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Undertired/overtired baby - won't sleep during day!

2 replies

taxingmum · 15/06/2010 14:35

Hi. My son is 16 weeks old today and follows the Gina Ford feeding times (he had jaundice at birth so these times were a godsend as I was a first time mum and exclusively bf so wouldn't have had a clue how long to feed a baby that continually fell asleep at the breast).

He has been brilliant at going to sleep at night since 5 weeks old (thanks to advice from HV) and now sleeps 10-12 hrs at night but he really won't sleep very well during the day. I wouldn't mind but I know he needs the sleep. Eg today so far (at 2.30pm) he has managed 30 mins sleep and that was only after I did cio as I knew he was exhausted and nothing was settling him. He wants to be rocked to sleep and has done since birth. He can find his fingers but just doesn't seem able to self-settle. I know it's not a problem with feeding and I've tried extra feeds in the day but he still won't settle or won't settle for long (and then wakes earlier in the night). It doesn't help that people keep telling me to "let him have what he wants" - what he wants is to go to sleep and if he doesn't, he does a v sleepy next feed (nb if I try and put him down after the feed, he still cries/screams - try feeding him a bit more, he falls asleep at the breast, then put him down and crying/screaming again).

It is heartbreaking to see him so bleary eyed at the end of the day (I usually do a pram walk in afternoon to get him to have some sleep). Please don't post a reply bashing GF - I don't care if he doesn't "sleep to rule" on her exact times. I think he is either overtired or undertired (by the afternoon it is def ot!).

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
BornToFolk · 15/06/2010 14:58

Will he be rocked or fed to sleep? And stay asleep? If I were you, I'd do whatever it takes to get him to sleep at the moment. Don't worry about bad habits, once you get him sleeping a reasonable amount during the day, you can worry about how he's getting to sleep, if you want to.

When DS was your son's age, I was rocking him to sleep for 2 naps a day and walking him in the buggy for the other nap. Once he got used to 3 naps a day at roughly the same time each day, I started trying to get him to settle himself (without letting him cry, I don't believe in that) and he was doing that by about 5/6 months.

taxingmum · 15/06/2010 15:30

Yes to the first and no to the second if I try to put him down. Bought a sling when he was about 6 weeks old but far too uncomfortable on my back and LO's neck didn't seem supported enough no matter how I tried to adjust it. Can't face another pram walk today (feel like I've been doing that almost everyday so he will feed well and settle at bedtime) so will take him for a drive. Problem with rocking him to sleep and not putting him down is that it is a fitful sleep as everytime I would try to reach for a drink or adjust my position etc, he would wake.

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