Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Sleep

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler. Need more advice on your childs development? Sign up to our Ages and Stages newsletter here.

Flip

Original poster

Gina Baby - Advice needed re: daytime naps

25 replies

futurity · 15/03/2002 12:56

My son is eight weeks old today. At night he sleeps very well but in the last couple of weeks his daytime sleep has been very disrupted.

He used to go down at 11.30 and sleep like a log until 2 but since he has become much more alert he wakes up after 40 mins and screams the house down. He will settle if I leave him for a few mins but then spends most of the sleep time moaning and crying. I have tried everything...the room is pitch black, he is swaddled....tried not swaddling....I have been in to see him....I have left him but it is the same every day. I would imagine that if I went out with him in the car at this time it probably wouldn't be a problem but that is not something I want to do every day just to get him to sleep...and I worry that it would affect his night sleep.

Reading other messages I see that others have had this problem and I would just like some feed back as to the best way to help him through it...and whether he will grow out of it!!?

Thanks

Caroline

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Pupuce · 15/03/2002 13:04

Is he hungry ??? needing a top up ?
I don't think it will necessarily affect his night sleep.

Original poster

futurity · 15/03/2002 13:10

Nope....not hungry as have given him a top up just before he went to sleep.

OP posts:

Original poster

futurity · 15/03/2002 13:11

Nope....not hungry as have given him a top up just before he went to sleep.

OP posts:

Pupuce · 15/03/2002 13:15

Does he have a nap earlier in the morning or is that his first nap ? What time does he get up ?

Original poster

futurity · 15/03/2002 13:22

Gets up at 7 and feeds well. Goes to sleep at 8.45 as he can't last longer than that...wakes up at 9.30 whining and grumpy...only lasts until about 10 until have to feed (according to Gina I should be at 10.30-10.45 by now....no chance!).
He is then fine and happy and starts getting tired about 11.20 so I put him down (whilst he is still awake) and he goes off like a dream...then 40 mins later he awakes and screams the house down! Sometimes I go in...sometimes I don't...I have a camera so I can see him in his room so can tell when he is just grumpy or really moaning.

Today he woke up after 40 mins screaming so I went and cuddled him....yesterday that worked and he then slept for another 1 1/2 hours...today he moaned for another 15-20 mins but is now sleeping again after I went in to see him and cuddle him as he was getting really distressed.

OP posts:

Pupuce · 15/03/2002 13:34

I think you are on the right track. He may hungryer than you think but otherwise I think that if you are following GF, you will know that babies often do wake up after 45 minutes - go in, cuddle him and as you saw it is very likely to work. I think it is a phase.

DD was less able to follow the routine timing (so not able to wait as long for a feed or sleeping longer) but DS was the advert for the book.... don't worry too much. What is more important is that you and baby find your marks, clearly it's worked quite well for you. Stay relaxed and you will be fine.

Original poster

futurity · 15/03/2002 13:39

I think what it is is that he used to sleep like a dream for 2 1/2 hours so it came as a shock to my system when suddenly he didn't! I have no problem with going into cuddle him but a little voice in my head worries that if I do that in the day will he expect that at night after a while?

Generally following Gina has been a big help....he is a very alert and demanding baby but we have been able to follow the routine and he is very happy during his awake times and is now sleeping from 11 until 4.30-5am which is great. I am just very aware that when he has poor quality day time sleep he is not a happy chap for the rest of the day.

OP posts:

Pupuce · 15/03/2002 13:50

Tell the little voice to be quite in this case

Original poster

futurity · 15/03/2002 13:55

LOL.....OK! :-)

OP posts:

manna · 15/03/2002 16:18

there is another thread on gina babies daytime sleep problems - I definately had them when ds was the same age. He's now 16 weeks and grown out of it, thank goodness. Check out the old thread and see what's there.

manna · 15/03/2002 16:18

Oh yeah - love the idea of a camera - how fab

Jus · 15/03/2002 17:02

I've had similar problems with my ds. He (since about 8-10 weeks) goes through sporadic spurts of waking up (normally 40mins after going down) during his lunchtime nap (and rarely going back to sleep properly). Like you, I tried everything when it first happened - including boarding up the window so not an ounce of light would come through!) But after a few days (some of the spurts last a week or so) he just goes back to sleeping again. I'd say these 'spurts' happened every c.3 months before he was one. And about every 5-6 months after that. I don't have any idea why (there's nothing I've changed - he's been a Gina baby since 2 weeks - he's now nearly 20 months)and nothing I seemed to do would make him stay asleep during these spurts . Maybe it's just growth spurts, who knows. It doesn't bother me now at all because I know the time between 'spurts' is getting longer and longer. Anyway, hope this helps. PS When his daytime sleeps were bad, his nightime sleep was rarely affected.

Original poster

futurity · 16/03/2002 18:09

Thanks for all your help?..I am reassured now that hopefully it is just a stage that Adam is going through. We went out at dinnertime today and he slept for most of the time quite happily so I expect I will have to do that for a while!

Another question I have is regarding the routine as Adam, despite being 8 weeks, is following the feeding plan of 2-4 weeks with regards to timing. He wakes at about 9.30 after a 40 min sleep and by 10am demands his feed. I have tried to push it back by distracting him/taking for a walk etc but every day it is the same?he will just not wait for the feed which "should" now be at 10.30 to 11. He then gets sleepy at 11.20 and is put to bed which is a very disrupted sleep at the moment (see previous messages below!). He is fine in the afternoon as has a short sleep of about 15 mins but then around 5 -5.15 he wants feeding despite me having tried to give him some boiled water earlier. I am going to get some peach water tomorrow and try that but he is very reluctant anyway to take a bottle (he is totally breastfed).

I don't have a problem with his schedule but I am now aware as I move into the 8-12 weeks that I may be storing up problems for the future if he is stuck on this schedule and I wondered if anyone else had this problem and how they sorted it or whether there baby just changed as they grew up.

Thanks!

OP posts:

Pupuce · 16/03/2002 18:43

DD was always following a routine for at least 2 weeks before her age... so that's not an issue.
Can I suggest that you give 1/8 herbal tea + water rather than peach water ? IMO what is the point of getting your baby use to sweet drinks at 8weeks old ? I use chamomille but you could try other flavours.
I really think you are on the right track and you should not worry too much about how closely you follow the book if your child is happy.
The purpose of the book IMO is to have a baby settling easily for his sleep and feeding successfully. The book has to show some rigidity otherwise where does it start but as I have mentioned both my kids were living the routines quite differently.
DD is now 7 mo and is already in bed (since 1830... GF says 1900... but she won't last that long. She gets up at 7 AM)

Original poster

futurity · 16/03/2002 18:48

Thanks for that. However, I don't drink tea so I know nothing about it! When you say 1/8 herbal tea + water what sort of ratio do you mean....ie how much water and how much tea? Sorry for being thick...it's been a long day!

OP posts:

Pupuce · 16/03/2002 20:21

No problem.
Make a mug of herbal tea with 1 teab bag - leave it for MAX 3 minutes. And then dilute a bit of the mug with a LOT of water. I think you can keep the herbal tea in the fridge for 24 hours so that you don't waste it. Maybe you can freeze it - never tried... or alternatively you drink the tea yourself.
I do insit on HERBAL not black tea !!!! I am not implying you're thick but if it's been a long day you never know

SueW · 17/03/2002 09:09

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at OP's request.

Original poster

futurity · 17/03/2002 10:40

My son is very reluctant to take plain cooled boiled water so we figure adding a flavour might help!

OP posts:

SueDonim · 17/03/2002 13:23

Doe he even need water, at 8 weeks old? A breast feed would quench any thirst, at this stage, surely?

Original poster

futurity · 24/03/2002 19:02

Hi All

Well things haven't got any better. Adam still wakes after 40 mins and will not settle himself and this has now started to happen in the evening as well. Last night we put him down at 7 and it took until 8.30 for him to go to sleep despite the fact he was obviously over-tired.

He just will not settle himself and gets himself so worked up that we cannot leave him to settle himself which Gina suggests as he gets incredibly distressed...besides he is only 9 weeks old and far too young to leave him to it I think.(?)

I really need some guidance..words of encouragement and tales of other people's experience...does it get better at all!?!

Thanks

OP posts:

Enid · 24/03/2002 19:35

futurity - are you SURE he's not hungry? Why not give up the routine for a while and just demand feed for a couple of days and see what happens? Is he breast or bottle fed? Sometimes babies have a 'growth spurt' at 10/12 weeks.

PLEASE don't worry about instilling bad habits at this age. He is so tiny it won't take long to get back on track.

Original poster

futurity · 24/03/2002 19:58

I don't think he is hungry as he is breast fed and feeds very well just before I put him down and he comes off the breast on his own. I also go in and offer him the breast which he sucks for a moment but not long enough to really take any thing substantial...he just does it to calm himself.

OP posts:

susanmt · 24/03/2002 20:53

If he is only 9 weeks then I would comfort him rather than leaving him to cry. A little baby like this won't get into bad habits. I either fed or rocked my dd to sleep until she was 6 months and then she learned to do it herself, and is a brilliant sleeper now. But just my take on things - I never used GF, but let my children find their own routines, so if you want to stick to GF then don't listen to me!!
All the best

Rozzy · 25/03/2002 08:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Pupuce · 25/03/2002 12:00

Hi Futurity,

My daughter who is older (7 months old) can't stay up until 7 PM, she is too tired. Is it possible that your son is too tired to easily fall asleep ?
I have no problem with the suggestion of singing and being near him. I am personnally not a big fan of rocking a baby to sleep (to sooth or console I think it's fine) but I have seen too many babies unable to fall asleep without being rocked. Rocking on the odd day is fine of course but not systematically IMO.

Flip