Hello. I'm looking for some help. My baby is a screamer, there's no doubt about it. We use the Gina Ford routine for naps and meals so she gets 30mins in the morning then a 2hour nap in the afternoon. If she doesn't get good naps she's cranky and struggles until bed time. Now I think there's compounding issues making it harder which online advice doesn't address.
She's eats fine, not massive amounts, 3 meals a day with a few breast feeds. Bed time consists of bath, book, final feed then bed at 7. The problem is, she sometimes wakes at 9pm/10pm/midnight and can at times be inconsolable. We try controlled crying, which sometimes works and she's back to sleep. On occasions it gets to the point she can be so worked up she will be sick. In the end, the only solution is a breast feed. Whether she genuinely needs this, we don't know. Probably not!
Other times, she can sleep all night. This lasted a while after she was weaned from the night feed then the issue creeped back after a period of croup (twice!) where it was required to feed her when required and keep her hydrated.
Issues we have:
- She refuses to drink milk (expressed or formula) from a bottle or sippy cup which we know she's physically able to do because we give her water in both. In the early weeks/months, a bottle was no problem, then suddenly it stopped. She sometimes toys with it, takes a tiny amount then gags. This is a big problem as I'm unable to leave her with anyone else as the last resort (feed) is something only I can do.
- She refuses a dummy. As per the previous point, she used to take a dummy then it stopped. Same material as a teet?
I'm at a loss on what to do. Any advice on where to begin would be much appreciated.