Help needed for baby that fights sleep

[rugbychick]

My 14 week old baby has always fought going to sleep for naps and at night. Despite me trying to catch her showing signs during the day for naps, she will still fight sleep. I have also been aiming for bed time between 6-7pm.

During the day I try to settle her in the pram (my partner works nights, and we live in a 1 bed house at the moment, so don't really want to put her to sleep in her crib). I ensure she I is calm before going to sleep. But once laid down, she'll start wriggling and screaming, and needs settling. Sometimes it's not possible to take her out in the pram or car, where she will drop off.

I do ensure she has a clean nappy, has been fed etc etc

Any help from wise mnetters gratefully received. Please feel free to ask me any questions that will help you help me...

Thanks ever so

Its it essential to you that she self settles? If not have you tried wearing her in a wrap sling?
It worked wonders calming my overtired ds when he was tiny and I could get on with housework whilst he napped.

I presume you have a routine that you follow? Have you tried incorporating baby massage...?

Just a few ideas to think about :)

I do know someone who covers her baby's eyes with a muslin (like a canary!). She keeps an eye on him, obviously, and removes it once he is sleep. Also swaddles his top half. This started as a joke about her sleep-refusing 10w... It does work for them!

You're trying to get her to self settle? That's the trouble - only easy babies do it that young.

Sleep is more important than how they get there when they're this tiny. So rock/feed/cuddle now.

DD(my second) didn't self settle at 14 weeks. At 7 months she does - I didn't have to sleep train, I just changed how I put her down as noticed she didn't want rocking (so would put her down and stroke her instead).

Thanks for the advice. Just getting her to sleep is what I want to achieve! I will try the sling option. At least I can get jobs done. She will settle on me, but then I have no hands free! We have a baby bjorn sling, so will use that for sleep time.

My daughter is very fidgety, and also gets very hot, so can fight her way out of even the tightest wrap! I guess the sling would still make her hot, but not as hot as the wrap I'm assuming.

Interesting idea about the muslin over the eyes. May try that one.

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Please keep them coming. Ideas for bed time would be appreciated as well. I do try for bath and feed prior to bed

I used to swaddle DS very tightly in a blanket (he loved being swaddled) and stroke the bridge of his nose while holding him. I'd have to hold him for about 10mins and then transfer him into the moses basket. It was a PITA but it also meant that I could put him down to sleep for an hour or so and eat or get some housework done. It's tough going isn't it? :)

My 16 week old dd is the same my struggle magnified by lively purposefully loud 2 year old! Even when I do manage to get her off she's woken up poor mite! We have a bed time routine for both girls bath pjs story bed eldest is down by half 7 at the latest every night baby can be up till 10 some nights! I'm just going with the flow and trying my best to get her some sleep!

I find when I do get her to drop off by rocking her then put her down, very gently, she wakes again. Not all the time tho.

I'm so pleased I found MN. There are so many helpful mum's, and dad's!, here

I really sympathise, my 8 week old fights sleep like a trooper, takes hours to settle, wakes very easily and rarely sleeps during the day. My advice would be not to compare yours with other babies and not assume you should be able to adopt the same approach as other parents. Eg putting baby down in basket awake may work for babies that find it easier to fall sleep but I find it rarely works for mine. Also, many books advise on having background noise and light for daytime naps but quiet and dark might be what your baby needs. Suggest try pram, rocking, dummy etc, whatever it takes to get your baby to sleep, and dont worry about bad habits at this stage. The more sleep your baby gets, the more they will want at this age.
I'm using a sling during the day which is about the only thing that has worked for mine. I've used it to try to get her used to sleeping at regular intervals. But as she gets heavier its not sustainable for me so I'm steeling myself for some crying as I try to get her to sleep in her basket at least once a day....
The baby whisperer book has a section on sleep I found helpful and explains that not all babies are the same....

Oh two more things I've found helpful:
After putting her down if she wakes, try putting your hands on her chest and back but not picking he up, until she falls asleep again (then slowly remove hands and run!).
I've started to give my baby a flannel to grasp during the feed I give before getting her to sleep. The flannel goes in the basket with her, sometimes she's still grasping it hours later!
Doesn't work all the time but sometimes is a start.

Skip the bath and try for an early bedtime. DD would want to be asleep by 6 at that age!