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Sleep

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Original poster

11 wk old not sleeping in the day and its driving me mad!

18 replies

Mandymoo · 22/07/2006 19:42

He is absolutely hanging and needs a sleep (v grumpy too which is a delight!) but he drops off and then wakes himself up after a few mins.

I also have a 3.8 yr old dd who obviously needs my attention too but when we're at home its nigh on impossible to give her any as ds is crying and grumpy. I could spend (and have done so on a few occasions) a whole day at home trying to get him to sleep with no success.

Any tips? What age do they form a daytime routine?

Oh and to those with older children, how the hell are you meant to get a baby to sleep with a very vocal toddler in the house?!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

vnmum · 22/07/2006 19:47

i had this same problem and still do somedays. i got a tip from the "no cry sleep solution". it says that babies have very light sleep periods and if your baby wakes up after a short time its probably that they are in a light sleep stage and have woken instead of going back into deep sleep. the book recommends listening outside room 10 mins before baby normally wakes and immediately go in and do what ever it takes to get baby back to sleep. i personally feed. then baby learns to sleep through the light sleep stages.

HTH.

surroundedbyboys · 22/07/2006 19:49

hi mandy moo - i find my ds3 (5 weeks) is actually better sleeping with noise about. in fact i often put him next to the radio. i also have found that the key to getting them to sleep is to not leave it too long after they have last woken - about 1.5 hours in our case, but probably longer if your ds is 11 weeks. also- is he waking himself up with his arms - have you tried swaddling him?

Original poster

Mandymoo · 22/07/2006 19:51

Too hot to swaddle atm but have tried it when he was younger.

With a toddler at pre-school and various activities its so hard to forge a routine with baby as i dont have the luxury of being able to dedicate my full attention to it.

Its so frustrating when he so clearly needs a sleep but wakes up so quickly.

OP posts:

surroundedbyboys · 22/07/2006 19:54

i am still swaddling in this heat, but with just a nappy on underneath.

munz · 22/07/2006 20:08

I am also swaddaling in this heat, Joey went thru a phase of no napping around then. also is going thru short naps now, one thing I found to help, was being sat down once he'd had about 45 mins so if he came around he saw me and went back to sleep again. (althou prob not the best thing when you have another LO) does he nap in his cot outside the main room? (again something i've just started doing, all naps now are in the bedroom and I/the dogs go down stairs and only come up once joey's woken up, (might work if u can keep DD downstairs (obviously once LO's asleep) then u guys can have some quality time.

his time's at the mo seem to be 1.5 hours awake same asleep give or take. at 11 weeks thou I think he was every hour asleep for about 20 mins or so.

and another naughty no no I did was let him sleep on me for naps then transfer him once he was asleep.

not ideal when you have another LO to handle as well thou.

Original poster

Mandymoo · 22/07/2006 20:29

He sleeps in the car en route to dd's pre-school in the mornings but invariably wakes up when we get home. I then spend the next 2,5 hrs trying to get him to sleep until its time to pick dd up when he then might sleep in the car again. I then try and spend some time with dd in the afternoon but this usually doesnt happen as i have to console ds who refuses to sleep! Its turning into a nightmare!

OP posts:

Lact8 · 22/07/2006 20:42

Hi, would it be possible to take him for a walk in his pram? Ds2 is 2 when DD was born he was very jealous and even more rowdy than usual. He would try to thwart any attemmpts to get her to sleep. I found the easiest thing was to get her in the pram, shoes on ds2 and take them both for a walk. I found it gave him chance to let off some steam and dd get to sleep in relative peace.

I did find it frustrating when I was tramping around the streets with the pram thinking I could be getting on with housework while she was napping, but realised it was worth it not to have a grumpy baby and a grumpy toddler to contend with

DD is 7 months now and has a 30 minute nap in the am and about 20 in the afternoon. I give her a little feed and she drops off, I lie her in the pram in the other room from ds2. If she stirs and wakes she will settle back off on her own now if she's in the pram but not if I put her down in her cot

Hope you find a way of dealing with this as I found it very wearing

Original poster

Mandymoo · 22/07/2006 20:45

Thanks Lact8 - i have taken baby out for a walk after dropping dd off at pre-school but, like you say, there's always housework and jobs to do!!

