Sleep deprivation in infant...what to do?

[amldaley]

DD slept well as a newborn at night but has never really napped well. She stopped sleeping through the night at 5 1/2 mo (IIRC). At 6 1/2 mo I went back to work full time. She WANTS to sleep at day care but seldom does. She get roughly 10 hours at night but wakes several times in that 10 hours.

She is CLEARLY sleep deprived. Purple circles under her eyes. Sick often. Falls asleep in my arms nursing as soon as we get home.

I just don't know what to do! I asked the Ped and he said she would sleep when she gets tired and/or she must not need as much sleep as other babies. I felt that was a stupid answer. On the weekends, especially holiday weekends when I am home more with her, she is an entirely different baby after she has had sufficient sleep. Alert, happy, social, etc.

And no, I can not alter the schedule we are on. As it is, we get home between 5:00 and 6:00 pm (usually more like 6:00 pm) and I try to get her to bed between 7:00 & 7:30 pm. We wake her in the am at 5:30 am.

I know this seems the same old "how do I get my bay to sleep" question, but I am wondering if anyone has any ideas?

[ahrimie]

Well, I think you're gonna have to work with your daycare to help her get more sleep since you're doing what you can at home. Are the cribs in the same area as the toys in the daycare or is there a separate place for them? At home, she probably sleeps more and is better rested because it's quiet and there's less stimulation. Not sure what your daycare is like but I'd ask them to try and mimic some of the conditions you have at home.. like, if they use blackout shades. But again, not sure if they can if it's already a busy/full daycare. You could ask them to put her down earlier too, approx 2 hours after she's been up. Lastly, can you wake her up a little later? I know you said you can't alter your schedule... but it sounds like if you want her to sleep, something's gotta give.

I took DD to daycare/preschool for the first time yesterday and as I expected, she didn't sleep much. It's very quiet in the house when she normally does sleep so I knew it wasn't going to be the same there. But since it's very new and without too many kids, I have a lot of freedom in where she can sleep and control the conditions somewhat.

[jren]

Friends of ours have the DH leave later and do drop offs and the wife picks up around the time you do. That way kids aren't having to be up so early. We have bedtime at 7 and DS wakes up sometimes during the night but then sleeps until 7. What would probably help (if your DC isn't sleeping in the car on the way) is to have daycare put her down as soon as you drop her off. She's not done with night sleep at 5:30, so if they could get her down ASAP, it would be more restorative sleep than a nap.

If that doesn't work, maybe put her down earlier at night? I know that would be hard b/c you have to feed, bathe, etc. But maybe as soon as you walk in the door immediately start the feeding and bedtime routine. If daycare feeds her dinner, then you'd just have that last bottle maybe?

I have a hard enough time getting naps out of my DS and I'm home with quiet environment, dark room, etc., so I can imagine how much harder it would be at daycare. BUT, you are paying them and they should make every effort to work with you on this.

How long has she been going there? Could it be an adjustment period? Hope she gets with the program soon! It's so frustrating when they need sleep and won't, but don't get into a guilt trip about it b/c SAHMs have the same issues with their kids.

[mm123]

I don't think I have a solution, but we are going through a similar situation. DD is 11 mo and started daycare around 2 weeks ago. Before she was in daycare, she was taking a nice (1.5-2 hr) nap in both the morning and afternoon. Since starting daycare, she has NOT taken a morning nap at all, and we're lucky if she sleeps an hour in the afternoon (usually it's been 20-25 min).

The daycare staff have reassured me that she hasn't been cranky at all, happily exploring the room and toys, and just not interested in sleeping. They do have a separate crib room that's darker/quieter, but when they put her in the crib, she just crawls around, talking happily.

Problem is, by the time we get home, she's cranky and exhausted. We basically just feed her, and then to bed by 6:30.

The staff have told me that this is very common, and most babies in her class take at least a month to learn to sleep better at daycare, but eventually they all do, usually a catnap in the morning in the stroller, and then a longer 1.5-2hr nap in the crib in the afternoon.

I'm still waiting for that 'peer pressure' to kick in!!

Sorry I don't have any solutions, just wanted to let you know we're in a similar boat, and that hopefully things will improve soon.

[daisyd]

I'm sorry you are dealing with this. Your DC is definitely sleep deprived. My 7 month old DC has sleep problems too. I've just started reading Weissbluth's "Healthy sleep habits, happy child". He recommends an earlier bed time, extra vigorous play during the day and extra long pre-nap soothing both in the am and pm nap. When do you need to drop off DC at daycare? If its close by may be she can be woken up later and she can eat in daycare? Like pp said, DC needs time to adjust to the new schedule at day care. Hopefully, they will work with you on this. Hugs.