3 month old baby sleep problems- PLEASE HELP

[Proudmummy2014]

Hi there,

I'm new to MN and really hoping that you lovely ladies will be able to help with any advice that you have.

My baby girl is 3 months old and is an absolutely awful napper in the day- her total nap time amounts to a mere 1.5 hours!! I wouldn't be so worried if she was then happy after her naps, however during her wake time she appears tired and is whinging. Also for her night time sleep she cries so much before she falls asleep (even though I have winded her). I really am on the verge of depression as I really can't bear it that my little girl looks so unhappy and I get no break because she doesn't sleep that well.

Can you please advice me on:

1. Is there any form of sleep training that I can use which will allow her to self settle? I already have a consistent bedtime routine of bath, massage, feed. Please don't judge me but I have been using CC the last week (leaving a max time of 3 minutes) and I've only seen little improvement- from my undertaking this should have worked within a week? Please do not judge me for trying this, as I really am using this as a last resort and I only implement this after I know she's been fed and has a clean nappy.

2. How do you sleep train a windy baby? I think she cries before bedtime because she's windy (she brings her legs up). I do spend time winding her, however after putting her in the Moses she starts crying after 5 minutes. If using CC, will it not confuse her if I keep picking her up to wind her more?

3. What can I do to increase her nap times?

Really hoping that I'll get some responses on this. Thank you in advance!

One tired Mummy :-(

Ha ha. Great cross post with you there OP!

Haha!!

Seemed to have cracked the day time sleep now. However the last 2 days she's been waking up at night every 2 hours!!! She did have her jabs 2 days ago- is it normal for sleep to be disrupted at night?

It could be connected, or it could be teething, or it could be a growth spurt/developmental leap, or a bit of separation anxiety, or just a change in sleep patterns... you get the idea!

Random thought - is she warm enough, as it has got a bit chillier overnight recently?

@culturesucks- she has been teething too so I guess with everything combined it's not going to be great :-( Good point about the weather. She's been sleeping in her summer sleep bag so I'll try the warmer one and see if that makes a difference. So strange from only waking once that she would wake every 2 hours

One of the most important things I learned is that things change ALL THE TIME. Just when you think you're in a routine, it'll change. My advice is to go with it, don't stress about it, follow her cues and put her down for a nap after 90 mins of being awake. It took me months to recognise ds sleepy signs.

BUT...the MOST IMPORTANT IS ......drumroll..... PEOPLE LIE ABOUT NEWBORN SLEEP!!!!!!!

My ds is 11 months and STILL has never achieved the sleep your dd has! She's doing extraordinarily well IMHO

Hate to say it but you're also approaching the 4 month mark where some babies experience sleep regression.

@cakebaby- I've heard of the 4mth sleep regression. How long does it usually last and should I do anything different during it or continue as normal?

Its variable, some babies aren't affected by it so don't worry! Others just a few weeks, longer if you're unlucky. Just try not to pick up any habits when you're trying to get through it. We did and I've paid for it ever since you'll find lots about it on mn and every other site

@cakebaby- by bad habits do you mean rocking them to sleep etc? She seems unsettled at the moment because of the jabs/teething so I've been rocking her to settle her. Ideally I would be trying to help her to self settle

Yes that sort of thing, but its a fine line to tread because there's nothing wrong with comforting a tiny baby that needs it. For me it was feeding to sleep (bf) and co sleeping, neither of which are really bad habits but trying to break them is proving hard for us now that we have to when I go back to work. At the time it was the only way to get through it. Its not the same for everyone though so don't worry unnecessarily.

DS2 is 14 weeks, ebf on demand and in no real routine as I also have a toddler to look after.

Atm we're on holiday so things are a bit different to home but here's what he's doing:

6.30am - awake
8amish - goes to sleep for 45 mins. I use the sling then put him in his cot as its the fastest way to get him to sleep and then I can get breakfast/ready etc
8.45 -awake
10am ish - goes to sleep in sling for 2-3 hours whilst we visit stuff
12 or 1pm - awake
4pm - sleeps for 2 hours or so depending on what we do (either in the sling or on my lap)
8pm - down for the night
He sleeps for 3-4 hours the first block then wakes every 2-3 hours for short feeds. Goes back to sleep easily

His naps are a bit hit and miss cos our toddler wakes him up sometimes. So he'll sometimes have some catnaps as well before we manage to get him a decent nap

I would love to have your nights!

DS2 is our good sleeper. Ds1 is nearly 3 and still an awful sleeper. Ive learnt that we can tweak his sleep but it changes by itself anyway depending on milestones/teething/illness/whatever

@cakebaby- I completely understand- you just want to do what it takes to comfort them and what settles them quickly.

@shahsham- wow those naps are amazing!!!! I think I'm starting to learn that nothing lasts forever as my DD's night sleeps have been awful last 2 days- waking up every 2 hours. Not even because she's hungry which is even worse!