6 month sleep patterns and daytime naps...HELP!!

[NinkyNonker]

Hi all,

Dd is nearly 6 mo, and I am really struggling with her daytime sleeping, or lack of. She has never been much of a sleeper, and tends to only nod off if bounced, fed (bf) or sometimes walked. She is at the point now where she will sleep for between 30 and 45 mins every couple of hours...on me. If I gently transfer her to her cot she will sometimes sleep that long too, but if she does wake she's unhappy. Put her in half asleep and she instantly wakes up and starts kicking, wriggling, playing etc...no sleep.

It's coming to a head because I am starting to get frustrated at not being able to get anything done, and am hoping to start studying again in Sept when she is 1 yr, so an hour here or there without a sleeping baby on me would be lovely!

I've also noticed recently that sometimes she is rubbing her eyes and looking tired less than 1 hr after waking up, so presumably her little nap wasn't enough.

I guess I am asking what other people's 6 mo olds are like, and how to work on getting her to nap in her cot, ideally for longer. Not just for my sake, but for hers, I hate her getting overtired. I won't leave her to cry (wuss) so any gentle tips appreciated. How much sleep is average, how many naps etc?

Also, what sort if routine do you have? I'm not a fan of being strict in this regard but if getting up at a certain time, or spacing activities etc might help I'll have a go.

Thank you!

Mine gets up around 7am and then has his first nap around 10am, usually for 45 minutes - sometimes this is in his cot but often I just lie down with him in my bed and feed him to sleep then get up once he's off. Second nap is usually between 1pm-2pm and again he sleeps for 45 minutes then I resettle him and he sleeps for another 45 minutes and sometimes I resettle him a third time. Occasionally for one or other nap he will sleep for 90 minutes without stirring. I make sure he's up by 4pm so he can go to bed at 7pm.

I used to just hold him before his nap when I could see he was tired, and he would fight it and cry for 5 minutes before zonking out - now I try to put him down sleepy but awake and about half the time he drifts off my himself. The rest of the time he grizzles a bit, but I leave him unless he properly cries/sounds upset. Then I go in, resettle him and leave him again. If he hasn't fallen asleep within 15 minutes I get him up again and try in half an hour.

Altogether, he sleeps 7pm to 6/7am with a feed at 11pm, and then about 2-3 hours in the day.

Hiya,

Is DD on solids yet? Found this leads to much routine tweaking!!

Not sure this will be much use as also struggling with naps, especially the afternoon ones but my DD is 7 months and the 6-7 month stage seems to be tricky, perhaps they're growing more aware of their surroundings or something and weaning can cause havoc? Anyway, this is our ideal routine at the mo. Today she did this almost to the letter but was still knackered by bedtime and had a screaming episode over dinner

7am (with any luck!) - wake, nappy change and bottle

8am breakfast of solids

9.15am nap (not more than 45mins - will explain why later!)

11.15ish lunch- solids

12.30ish nap (up to 2 hours - though I get 1hr 20mins out of her if lucky)

3pm - bottle

5pm dinner - solid

6.15pm bath, bottle, bed

DD would happily sleep for 2 hours for her morning nap but when she started doing this, she started waking earlier and earlier in the morning (the worst was 4.30am on Christmas day!!! agh!) so we have to limit them now and do an early lunch so she's not too tired to eat. Hope that as she gets older she will be able to have lunch at a more lunchy time.

My DD also shows tired signs where her afternoon nap used to be (from 4pm ish) but will not go to sleep at this time even if in the car (where she will generally dose without much persuasion), leading me to draw the conclusion that she no longer needed that late nap.

Sorry for the essay xx

Hi NN, our DD (7 months) was also not much of a daytime sleeper and still woke at night, until about 3 weeks ago. Prior to this, if she slept for more than 30 minutes during the day it was a miracle.

In hindsight, I think it was me who was inadvertently stopping her from sleeping better, as I'd rush in at the slightest grizzle, thinking she was awake for the next play session.

At 6 months, I decided this had to stop (for her happiness and my sanity). But like you, I couldn't leave her to cry it out. So I compromised. I followed our usual bedtime routine (put on music, get dressed in sleeping bag, have bottle in room, hugs before bed) but put her in the cot sleepy but awake....and I stayed in the room doing nothing until she fell asleep. I thought it was important that I didn't leave the room, as I wanted her to know that I was there if she needed me, so she could just concentrate on going to sleep....and not also learning to be in a room by herself. The 'doing nothing' was hard the first few times as I knew if I picked her up and rocked her, she would fall off to sleep. But I was beginning to understand how important it was for her to learn to go to sleep by herself.

