Help I've broken my baby!

[mrsmugoo]

I took my 5 month old to a family friendly festival last weekend and we camped for two nights.

He took to it really well - napped in his pushchair whenever he needed to. In the evening I put him in his pjs and snuggled him up in his pushchair and he'd go to sleep at his usual time (about 7:30-8) while we walked around the festival and saw acts / had dinner etc.. he'd wake for a bit and then go back down for the night when I returned to the tent about 10:30/11. He slept surprisingly well in the tent even though it was a bit chilly - he only woke for one other feed over night and I brought him in with me then to keep warm. I really thought we'd done amazingly. The second night though it rained and the noise woke him up at 6:30am and he couldn't go back to sleep because it was chilly/light/noisy

He is (was) a very predictable baby and in a nice routine (3 naps a day, 2 hours wake time, 3 hours after last nap in bed) - goes down for naps and bedtime easily, self settles etc… but since we've been back he's been refusing naps, waking up crying, refusing to sleep in his cot, doing a mixture of much longer/shorter naps, very grizzly, constantly rolling over into his tummy (he does this when he's very tired) and generally being really out of sorts.

I feel awfully guilty that taking him out of his routine at such a tiny age has messed him up like this - he never cries usually so to see him crying and struggling to get to sleep when he's so clearly tired is distressing for us both. It's like he's regressed and forgotten how to to it.

I've ended up feeding/cuddling to sleep and having to sit with him while he naps on the double bed in the dark with white noise on. Last night at bedtime I let him fall asleep on the boob and slipped his fingers in as the nipple came out and transferred him down whereas usually I'd just place him down after his feed and he'd roll over and get comfy and find his own fingers to suck off to sleep.

Has anyone had experience with completely flummoxing their baby? How long do you think it will take him to normalise back? If I carry on feeding to sleep and letting him sleep on the double bed will he form this as a new habit? I'm keen not to waste all my hard work from before getting him self settling/into his cot.

Awww even my 5 year old DS slept less well on return from camping and sleeping brilliantly whilst away recently.

It will soon settle again. He sounds over tired but I am sure within a few days he'll be back to normal.

Of course it could be a sleep regression or teething or the start of a cold. Colds always threw mine out of routine but whatever it is, it will soon return to normal.

that title scared me a bit TBH.

It'll soon resettle itself. dont stress.

I thought the title was clearly a joke. If someone had injured their baby they wouldn't use the word "broken" surely.

Don't worry my 7 and 4 year old are like this. Excellent sleepers whilst camping asking to go to bed hen tired and giving me a lovely lie in which I never get at home. I am the envy of fellow campers. Then we get home and it all goes to pot for about a week wile they get it out of their system.

I bloody hope it's not a regression - we did 4 month regression and I'm still traumatised by it!

thank you for your reassurance - it just feels like weeks of ruthless consistency just started to pay off now we're back to square one - all for two evenings of walking round a festival.

Yes I am always this attention seeking!

Do you always fail to get obvious jokes?

FYI if I had really injured my baby an internet talk board would not be my first port of call for help.

Go cold turkey. Just get him back into the regular sleep routine and if he cries, let him cry it out unless he becomes unreasonably distressed in which case of course you should check on him. It isn't nice to hear a little one cry, but they soon get back to the routine.

Babies: the only sure thing about them is that just when you think you know where you're at, they'll change . It might be complete coincidence.

If this is genuine, the reason he can't sleep is probably because his ears are ringing due to the noise levels. Even if it's not full on loud, it will be noisier than any environment babies are normally used to.

Bit harsh NigellasDealer! Mrsmugoo came on here for advice, not to be judged.

Thanks for your opinion Nigella'sDealer. (nice user name btw )

If he'd been even one iota distressed while we were there I'd have left - he was fine. All he needs is warmth, shelter and my boobs.

This is a thread about getting back to normal routine after a trip away.

unrealhousewife - it wasn't really that type of festival, it was very family friendly and if he was near any loudish music then he was in ear defenders.

I think most of us got the joke OP so don't worry about it.

It wouldn't have mattered what it was - small babies do get knocked out of routine by going away on holiday / visiting relatives etc. Just ride it out and let the dust settle, then reinstate your bedtime routine.

Christ on a bike there are some humourless wankers on here.

OP, I hope your DS gets back to normal soon. I don't have any advice I'm afraid, having been too scared to take DD camping so far, but I don't expect this is a permanent problem.

I opened the thread because I thought it was quite funny op.

Don't worry - they all do this - he'll settle down soon.

I thought it was pretty obvious the thread title was lighthearted. glad to see the peace and love approach to aibu is going so well with some posters though! and all round

Christ on a bike there are some humourless wankers on here

I don't have any practical advice OP, sorry, but just had to say something. I got the joke. And would have taken my baby to a festival if I was interested in music.

My baby got little unsettled at around five months anyway, due to teeth, next stage of development, starting to sit/crawl etc, so he may have done this whether you'd gone away or not, and might last a little longer!

If it is just down to the routine change he'll settle after a day or two.

For the record, only Spock would struggle with the joke in your thread title, and if you're concerned enough about your baby being slightly out of routine, I'm sure you're a conscientious enough parent to keep your baby safe and happy at a festival.

I think bricks need to come out of some people's backsides,take it literally if you wish...

Nigella I think you're completely out of order, how ridiculous to get worked up about it. He'll settle back into it OP, don't worry. He might be teething/developing as well so may have had a little regression regardless of going to a festival. Hope you had a good time - I took my baby to a festival at 6 months, she's 21 months now and no lasting damage...!

Might be more of a coincidence rather than the festival and the routine change. Had a few weeks of really bad naps here and ds has never been near a music festival!

You probably just need to be consistent over the next few days, and open to the possibility that he might need a routine change. It will come right again!

Thanks for reassurances everyone.

Not bothered about anyone's opinion regarding taking a baby to a festival - I took him to Glastonbury festival for the day at 3.5 months old in a sling & ear defenders and he was happy as larry.