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Daytime sleeping
Hi ladies! I haven't been able to get on here for ages so I've got lots of questions!!!
First one...We have finally sorted out night time sleeping after over 4 months of terrible nights and very little sleep. Poppy goes into her cot after a bath and feed at 7pm and gets up at 6am with one breastfeed in the middle of the night. But day sleeps are still a nightmare! At 7 when Poppy goes to bed she is awake when I put her into the cot and often she 'chats' and 'sings' before she goes off to sleep but she never cries. But if I try to put her down for a sleep during the day she just screams and screams. I've tried making the room dark and putting her in her sleeping bag but she still screams. I put on the same music she has at bedtime and she has her dummy and comfort bear. Sometimes she'll lie there happy for a little while and then goes crazy. I'm really not good with controlled crying but I've been brave and tried it a few times but Poppy just got into such a state and once was sick. I've tried 'pick up put down' too but it gets to the point where she's so cross that she doesn't stop crying even when I've got her out. So when she has daytime sleeps she's either being cuddled by me, out in the pram or in the car. She sleeps the minute I start walking with the pram if she's tired and although she does sometimes stay asleep when we get home, often she wakes up the minute I get through the door. I like being out and about seeing friends, getting fresh air from walking and not being stuck in the house but at the same time I never get anything done at home until Poppy's in bed and I can't carry on like this! If I cuddle her to sleep and then put her down she just wakes up straight away! Is anyone else in the same situation and does anyone have any advice? My baby massage instructor said not to worry too much - she said it will fall into place eventually and I think that's true as Poppy used to come into bed with us every night but she doesn't anymore and it wasn't snything that we did to stop her, she just started sleeping the whole night in her cot. But, I could really do with it happening sooner rather than later!! She's 6 months now and I think if she had at least one long sleep in her cot it would make her day happier as she wouldn't be napping whenever we go out or grumpy at home because she's tired.
Sorry for the long post I'm just getting desperate!!!!! xx
First one...We have finally sorted out night time sleeping after over 4 months of terrible nights and very little sleep. Poppy goes into her cot after a bath and feed at 7pm and gets up at 6am with one breastfeed in the middle of the night. But day sleeps are still a nightmare! At 7 when Poppy goes to bed she is awake when I put her into the cot and often she 'chats' and 'sings' before she goes off to sleep but she never cries. But if I try to put her down for a sleep during the day she just screams and screams. I've tried making the room dark and putting her in her sleeping bag but she still screams. I put on the same music she has at bedtime and she has her dummy and comfort bear. Sometimes she'll lie there happy for a little while and then goes crazy. I'm really not good with controlled crying but I've been brave and tried it a few times but Poppy just got into such a state and once was sick. I've tried 'pick up put down' too but it gets to the point where she's so cross that she doesn't stop crying even when I've got her out. So when she has daytime sleeps she's either being cuddled by me, out in the pram or in the car. She sleeps the minute I start walking with the pram if she's tired and although she does sometimes stay asleep when we get home, often she wakes up the minute I get through the door. I like being out and about seeing friends, getting fresh air from walking and not being stuck in the house but at the same time I never get anything done at home until Poppy's in bed and I can't carry on like this! If I cuddle her to sleep and then put her down she just wakes up straight away! Is anyone else in the same situation and does anyone have any advice? My baby massage instructor said not to worry too much - she said it will fall into place eventually and I think that's true as Poppy used to come into bed with us every night but she doesn't anymore and it wasn't snything that we did to stop her, she just started sleeping the whole night in her cot. But, I could really do with it happening sooner rather than later!! She's 6 months now and I think if she had at least one long sleep in her cot it would make her day happier as she wouldn't be napping whenever we go out or grumpy at home because she's tired.
Sorry for the long post I'm just getting desperate!!!!! xx
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Replies
We have tried all the thing you have to get her to sleep in her cot in the day but i think that trying to make it too much like her bedtime routine is a bad thing because she thinks that it's the end of the day and is upset that the day has been too short.
We are at our wits end as one of us has to take her out for a very long walk, she falls asleep straight away and we can be lucky that she will stay asleep when we get home. Our only saving grace is that she has recently dropped her PM nap - which also had to be a pram job after she refused to fall asleep on me.
I dont want to do controlled crying as she is really good usually at sdelf settling at night so i know she can do it!
Does anyone have a magic answer???
(also just bought some shape ups - may as well get some extra good out of all the additional walking!)
M hardly sleeps in the day at all now but also has long daytime naps if out in pram or in the car. She never sleeps upstairs in her cot during the day, it is usually in her bouncer, on her playmat or even next to me on sofa. Its literally only for around 15mins twice a day though so nothing major.
I don't know if uve tried this but if she sleeps in her pram when u go out could u maybe somehow make out u are going out, put her in the pram and perhaps rock her to sleep in that? No idea if this would work! I hope u manage to get a sleep/nap routine sorted soon xx
If you really are looking for a solution (I've kind of resigned myself to the second nap on me, third in the pram whilst out because this is fine with me) then i'd check out a book called the no cry nap solution. Unlike awful routine books etc it has a really nice tone and just has loads of different things that you could try to resolve your particular nap problem. What I most liked about the book is that in no place does it say you have to have your baby napping in the cot during the day. It was refreshing to read something that said that as actually I liked my lo having one nap on me, I felt I was being influenced by others who said he should be in his cot. Also I have a friend with a 15 month old and she's now stuck at home for most of the day because her girl only naps in her cot so it's difficult for her to leave the house until after her lunchtime nap (around 2.30pm). I don't want to get myself into this position either.
Good luck xx
Oh and to add- PUPD did not work for us either (hate the BW as a result) . I tried it twice, both times my lo got himself so worked up that like you eventually he wasn't calming down even when I picked him up. In fact the second time I tried it I have never seen him so distressed and I swore then I would never try it again. I guess these things work well for some and not for others
Poppy has her first sleep of the day (about 2 hours after she wakes up in the morning) on me too and I don't mind that. Sometimes if I'm really tired I lie on the sofa with her and I have a sleep too and other days I come on here with one hand or watch some catch up TV! I like the snuggles and it's a little routine we have...but the other daytime naps are the ones that are the problem!
Sarah - yes I've tried the pram thing but she's far too clever!!! We have wooden flooring in our living room which is a long room perfect for pushing a pram up and down but it only works if she's really really tired and even then she'll only stay asleep for about 15 minutes after I stop pushing whereas if we were out for a walk she'd sleep for over an hour.
MrsBinks thank you for the book recommendation, I'll have a read of it and see what it says! I'm going to a sleep talk at my local sure start centre on thursday so will see if that gives me any ideas too!!
xx