Sleep Sense Support Group!

[CatStorey]

Ok, have calmed down a bit down I will just carry on the night as planned!

Blimey, i took so long writing that last post i nearly burnt my chicken nuggets Made it just in time!!

TennisGal - With my brain as mushed as it is at the moment when i read your post about your Cat and the Jumperoo i thought to myself 'no, she didnt'!! Then i re-read your post and saw no you didnt, you did not put your Cat in the jumperoo......lol!!

All this talk about Chocolate and Ripples, ive now raided my cupboard and am tucking into some choccy........thanks girls ;-) !!

Hope everyone has a fabby night and sending out lots of sleepy dust x
Night night x

 

[TennisGal]

hope you have a good night, Cat and, no, didn't put the cat in the jumperoo...but that's really made me laugh!!

 

[TennisGal]

Morning ladies!

Well, DD woke up angry for the first time in ages last night! She had a feed at 11pm, and just didn't want to go back in her cot. She'd seen DH, and was grabbing his face, hair etc. I think she'd honestly missed him not being around for the routine and was telling him off!

Anyway, she did go back to sleep after some grumping - and woke for a an early feed, and settled again straight away.

How's everyone? Just off for a walk...

 

[polaris]

Morning all. Hope everyone had a good night.

TennisGal - that's funny about your DD giving your DH a telling off for missing her bedtime - babies are really amazing aren't they?

Cat - LOL at the image of the cat in the jumperoo! Hope you enjoyed your chocolate.

Well Thomas has just gone down for his first nap - I did a ten minute chill out time before it but I think I should have started the chill out time earlier as he was getting very tired so we had to cut it shorter than intended (planned to do 15 minutes). He still cried going down for the nap but I think he settled a bit easier than normal. Will keep you all informed.

 

[TennisGal]

Keep us updated, I've messed up - totally forgot about chill out time - DD fell asleep in the pram during walk. :doh:

Right, got to try for the next nap!

I wonder how Jacs and Evan are getting on?

 

[PieMistress]

Kyle not long down for his first nap of the day too. OH has been home for the past 4 days so I had kind of got used to having him there for support but I fully expect Kyle to wake up after 30 mins again!

He did a personal best though last night and after his bedtime feed at 7.30pm was asleep by 8pm then didn't wake until 3.30am for his night feed!! He did wake a few times before that but managed to self settle (think OH & I were awake every hour wondering why he was still asleep!). He then went back to sleep till 7.30am There is no consistency though to these longer spells of sleep and looking at my daily notes etc I can't see any link between feed or nap times!! Ho Hum!!

Just grabbing my nutella on toast and morning coffee before my attention is needed again!

It's a horrible day here too, very foggy - can hardly see out the front window

Polaris - hope Thomas is still asleep!

Cat - hope it went well last night!!!

TG - OH does the bath EVERY night, am sure if I ever do it Kyle will be very confused! I think he also associates OH with play time and mummy is for feeding! MWAH!

 

[PieMistress]

Oh well, he lasted the usual 30 mins for his nap! Tried to settle him again for 30 mins but he just wouldn't stop crying (well he did occasionally to fall asleep for about 10 seconds then would start again). Time to hit the pram and the shops I think! x

 

[CatStorey]

Morning ladies!

Wow, sounds like your all doing so well with the naps

PieMistress - That was a great night last night. Thats fab Kyle settles himself back to sleep. Have fun at the shops!

Tennisgal - Bless you DD telling your oh off. My oh works incredible odd shifts so she is never sure when she will see him. But when she does she has the biggest smile in her face and proceeds to ignore me!!

Polaris - Oooh, so it is looking promising with the wind down before the nap. Def keep us informed so i will he trying that when i start mission 2 - Naps!

Well last night was ok i think. I feel a bit comfused about times and wish i had made more of an effort to wake up and look at the clock properly. I think tonight i will take the workbook thing with me so i can write it down.

After she went to bed at 8 i didnt hear from her until 23.45 when she cryed out but only for about 30 seconds so i didnt go in. She then woke again about 2am (i think), but was just moaning so i didnt go in. I must of fell back to sleep and woke again at 2.30 when the moans turned to cries, then i went in. I do mind of wish i had gone in a bit earlier, feeling a bit guilty for leaving her So so cute when i went in cos she looked up and me with a huge smile, bless her heart i think she thought it was morning! She then cried for 20 mins before going back to sleep.
Then she woke at 4am, half cried for 10 mins then went back to sleep, woke again at 5am and cried until 5.30 which is when we got up. Half an hour earlier than normal but i really dont think she was going back to sleep.

