October 2014 // thread 6 // baby's new year resolution is to sleep more?!

[sazzlehopes]

Oh my god please would you have a word with N and tell him to start sleeping! He loves to wake all the time... Last night no exception half 11, half 3 and then 4 awake til he finally gave up half 5 and slept til 7...
I'm sorry to moan but it's relentless and I need somewhere to vent...
He flat out goes mad if offer the dummy, he just wakes doing s weird high pitch squeal thing...maybe it's teeth, maybe it's because he had his jabs yesterday, maybe it's allergies or MAYBE ITS BECAUSE HES A BABY??!!!!!! Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Oh no sazzle, hope things get better soon.

We decided to change the time the heating comes on in the morning to 4am, since I'd been having some 5 or 6 am wake ups. No wake ups last night until DH alarm went off, which was lovely.

Plus, lovely toasty house to wake up to when it was snowing this morning.

Oh dear Ned- he obviously just likes Mummy cuddles in the dark?
It's so frustrating not knowing why things happen. Hope you both get to relax at some point today (hopefully with a HOT cup of tea and a biscuit)

Talk to me about naps.

I don't let her go more than 2 hours without a nap - until about 4.30pm, by which time I'll put up with whinging for longer to ensure she goes to bed at 7. But she won't sleep for more than 45 minutes unless she's in a sling or carrier. In fact, most of the time she doesn't even get to 45 minutes - more like 25 - 30.

I don't mind this particularly, but shouldn't she be having a long nap at some point during the day? Or is that another parenting myth/preference.

It's not a myth that babies sleep longer during the daytime goats. It's also perfectly fine to have frequent shorter naps too. It is the total amount of sleep that is important, it's never fun dealing with over tiredness.

I understand that in baby lead, gentle, attachment parenting, shorter naps are commonplace right through past the toddler years, unless holding/carrying/feeding child when sleeping.

If the short naps, or naps only when being held are a problem then there are things you could do to change this. This would be more in the routine based parenting styles which use props, triggers, timings and autonomous comforting.

Then there are all the other parenting styles in between and either side. It's hard to offer advise though because I am not sure what your parenting style is.

Goats we get 3, sometimes 4 30-45 min naps during the day. But by the time I've held her after feeding/ held her hand/ played white noise I usualy get about 15 mins to myself!
I thought they got longer, less frequent naps as they got older?

goats I've been asking various people about this as we have similar short naps at the moment, which doesn't bother me but I've been curious because most older babies I know have long nap and like you I've wondered about it. With very few exceptions everyone I've asked has said that the longer naps happened automatically between six months and a year, but usually more towards the year end of the spectrum.

goats my wee one isnt sleeping more than 20 minutes during the day unless we are out & about sometimes i get over an hour in the house if i put her in the car seat and put the car sound on the white noise app, but she does wake up up at various points where i just jiggle the car seat, but this doesnt work all the time

Will try & remember to watch for your hubbie kirstie!

Should be able to make next meet up

Mine does one "big nap" as I think of it. It's pretty tedious sometimes though, I just treat any waking before 2 hours is up like a night waking and resettle. Today he was awful, don't know why but suspect he was too hot. Eventually got him down about 2.30 though and he's asleep now. DH is about to wake him for his bottle.

Other naps very hit and miss.

Thinking about what Fate said more generally. I actually thought I'd be an attachment style mum but I'm not really. My mental health has improved since we've gone a bit more routiney I think. But then I don't do anything else which is bad for me probably. I can't win really.

Im am so tempted to pour a large glass of ... It has been one of "those" days where 6 extra pair hands would have come in handy

I am unashamedly a routine freak. That's just my normal personality, children or not. I like order, plans and predictability. The children just fall into that because that's the way I am and how I live life.

It is compounded by the fact that when having three immovable events weekdays - the school runs for an hour twice a day, plus the immovable bedtime for older children - means that I have to time baby's feeds and sleeps to fit around these.

We usually have two 90 minute sleeps morning and afternoon. Then two or three short naps in addition. My the time DD is 12 months I expect to be in a single 2h afternoon nap routine.

We do 30 - 45 mins or so in the morning, in car, pram or sling. Then 2 hours at 1 ish (in his bed) and I try for another nap in the late afternoon but it's really hit and miss. Then last feed at about 7.45 and bed by 8 ish.

Today he napped on his own in our room for the first time! Baby monitor on and the other bit in DH's office. Longest he's ever been alone in his life :(

I don't want naps that involve her needing to be in bed/a particular place. I aim to do my stuff in the car or involving a sling in the afternoon so she'll sleep for longer. She's just done an hour and a half but that was because it start in the sling. If I'd put her down she'd having woken much earlier.

Yeah it's good to be flexible. He'll do his big nap in the pram but wakes if I come home so I need to commit to being out for ages.

Hey all just a quick post to say goodbye for the time being someone in real life has worked out who i am on here I keep getting things I've said on here repeated back to me. Although I've never said anything I wouldn't in real life I like the idea of being anonymous so if I do need to talk through anything I don't want to discuss in real life I can.
So while I shall be lurking and wishing you all well with you're babies I won't be posting. If I pop up again in disguise and anyone recognises me please don't out me!
Sending lots of and and xxxxx to you all

An hour and a half is great goats. As long as you are happy with the sling, this is fine.

splendide - no need for that sad face! Your LO will be absolutely fine.

Just been making dinner while DD was asleep in the living room. Only the smoke alarm went off due to our desperately in need of cleaning grill smoking and frightened the living daylights out of sleeping baby. I felt terrible.

Crossed post

Awww pregnant . Can't you just change names and reappear as someone else? We'll miss you. Me especially since your another quad-mum with me.

Aww pregnant thats shit love your honest posts deffo do a name change

Pregnant really sorry to see you go. I've found your advice and experience has helped a lot over the past 4 months. Hope you come back with a NC soon.

pregnant maybe you could put on a disguise? Trench coat? Balaclava? You'll be missed.

fate I'm slightly envious of your routine, but I haven't got it in me. I'm still working on a sort of priorities system- so daytime naps it's really important to me that she has in her crib, because eventually I'll use that time to work. I don't stress about the length of them at the moment- just that if we're at home and she's sleepy she goes upstairs in the crib. A lot of this stuff feels like working out what my life looks like with a baby in it, and it's kind of evolving as I find my feet, and we're sort of learning to accommodate each other, and a routine us growing out of that which works for us. Except between the hours of 7.30 and 10 30 pm when all bets are off.

pregnant please don't go far, I find your advice honest and helpful. Have a break and come back if you can.

Oh my I know I shouldn't say this out loud, baby just settled himself twice in his cot, he likes to do a weird scratching thing with his nails... Whatever works kiddo, whatever works!
Let's see what the night holds. Please send me sleepy vibes!
Oh and yellow sorry to be a pain did you see the photo I posted of Neds rash after I gave him formula? I know you are more about reflux stuff and CMPI but I wondered if your expertise went into allergies? The doc is referring me so that's good, just waiting for an appointment.

sazzle let's hold hands, close our eyes and wish. 8.15 and we're already on cycle number five of asleep/not asleep.

Pregnant PM Kirstipops to join the closed Facebook group if you still want to keep in touch. Its much busier than the MN thread now.

Sazzle no I didn't see it. Was it on here (I use the android app so don't see pics) or on FB? Really glad you're being referred.