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View Full Version : Baby Fights Sleep, then wakes up an hour after going down



ChrissyJames
05-30-2006, 02:31 AM
Hi - I am looking for suggestions.

She has 2-3 naps per day of 45 min - 1 hour each (10:30, 2:00 and 7:00, approximatly) and goes to bed for the night at 10:30 or so (after much sobbing and holding and rocking). Then she is up about one hour later and unless I nurse her, crys herself awake. She wakes up at about 8:30 in the morning. I am not that concenned about sleeping through the night as after one or two initial wakings she only eats once in the night (she is just under 7 months), and goes right to sleep afterwards.

My problem is that she just fights sleep so hard and requires so much rocking and is getting too heavy! I go to my friends houses and they just put their kids down and the kids seem to just go to sleep. I have started a night time bed routine for the past 2 nights but so far I am seeing no change and it is taking me all night to do it:

Bath
Massage
Read book
Breastfeed
Turn out lights and walk around her room listening to Norah Jones
Put her down in her crib relaxed but awake

And then - whaaaa! At which point I rock her in the dark, breastfeed her, bounce on the exercise ball till she is asleep. And then tonight, I took away her last nap, so she went to sleep at 8 but then popped up at 9 and I was stuck soothing her in the dark in her room till 10:40. My husband and I are just so stressed out putting her to bed that it spoils the whole night and is causing us to fight.

Does the no cry sleep solution work for anyone?

mfenimore
05-30-2006, 10:10 AM
your baby is going to sleep way too late, she is probably overtired and therefore fighting sleep. A baby that age should be going to bed between 6 and 8pm. Try gradually making here bedtime earlier until you get to an opportune time.

Karenn
05-30-2006, 10:43 AM
Your baby sounds just like mine did at that age! I'd forgotten about all that bouncing on the exercise ball! Putting her down earlier might help, but it's probably unlikely with that 7pm nap. Could you move that nap earlier? Like maybe 4? and then gradually move her bedtime eariler?

I would also see if you can get her to go back to sleep after she wakes up from her first morning nap. Rock her, nurse her, or whatever. I found that at that age, my babies tended to need to nap longer than 45min-1 hour. If they napped longer during the day, they would sleep better at night.

I wish there were easy answers, but there really aren't. You might find the No Cry Sleep Solution helpful. It did not "fix" our sleep issues by any stretch of the imagination, but she does have some helpful ideas.

Wishing you sleep!

ChrissyJames
05-30-2006, 11:10 AM
I thought yesterday would be better, because I got her to drop the third nap, but she just took it at 8 and woke up an hour later as is her way. What do you guys think of waking her up earlier in the morning - more like 7 - and going from there? I feel like that won't help the fighting problem.

Karenn
05-30-2006, 02:37 PM
I know at that age when my kids were more tired, they always faught sleep more, and had a harder time staying asleep. I don't think I'd wake her earlier because I think that might make her more sleepy. Do you think you could get her to go down earlier for her first nap? I know that sometimes my kids would take longer naps if I put them down earlier than I thought I should. Then with the longer naps, they'd do better at night. In my experience, it wasn't so much a matter of having an earlier bed time, but having a less tired kid at bedtime that made the difference.

sruthmitchell
06-07-2006, 09:09 PM
I am having a similar problem and relish in the ideas!! Thanks. I recently started using the "babywise" approach --2 days of this---and am seeing some improvement. I am not one to rattle on and on about what works for me so if you want to know more...or haven't read that book let me know and I can share.

I am also looking for suggestions or ideas about my little one's (8 weeks) sleeping ...getting and staying. I put him down at 8pm or so (with the intent of a 10pm feeding...as using the babywise approach right now). He is a PACI (aka pacifier) baby and not afraid to use it...whatever works. But what I am finding is that he goes down, can be fast asleep in your arms, and within 10 minutes we have wails and the paci is put back, back to sleep, 10 min later the cycle repeats. Some nights this is done in 15 minutes and some nights 90 minutes. It too is causing my poor husband and I to argue. Do you have suggestions of what the problem might be. His last feed (expressed milk--up to 6oz/feed right now) is near 6 or 7pm, so have elminated the hunger. Have checked the diaper, etc. He is going to sleep just not staying asleep...suggestions?