Hi everyone! Baby turns 4 months next week & really struggling with sleep patterns & very sleep deprived as a result! I have no family help so need to try my best to get her sleep under control so I can be more awake (if possible- maybe I’m expecting too much!) I’m a FTM so don’t know what to expect of her.
Until a few weeks ago she went to bed with us around 10pm after napping downstairs from around 8pm. She slept through until 5.30am when she woke for a feed and then slept again until 8/9. She would also nap during the day as and when she was tired- being held, in her chair, being pushed in the buggy, essentially wherever we happened to be.
Over the last few weeks her sleeping has been suffering. She sleeps around 7 downstairs then wakes around 10/11 when we take her upstairs & usually wants a feed followed by a long window of refusing sleep. She wakes again at 2-3 for a feed which can go on for an hour, then again at 5 for a feed. At 7 she then wakes for the day typically & if I try to leave her in her cot/cuddle her back to sleep after a feed she’ll kick and squirm and try to sit up as she clearly doesn’t want more sleep.
Daytime sleep is also an issue. She resists sleep & will only sleep if she is carried around/jiggled on someone’s lap. She sleeps usually for 30 minutes but often less. I aim to try to get her to sleep every 2-3 hours but this doesn’t always work although she is in a noticeably better mood when she does! She’ll usually start waking every 10 minutes and will only continue to sleep if I happen to be sitting next to her to hold her hand when she starts to rouse. Some days she is awake from 7am right through until 4/5pm despite me trying everything & at the end of the day she is in an awful mood & typically crying until I do manage to finally settle her. She now won’t sleep unless she is in the house with nothing on tv to distract her/no new people to watch & if we are out shopping she won’t sleep as she’s too busy watching people. This means if I am out she just doesn’t sleep & becomes increasingly grumpy to the point where she continuously cries from tiredness for the entire duration of the trip until I get her home & get her to sleep. Does everyone end up only going out during the 2 hour window when their babies have finished a nap and are in a good rested mood?! Surely there’s a trick I’m missing somewhere as it’s making things impossible!
We already play white noise all night & during naps. We’ve got those sleep teddies that are meant to improve sleep & give out soothing light. We have black out blinds so she shouldn’t be able to tell when it’s daytime when in the bedroom. She sleeps in a crib in our bedroom & seems happy enough- she had a baby positioner which we removed a few weeks ago after the cot death scare although her sleep had already declined before we got rid of it so that’s not to blame.
I’ve read that her age group should be able to sleep for 8 hours overnight & have read very contrasting views as to how much/how often she should be daytime napping. I need to sort out her daytime issues so I don’t end up with a hysterical baby every time we go out for more than 2 hours! Would really appreciate any tips/if I’m doing anything I could change to improve our daytime. Night time I can manage but spending every day we are out with her overtired & hysterical is getting very tiring! Thanks! Sorry for the essay!