Anyone else got a baby that can't switch off?

[claireybee]

DS just can't wind down to go to sleep and still goes from fine to overtired without any sleepy time in between. He has never done that head lolling eyes rolling thing but just screams when he gets tired. He needs to be rocked to sleep, and I don't mean just cuddled or gently rocked but bouncy rocky bop-around-the-living-room type rocking (and even then he often cries but less so than when put down). I don't mind for now because he is only 5 months but I am beginning to wonder if he'll ever be able to switch off to sleep or if I'll be rocking a hefty toddler to sleep every night!

I know of plenty of babies that need to be cuddled to sleep but none that require as much motion as my ds!

Naetha, I'm having a day like that, or I was until I tried the dream mover. From 7am til 12.30pm he hadn't had a wink of sleep - cue very tired baby and a very tired mother who constantly has to play with him. I know how hard it is when your LO can't play by himself - what are we meant to do with them for 12 hours a day?!! I'm sure we aren't obliged to play with them ALL day, that's what toys are for. But no so for my LO.........

It's good to know i'm not alone in the baby won't sleep thing!
She gets tired about an hour after we get up, anywhen between 8 and 9, then sleeps for about 3/4 hr, and won't have an afternoon nap, she'll sleep in the pushchair when we're out but wake 5 minutes after we get home.unless i leave her in the garden with a light blanket over pushchair (bugs)
she always falls asleep in our arms if we rock her when she's tired (made a rod for our backs cos we (mainly DH) have always cuddled her)
she is now on tummy on sofa having her bum patted after finally falling asleep on DH 20 mins ago.
patting bum sometimes helps the sleep process.
i feel i'm at the end of my tether sometimes re sleep.
sorry for long post/rant

All gone wrong here today too ... won't sleep in swing, pram, car seat or anywhere without being rocked/bounced DD shows no interest in rolling or being on her front as yet (4 months old) She has always been very windy, wonder if the motion helps move the wind around to make it more comfortable.

Patience is a virtue .... but would like my evenings back sometime in the near future!

more tired = more agitated

Yes - I have on of those. He's nearly 8 now and he's either on or off. When he was a year we went cold turkey, strapped MIL to the sofa and left him to cry himself to sleep.

Then we were given a tinkly music CD (from pampers I think) which we on every bed time (on repeat) and eventually we instilled a pavlovian reaction. He's graduated to meditation for children CDs.

Keep Calm, Ladies, stick to the routine and it will get better. Do whatever you can to make bedtime/naptime calm and remember that they go on something like a 30-45 min cycle. If you miss one you'll need to wait for the next one.

DD slept on her own from 6 months, out like a light, snores like a freight train. You have to play the hand life deals you!

so one day she may fall asleep on her own??
yay.
She has probably only done this herself twice in all her 20 weeks of life.

She's more likely to if you give her time to get used to the idea. I know the crying is terrible but they have to learn how to do it. Give her some practice

I put her in her cot when she gets tired but she goes mad. If she whinge cries i leave her, go in now and then and sh sh sh her and soft tones, but if she screams like mad then i pick her up and cuddle her.
I'm gonna have to be strict soon aren't i?
I got contented baby book and it's so strict routine like. don't like it.
says to start your day at 7 and finishat 11. Hell no, if baby sleeps past 7.30 so do i. i'm up feeding her at 3, 4, 5 6, (not every hour tho) sometime sit's 3 then6, others 2 then 6. etc.

Yep. How long are you leaving her? Would you be shocked if I told you to leave her for at least 20 mins?

No i would welcome advice of any kind, even though i'd hate to hear her cry but i'd know it needs to be done.she's too used to sleeping in arms etc.
i leave her whinging for about 10-15 minutes but crying like mad is less.
I've been putting her in her cot since she was about 1 month old while i got on with chores upstairs. pottering around, or if i have a quick shower.

Sorry, each one is different, so what works for one may not work for another. Sleep breeds sleep, at this age, and they'll always be harder to get to sleep if they are overtired.

Warn the neighbours and then try leaving her for longer and longer each time you put her down, even up to an hour (although I wouldn't do that first time).

ok doke will do.I'll try anything to help her get to sleep, but thinking she needs to get out of the habit of us helping her, ie rocking her and feeding her to sleep (i'm b/f)

Try BF lying down on your bed (muslin underneath). If Baby doesn't actually fall asleep on the bed they get used to lying down happy.

Imawurzel, I have to disagree with Smamfa here. I see where she's coming from, and it's fine to acknowledge that they need to learn to do it on their own, but all babies learn this eventually without being taught, and it could happen for you tomorrow! Cry-it-out or controlled crying are not recommended in young babies because of concerns about potential damage to their emotional development. It used to be advised that babies were no less than 6 months of age but I think now most authorities on the subject actually say 12 months.

For what it's worth my DS was exactly as your baby is - totally relentless and hell without sleep, but hellish to get him to sleep. Around 20-22 weeks he became better at being rocken then laid down to sleep (before he was held most of the time because it was the only way he'd sleep). Nothing we did changed - he just got better at sleeping more deeply. He was really windy too and I can suggest oodles of things that might help sore tummies if you like!

My advice (well, it helped DS over time, might help you too) is to incorporate patting into the sleep thing consistently. This way you can work on putting her down while really really sleepy but the familiar pat helps her stay asleep as you lay her down. Then you can gradually put her down as she's less and less sleepy and pat her off to sleep. This whole idea was laughable when DS was little but from 5/6 months it became useful and now we use it daily (actually am now trying to wean the patting but it sure beats rocking him in a sling for an hour at a time!).

I started by BFing lying down but patting his bum as he nodded off. Then I patted as I rocked. So pat = sleep. Then I would rock until drowsy/eyes closing/floppy depending on good day/bad day. Then put down and keep patting until kaput and run away! Now I feed a bit, rock a bit (just for a minute on good days), lay down and pat for a few minutes, then sit by the cot for a few minutes, then run. it's definitely gradually getting easier. A long way from self-settling but I can be back downstairs in 10 mins on a good day and he doesn't wake quite as frequently so it's helping with night wakings.

I know how utterly soul-destroying it is, I honestly do, but 20 weeks is still really, really tiny (you'll realise how tiny as time passes, but it's hard to grasp when you're at that stage, I remember feeling like DS should be able to do so much more than he was doing back then). You will get there, I promise!

Just have to say that I'm on day 2 of using the Dream Mover and it is amazing! I have to play white noise and he cries for a few minutes but it keeps DS asleep for a good long while! Expensive but worth a shot if you're desperate. You can always resell on Ebay if it doesn't work/when DC has grown up.