Active discussions

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

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.

Original poster

High Needs baby support thread

834 replies

LittlePixieMa · 07/12/2015 17:49

Any of this familiar?

1 baby needs to be constantly held
2 feeds frequently during the day
3 feeds or comfort sucks through the night
4 won't sleep alone
5 HATES the pram and/or car seat
6 takes short naps
7 doesn't like being held / left with others
8 gets bored or over stimulated very quickly

Feeling exhausted and want some support from others with spirited fussy babies

If so join the club Smile

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
duckyisback · 11/04/2016 09:06

Thats crap fluff SadThanks hope the gp can sort the cough.

We had another awful night (as usual) ds woke an hour after going down and was up til around midnight. I got him to sleep and the second I put him in his cot he was wide awake having a melt down. I set up camp on his floor again but it didn't help he just screamed and screamed. In the end.... I slept in his cot Blush he still didn't sleep for a while, just lay there looking at me, he fell asleep eventually and about 4.30 I crawled into bed. He woke at 6.

Purpleboa · 11/04/2016 09:29

Flowers Fluff and Ducky. That sounds awful. Ah the toilet dilemma! I have been known to take DD to the loo with me. Awkward? Yes! But sometimes you gotta to do what you gotta do Hmm

Bit of an improvement here probably jinxed it now Seemed to have found a way for DD to sleep and even self settle! We'd always put her on her back to sleep. But during co sleeping, I'd notice she'd naturally gravitate to her side or front. So after she'd fed, I'd slide her onto her front. It worked like a charm! Even if she isn't asleep, she'll go quiet and then drop off (most times). Has meant I've got some of my evening back (was having to go to bed with her) and last night, we got her back in her cot for two hours! This may not sound like much but I know you'll all understand what a big achievement this csn feel like, especially after a period of total cot refusal. I prob could have put her back in the cot, but took her in with me as I have a heavy cold and wanted to minimise disruptions.

She still wakes a lot after 3am, but she'll at least a settle back to sleep now. Next thing is to crack the night weaning. I know that she is using this as a sleep cue so it needs to stop. She's starting to eat off a spoon again so is getting more food during the day.

It's all baby (ha!) steps and am well aware it could change in an instant. But today I'm feeling something I've not felt in a while - hope. Might as well enjoy it until it all crashes down again!

fluffikins · 11/04/2016 09:30

I've been sorely tempted to get in the cot! Not sure it'd take my 9 stone though! I'm thinking all this sleep stuff will resolve when she gets the sides off and is in a proper bed

fluffikins · 11/04/2016 09:31

That's great news purple! Dd is also a front sleeper I just can't seem to get the transition from nursing chair into cot without screaming. Wish there was a better way

Purpleboa · 11/04/2016 09:39

Oh I'm under no illusion that this is a novelty! Once it wears off I'm sure we'll struggle again.

Trying to get one stubborn tired baby to nap! We have a class at 11 and I know she'll need energy for it. Tried everything in my weapon store but no go! Cannot wait till this shit is nursery's problem!

fluffikins · 11/04/2016 09:55

I'm starting to think dd is moving into a transition period between 2 and 1 naps I think in a month she'll be down to 1 nap

proudmom135 · 11/04/2016 13:50

I need to prepare a lot for myself because I am expecting a baby soon. Shock

duckyisback · 11/04/2016 14:04

That's great purple! Fingers crossed she keeps improving for you. When's she going nursery?

Fluff I was considering taking off the sides and putting a bed guard and stair gate up but I can just imagine him not sleeping at all once he realises he can get out himself Hmm

fluffikins · 11/04/2016 14:52

I've got a bed guard on my bed to stop her falling out when cosleeping but when she wakes in the morning she climbs up on it and would definitely topple over it if I wasn't there to stop her so she's not ready yet but the minute she looks like she'll safely get down from the bed when awake and those sides are coming off!

TurtleEclipseofTheHeart · 11/04/2016 15:22

I don't want to be a dickhead and barge onto a thread with suggestions everyone has probably tried, but I hope you don't mind me sharing...
I have a textbook high needs baby. A week ago I was co-"sleeping", breastfeeding hourly through the night and thoroughly fed up. I was obsessed with sleep and had tried so many things just to get DS sleeping and in his cot. 5 days ago we tried putting a rain sounds YouTube video on when DS woke up. He grizzled a little but fell asleep again. We kept it on and every time he woke up we tried turning up the volume and most times he settled, with maybe 3 feeds. I couldn't believe he slept in his cot all night! However, I then couldn't sleep as it was too noisy for me. Two nights ago we moved him into his own room with the rain sounds video on all night and I thought I would be in and out feeding him every hour. The first night he slept fairly well. Last night he slept 12 hours and woke up once for a feed and once because the video had come to an end! I know this might be short-lived but I just wanted to share as I have read so many things about high needs babies and sleep and I couldn't believe that moving him would actually help.

fluffikins · 11/04/2016 16:24

Fab result turtle. Unfortunately we have 'hairdryer' sound on an app on an old phone going all night for her. Don't think she responds to it really but it does drown out us moving around the house in the evening

duckyisback · 11/04/2016 16:24

Fluff, his bed is low so he could get safely off so I might try it Hmm

Turtle, any suggestions are very welcome here! Will definitely be trying this tonight! Did you just keep your phone on charge in there? And did you just start from first wake up?

