OK I admit it - I need some advice (3 month old)

[Miaou]

Ds is a very happy baby, but in no kind of routine at all. Well vaguely - he sleeps till about 11am, wakes for an hour(has a feed in that time), sleeps for another hour, then after that anything can happen. Generally he will go to sleep around midnight/1am, have a feed during the night at some point, but go back to sleep.

This last week he has taken to sleeping from somewhere between 6pm and 9pm, which is fine, but when he wakes for his late night feed, he won't go back to sleep. He is tired (overtired, possibly?), fed, warm, dry - but fights it continually. If I put him back in his cot he works himself into a yell, and the last two nights I have ended up bringing him downstairs until he calms down. Night before last - that was 2.30am, last night, 3am!!! Consequently, both he and I are exhausted, at the moment he is still asleep! (he woke for a feed at 9am but went back to sleep).

I am reluctant to put him into a "routine" but obviously this can't continue - can you give me some ideas of how to break this cycle?

YEY!

Fingers crossed for tonight too!

Well - ds woke at 10.30 and had a feed, went to sleep for 30 mins in the buggy while I was out walking with a friend, fed again around 1pm and has now been asleep since 1.30!!! Hopefully when he wakes up he will be awake for a while - feel like I've hardly seen him today!

Fingers crossed for tonight

I'm still up with ds! Did the play/bath/feed/put to bed at about 7.30, he slept until 9ish, so I went up and fed him again - but in retrospect I think he had just had enough sleep and wanted to play again for a bit. So now he is wide awake and has brought up most of the previous feed! You'd think that having done this twice before (having babies that is) I would have got the hang of it by now!!

Try waking him up a bit earlier tomorrow - not hours earlier, just 10am or 10.15.

I think the way to do it is to "steer" rather than make sudden dramatic changes to routines. If you want him to start going to bed a lot earlier, and waking a lot earlier you will have a better result by doing it v gradually IMO (and IME - used to have a nightowl baby myself - he's still not a 7-7er at 18mo!).

Keep the bath and bed routine the same though - it will be the fixed point of the day for you both. And good luck!

thanks hunker (he's feeding now and v. sleepy, fingers crossed!) - good advice. I've always been reluctant to wake him but I think I need to try that now as a long morning sleep messes up the whole day.

Ah well, you live and learn....

I know what you mean about waking them, especially when you've had a rough night. No doubt I'll be having the same dilemma in a few short months!

Fingers crossed you have a good night tonight - beware of waking him dramatically earlier though as he'll just be overtired and cross.

Thanks hunker! Well he was asleep by 12.30, had a feed at 4.30am and is still asleep just now. We are going to a baby massage class today at 11am so I will need to wake him by 10am at the latest so we will be ready in time, so we'll see how that pans out.

hello have u tried the pick up routine pick up put down my dd is 11 weeks she would scream when i put her in her crib at nite so when she got upset i would pick her up then when she settled i put her down it could take alnite but keep with it after a couple off nites of staying by ur ds side untill he settles he will be fine it takes me 10 mins to settle her now give it a try

Wouldn't really work for us atm kasdie - ds sleeps in our room and dh needs his sleep (long drive to work each day). Ds is currently screaming his head off

my dd was like that but soon as she was tied i took her to our room as she sleeps in our room still and put her in the crib at about 730 the baby whisperer does this ive seen it on telly its worth a try i thought it wouldnt work it only take a couple of days to work if u have got sky baby whisp is on in the morn at 830 watch get some tips its on channel 154

why not try on daytime naps first