13 week old sleep and dummy issues

[Natanotherone]

Hi everyone,

My 3 month year old has always been really good about bedtime, I give him a bath at 6.30 bottle at 7 and he goes to bed when he has finished it, I put him down awake at bedtime and never s much as a murmur, happily watches his mobile for a bit then goes to sleep with his dummy. Has started sleeping through until about 6am which I am happy with, feeding then going back down for another hour or so.

My problem is through the day he fights sleep so much, simply will not nap unless I hold him until he goes to sleep and even then he won't let me put him down or he wakes within minutes. I have tried putting him in his cot, bouncer, swing and nothing works except being out in the car or in his pram out for a walk... If I walk to the shop to get him off to sleep he wakes as soon as we walk back into the house.

Other issue is his dummy, he has started waking several times in the night wanting it. I really dislike dummies, mosly because I hate seeing toddlers with them but he is quite a sucky baby and seems to need it for getting off to sleep. I feel like I am constantly up and down to put his dummy back in.

Any advice or words if wisdom from other mums.

Thanks guys

Xx

I'm guessing he's 3 months (and the year in your post is a misprint). Firstly, I'd stop trying to make him sleep through the day. Just leave him be, and he will fall asleep when he needs it. Or choose a time you think is appropriate to sleep then just put him in his cot with his mobile on and just leave him. If he sleeps, he sleeps. If he doesn't, he doesn't. I remember with 1 of my 4dc fighting for hours trying to get her to sleep. I eventually realised that actually all that was happening was I was getting more and more frustrated, she wasn't going to sleep, and I'd wasted hours!
Dummy issue, how much he has it is down to you.. You say you don't like seeing toddlers with them.. they only have them because their mums give them them! Mine only had dummies at bedtime (including daytime naps) and extra if they were poorly. You can control how much he has his dummy. Mine were all thrown away at age 2. Is he waking at night because he wants his dummy or because he's hungry?? I suspect it's probably he's feeling peckish..

Hi, thanks for the advice. Yes three months! Ha

I tried to feed him when he woke in the night last night but he would not take it at all.

I give him the dummy at nap times and bed times that's it.

I've decided today just to go with it anyway... Plan from now on is to go for a nice walk (weather permitting) most days as he falls asleep in the pram and I get some exercise and feel much less frazzled :)) or drive to a friends as he will go straight off in the car.

It's all just trial and error i suppose it's useful having people who have done this before to turn to for advise

X

I had the nap issue with 5mo DD a few weeks ago. She sleeps just like your LO at night. It's bliss.
I had a few threads on here about how frazzled I was. I've soon learnt the more I try to get her off the more she doesn't.
She now sits in her swing, buggy or jumperoo if I'm cleaning or washing Etc and she just seems to drop off when she likes. I get two good naps a day that way 9.45-10.45/ 12.45-2.30 then 45 mins in a afternoon after her dinner.
The best thing I got told when we had to start early weaning (I know you prob haven't even crossed this thought yet) was to do 'teA' at 4pm so not ruin the bedtime routine and lovely sleep. It worked.
Also if you feel really really frazzled have you tried putting the bouncer in front of a washing machine, putting cbeebies on ( I find rastamouse for ten mins calms ME down ) or downloading a white noise app to put on in the buggy for when you 'park' back at home.

Hope I'm of some use

My dd is also 13 weeks old and doesn't have regular naps in the day. Due to having older ds (4yo) who goes to nursery half-days - and this varies mornings one week, afternoons the next - she really just has to slot into our daily routine. The poor thing sometimes only gets half a feed as we have to go out on the school run, and then has to wait till we get home before having the rest. She sleeps on the school run in my sling, or if we go out anywhere in the car. Occasionally she'll doze off in her chair during the day but is usually rudely awoken by ds charging past like a herd of elephants.

I haven't managed as well as you with bedtime as she goes to bed between 11pm and midnight currently after her last feed but then sleeps until 7am ish. I'd love her to finish her feeds by 7pm and go to bed when ds does but that isn't happening just yet. I'm thankful that she sleeps so well at night though.

Basically all babies are different, and some sleep all the time while others may not need a lot of sleep. I wouldn't worry about a routine for now. My ds fell into his own routine after a few months without any assistance from me. What you are doing sounds just fine to me!