Sleep Sense Support Group!

[third time]

Thanks guys, going to start on Sunday.

Foogirl - she cried for 3 hours non-stop, I think I cried for 2 and a half of them as well!!!!! I tried asking Dana but because Lucy has a bit of reflux she said not to start til 8 months - but it's not bad at night.....

HG - I was planning on keeping the dummy just for calming her in the day, particularly if we're out sometimes it's the only thing that will calm her down!!!

Polaris - She sleeps quite well during the day, has between 1 and a half to 2 hours in the morning and the same at night!!!!

Fingers crossed !!!!

 

[TennisGal]

Thirdtime - good luck, SS has been wonderful for our night time sleeps. DD hates PU/PD, so we went for stroking her head, calming words. She now just pops her thumb in, and is away! Let us know how you go...and any questions!

HG - I've responded on Baby Club, but just to reiterate...I cannot believe how rude, insensitive and down-right offensive your HV was! I'd seriously consider complaining...and getting a new GP. What an old bat, she should keep her unwanted opinions to herself - especially when she doesn't know you, your life OR your daughter. You know you are doing the best things for Phoebe, you know you daughter and you are making the decisions that work for you, your family and your lil girl. Ignore any uninvited opinions, and tell them to stick them where the sun don't shine. You can't win as a Mummy. If you go back to work, you do the wrong thing. If you stay at home, you do the wrong thing. I ignore it all...and do what works for my family.

I'd get a second opinion on the wind/constipation - maybe ask about the prune thing.

In the meantime, let us know how she gets on...and a big and lots of cyber ripples sent your way.

I'm currently contemplating a pile of tops all covered in sweet potato - all members of the family

 

[TennisGal]

ladies, have you ever noticed your LO making a little gasping sound a couple of times when asleep? Have noticed DD today...and it's got me a bit worried.

 

[polaris]

ladies, have you ever noticed your LO making a little gasping sound a couple of times when asleep? Have noticed DD today...and it's got me a bit worried.

Thomas does something similar I think, he kind of gasps in a couple of times and then sighs loudly. I've never worried about it to be honest.

 

[polaris]

Right ladies - a question about naps.
Thomas had two really long naps today - he had an almost two hour nap this morning and a two and three quarter hour nap this afternoon after swimming (always sleeps well after swimming )
So all good so far! But my question is this - he went to sleep for his second nap at 12.45 and didn't wake up until 3.30. He was in fantastic form when he woke up, really well rested. But it is a long time from 3.30 until bedtime and he was getting tired by 5.30 - too late for a nap if he's going to go to bed by 7 but obviously way too early for bedtime. What would you do? I did think about trying to put him down for a cat nap at about 5 but he didn't seem at all tired at that stage and I didn't think I would be able to get him to settle. I decided to keep him up and put him to bed at the usual time, managed to stretch him until a 6.30 bedtime - it took him about 20-25 minutes to fall asleep but no crying, just chatting to himself. But it was difficult to keep him awake for that long and I felt he was probably a bit over-tired.
Do you think I should have woken him from his second nap so that he would have been able to fit in a third nap before bedtime?

I tried to ask OH whether he thought I shouldn't have let him sleep so long on his second nap - but he just shrugged and said 'it doesn't matter' - grrrr - nice to be told that what you are pretty much devoting your days to at the moment 'doesn't matter'!

 

[TennisGal]

thank you...as usual, I'd somehow linked it to sweet potato and was panicking!

how were the naps today? we got one sizeable nap in the cot!

 

[TennisGal]

Ah, just seen your post, P. Hmmm, tricky...I tend to either bring bed time forward a little if DD has had a big afternoon nap, or schedule in a small cat nap (even if it's relatively near to bedtime) and gently wake her with a top-up feed.

Hard, though, never quite sure what to do with naps and schedules...completely fine when we're in the house and pottering, much more difficult when we're out and about, and bedtimes/naptimes get messed around.

It sooooo does matter, too! lol

 

[Foogirl]

This happens to Abby a lot - especially with the clock change now!

She is all over the place with her daytime schedule. If it looks like she's going to be waking at around 3.30, I do tend to put her down for a nap at 4.30. If she sleeps then fine, if not, at least she has rested. I give her 45 minutes in her cot then get her up. On those days, bedtime generally tends to be earlier.

