Baby rubbing eyes at nap time

[Rosebud1302]

Hi all,

My DS is going through a particular awful sleeping spell at the moment where he is fighting every nap and won't sleep anywhere but on me despite how dreadfully tired he is. I stopped swaddling him as he is desperate to roll and likes to have his arms free to hug his muslin and just generally not be restricted (this was before the sleep problems started). However he is dreadful at rubbing his eyes when he gets to that really tired but not wanting to sleep stage. He cries every time he rubs his eyes because he is so tired but rubbing obviously keeps him from sleeping.

Does anyone have any tips? Is it something he is likely to grow out of? He is 4 months old by the way :)

My LO never liked her arms being constricted, would wail the house down until they were free so I wouldn't bother swaddling them. With rolling on the horizon you don't want to be swaddling anyway.

Rubbing eyes is a natural sleep cue, I've never thought to try and stop it. I rub my eyes when im exhausted! My LO does it for a while before crashing or if she's particularly restless with rubbing and turning her head over and over. I give her a soother to distract her and it usually settles her within minutes.

DS rubs his eyes when he's tired, I always thought it helped him go to sleep as it keeps his eyes closed!
Could it be that he's getting upset because he's overtired? Are there any other earlier cues you could spot to put him down before the eye rubbing starts?

Thanks for your replies! I should probably have mentioned that he has been going through a really tough developmental phase in the last month or so. He has always been a great sleeper and it has always been fairly easy to get him down for naps by reading his cues. Yes he is absolutely overtired. Unfortunately that is the problem because he just won't sleep :( i can start trying from the second he shows any tiredness but he fights and fights until he is way too tired and that is when the excessive eye rubbing starts. He does this when his eyes are closed it is almost like he wants to wake himself up?! He just can't settle poor thing :( I am hoping it's just a phase and he will get better soon! I was just curious whether anyone else has noticed this problem with baby keeping themselves up by eye rubbing.

Mine only did that when they were overtired, how long is he awake for? They also used to wave their arms around, hold them vertically and then wake themselves by dropping them.

Sometimes more stimulation helps them to sleep, my DS used to do well with noise either white noise or music, about as loud as you would have the radio in the car. I think it distracts them from how miserably tired they are, or something.

He is awake for no longer than 1hr 45 but normally an hour and a half. When I start the process of putting him to bed he is only getting sleepy but by the time he fights it etc he is definitely overtired yes but he rubs his eyes in frustration (I think) which then keeps him awake. He is in a bit of a bad phase atm!

Oh and yes we have nice loud white noise :)

How long does it take to get him to sleep? Maybe the 4 month sleep regression has caused the nap issue?

You mentioned he likes to grab his muslin, do you let him keep it to settle himself to sleep? My DS loves to have his to rub on his face and helps him sleep when he's over tired and fighting

4 months is pretty notorious for being a time of awful sleep and babies getting overtired very easily. They do get through it, but it’s quite hard! I think it’s just a developmental faze, although I’m afraid there are more are later ages e.g. when they learn a new physical skill like pulling up and they just HAVE to practice it, or when they learn to make a new sound and can’t sleep for the excitement of going “puhbuhpuhbuhpuhbuh” (God, that one was a killer with my DD).

If you can live it with, I’d just let him sleep on you until he gets past this phase. It might take a little time to get back into routines that are easier for you, but overtired babies make everyone miserable anyway! Mine took a good month to get over that particular phase I’m afraid, although many seem to manage it in a week or two.
Good luck!

Thanks everyone. Yes he does sleep with his muslin and also a little comforter teddy. It does help definitely as long as he hasn't gone past that point of stroppiness!!

Yes indeed I have been letting him sleep on me. I love cuddles I really do please don't get me wrong. It's just he sleeps so much better and deeper when he is in his own bed! He is so desperate for sleep but just won't let himself it is so frustrating to watch!

Hahaha yes I know all to well about the noises. His current one is a high pitched squeal which of course keeps him awake but he just loves doing it! Hopefully like you said it's just a phase :)