5 month old screams when putting nightclothes on

6 replies

BettyFriedansLoveChild · 30/07/2012 13:46

Our 5 month old DD has been in a bedtime routine since 12 weeks: story, bath, nightclothes on then feed to sleep / until drowsy in darkened bedroom. She loves bath time, but for the past couple of weeks has screamed blue murder every time we try to put clothes on her afterwards. The only way that I can get her to calm down is to feed her. She doesn't mind getting dressed any other time of the day, its just at bedtime. Has anyone else has this? Have eliminated physical reasons like her bed clothes being uncomfortable, I was wondering if maybe having her clothes put on was a signal that she was about to go to bed and she was unhappy about that?

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NellyBluth · 30/07/2012 21:35

DD went through a phase at 3-4mo of screaming blue murder the moment her bath finished, and dressing her was a nightmare. The only thing we could think of was that she had learnt that this routine meant bedtime and she wanted to be feeding or in bed now, so she screamed at every delay.

We cut out the bath every night for a month or so, some days moved it forward, other days just had a massage instead. At 6mo she is now happy with bath and dressing again. I suspect that it might be related to naps and tiredness - their needs change so quickly, it may be that she is just on the edge of being overtired. But naps can be so hard to work out!

Could you maybe try a bedtime routine that doesn't always involve a bath?

amri · 21/03/2013 21:15

Our daughter does the exact same thing! Helps if we give her a few ounces of her bottle before her bath - she is just impatient for her bottle! Distraction helps too, we sing like egits when we dress her :)

Weissdorn · 21/03/2013 21:24

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Shybairns · 21/03/2013 21:26

She's probably just desperate for the milk and sleep.

VisualiseAHorse · 21/03/2013 21:29

Yup. Mine does the same. He is now 11 months old. Has had a bedtime routine since he was 2 weeks old. Still screams like mad in the evening.

Lilipaddle · 22/03/2013 15:28

My DD did this at 4-6 months, and it was because of her babygrow and sleep bag being restrictive. She liked to be able to wave her legs everywhere, and would end up pulling her legs up into the body and getting them stuck/not being able to wave them enough in the sleep bag.

In the end I started putting her to bed in a long sleeved vest and a baby "nighty" with bare legs, then having the duvet over her legs (she co-sleeps) and she was fine after that. though I spent half the night getting kicked for the next couple of months

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