Or, if it is a fine day and she is up at 1, I do lunch etc and play and stuff til she's ready for a nap then go out for a walk or to the shops for an hour or so. Then we get back and have her afternoon snack BF and she goes down for a nap at about 3.30. She tends not to sleep in the pram / car anymore but she does rest.

I also keep an eye on what she is doing in the mornings. She gets up around 7 and generally wants a nap around an hour after she has her milk. If she wakes at the 45 minute mark after that nap, I get her up and do breakfast to bring her back to targetting a 3.30 nap.

I'm desperate for her to get to the 2 hour awake stage - it's so much easier for timing naps!

 

[history_girls]

Thanks TG - The HV was younger than me! never had a baby I don't reckon. Feeling less gutted today and more angry. But on a happier note she has gobbled her last 4 bottles!!

Polaris - we've had this nap dilemma - at 5 i sometimes take her for a stroll with the dog in her pram just for 20-25 mins. She always sleeps and always wakes up when we return home and it is enough to get to bedtime!

Right madam is whinging so better go! (she knows I;ll be late for swimming otherwise)

 

[TennisGal]

Welllllllllll, DD woke for a feed at 3am last night - and didn't go back to sleep until 6-ish! She didn't settle at all, was shouting and crying (a little) so we got her up, she was wide awake for a while, settled on me, went back to sleep - popped her in her cot. Woke up about an hour later...DH repeated the above.

Very strange after so long of sleeping so well!

Don't know if it's the solids (coincides with starting)? Teething (she's gnawing and dribbling more than usual)?

She's also pulled her ear a few times, so may get that checked out if she does it again today...but it has coincided with when she's tired (normally a sign she's ready for bed)

I've no idea!

FG - did you have any curveballs thrown your way?

 

[TennisGal]

Good news on the bottles, HG!

 

[PieMistress]

What would you do? I did think about trying to put him down for a cat nap at about 5 but he didn't
Do you think I should have woken him from his second nap so that he would have been able to fit in a third nap before bedtime?

QUOTE]

Hi P - I would have probably woken Thomas up, I don't let Kyle nap longer than 2 hours (not sure why, probably because it then cuts into his feeding time and I'm trying to roughly follow an E.A.S.Y. routine). We ALWAYS have dilemmas though about naps and late afternoon. I made OH take Kyle out for a 20 minute spell in the baby carrier yesterday to get him through his nappy off time and bath routine otherwise he would have been super grizzly.

We had a bad night compared to the past few - 2 night feeds (11.30pm and 4am then up at 6.45am) when he has been sleeping through until 5am and up at 8am recently. Ho Hum. Could have been one of a number of things though - it was really cold because of snow last night 13C in the room, I was at work in the PM so he had 2 bottles of EBM from OH during the day or he's teething. Not going to get too hung up on it but it's been a week since we woke so early for a night feed!

to everybody though - will get some breakfast then reply back to others on the threadxx

 

[polaris]

Thanks TG - The HV was younger than me! never had a baby I don't reckon. Feeling less gutted today and more angry. But on a happier note she has gobbled her last 4 bottles!!

Polaris - we've had this nap dilemma - at 5 i sometimes take her for a stroll with the dog in her pram just for 20-25 mins. She always sleeps and always wakes up when we return home and it is enough to get to bedtime!

Right madam is whinging so better go! (she knows I;ll be late for swimming otherwise)

That is probably what I would normally do actually - but it was freezing cold sleety rain so I didn't really fancy it, LOL!

 

[polaris]

Welllllllllll, DD woke for a feed at 3am last night - and didn't go back to sleep until 6-ish! She didn't settle at all, was shouting and crying (a little) so we got her up, she was wide awake for a while, settled on me, went back to sleep - popped her in her cot. Woke up about an hour later...DH repeated the above.

Very strange after so long of sleeping so well!

Don't know if it's the solids (coincides with starting)? Teething (she's gnawing and dribbling more than usual)?

She's also pulled her ear a few times, so may get that checked out if she does it again today...but it has coincided with when she's tired (normally a sign she's ready for bed)

I've no idea!

FG - did you have any curveballs thrown your way?

Oh no - I wonder what caused that. I have heard that starting solids can sometimes cause unsettled sleep for a little bit while their digestive systems get used to it - what time of day are you giving the solids at the moment? Very annoying after she's been sleeping so well at nights for ages.

