Sleeping - or rather lack of it?
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Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: First baby? Second or more?
Forum Description: Want help? Need support? Want tips? Men and women share advice and tips in this supportive community
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=34524
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Topic: Sleeping - or rather lack of it?
Posted By: girly_girl
Subject: Sleeping - or rather lack of it?
Date Posted: 05 July 2010 at 8:44pm
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Hi all,
I'm having ongoing issues with getting my wee man to sleep for any longer than a catnap, and after talking with my fellow March '10 mummies I realised that this is quite a common complaint. Do any of you have any tips/tricks that have worked for you and your babies? ------------- 
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Replies:
Posted By: Jaxnz1
Date Posted: 05 July 2010 at 9:16pm
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The biggest thing I learnt was to not stress out over it. I spent weeks trying to get DD back to sleep after 45mins. I got myself so wound up and frustrated because she wouldn't go back to sleep. In the end I would just get her up and she would be fine. So she would often feed then play until tired, sleep for 45mins, I would get her up and then put her down again when she was showing tired signs before the next feed.
I was told most babies just grow out of it, and sure enough about a month ago, DD started doing 1hr in the morning and 2hrs in the afternoon. Ahhhhh 'me' time again!!  Having said that she has been sick, so has gone back to catnapping a bit. But she's happy so I'm not too worried.
If she woke grumpy I would try resettling her, but I found she would just get more upset when I tried to resettle her. She wanted to be up and playing with her Mum!  ------------- 
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Posted By: bopmum
Date Posted: 05 July 2010 at 9:53pm
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I agree with what Jaxnz1 said - try not to stress about it, as hard as it is! It really got to me one day and I spent the whole day in tears - which was silly as I'm the kind of person who goes with the flow but that day it just got to me. And from that day on i promised myself i wouldn't let the 45 min naps get to me!
DS does the 45 min naps, he just about always wakes up happy so I get him up, have a play and then he tired again so it's back to bed. When he wakes up grumpy I do try to resettle but like Jaxnz said it would make him more upset sometimes so again would get him up and have a play or sometimes he just wanted some more to eat. There are days where he does a 2 hour sleep so am just going with the flow! Every day is different! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 05 July 2010 at 10:16pm
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Great advice from Jaxnz1 and Lisette.
Something else you could try is to make changes relating to where or how he sleeps. Ben was having day naps in the hammock in the lounge from newborn. After a while (a few months) he started having short naps so I moved him to the cot for day naps and they instantly lengthened. I just assume he decided he didn't like the hammock. At several stages I have tried to stop swaddling him and his naps cut down to 30mins, after weeks of no change I have gone back to swaddling and his naps instantly lengthen. So I am still swaddling him now and he has just turned 1. So maybe you could try some change to his naps and it might work Good luck ------------- Lindsey 
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Posted By: Lightning McQueen
Date Posted: 06 July 2010 at 4:57pm
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I found increasing T's awake time really helped. He's nearly 4 months old and is up now for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, and seems to sleep much better during the day. Also, when he wakes up after 45 mins I give him a few minutes to resettle before I go in and get him up, and he usually (touch wood) does.
Hmmm, have just jinxed myself though cause he's now awake after 45 mins and doesn't sound like he's going to resettle! Babies - as soon as you think you've got them sussed, they go and change things up on you. |
Posted By: HuntersMama
Date Posted: 06 July 2010 at 7:14pm
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I also tried everything I could think of but DS just got more worked up if I tried to settle him when he woke after 45 mins. On the odd day he will sleep 2 - 3 hours, but that is not the norm. If he does it in the evening I have tried getting him up for a cuddle and a wee play then putting him back and I might get another 1 - 1.5 hours sleep out of him. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: crafty1
Date Posted: 07 July 2010 at 8:58am
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i agree with the others that some babies just do this. It's better for your sanity to go with the flow otherwise you're stressing trying to change something you can't.
Saying that i try and get Jasper one longer sleep a day as otherwise he's a grumpy guts, so i resettle him once a day. Either we walk with him in frontpack, cuddle on couch or i let him cry to sleep. Depends what i feel like or what we have on. Some days he just does it himself. And yes around 6 months this often changes when they're able to stay up longer. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: anon
Date Posted: 08 July 2010 at 8:16am
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I agree that they may be able to stay up longer, you could try putting him down half an hour later than you normally do. Your baby changes all the time... it's hard to get used to that sometimes!!
But I think you can change the catnaps. Around this age their sleep becomes quite difficult because they are waking up from sleep cycles and not able to resettle themselves and you need to teach them to resettle without you. I would recommend the Sleep Sense Programme. My baby slept brilliantly after I introduced it around the age of your's. ETA: There's a thread here called the Sleep Sense Programme and I can email it out to you if you PM me. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 08 July 2010 at 11:40am
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i must say(not getting at anyone at all) but i get mad when people suggest that i can change the way he sleeps:) Liam is and always has been a 45mins day sleeper... i dont even try to resettle him and though he wakes crying he is happy as larry for 1.5 hours after that.. if i try to keep him up longer he will get grumpy but he plays happily that whole time..so in my case he doesnt need anymore sleep...i know how frustrating it is though cause Ethan used to do 2-3 hours!:)
if he does miss a sleep he will sleep longer but that is often a not happy baby going to sleep then whereas after 1.5 he self settles..though i can usually do one 2-2.5 hour stretch awake.. he will sleep sometimes for 1-1.5 hours and those occasions are starting to get more often... so no i dont have any advice sadly but just listen to the babies cues..and hopefully he will change in a few weeks:) (he is almost exactly the same age as Liam -Liam was 5th feb) ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |