Help please, dd doesn't nap and is now not sleeping at night...

[123yipee]

DD is 14 weeks and for the past 3 weeks her sleep has been getting progressively worse.

We are up for the day between 6 and 7am. I try and get her to nap after she has been up for 60-90mins. The problem I have is that it can take me 30-40mins to get her to sleep and then she only sleeps for 10-30 mins.

Bedtime is even worse we start bedtime at 7pm and its normally 11pm before she sleeps. Then wakes every 2 hours for food. She is obviously over tired but I don't know how to break the cycle

For naps we try rocking in arms and cradle, going in the car, walks in pushchair. Nothing seems to make a difference.

At bedtime I usually feed her (bf) and then try and creep out of bed (we cosleep out of necessity rather than choice) when I think she is asleep. She seems to have a mummy sensor that as soon as I leave she wakes.

I cant continue with going to bed at 7pm, I would like to see DH in the evenings and DD needs more sleep. I don't really want to leave her to cry but am willing to try anything.

Have just had exactly this with DS. DP started doing a FF in the night allow for more sleep, so we got 3hrs at night. The rest was 45mins tops!

DP slept in the spare room a few times. We tried a heavier formula, but moved back after constipation, raised bed, still raised, infacol and gripewater, rocking, walking, music and lights mobile, white noise, cosleeping, none of it helped.

DS has started now to go 4-5hr blocks and we've had the odd 8-5.30 in the last few days.

I dont think anything we did made a difference to DS we just had to ride it out, share what we could and do our best to sleep where possible. Maybe spurt + sleep regression, who knows

Oh, one thing actually did work we move bedtime later. DS would scream 7-10ish, so we shifted everything for the day so 10was bed time.

Could you keeping her downstairs with you in the evening feeding and cuddling her too sleep as needed. At least you can talk to each other that way.

Or will she take a dummy, put her in the crib awake ans sooth with a dummy.
I just kept mine in the crib almost all day for a few days at 5 weeks so he accepted it iyswim (obv fed, changed, played with him in the cot).

Dd was like this. We kept her with us in the evening till we went to bed and tried to wear her out and feed her as much as we could. She generally came into bed with us as well just so we got some sleep.

It can all be adjusted when they get older. Its sleep and rest that matter!

If I were you, I wouldn't put her down for a nap just because 60 or 90 minutes are over - just wait until she gives you clear signs that she is ready for a nap:

• rubbing eyes
• crying (if it is persistent, for my 25 week old, a sure sign he is tired)
• or just let her go to sleep wherever... playmat, bouncy chair etc. ... without trying to put her in the cot.

This has worked very well for us. Now, at the half year line, DS is starting to self-regulate his snoozes, i.e. he has fallen into a sort of pattern. I think it would have been far more difficult if I had tried to enforce a pattern on him.

Good luck!

DD was like this and I read something that said you should move bedtime earlier, cause if their bodies get two tired they release chemicals like adrenaline which gives them a second wind. It made DD sleep between 6:30 and 12ish which is better than nothing. At 13 months however I've no idea what to do with her! good luck.

Thanks for the suggestions.

murphy it's good to know it could improve regardless of what I do. Will have a go at a later bedtime. Does your DS sleep til 9-10am if he goes to sleep at 10?

purple we are trying to get her to take a dummy but she prefers me to be her dummy.

dodi I would love for her to just go to sleep on playmat or bouncy chair but as yet can't fall asleep without movement . I will try and watch for more tired signs rather than watching the clock but she just seems tired all the time due to v.short naps.

Just wanted to add ds at that age stayed down with us. Feeding napping in sling if need be and it gave DP and I time together- I became a dab hand at eating with one hand but it was nice to sit up the table and have time together. Ds would still feed in the night but would wake for the day at 8 ish (which did make me feel a bit more human). Also remember under 6 mo they are meant to keep where there is someone else in the room anyway (SIDS advice) for all sleeps.

An update: Sleep is so much better .

We are now doing a 2 hour nap in the morning and 1hr nap in the afternoon plus a couple of cat naps. The longer naps have to be started in the car but that's a small price to pay. Moving bedtime later has definitely helped she goes down easily at 9pm but we are up for the day at 6am. So lots of progress and hope for further improvements.

Thanks for all your suggestions