We were up at 6.30 again this morning - in fact Thomas woke up at 6.10 chatting away to himself and blowing raspberries but I didn't get him up until 6.30 as I was exhausted! He might have adjusted to the clock change already but I haven't - it still felt like the middle of the night to me. He seems a bit off form this morning, maybe a bit tired, but also he's already had three poos so far this morning so it could be that.

It's going to be a long day - we are already on nap number two and OH hasn't even got up yet, grrr.

The good news is though that he has started settling for the majority of his naps with no crying - we normally have a couple of protest cries when I'm putting him in his sleeping bag but then he goes into the cot quite happily and chats to himself for a couple of minutes before going off to sleep. It's making nap times much less stressful!!

 

[history_girls]

Well following on from her improved eating, we've had a lovely soft poo and so far (now it will end) an hour and a half nap on her own!! Even though she has bright red checks and was a bit over tired. Lets hope it continues. I've managed to do some ironing, some holiday packing and now don't know what to do (lots of jobs are too noisy to contemplate!).

Hopefully she has turned a corner and is getting better.

Polaris - On monday me and the dog got soaked on our late afternoon walk - DD slept through in her nice warm, dry pram. I was so jealous. Not sure we will do one today as it is foul - the sea looks so rough! but we will have to have a nap late afternoon somehow!

 

[TennisGal]

Afternoon!

P - not sure what it is...she's been having her solids at midday, to allow plenty of digestion time. Got me scratching my head - she's only pulled her ear twice today, and that was when she was tired. She's been chirpy...so wondering whether it's growth spurt, solids, teething. We'll see what happens!

HG - great news on the poo and feed!

PM - wonder if Kyle is growth spurting, too? DD has been hungrier in the night!

Wellll, the weather is horrific here - so, no outings either. So annoying, we were both ready for a good walk.

We had apple at lunch time, which was a HUGE success! DD was grinning from appley ear to appley ear, lol

 

[history_girls]

TG - are you doing lots of puree with LO? or is it a bit blw? Having a blw doubt at the moment with going back to work and time available!!

We had a nap of 90mins on her own in sleepsense style so really proud today!!

 

[TennisGal]

We were going to do a mixture of puree and BLW, but we've really plumped for traditional weaning aka purees a la Annabel Karmel. She introduces substantial food pretty quickly, which suits us.

We really thought it through, but were concerned about the choking hazards. I know people say it's fine, and it probably is, but we just feel more comfortable doing this.

She loves it, and you can see her practicing her mouth movements etc. I'm pretty happy with trad. I know there are pros and cons for both, but DH and I are the least picky people I know...and we were trad Ditto all our family.

A few people have been amazed that I've gone puree, but DD is eating lots of fresh, organic food...and that's the main thing. Pretty soon we'll be on non-mushy, so it's really only slightly longer. I know she has no choice right now, but she doesn't know any different at the mo...and a bit further down the line, I'll offer lots of variety. I feel more comfortable using purees as an introduction to her taste and tummy.

I think to each their own - and whatever makes parents most comfortable, and LO happy! I think both methods offer plenty of positives :thumbsup:

 

[polaris]

I agree that the weaning methods both have plenty to recommend them - the most important thing I think is that you think it through and make the decision that works for your family - rather than going by what other people want. I have one of Annabel Karmel's books and the recipes are fab!

HistoryGirls - yay for 90 minute nap! It is such a good feeling when they start napping for longer! We had another almost two hour nap in the cot at lunchtime today - again with no crying going down for it - and he managed a 45 minute nap in the cot late afternoon even though we had visitors so I wasn't sure if he was going to settle.

PieMistress - could be a bit of a growth spurt - Thomas went back to two night feeds for three nights after having been down to one feed for two weeks - I was worried that it was a step backwards - but after the three nights he just went back to only waking for one feed - so I wouldn't worry too much about it. I remember reading somewhere that babies sleep doesn't improve in a linear fashion where they sleep for longer and longer each night until eventually they sleep through, but instead it will move backwards and forwards with good nights and bad nights and that is just the normal way that their sleep patterns mature. I always find that helpful whenever we have what seems like a 'setback'.

Hope everyone else is getting on well.

 

[history_girls]

Thanks TG - I might try both and go all organic too. Will try when she is better!

Naps are brilliant on her own! She is going to childinder tomorrow at 1.30 so got to make sure she sleeps before hand by any means!

Bedtime was brill - just hope she can self settle a bit tonight after a rough week!