I think the later bedtime made things worse. Im on track so far today with feeds and naps so will male sure bed is back at normal time and see how things go tonight.

 

[Elski]

Hi ladies, how you all doing? I've just read through all the pages and pages of posts since I last popped in and now I've got to the end, I've forgotten most of what was said - baby brain

Sounds like there is lots of gradual progress being made by you all - well done

I was meant to stat last fri but OH has still got to read through it all he's busy doing our tax returns (Canadian ones) so hasn't had any spare time. We've pencilled in this fri to start. I really just want to do it now!

In other news - annoying neighbour has decided to learn to play guitar he's trying to out-do me! I'm going to have to have another baby now, to get him back!!

 

[history_girls]

Morning Ladies no afternoon now doh!

Well night was ok except - did poo at 1.15 and not asleep until 3.15 grrrrr but then unitl 6.45. OH is so much better at sleepsense in the middle of the night than I am but he has to be up at 4.30 to go to work poor bloke.

Chill out time not successful. everytime i put her down she howls, managed 20 mins on her own but then screaming. we are now 90 mins into trying for a nap and she has had 20 mins and is exhausted so on me but still screaming on and off. I just know she will scream for hours and I can't do it. her recored is 1hr45 at screaming at nap time. Naps are getting worse and worse and are all on me where as 10 days ago she always managed her morning nap by herself. Whats going on there?

I think daddys always get the giggles and fun time!!

pm - Nuttellea hey? haven't had that since student days but thinking it may be a purchase at supermarket visit!

TG - pet subjects include The Western Front in ww1 (walking expert on cemeteries), the USA post 45 and strangely the Liberal Governments of 1906-14. Also very keen on political history and did my dissertation at uni on Margaret Thatcher (my mastermind specalist subject) - you have to know the enemy!!

Polaris - Holiday destination is Ardnamurchan Lighthouse in the west of Scotland. remote, beautiful and a silly place to take a baby!!!!! Should be good though but 13hour drive each way.

Hope naps are better else where!!

 

[polaris]

Hey everyone!
Mixed day with naps.
First nap was only 45 minutes - still clearly exhausted and quite cranky when he got up from it - we were going to go to a mum and baby group but he fell asleep as soon as we left the house (had only been awake 45 minutes) - I didn't have the heart to wake him to attend the group - he slept for an hour and a quarter so clearly needed it.
Next nap was much much better - did a full 20 minutes of chill out time and actually got a few cuddles from him - I've decided to play him the same three pieces of music for the moment for his wind-down to cue him that the nap is coming - brought him upstairs, he cried while I was putting him in his sleeping bag but I cuddled him and sang him his lullaby and he was calm when I put him down (!) and chatted/moaned to himself for 10 minutes before going to sleep - no screaming. He has been asleep nearly two hours so far - so definite success!

HG - bad news that naps are getting worse instead of better at the moment - how frustrating! I actually wondered if Thomas was fighting it more because he knew that a nap was coming - because he started screaming every time as soon as I started to put him in his sleeping bag - really hope that the wind down will work and it wasn't just a once off this afternoon - will keep you updated. One hour forty five of screaming must have been agonizing.

 

[history_girls]

Congrats on afternoon nap Polaris!

She will fight and fight sleep and gets so angry. I might reinstate the giant beanbag as she always slept on that - i might just put it inside the travel cot for safety and if that works, work up to napping properly.

The thing is in 3 weeks she goes into childcare so what I do now will prob be wasted as it will be a massive routine change for her. I don't mind me letting her cry but don't want the childminder to do it? sounds silly i know.

I hate money! if i didn't need it I wouldn't have to work and could stay with LO.

 

[polaris]

Congrats on afternoon nap Polaris!

She will fight and fight sleep and gets so angry. I might reinstate the giant beanbag as she always slept on that - i might just put it inside the travel cot for safety and if that works, work up to napping properly.

The thing is in 3 weeks she goes into childcare so what I do now will prob be wasted as it will be a massive routine change for her. I don't mind me letting her cry but don't want the childminder to do it? sounds silly i know.

I hate money! if i didn't need it I wouldn't have to work and could stay with LO.

That sounds like a plan with the giant beanbag. Whatever works really - it's not a sleep prop like rocking/feeding as it will still be there when she wakes up.

It doesn't sound silly at all about the childminder. We know our babies so we would know if there was something wrong apart from just tiredness and fighting sleep - I wouldn't trust that someone else would be able to tell the difference - so I understand where you are coming from. Also I would worry that someone else wouldn't have as much patience as I would and might get annoyed/irritated with him and I would hate that. How long will she be spending each day with the childminder, what will her routine be like there and where will she nap at the childminder's? I'm already dreading going back to work and it's not till October (so lucky I know!)