LibertyBelles · 11/04/2016 16:53

Congrats turtle long may it continue for you

TurtleEclipseofTheHeart · 11/04/2016 17:26

DP feeds him a bottle before bed. (He has one bottle a day as we thought it might help. It didn't but we stuck with it to give me some freedom. He resists the bottle unless DP puts the hairdryer on).
Anyway, once he is having his bottle DP puts rain sounds on the iPad, which we leave plugged in. It also provides enough light when we have to go in! He gets a bit milk drunk or DP rocks him till he's sleepy then puts him down. Then just leaves the rain sounds on all night. If he wakes up and can't settle we try to pat him or give him a little rock then he can settle with the sounds, or I feed him as a last resort. I think being in a room on his own with the door shut and that noise just means he doesn't hear us and wake up, and when he does rouse a little the constant noise calms him. Good luck! Hopefully this will last...

drowninginpinkplastic · 11/04/2016 20:18

I wish I had found this thread 1.5 years ago! I'm currently sitting in my DD's room waiting for her breathing to slow so I can leave the room without her screaming and waking her sister. FML.

LibertyBelles · 12/04/2016 09:17

A new development in DD - she's now refusing her formula top ups - yesterday (last 24 hours) she had 4oz compared to her normal 10oz+ help!! I'm really panicking about her....

LibertyBelles · 12/04/2016 09:18

Still got good number of wet nappies and her normal pooey routine....she's is taking breast feeds but they don't seem to have increased in relation to the drop in formula feeds

duckyisback · 12/04/2016 09:52

Hope you made your escape drowning!

Liberty could it be teething? I wouldn't worry if she seems ok with wet nappies etc, how old is she now?

We had a good night last night, well compared to the previous routine. He woke approx every 20 mins after going to bed (sounds mad that I call that a good night) but settled quickly rather than staying up. After I went to bed around 10, he had around 6/7 quick wake ups, which is definitely better than staying awake all night!

duckyisback · 12/04/2016 10:24

Ok. I'm in complete shock. Ds has always been a nightmare to get to sleep, at least an hour of holding and rocking to get him to sleep in complete silence. He has NEVER fallen asleep himself. I'm trying a new tactic of getting him to sleep once a day for a shorter time to see if hat helps as he gets so tired during the day he usually ends up with 2/3 naps which I think makes his nights worse and turns into a vicious no sleep circle. He's just climbed on the sofa and fallen asleep ShockShockShockShock wtf! X

LibertyBelles · 12/04/2016 11:54

Wow ducky! Hope it continues!

DD is 10 weeks, tried her on a bottle of ready made formula to see if that made a difference, it did not! She is dribbling a lot, what are the other symptoms of teething? Any suggestions of what I can try to help a 10 week old out?

Zaurak · 12/04/2016 14:05

Can I hop on?

Ds is six months and truly lovely, but his he's hard work and his sleep is getting worse and worse 😪
Previously he was going down awake in his cot and sleeping for 4 -5 hours. The four month regression knocked that down to two but he was still able to self settle. He'd then spend the rest of the night up and down but I was clinging onto the fact that he'd at least go down ok in his cot and eventually that first stretch would lengthen...

Two days after he hit six months he has started screaming inconsolably if I leave the room and will not sleep at all unless he's wrapped around me. His naps have always been fragmented but now I literally cannot put him down with him screaming.

Gp's advice is leave him to cry but he just screams all night if we try even a few minutes of c. And can't be calmed.

I'm really, really down about it.

Zaurak · 12/04/2016 14:08

I feel like all the hard work I did to get him in his cot was for nothing. I never get a moment to myself and I need that to recharge. I'm unraveling 😔

How can I get him back into his cot to fall asleep?

I

fluffikins · 12/04/2016 14:28

Liberty, could just be nipple confusion, boobs are better Wink

fluffikins · 12/04/2016 14:30

Zauruk, mine was going into the cot blinking but awake and now she won't go anywhere near it without screaming. I've no advice apart from to just persevere

LibertyBelles · 12/04/2016 15:04

fluff I agree....nappies are wet today but not soaking.....! Not sure when I should be worried enough to go to a&e or whatever

Swipe left for the next trending thread