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How long do you leave a wide awake but happy baby in their cot at night?

9 replies

Highlove · 29/03/2017 20:41

Just that. DD is almost 8 months. Self settles in her cot quite happily most evenings. Feeds a couple of times overnight and generally ends up in with us around 4-6am ish.

She has a new habit of waking up and just playing about in her cot. She's quite happy but just won't go back to sleep. What do you do? Just leave her indefinitely if she's not unhappy? I often end up feeding just to get her back to sleep but obviously that's not ideal and may well encourage it. But I can't sleep through it as I'm on edge waiting for her to cry. (Which she sometimes goes but only having been awake AGES.)

For the first time tonight she did it at bedtime. Went to sleep beautifully having gone in her cot wide awake as usual, but then woke up ten mins or so later and took well over an hour to go off again. I was watching her on the monitor and she was quite happy all the time. I went in at one point and gave her a quick cuddle, but otherwise left her to it.

WWYD? I'm not massively comfortable just leaving her for ages but equally, if she's happy enough...? Where am I going wrong?!

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
MrsBartlettforthewin · 29/03/2017 20:54

I just leave ds2 to it. This morning I heard him at about 5 babbling away he went back to sleep and was only just up when I went to work at 8. If they're happy their is no harm to leaving them.

MrsBartlettforthewin · 29/03/2017 20:54

There not their

Freshprincess · 29/03/2017 21:01

Leave her. She'll let you know when she's unhappy.

FreeButtonBee · 29/03/2017 21:07

Leave! Unless there is proper wailing, I ignore. She's happy, if she's upset, she'll let you know. Turn the volume on the monitor to the lowest setting so it doesn't disturb you and leave her to it.

And I am a sap who fed 3 babies back to sleep til they were well over a year. But happy babbling = leave alone

HLBug · 29/03/2017 21:11

Leave her. DS went through a similar phase when he was a baby. We used to joke that he was telling the very chirpy and annoying wood pigeon who lived in the tree outside his bedroom all about his day. The two of them would coo coo coo for absolutely ages, happy enough. If she gets upset she'll let you know!

Beyondtheshore · 29/03/2017 21:16

I agree, leave. I definitely wouldn't be going in to feed while she's happy - she sounds like she's learning to put herself back to sleep, and as long as she's not distressed I'd leave her to it, for however long it takes. Once she masters it the random waking will probably stop, and your life will be so much easier!

Highlove · 29/03/2017 21:19

Ok - I'll ignore her tonight then! Thank you.

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JumpSturdy · 30/03/2017 10:39

Definitely leave her to it if she's happy! I'd also turn off the video monitor and maybe turn sound down - you want to be able to hear any distress, obviously, but try and alleviate your wakeful attention to a contented, babbling baby!

thethoughtfox · 30/03/2017 13:03

Mine would talk to herself and sing for ages. Occasionally we would hear her three hours later!

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