 

[history_girls]

childminders in charge 8 until 5. She is great, very patient and i've seen her with kids and looks fab. but she did use the phrase 'tough love' and I know that is what sleepsense is about in some ways but still as you say I will do what is needed as she is mine the childminder may not!

I can't really grumble. I get 13 weeks hols a year, and in sep I'm going 4 days a week but still crap. I will endeavour to enjoy the next few weeks. It just feels like I am being asked to give her back! I will get mornings and evenings, weekends and hols and I will always be her mummy.

and o think the beanbag will return tomorrow!

 

[polaris]

childminders in charge 8 until 5. She is great, very patient and i've seen her with kids and looks fab. but she did use the phrase 'tough love' and I know that is what sleepsense is about in some ways but still as you say I will do what is needed as she is mine the childminder may not!

I can't really grumble. I get 13 weeks hols a year, and in sep I'm going 4 days a week but still crap. I will endeavour to enjoy the next few weeks. It just feels like I am being asked to give her back! I will get mornings and evenings, weekends and hols and I will always be her mummy.

and o think the beanbag will return tomorrow!

She sounds great - but no matter how good she is I guess it will still be so hard to hand LO over into her care. As you say at least holidays are good. I'm going to go back four days a week too - would love to do three days a week but that's not going to happen. At least it won't be long till the summer hols when you do go back.

 

[CatStorey]

Great news about your afternoon nap success Polaris! Long may it continue

TG, sorry to hear your naps aren't going so well. I def think maybe try the beanbag again. As Polaris says, it's not a prop like rocking as when she wakes she is still in the beanbag. Maybe you can get a beanbag for the childminder??

I'm still rocking Chloe to sleep in her bouncy chair for her naps. Do you think this will have an effect on her self settling at night? Am i confusing the poor girl?
Did anyone do nights then move onto naps or did you do both at the sametime?

I know how you all feel about returning to work.......rubbish isn't it
I go back 4 days a week too. Start 1st week in June.
I've even started to dread it so much I'm entering competitions on this mornig to win money!!

Well........you never know!

 

[polaris]

I'm still rocking Chloe to sleep in her bouncy chair for her naps. Do you think this will have an effect on her self settling at night? Am i confusing the poor girl?
Did anyone do nights then move onto naps or did you do both at the sametime?

Yes - that's what I did. I was so worried about putting him in his cot for naps so even though he was able to self-settle at bedtime I was still rocking him to sleep in his bouncy chair for every nap. I guess it probably works quicker if you tackle everything at once but I am a big advocate of one step at a time - you don't want your whole life to be taken over by sleep training - it's too stressful. Anyway it will be much easier to work on naps once you are confident that she can self-settle at bedtime and during the night.

I found that it wasn't as bad as I was expecting moving him to the cot for naps - I thought it would be a total nightmare and he would never go to sleep - but he did - there was some crying but we've only had two occasions where he has just not slept at all, both for the last nap of the day which he seems to find it hardest to settle for.

 

[TennisGal]

Nap Code Red today - DD wasn't even napping on me! She's been up 11 hours, and has only had three hours nap...! Chill out didn't work for us, DD decided that she could do a jig to Beethoven, refused to watch 'In the Night Garden', and playing 'grab Mummy's nose' was infinitely preferable to dancing. lol! I couldn't help but laugh - but am now a bit concerned she's not really napped at all.

HG - crying is just horrid

Polaris - nap success! I think you get the 'Nap of the Day' ripple award

Cat - I've found that bedtime seems to operate completely differently to naptime, she settles fine at night...and her nap routine hasn't really affected that.

Working...bleurgh...am hoping to do most from home, and go in for client meetings. Problem is, there are SO many client meetings! HG - great that you have long hols. Wonder if I could start a business designing baby houses?! I get to design castles - which I've always wanted to do, not much call for architects to do castles nowadays - and babies get amazing houses to play in, lol.

 

[ms0206]

Evening ladies,
Last week I posted that we were getting somewhere with naps I think my DD overheard me saying this and has decided to put a spanner in the works!!
Maybe there is something in the air today she slept for a grand total of 1hr 45 mins top even the emergency naps didn't work. She was so overtired, luckily she has went to bed early so I hoping that will be her for the night.
Hopefully we will have a better day tomorrow
Hope all the babies have a good sleep tonight

 

[TennisGal]

I think our babies secretly know how to read this thread Hope your LO has a good nights sleep, MS