The first two nights were great as she went 6 or so hours before needing a feed but last night woke up 3.5 hours in. why couldn't she put herself to sleep, and if it was truly just hunger I'm wondering how does this affect what we ate trying to accomplish? Which for us is to be able put her down 7:30-7:00 with only one feed during that time! Eventually being no feeds when she is a little ready or just older! Anyway ...anyone have advice with night feeds ect.

 

[Arcanegirl]

We didnt have to deal with SS and night feeds as we did it after 1yr.
I would say that at her age, if she wakes in the night then i would still automatically feed her, if she sleeps through then great but if she doesnt then shes maybe just having a hungry day.
the screaming for 20 mins would also have me think that she needed something (a feed).

 

[jessabella]

Yeah I think that was a lesson learned for me and understanding Livvy..as she wasnt being stubborn and you could see was trying to settle herself. Also the fact that she has never cried for that long..she cried off and on the entire 2 hours...I think she would have fallen asleep by then. Her reaction really told me the answer as well..she was settled after the feed and went down wide awake but then put herself to sleep without a wimper. Not to mention she wnet down for he nap..and didnt even whine..just rubbed her bunny to sleep within 5 mins..
ps..thansk for your help!

 

[Arcanegirl]

No probs

 

[polaris]

I agree that she could have been just having a hungry day. She is still very young and I would also be inclined to feed her if she is not settling after a reasonable length of time. With Thomas at that age I would always try to leave him ten minutes but if he was crying and seemed hungry I would feed him. She will sleep through in her own time.

I wasn't clear from your post whether you are waking her at 12 for a dream feed or whether she wakes at that time naturally for a feed? If you are doing a dream feed at 12 you might consider dropping it and see if it helps her to sleep for longer. With Thomas I found that his deepest sleep was always in the first half of the night and I always thought it would be counterproductive to disturb him. I know that some of the girls on here found that their LO's actually slept better without the dream feed. At your LO's age, Thomas was usually sleeping from about 8 p.m. through until 4 or 5 a.m. before waking for a feed and then going back down for another hour or two.

 

[jessabella]

Thanks for the advice. Can I ask a question..well since we have started this ..it has been great

she Goes down about 7 or 7 30. Then she will either wake at 12 or I just give her a dream feed. But as you have said maybe give it a go not to give it to her...I might do that tonight and see what happens..but most likely she will wake up around 12 for a feed. Anyway then after she has the feed she will wake up around 6. I dont like her waking up at 6 as I am so tired. Anyone have any advice on how to get her ontrack to waking up later. When she was having a feed at midnight and then at 4am she would stay asleep until 9..I LOVED THAT!! hahaha

Thanks for all the help...
oh here is the schedule she usually has if this helps with anything

6 wake up
6 30 Feed
9 15ish Feed
9:30-11:00 Nap
12 'Lunch'
1:00 Feed
2:30-3:30 Nap
4:30 feed
6:30 'dinner'
7:00 feed
7:30 bedtime

I really would like her to have another nap in ther as well because around 5 00 she is tired sometimes..not all the time but some tiems you can tell she is ready for bed.
Also sometiems she will go back to sleep around 7 30 after having a feed and play a bit in the morning..
any help ...I hope all this makes sense..

 

[polaris]

No advice on the early wakings I'm afraid! Thomas was always an early riser and it didn't get any better until about 16 months when he dropped to one nap a day. I tried most things and none of them made a difference.

At six months, Thomas still definitely needed three naps but I do know that a lot of babies are OK with two naps. Before six months he often needed four naps because he would never sleep for longer than 45 minutes and would wake up from naps still tired. It was only after we started solids that he started sleeping longer for daytime naps and got into a reasonably regular routine during the day.

His routine from six and a half months from what I can remember (although it would vary quite a bit from day to day):

6.30 - Get up.
7 - Breastfeed.
7.30 - Breakfast
9-10.30 - Nap
11 - Breastfeed
12 - Lunch
12.30-2 - Nap
3 - Breastfeed
4-4.45 - Nap
5.30 - Dinner
6.45 - Breastfeed
7 - Bedtime
Then he would normally wake up at about 4 a.m. for a feed.

I found that I had to make sure that he was up from his second nap by 2 so that he was tired enough to go down for a catnap at 4. I often brought him out in the buggy for the third nap so that he would sleep. He still needed the third nap until 8 or 9 months as far as I can remember. He dropped the night feed at nine and a half months.

