Sleeping - A little advice ??

[Tillysmummy]

HI All

My 6.5 month (Is she 6.5 or 7 months - she's 28 weeks old and technically with a 4wk calendar month that's 7 months but there's 52 weeks in a year, not 48 - help pls ?! ?) sleeps quite well, she has between 2-3 hours during the day (3 naps) and then she goes down at 6.30 - 6.45 in the evening but wakes at 5.30 ish - we leave her till 6 before we get her up. Ideally I want her to sleep to 6.30 - we tried moving her bedtime back a bit to 7pm but she just gets to grumpy and then she seems to still wake up at the same time or sometimes earlier. Does anyone have any advice as to how to get her to go the extra hour ? I have a rule that I won't get her up before 6 anyway so she just lies in her cot and chats to herself or moans a bit (never really cries) but we can hear her anyway so we can't sleep. I know she is doing pretty well really and perhaps I am expecting too much although she didn't start 'sleeping thru' (if there is such a thing !) until about 4.5 months where most of the other babies in my NCT class were doing it from 8 weeks !!!!! Did someone say that girls sleep less because of their nosiness ?! Help would be welcome

It sounds like she is doing briliantly, Tillysmummy. Beware of other people who say their child sleeps through. You need to define what they mean by 'all night'. One person might mean that they sleep from 7pm to 7am while another person defines it as not waking between 1am and 5am! Take it all with a pinch of salt.

You could bring your dd into bed with you to see if that settles her back to sleep or if you are feeling tired maybe you could go to bed a bit earlier yourself so you feel ready to get up at 6am. Good luck.

SueDonim

Thanks for the advice.I have tried bringing her to bed but she just cant stop giggling and pulling my hair and DH's hair !! I don't mind getting up at 6 it's just the 5.30 wake up just wish she would wake at 6 because we lie there listening to her for 1/2 hour. I must confess to being mrs sadpants and going to bed at 9 most nights so I've had my 8 hours before she wakes at 5.30 !

Aw, cute, Tillysmum! Maybe earplugs would come in handy! Don't the clocks go forward soon? That might solve the problem as she would then be waking at 6.30 by the clock.

You clever, clever woman ! Thanks for that. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and its not an oncoming train ! Are you working ?

Not in a paid capacity, no. Why do you ask??

just wondered, was surprised that you can stay on line so long coz know when I'm home with her I can't get anything done !!

I've just got my youngest off to school a few months ago so I'm currently revelling in having some peace and quiet during the day. Mind you, we're moving so I suppose I ought to go and do some removal type stuff, really.......

Sounds good, Seems like a long way off for me !! Im at work - not very busy fortunately ! How do you put those faces in ? Can't work it out ?!

Hi Pamina

Thanks for the message. Glad to know there's hope I didn't realise that these turned into actual faces once the message is sent (assuming that's what happens !) The daytime sleep is really funny isn't it ? She gets up at 6 (although at moment wakes around 5.30) then is tired again by 8.30 so goes for a nap - anything between 30 minutes and 2 hours ! There's no pattern, it changes daily. Then she has another nap around 11.30 - again anything between 30 - 1.5 hours then another nap around 2-3 for about half an hour unless she hasn't slept well in the morning and therefore needs a long one. I am expecting her to sleep for 2 hours in the morning and then the same or less in the afternoon ? Is this right, how much should she be sleeping during the day - I know they're all different..

Tillysmummy - Have you read Gina Ford's book ?
This might be providing the answers you are looking for. It isn't for everyone but maybe this will be your kind of stuff.

Also there is another discussion right now called : early waking", you will find that I have posted there as well something from Gina Ford for small babies.

Thanks Pupuce, Ill go look there.

What do you mean Rozzy ?

You mean Christopher Green ?
Actually I thought GF and CG were very similar but I have just read both their books and they differ quite a bit !

My son also woke up very early but I am following her (GF) advice (it's quite easy - the hard bit is the consistency)... and it has improved.
He woke at 6 AM (versus the normal 715) and he is now between 630 and 645.. All of this in less than 1 week.

My son kept waking up earlier and earlier which was doing my head in. I kept putting him to bed latter and latter which wasn't working. Believe it or not but I was told by a health visitor to put him to bed earlier and it worked, he started sleeping in later - weird but true!!

Richard Ferber. I can't recall the title, I think I must have lent my copy to someone.

Most baby books authors like Christopher Green, Richard Ferber and Gina Ford recommend to put children to bed at an early time. They need a lot of sleep and if they don't get enough or the parent waits until the child falls asleep from exhaustion.... makes the child have a very deep sleep initially whih wakes them at 5 AM.

Rozzy : CG also has a chapter on CC

I agree that the title is not great... having said that I don't like most of his book either ! Some of it is good but a lot os old fashion advice IMO.

Please help!

I have a 9mth old little boy who sleeps well through the night (well mostly), and has a short nap in the morning (half an hour) but just doesn't settle during the afternoon sleep. He will sleep for 25-30mins then wake, and be really miserable later in the day after that.

He will settle back after about 15-30mins worth of soothing, but as I have a 4yr old and a 2yr old also at home it is just not possible to devote that kind of time.

Should I try and shorten or cut out his morning sleep to improve things? Or should I just live this stage out and hopefully after the summer things would have settle down?