I *NEED* my baby to be awake more in the day; he disagrees. I need support!

[bohemianbint]

DS2 is nearly 15 weeks, I think. He's been fed and sleeps on demand from the word go. Which was fine until the last few weeks but now it's killing me.

He sleeps a lot in the day, but has started not to settle down in the evenings until 1am. I feed through the night (we are co-sleeping) and then I'm up at 6-7am with DS1. I'm about 4 hours from a nervous breakdown.

So I thought I'd try to nudge DS2 into a more compatible pattern, but I just feel very mean as he's desperately tired, and now he's asleep and I can't bear to wake him up. But then nothing changes.

Sorry, I just need a moan as my brain's addled from lack of sleep. Tell me it wouldn't be evil to keep him awake - I can't go on getting 2 hours sleep a night, I'll die!

Try bathing him when he seems particularly tired thus delaying his sleep a bit. The bath should wake him up. Also try playing with him when he is tired this should stimulate him slightly. Try something niosy like simging and dancing with ds1 and carrying ds2 around with you so he is 'dancing' too.

Go out for a walk at night (maybe about 6pm ish. He should be more tired becasue of the fresh air and sleep earlier allowing you to go to bed earlier.

Cheers singyswife. It's not unreasonable to try to get him onto a more sociable schedule is it? I've done the demand thing for 3 months now, I need something a bit more mutually workable now!

He needs his mum to be healthy more than he needs to get everything he wants on demand! Not remotely unkind of you to try to adjust his schedule to stop you from cracking under the strain...

trying to keep a sleepy baby awake is really tough.
ds2 - 6 wks is very sleepy, in day. awake last night 11pm-3am.