My baby thinks he's a bongo drum - any ideas?

[narmada]

DS is now 10 months, never ever been able to self-settle for naps or during the night. To get him to sleep you have to basically hold him in position and beat his bottom and his back like you're playing a bongo. I'm not kidding- if you're sat in the next room it sounds like someone's playing a drum!

Now, from about 5 mos to 8 mos he would wake very frequently throughout the evening and have to be bongoed back to sleep. However at 11 pm a switch went and we never used to hear from him until 7 am the next day - fab. This all stopped abruptly at the dreaded 9 month mark and now he's waking 3-4 times between 11 and 7 - worse than when he was a newborn.

If you try not patting him, he just rolls around the cot shouting, and as for leaving him to it... ha! I've tried to cut down the amount/ speed/ firmness of patting but he won't wear it and will just stay awake for hours and hours and hours.

Does anyone have any ideas to wean him off the nightly patting??! Not keen on crying methods unless the only way.

Anybody have any suggestions or things that have worked for them??

No words of wisdom I'm afraid but just wanted to reply. My DD is 5 months old and if she isn't bf to sleep she has to have her back patted so I can relate! Not only is it tiring mentally but she is a big babba and is bloody heavy! Will watch this thread with interest though to see if anyone gives any useful advice. Hopefully some body with some words of wisdom will answer you soon

xx

ooh thanks eversoslightly, hope we find some wisdom somewhere!

narmada my DD would only go to sleep if held. at 8.5 months she was waking just like your DD. This went on for about 5 weeks, but at the end of it she was sleeping through until 4.30am, but still only went to sleep when being held.

On Monday night I started trying something different. She has her bedtime milk on my lap and then I laid her down in her cot. Everytime she sat up I laid her back down and said "night night". I didn't leave her and stayed until she went to sleep. The first night took 2 hours before she gave in. The 2nd night took 45 minutes and tonight took just 15 minutes. So progress so far. She doesn't cry or get upset as she knows I am still in the room. She crawls around a fair bit but as long as she is lying down I let her move around. But everytime she sits up I lay her back down again. No eye contact and no chatting. If she starts to get upset, I lay her down and talk to her very quietly just saying "Mummy's here". She still wakes at about 4.30am but burbles for a few minutes and then goes back to sleep again until 6.30am.

I was prepared to pick DD up if she got upset, calm her down and then put her back in her cot, but haven't needed to do this.

I couldn't face any form of controlled crying so this method is working for us.

If you do want to try something like this you will need the patience of a saint as I would say that the first night I had to lay DD back down about 50 times.