The first time, she played/grizzled/cried for about 40 minutes and I was just about to give in .... but then she fell asleep by herself. And each nap from then on she has fallen asleep quicker and quicker. I now leave the room as soon as I put her in the cot, and she just has a wee grizzle for about a minute and then sound asleep. She still wakes after about 25-30 minutes of napping, has a wee grizzle to herself for a minute or two, and then rolls over and goes back to sleep.

Here's our current routine

7am wake, nappy change and bottle

7.45 toast (she gets to play with finger food while I eat breakfast and enjoy a much needed coffee)

8.15 solids (usually fruit and baby rice)

9.15 nap - for as long as she sleeps (usually about 1 hr, sometimes more)

11 snack - usually finger food (ie slices of cucumber, cheese and fruit) or some fruit and yogurt

1230 bottle (small)

2.00 bottle (small) and nap (she usually sleeps about 1 or 1.5 hours)

4.00 dinner (usually meat and veges)

5.15 bath

6.00 bottle (small)

6.15 finger food (usually cucumber) to keep her busy while we eat dinner

7.15 books, bottle and bed (she's normally asleep by 7.30pm)

She now generally sleeps about 11 hours at night. She might wake and have a wee grizzle for a couple of minutes at about 4 or 5, but just rolls over and goes back to sleep if I don't rush in.

I should also mention this 'routine' is really flexible...if she sleeps later in the morning, I let her! and then just adapt the rest of the day to suit the new time.

It's a bit long winded....hope it helps....and remember, it does get easier as time goes on (teenages never want to get out of bed!)

Thank you for your responses, much appreciated!

She is just starting on solids, but we are loosely doing baby led weaning, so there isn't a huge amount actually going down at the moment!

I followed your advice and tried again today, putting her into her cot having had a BF and a cuddle etc. She does go into her cot pretty much asleep, she briefly opens her eyes to see where she is/look at me but then goes straight off so I don't think she is really waking up. First time only 45 mins, second time 30 mins in cot...wake up/bounce around/bf again and then I laid her down on the bed next to me where she slept for nearly an hour...result! I stayed there the whole time doing bits on the computer. Perhaps I should try doing this more rigidly every day.

I'm just so bad at leaving her when she grizzles, not even crying! I know I have to toughen up on this though. Doesn't help that we pretty much co-sleep at night, she stays in her cot until she wakes for her middle of the night feed and then she comes in with us/me.

I can't stand the sound of any distress either, but I do think there's a difference between the I'm-tired-and-miserable grizzling and actual upset.

Have you tried putting her down awake then pottering around in her room? She might cry to be picked up but if she can see you're there and you can reassure her verbally then it's a safe way for her to learn to fall asleep on her own.

That's a good idea, I might try it tomorrow. I've been putting it off and off and off, time to get on with it I think.

I gave in after 10 mins, she alternated between shouting, quiet playing and crying real, hysterical tears. I couldn't stand it, I know I should have left her a little longer, I'll have to try again later.

Was this with you in the room with her?

How do you feel about pick up/put down? I found it quite helpful - if ds was really crying I picked him up and cuddled him, then as soon as he calmed down put him back in his cot. Repeat until they fall asleep.

I think you're doing well, is the room quite dark? As I found this really made the difference between my dd sleeping for 1 hour or 2! Also making sure she is not too hot/ cold.

I think personally staying in the same room as her once she is asleep is a mistake as she may come into light sleep, realise you are there and that will be enough to wake her up iyswim?! Also if you are there you will naturally be 'on guard' for every little noise she makes. At least if your downstaires a little bit grumbling is eaiser to ignore (obviously not full on screaming!)

Once she has mastered the 2 hour afternoon nap you'll find it a God send - I know I did and dd kept this nap untill she was nearly 3!!!

I was in the room the whole time, I think she was cross as against scared or unhappy as she would stop every now and then and play for a minute, then start again. I do have the room dark so hopefully that'll help.

I normally swaddle her at night as she is so flappy (trying to figure out how to stop but that's another thread!) but am uncertain whether to during the day...it helps her go down but if she wakes she can't entertain herself.

Fingers crossed girliefriend, time to do anything something would be great!

I swaddled night and day as it made such a difference as to how well she slept, I also had a daytime nap routine for example say 'sleepy time' take dd upstaires very quietly, change nappy and usually I'd leave tights or trousers off, breastfeed, swaddle or put into sleeping bag, make sure room is as dark as poss, leave and go downstaires for well earned cuppa and chill out with magazine for 5 mins. I found if she grizzled I'd leave 10 mins before checking. Like I said before I wouldn't stay in the same room think its more unsettling for them.

BTW I stopped swaddling when dd consistantly broke free and it became pointless, we then moved onto the baby sleeping bags which worked just as well!!!

Good luck.