Crib gymnastics in the middle of the night...

[lizzywig]

I posted on here not so long ago about an issue I was having with my 15wo DD, it?s kind of resolving itself but naturally just turning into another problem!

About 4 weeks ago I decided to stop her napping in the car seat, for several reasons, wanting to be able to get on with things when she?s napping (rather than creep around) or take a nap myself, I?d also read that it?s bad for their breathing and for their spines (MIL had spine problems) and in 5 months she will be going to nursery and I didn?t want them to have to battle with the issue. I figured taking her out sooner rather than later would be easier. Up until I took her out of the car seat for naps she was a great sleeper. She started sleeping through the night from I think around 7 weeks and she used to take two very long (2.5hrs minimum) each day, she was a very happy baby and this sleeping pattern suited her. She was also able to self settle on every occasion.

From the day I took her out of the car seat her pattern was disrupted, she stopped napping and would scream every time I even put her near the crib. I tried for a week but then gave up and went back to the car seat. No such luck though as she wouldn?t sleep in that either or anywhere else for that matter. I don?t know if whether me moving her was the catalyst or if she was just changing. Either way it?s been a difficult few weeks, apart from bedtime; as she was suddenly able to just go to sleep straight away.

Last week was a real battle (this is what I posted about before) and she would take about 3 hours to go down for a 30 min nap. It was exhausting. I tried everything, putting her down earlier, putting her down later etc. Then I read something about naps, that you should treat them the same as you do bedtime. At bedtime we have always given her a bottle so that I can have a rest, a bottle which is more recently followed by 1-2 mins of breastfeeding. So I tried this before naptime but instead of the 6oz that we usually give her at bedtime I tried giving her 3oz. She went to sleep in the crib almost as soon as I put her down, it was exactly like bedtime. So naps are now better and night time is good too. However she has started waking up in the night again and wanting to bed fed, I don?t mind doing it because she?s 15wo and if she needs it then she needs it, again it?s likely to be another change. However I think that it?s more likely that since I seem to be ?teaching? her to fall asleep by eating she has forgotten how to self settle and just wants food. As she?s usually waking every 3 hours (after midnight) I do feed her.

I did try leaving her but that didn?t work. She just either rolled onto her tummy or into the crib bumper (I know you?re not supposed to have them but she was literally wacking her head against the wooden bars) and was pressing her nose up to the edge. So I took the bumper off and then she woke up because she kicked the covers up and got her legs stuck between the bars ? this literally happened every time she nodded off.

So I am thinking about getting a sleeping bag for her, does anyone have any recommendations?

I am also wondering if anyone has any ideas about how to teach your baby not to feed to sleep? I have tried stopping ? she won?t sleep. I have however reduced the amount of formula down from 3oz at nap time to 1oz with bfeed after.

No comment on feeding to sleep, not a problem I've had to deal with I'm afraid!

We have a vast array of inherited sleeping bags, tbh they're all pretty similar. Probably the most versatile is the one I bought made of merino (bambino merino) - expensive but sized to last 3months to 2 years. Works is all but the most freezing. That said, I have a marginal preference for the ones with zips down the front rather than the side. Not that it matters much. Apparently Jojo ones have removable sleeves which sounds useful but you probably won't need them til next winter now.

I should warn you, they don't do anything to stop rolling around, and DD is perfectly capable of standing in hers. And you can still get your arms stuck!!

That said, they're a godsend if you are trying to keep a wriggler under covers!

Sleeping bags are GREAT!!!!! No kicking off the covers so they always stay warm, can't get their legs tangled in the bars & will hopefully hamper efforts to climb out of the cot once they get a bit older. My DS has been in one ever since he was 3 months old & is still in one now at 18months.

One thing I have found is when my DS could stand up, the ones with popper fastnings on the shoulders would come undone if he stood up & I'd often go in & find his bag had come off, so I prefer the ones with a zip down the front. Also look for ones that zip from the top down, so that if you need to change baby in the night you have easy access & don't need to take them completely out. Our favourites have been from Mama's & Papas.

WRT the feeds - not something I've dealt with either. Is she falling fast asleep whilst you feed then? Or are you able to give her the milk then lay her down drowsy but awake? If you are able to do the latter, then you shouldn't have a problem b/c she is still falling asleep by herself IYSWIM? If she is nodding off, could you try rearranging her nappy, stroke her hand/foot to rouse her a wee bit & then incorporate a story/lullaby into your routine, just so there is a break between feed & sleep?

I do remember that at that age my DS suddenly started waking more frequently for night feeds - there is a huge GS at the 4 month mark - so you may find that in a couple of weeks that bit settles down again.

xx

Thank you both, a question on the sleeping bags. DD is 16wks on Thurs which means yes she'll be 4 months very soon. So I'm thinking of getting a 0-6 month sleeping bag 2.5tog and also a 6-12 month sleeping bag, what tog should I get? 6-12 months coincides with May-November, I'm guessing I'll probably need 2. I don't know anything about togs (apart from my own duvet) for babies so some advice here would be great.

She is feeding to sleep about 75% of the time, the rest she will go down drowsey. It's hit or miss, there's no pattern or rhyme nor reason to it. Today after a day out she was exhausted as she didn't nap the whole time we were out. As it was after 3pm she wouldn't sleep because she knew bedtime was coming up, it's really odd but had I tried 30 mins sooner she would have gone down. I digress....basically she sometimes goes to sleep on her own, so I know she knows how to do it. It's just that since I've introduced milk at naptime she's started to get used to it to go to sleep. She is starting to regulary knod off during a feed which does not coincide with nap time....

Hiya

I would say get both a 2.5 and a 1 tog so you have a lighter one for summer. My DS is in his 2.5 for most of the year & I just increase/reduce what he wears underneath it depending on the weather, but in peak summer he would most definitely be too hot & so this is when I use the 1 tog bag.

WRT the feeds, if she is falling asleep like that I would personally try & rouse her a bit b/c you might find the association becomes a problem some time down the line. However, if it is working for you at the moment & you feel she is still able to self settle then there's no real harm in continuing for now - she is still so young. But just bear in mind that if you start to get increased NW's then its something you may want to nip in the bud.xxx

My DD spent most of last summer just in sleepsuit and vest. We're already out of the traditional 2.5 tog and in the merino again, thinking of moving from LS to SS vest again.

Honestly, I recommend the merino - it's supposed to be ok 17-23degrees or something, then you don't need to buy 3 bags just one!

OP our DD's sleep completely went to pot at 16 weeks - daytime napping broke and nighttime went to every two hours for a while. I tried all sorts and I can't think how much time I wasted sat in a darkened room shushing and singing etc etc

She had slept from 7-7 since about 8 weeks old and self settled for naps so it was a huge shock, like you are experiencing I think.

Do read up about the 4 month sleep regression. It made me feel a lot better. My DD also had a growth spurt that lasted about 2 weeks at 4 months and 6 months, plus teething and a horrible cold. I challenge anyone to maintain ideal sleeping habits under those circumstances!

I'm not convinced that anything I did during that period really helped. Once she settled again, she fell into a new routine and the sleep seemed to sort itself out. We did try a few things to help her sleep through again including breaking the feeding to sleep association, but nothing has worked consistently, even night weaning at 8 mo. In some ways I'm grateful that we had 'bad' sleep associations, as at least it meant we could get her to sleep!!!

I suggest that you do what you have to do to get through and deal with whatever sleep habits are left when she settles. Try not to worry too much - sleep habits change often in my (limited!) experience and the changes are often nothing to do with anything the parent does.