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Crying to sleep

3 replies

jmap81 · 30/07/2022 22:00

My 4 month old is generally a chilled baby. He naps in his cot - morning nap he can settle himself and drifts off calmly. Lunchtime it can be totally calm or take a couple of minutes of grumbling. At 7.30pm, after bath and feed, he gets really upset. The crying continues pretty much till he falls asleep. It's not screaming but he's definitely upset. I put my hand on him, ssshhh, stand over him, put my face against his. I do pick him up and that calms him, usually cries again when he gets put down. I realise he could just small asleep on me and I could transfer him. Or I could let him cry and know he would drift off. I am not keen on doing either. I am wondering if it's normal that they cry like this. Is it because he needs to self soothe ans doesn't know how? Have never offers a dummy and don't really want to. He could sick his fingers but doesn't really. Basically am wondering if many babies cry at bedtime or if there's anything I can offer while he's falling asleep in his cot to help him. I have a comforter tonight and don't think that helped.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
ChittyBang1987 · 30/07/2022 22:12

Mine needed a good whinge and cry before sleep, think it may have been as they know its bedtime and i could be holding them and she would still do it. Could be overtired? Or part of sleep regression..... but if lo is sleeping through the night its probably isn't that.

AllThatAndMore · 30/07/2022 22:17

With both my children I nursed , cuddled and transferred. I wasn’t worried about self soothing at such a young age. It happened naturally with both my babies as they got a bit older .

89redballoons · 06/08/2022 09:40

Is he only on 2 naps a day? If so could he be overtired by bedtime? They're all different, but I think lots of the books suggest 3 or even 4 naps at this age. Maybe try for an afternoon catnap, even if it's in the pram or car or something.

My DS2 often has a short burst of crying before falling asleep and it happens even if I'm holding or breastfeeding him. By "short" I mean literally 30 seconds or a minute, and then he relaxes and drifts off. He's 16 weeks. But then mine is also very, very far from sleeping through the night so maybe don't take my advice!

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