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dreading bedtimes...what's gone wrong?

2 replies

curlyLJ · 27/07/2010 20:37

UP until about 2-3 weeks ago, bedtimes seemed to be going OK and I had even been able to put DD (19 weeks) into her basket virtually awake on some occasions and she had been going to sleep with some patting and shushing.

Now, she screams the minute I lay her in there. I don't mean crying, this is full on SCREAMING! The neighbours must wonder what on earth I am doing to her. One night I just stayed firm and contuinued to pat and shush until she eventually went to sleep (an hour), but it sounds just so awful I can't bear to do that to her. She makes herself hoarse and thirsty with it all

Last night I got her back out and gave a bit of boob and then she was well away (9pm) until 5am this morning...
Tonight I got her back out and rocked her until she was practically asleep and then put her in. She did need re-settling after about 5-10 mins, but she seems to be fast asleep now.
Am I just making it worse by getting her out - will she ever leasrn to self-settle if I do that, or will this just pass?? Am I just too soon in trying to get her to self-settle? She seems to go down fairly OK for naps - although we do have some screaming episodes there too - but bedtimes are the worst.

Admittedly her bed 'times' have been all over the place in the last few days as we have been staying with friends/travelling etc. Would it help to have a set bedtime and stick to it? I usually go roughly by the time of the last nap, but in all honesty sometimes I am not sure if she is overtired or not tired enough

Please help!?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
curlyLJ · 28/07/2010 09:45

anyone?

OP posts:
chiccadee · 28/07/2010 10:28

19 weeks is very little still. If she wasn't self-settling by the time she is crawling/walking (12-18 months), then that's different but for now why not just enjoy your DD being a baby. If she needs to feed to sleep sometimes, that's not the end of the world - she'll be going through teething pains, growth spurts etc - why not give her the comfort/painrelief/food that bfing provides if that helps?

On bedtimes, I do think it's helpful to aim for a rough routine but you can't force a baby to sleep. Could she be getting ready to drop a nap? Again, could it be teething pains keeping her awake? I would look to all the possible causes first, before thinking about solutions.

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