Okay, so reading around I get the feeling that this isn't uncommon, but it doesn't make it any easier to deal with. And most of the tips I've read just don't see practical/don't work in our situation, so I'm wondering if anyone can help out with our particular experience

Our (1 week shy of) 4 month old was never sleeping through the night in the first place, but it's definitely gotten worse in the past couple weeks.

At the middle of the night actually, she's not horrible (generally wakes twice - once in the 12-2 range, and once in the 3-5 range to feed)... but the beginning and end of the night are another story.

Beginning of the night: she's generally falling asleep by around 7:30-8 PM. It's a vast improvement since she used to insist her bedtime was 11:30. Last night she passed out in my arms by 7:40... but then it takes *hours* to get her into bed without waking and crying. On our collective 5th attempt my wife finally got her into her crib at around 9:45 last night... only to awaken, scooching and crying within 10 minutes (scooching = she pushes herself around on her back by pushing with her legs, generally in a circular motion... she'd done 270 degree rotation last night in the course of ~5 minutse before we went and got her... not rolling on her stomach, but around on her back like a breakdancer!). Finally she went to bed for the night at about 10:30.
Just put her down sleepy but awake you say? Ha! Fail! Why? Because as soon as she feels the sleep sack and sees her darkened room, she knows what we're up to and starts crying/fussing. And it's inconsolable unless she's being held. Stroking, singing, shushing does nothing... pacifier works momentarily, but not work long... she just wants to be held until she falls asleep in your arms and generally only with a pacifier too (That doesn't mean I don't try this... I do, regularly, either before or just after he's dozed off. It works sometimes during the day, but not too often. And basically never at night.)

End of the night: On the flip side, instead of sleeping until 8, 9, 10AM, for the last few nights (just this week), she starts her scooching, noise making, escalates to crying, before 6 AM. My alarm hasn't even gone off for work, and my wife who is still at home for a little while longer, is exhausted.

It's like cheating... she gets a bunch of sleep early in the evening in our arms but won't settle down, so we can't sleep. And then gets up way before we've gotten enough.


In between: no, not the middle of the night, during the day. I don't have much to compare it to (nothing really), but I feel like she's a very attention-demanding baby. She doesn't sit and play with a toy or toy bar for more than 10 minutes at a time. Otherwise you have to switch toys, move her bouncer seat around for a new view, every 5-10 minutes. Is that normal, or a bit excessive? A quick meal is generally interrupted 3 to 4 times. After 30-40 minutes, she's had it with the bouncer and is arching her back to get out of it and insisting on being held again.

Lastly, she also only catnaps 20-40 minutes (roughly a sleep cycle). Once she passed the newborn 22-hour-a-day-sleeping thing, she never naped for long. She'll go down, but almost never for much time (unless... guess what?? that's right, unless she's in your arms, then she'll nap for 1.5-2 hours).


The upshot: I'm okay, but often lose patience after trying and failing to get her down for more than an hour straight. My wife though, is exhausted. She takes the brunt of the nighttime feedings and the constant-on attention during the day, compounded with late to bed and early to rise. And she can barely nap herself if baby won't.


That girl is lucky she's adorable...


Any advice? Please help!!