The most frustrating thing is when i try to give dd some quality time and cant because baby is bawling away cos he's so tired but wont give it up!

Thanks for all your replies XX

OP posts:

VeniVidiVickiQV · 22/07/2006 20:49

You have my utmost sympathies.....

I had this with DS. Nothing I did helped and in the end I would lose my temper with DD who was 2 at the time because every slight noise stirred him as I was trying to get him to sleep.

I found, that in the end, for my own sanity that the path of least resistance was best. ie, if he needed b/feeding to get to sleep and then spend an hour on my lap - so be it.

They get better eventually, but I didnt find that with DS until he was about 18-20 weeks. His nightime sleep didnt improve until 10.5 months.

He is just bad at settling himself to sleep.

Original poster

Mandymoo · 22/07/2006 20:53

He sleeps pretty well at night (thank god. I let his fall alseep whilst feeding but he wakes himself up after a few mins!!!!!

I've had to have a glass of wine tonight to calm myself down ffs!!! (and now i'm feeling guilty for having a glass of wine!)

OP posts:

kiskidee · 22/07/2006 21:02

you can also swaddle in the thinnest of cloth. I used a large flat nappy on hot days. also used a small thin table cloth i picked up at a charity shop for 50 pence. (i thought one day it would be good to put on the grass for a picnic.)

lucy5 · 22/07/2006 21:23

I used to walk dd round the block and then come home and leave her in the pram.

Tuesdayschild · 23/07/2006 10:53

My DD is 13wks and also finds it difficult to stay asleep in the day. We have a babybjorn sling that she will sleep in though and it's good because I can hoover/wash up/do washing or rest on sofa while she sleeps! I am worrying about how to wean her off it but it is the only thing that works at the moment so we will just go with it for now.

jambot · 23/07/2006 11:24

DD was 4 months before she started napping properly in the day. Until they lose the startle reflex, I would definitely swaddle. If hot, just in napy with a lighweight sheet. Also draw the curtains.
I also left mine to cry for a few minutes when putting her down, as found she needed to 'wind down' before falling asleep. It wasn't really an upset cry, just more of a moan.

alex8 · 23/07/2006 11:27

don;t feel guilty abou the wine, Its fine to have a glass a day whilst bf.

kittie · 23/07/2006 11:39

My baby is now one and still doesn't sleep well. he was born 11weeks early and was in hospital for 8weeks, so it was hard at first too get into a routine. anyway, he sleep pattern is awful and still wakes at least five times during the night and can be awake from one hour to three during the night. day naps are anything from nothing at all 10mins here or afternoon sleep for 30mins it's hard when your baby doesn't neeed sleep and you have got things to do and wanting to spend time with your other child, i have found the more effect i put into trying to get him to sleep I get frustrated at the least he will go to sleep my little boy sleeps better when there is more noise around.have you tried playing smoothing music a cd maybe in the room.
I know how you feel and the feeling of being so tired. when he does sleep you think i must get things done. best of luck and thinking of you.

soapbox · 23/07/2006 12:11

mandymoo - how about putting ds in the pram in the afternoon and taking them both to the park. Crying and grumpiness are so much easier to take when you are outdoors. You can then have your nice one on one time with your DD at the park while DS is safely in his pram. Chances are that he'll drop off to sleep anyway in his pram.

I always used to keep the pram in the hall and use this for day time sleeps when they were little. If they rowsed at all, I'd pop out and rock the pram for a bit until they fell back to sleep. I think they also used to like the noise of me getting things done and moving around which they wouldn;t have had if they'd been in the bedroom.

dizzybint · 24/07/2006 10:53

i don't battle with dd and don't feel in any way naughty for the ways i get her to sleep. she feeds on my lap on a nursing cushion. falls asleep on that, i then move her along with the cushion to either the floor or the sofa and leave her to sleep. sometimes she'll sleep 2 hours, sometimes 10 minutes. we go for a long walk every morning and she sleeps through that, as long as the pram hood is up so she can't see anything. if she can see anything she won't nod off. i've never even tried to get her into a nap routine as such. does he sleep after a feed at least?

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