Late bedtime, Late mornings, Nap problems - advice please

[mandymac]

Evening from hell yesterday, dd of 9 weeks old only napped for about an hour and a half yesterday during daytime (she is really hard to settle to nap anywhere at the moment), then from 7pm, was screaming pretty much every time we put her down anywhere. We took her for a walk in her buggy and although she was calm while we were out, didn't sleep and wouldn't settle after feed when we got in.

To compound matters, she was so overwrought, that she couldn't even get latched on for feed before bedtime (usually 10pm), so we couldn't get her to sleep until 11.30pm. . Thankfully, once she fed, she settled and apart from feeds at 4.30 and 7.45 was asleep the whole night and still is too (10am).

I'm worried that her sleeping so late in the morning is contributing to the nap problems, as she is so unsettled from 6pm to 9pm, she won't sleep, but can't get her to settle for many naps between 11am and 6pm. Does anyone think I should start trying to wake her a bit earlier? I'm loath to do so, as she obviously needs the sleep, but this is the 5th day she has slept so late and I don't want this to become a routine if it is affecting daytimes/evening in a bad way. Must say I love having a few hours to sort myself out in the morning , but it means that dh and I spend all evening tryig to calm her down .

[jambot]

Sorry about 3x message. Something went a bit wrong!

[jambot]

I found that if I started my day at 7am, even if it meant waking dd, now nearly 6 months, the timing seemed to work itself out more or less. She didn't nap properly (3 naps) until she was 3 months and had started to more or less sleep through the night. I also don't let dd nap later than 5:15pm (that late afternoon nap is normally what I call her 'power nap' as it normally only lasts 30 to 45 mins.) At about 6ish, I start a very fixed bathing routine. Same little song sung as we bath. Then a feed in a dark room, with no eye contact, talking etc. Used to battle to get her to go down until I started this routine. Now, as soon as she's out of her bath, her thumb's in the mouth and she's ready for bed. Also discovered at about 6 weeks - when she screamed everytime I put her down, despite being tired, that she suffers from reflux and that if I propped her mattress up a little so that she wasn't lying totally flat, it helped make her more comfortable. What also made things easier for me was that dd slept on her side, between a wedge, so her bottom was available for much bum patting if she wouldn't settle. The rythymm of the quite hard patting would soon send her off. She also has a little blankie for bed time as she doesn't take a dummy. That really helps. She often pulls it over her face (it's only the size of a handkerchief) and sleeps like that all night!
Definitely feel that the 7am start worked for me, even if it kills you to wake them. Think that if that's what takes for a few days to change her routine a bit to make all of your lives happier, then no harm done.

[jambot]

I found that if I started my day at 7am, even if it meant waking dd, now nearly 6 months, the timing seemed to work itself out more or less. She didn't nap properly (3 naps) until she was 3 months and had started to more or less sleep through the night. I also don't let dd nap later than 5:15pm (that late afternoon nap is normally what I call her 'power nap' as it normally only lasts 30 to 45 mins.) At about 6ish, I start a very fixed bathing routine. Same little song sung as we bath. Then a feed in a dark room, with no eye contact, talking etc. Used to battle to get her to go down until I started this routine. Now, as soon as she's out of her bath, her thumb's in the mouth and she's ready for bed. Also discovered at about 6 weeks - when she screamed everytime I put her down, despite being tired, that she suffers from reflux and that if I propped her mattress up a little so that she wasn't lying totally flat, it helped make her more comfortable. What also made things easier for me was that dd slept on her side, between a wedge, so her bottom was available for much bum patting if she wouldn't settle. The rythymm of the quite hard patting would soon send her off. She also has a little blankie for bed time as she doesn't take a dummy. That really helps. She often pulls it over her face (it's only the size of a handkerchief) and sleeps like that all night!
Definitely feel that the 7am start worked for me, even if it kills you to wake them. Think that if that's what takes for a few days to change her routine a bit to make all of your lives happier, then no harm done.

[jambot]

I found that if I started my day at 7am, even if it meant waking dd, now nearly 6 months, the timing seemed to work itself out more or less. She didn't nap properly (3 naps) until she was 3 months and had started to more or less sleep through the night. I also don't let dd nap later than 5:15pm (that late afternoon nap is normally what I call her 'power nap' as it normally only lasts 30 to 45 mins.) At about 6ish, I start a very fixed bathing routine. Same little song sung as we bath. Then a feed in a dark room, with no eye contact, talking etc. Used to battle to get her to go down until I started this routine. Now, as soon as she's out of her bath, her thumb's in the mouth and she's ready for bed. Also discovered at about 6 weeks - when she screamed everytime I put her down, despite being tired, that she suffers from reflux and that if I propped her mattress up a little so that she wasn't lying totally flat, it helped make her more comfortable. What also made things easier for me was that dd slept on her side, between a wedge, so her bottom was available for much bum patting if she wouldn't settle. The rythymm of the quite hard patting would soon send her off. She also has a little blankie for bed time as she doesn't take a dummy. That really helps. She often pulls it over her face (it's only the size of a handkerchief) and sleeps like that all night!
Definitely feel that the 7am start worked for me, even if it kills you to wake them. Think that if that's what takes for a few days to change her routine a bit to make all of your lives happier, then no harm done.

[vickitiredmum]

not sure what i did there but its in the sleep section under Nap training...........its breaking my heart!

[vickitiredmum]

check out this thread. www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=5&threadid=98327

Ive had mares with my DS (2nd child - first was a good sleeper). Some LOs are just that way. I found that the path of least resistance worked best and so my being far less stressed about his sleep helped ALOT. He is only now just settling (after 5 minutes of crying/fussing) for his naps and he is 18 weeks.

[newmumhelp]

Yes its possible. Some babies are born with teeth. Anyway, ds has same problem in day. Sleeps well at night, but really really fights napping in the day. Dummy worked wonders for a week, but now he's not so keen so its a bit hit and miss. Try the walk thing again. But make it a long one. If i take ds a walk to get him to sleep, it has to be for at least an hour, or he will wake up as soon as we stop, but i find that after an hour, he's well and truely gone, and will sleep for another hour or so in his pram once we get back home. Failing that, you could try taking her out in the car

[mandymac]

teething at 9 weeks is such a thing possible? I really hope not, my poor nipples!

[biglips]

mandymac- i remember mine was like that at that age (bring back memories - yawn!!)... it got to the point where i put baba in the pram in the living room and pushed the pram, 10 mins later she be out of it.... and i used to leave baba to cry for about 3 - 5 mins before picking her up so she be worned out and ZZZZZZZZZZ!

could she be teething?

[suss]

sounds completely like my ds - and according to dr weissbluth completely normal. the only thing that would calm ds down was sucking - but not a dummy because he would stay awake for hours sucking a dummy so it was mt little finger! he would go to bed at about 11pm. gradually his bedtime got earlier and earlier until about 12 weeks it was about 7.30pm, at that moment ds found his thumb and we were evil parents and let him cry it out.

[mandymac]

bump

[colditz]

Sounds like the 7;45 am waking was her actually waking up, but being so tired she went straight back to sleep, for a nap. A lot of babies this age like lots of attentin in the evenings, and they will quite often "cluster feed", feed lots in the evening, to get them further through the night.

If it is any comfort, my ds used to do this, he is now 2.4 and rarely wakes before 8:30 am. It can work in your favour

[yawningmonster]

I dont know if it was right or not but I could never bring myself to wake my son when he was little. You could try the patting and hushing techniques during the day to help baby to settle and do the whole boring mummy during the nite routine, follow babies cues of tiredness and just keep at it, hopefully she will settle into a slightly better routine for you.