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Sleeping problems

Hi girls. I'm sure someone has probably posted something similar to this before. James is 5 weeks today, my first question is about day sleeping in relation to night sleeping. James will happily, most of the time, go straight to sleep following feeds during the day. When it comes to the late evening feed his eyes seem to spring open! It took me from half ten last night when I started the feed, til two twenty to get him to go to sleep. I had to feed him again because he'd reached that time when another feed would be due. He had been missing the early am feed. So the question is, being as he's so young I didn't think how much sleep he had during the day, affected how well he slept at night. Am I wrong, what are you experiences when your lo was James' age? He has been having problems with wind, which may still be part of the reason he has problems settling at night. But half hour to an hour to go to sleep from start of feed during the day, to an hour to four hours to go to sleep at night? I need advice! Under two and a half hours sleep is not enough! :cry: xx mithical and James 5 weeks today.

Replies

  • It sounds to me like he's confusing night and day. My son did this and it took a while to get it corrected.

    I muddled through for about 5.5 weeks then started doing two things. One was keeping him up after his daytime feeds (nappy changes, baths, dancing with him and naked time helped keep him awake), and the other was implementing a bedtime routine. Also making sure that everything was bright and noisy in the day and quiet and dark at night.

    The Baby Whisperer's EASY routine worked well for us (worth googling it) and Oscar slept better at night from about 7 weeks and was sleeping through by about 13 weeks.
  • i agree - confusion with night and day

    we do the rough baby whisperer as well - trying to keep toby awake after feeds with nappy off time - play mat time changing mat time singing time any time!

    We introduced night time routine almost from the start and still do the same thing every night

    about 6.30pm start his night bottle (usually one ounce more)

    bath time (loves loves oves this lots of fun and splashing with daddy)

    7pm - in gro bag - lights down to finish as much of bottle as possible

    straight down to bed - usually goes straight off sometimes needs a little more of his bottle if he doesnt take it we used to just sit by his crib until he settled - we didnt pick him up and it took about 2 weeks for him to pretty much go down by himself. so now at 15 weeks we do exactly the same. He doesnt sleep during the day very much but night times are pretty good.

    good luck x x x
  • hi mythical - the book 'the no cry sleep solution' explains about sleep cycles and something called the volcano effect.

    If a baby doesnt have 'good' day sleeps then their nighttime sleep is affected - contrary to what people think (i.e. keep them awake and they will sleep better in the night).

    The book is well worth a read!!! It will help you develop yr own routine to suit you and baby (rather than copying a routine which I found just doesnt suit everyone!!)

    do you breast feed?

    I believe you are right and he is not feeling comfortable bcos of the wind - when my lo was 7 weeks she suffered with trapped wind and would be up all night aswell and wouldnt settle!! Do you use infacol? we found this was brilliant!

    just to go back to the volcano effect - sometimes if a baby looses bits of sleep during the day - come evening - eventhough you think they must be fine as they have have 2/3/4, sleeps today - what we do not realise is at this time, they are overtired - as all throughout the day it has been like a volcano building up - and to put an overtird baby to sleep is a nightmare - this may not be the situation for you - but well worth watching out for it!

    I also found that putting my lo to sleep earlier helped loads as a baby sleeps better if put down for the night between 6 - 7.30 pm (so says the book)
    xxxxx good luck xxxxx

  • I second everything that Jemmajem has said.

    Toby (nearly 7 weeks) also got his days and nights mixed up in week 3 and it took a few days to sort it out - in desperation I ordered the Baby Whisperer book from Amazon in the middle of the night and we haven't looked back.

    The BW theory is that the amount of time your baby sleeps during the day is crucial to how well they sleep at night - the key is to make sure they sleep well during the day but not for too long at a time - never more than 2.5 hours and if you're trying to reverse the day/night situation you would probably only let them go for an hour and a half or less. As Jemmajem says, during the day you keep the lights on, talk in normal voices etc and keep them awake for as long as you can after a feed. As soon as they start to yawn or show other sleepy signs, put them down for a nap, preferably in a quieter darker environment so that they associate that with sleep. Then wake them for the next feed - even if it takes them an hour to settle for the nap at first so that they only get a 30 minute nap. Then for all feeds after bedtime you feed them in the dark room with minimal stimulation and put them straight back down again.

    The BW also has tips for settling them down to sleep which we found really helpful - highly recommend getting the book.

    Finally - I know it's hard when you have so much else to do but try to sleep when he sleeps!! Even during the day - you will feel so much better for it and it is worth letting the housework go for a bit.

    Good luck!!
  • hey hun, I would just follow the old standard thing of "keep day times bright and noisey and keep night times dark and quiet" I would let him nap in the living room with the tv on (maybe in his pram?) in the day until he has learnt that night times are not playtime.

    Keep interaction with him at night to an absolute minimum (only change his nappy if he has pooed, and then do it without talking to him) try not to talk to him ("shhhing" noises are ok) and keep the lights as low as you can, Hopefully he will learn that nighttimes are just boring and realise he may as well sleep. If you do talk to him keep your voice low (in volume and pitch).

    Oh dear - I sound like a real baby hitler don't I!? Trust me, it sounds mean - but it does work. We did this with Abby from the day we bought her home from hospital, and she has always slept like a dream.
  • Thanks for the advice. We do already keep daytime loud and bright, and nighttime quiet and dim. I don't talk to lo at night either, and do only shhh him. We use infacol and gripe water, it seems the length of time to settle at night is due to the wind, because I can put him down, he'll cry, I'll pick him up and he'll burp! I thought that's what the medications were supposed to do, allow him to pass the wind?! James is very hard to entertain during the day, if he's on his mat he's not taking any notice of it, he'll ignore toys and he'll more often than not cry in his bouncer chair. I'll give it a go keeping him awake for longer, but that's probably going to lead to tears on his part and more frustration on mine. xx
  • imo i wouldnt keep him awake longer (not after I read that book - "the no cry sleep solution"), I dont see how that will work. If you think it will lead to tears and frustration - dont do it - use yr gut instinct. I truly think you are right and it is indigestion problems. good luck hunny xxxx
  • i agree with mkb - if playing with him doesnt keep him awake or legs free etc etc then let him leep and then you go to sleep the sametime! I would just make sure he wasnt asleep for too long and gently waking by walking around the room putting light on etc.

    it really does sound like his tummy is sore and i know it seems like ages away now but it does get better. TOby had terrible wind - i remember dragging him to doctors on christmas ever when the pavements were really icy and the doctor looked at me as if i was a woman possessed as i was bawling my eyes out becasue i hated my little man being in pain. They didnt say anything helpful unfortunately but when he was 8 weeks old things started to settle and when he was 12 weeks old - it was bliis- at his current 15 weeks old it is a nightmare (a good nightmare) becasue he is becoming alot more fiesty and wont sleep when i am in Costa Coffee any more which was my one sure fire solution!

    I am about on 8th 9th 10th March are you free for a coffee at some point?? also where would be easiest to meet for you???

    Hugs and night time sleep vibes to little man x x
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