 

[jessabella]

so either I continue to feed her at 12 and then she wake at 6...or I dont feed her at 12 and then she wake at 4am...
well 4am is worst than 6 by far..eekkk..
not sure which route I want to go! hmmm...
Thanks for the schedule..

 

[polaris]

But you might find that if she has a feed at 4 a.m. she might sleep a little bit later in the mornings. I do remember Thomas went through a phase of 'sleeping through' but he would be awake for the day at 5.30 or 6. Whereas I actually preferred when he woke for a feed during the night because then he would sleep longer in the mornings until maybe 7 a.m.

 

[jessabella]

Ohh what happen to when she was 10 weeks and slept till 10 am!! Haha ok I will try and just feed her when she wakes and see what happens !! Last night she woke at 11:45 !

 

[Arcanegirl]

I would think what Polaris says, if she has a feed at 4am youre still treating it as middle of the night, so she should hopefully get the hint

I know what you mean with the early mornings, a problem were having recently is Alex is dropping naps completley. He will either take a nap, go to bed later and wake in the night for some reason, then wake later. Or he will not nap at all, go to bed earlier and sleep through but he will be up earlier.
Though the early mornings kill me, they dont as much as broken sleep does!

 

[jessabella]

yes..the borken sleep is worse for me..I mean I go to bed at midnight so giving her a feed at 11-12 works for us and then I just have to deal with the 6 wake up..or I can not give the feed at 11-12 and then have a wake up at 4am and then she might just go back to sleep till 7 or 8..hmm ..more ours but borken..urrggg..this is hard...

with all this said..little missy just woke up at 10 for a feed..so will see when she will wake up again!

 

[Arcanegirl]

speak of the devil

 

[jessabella]

Please tell mr I didn't undo all of my hard work
Last night Livvy went to down at 6:45 as she was tired ( usually 7:30)
But then daddy came home at 7 and she heard him and piped up! Of couse Gaz can't live without giving his girl a kiss or cuddle everynigjt so went in and as soon as she heard/smelt him she sat straight up with a smile!
So he picked her up for a cuddle, which is usually finebecause he knows that if he does this he has to be the one to put her to sleep so he did which took about 15 mins instead of the usual 5, anyway she cried for about 5 mins and whimpered for about 3mins. Then went down. She usually wakes for a feed at 11:30/12 for a feed but she woke at 10:30 this time. He went in to put her back down until the normal time but she was having none of it so at the 10 min mark I went in and gave her the feed! She went back down of course but then cried which she never does! Cried for 8 mins on and off untill falling asleep! Urrg!
Then she woke at 2:45 and I left her about 7 mins before going in, cuddle and put her back down, all the while she was just screaming! I left her to it for 10 mins went in shushed her and rubbed her back for comfort, left her to it for 7 mins, then went back cuddle for 3 mind but she was still upset! Then put her back down! After 5 mins of screaming I think she got the point as she started doing what she usually does to put herself to sleep with her bear! She was at this for about 5 mibs before she got frustrated and started screaming again! I waited another 3-4 mins before picking get up and just feeding her! She fed for a good long feed! Then down with no problems and straight to sleep!

Sorry for long story!! Anyway my issue is I feel like she knows she can just wake up for a feed at anytime at night! Myeorry is that when we are onhiliday next week and my mum is watching her and I am out this will just cause a major problem!
Lately (as of a week ago) Livvy has been doing feed at 7:30, then 11:30, then again aroun 6:30am! Then back to sleep till 8/8:30am!
A few mornings she will fall back asleep before I get to her to feed her and not wake until 7:30/8.

Anyone have any ideas or tips?

So what happened tonight!

 

[polaris]

Could she be hitting the six month growth spurt? I do remember Thomas went through a phase like that at about six months after having slept from 7 p.m. until 4 or 5 a.m. for about six weeks. It lasted about three weeks. I was really trying not to feed him more than once but sometimes I just had to feed him twice because I couldn't settle him. It could also be the beginnings of teething. I know that Dana says that teething doesn't really affect sleep but I beg to differ based on my experience!!

 

[chrissie33]

Babies do have off nights hun and to me it sounds like you did the right thing. You kept to as much of her routine as you could and whilst it is horrible hearing them cry, you know she can get herself back to sleep so hopefully this is a one off bad one - we all have them occasionally

I found, with Katie, that I had to be firm with her with the night feeding but she was older (12 months and still feeding through the night) and it worked. When she wakes through the night, does she normally take a full feed? If not, it is likely just a comfort thing - can your OH go in to her rather than you just for a couple of nights so she doesn't assosciate waking in the night with milk?