at my wits end with his sleep patterns

[prettypenguin]

I just literally dont know where I am with him anymore...I know I've posted previously but I just feel like whatever I try that thats it now, its up at 3,4,5,6 and get up for the day. Hes only been doing this a couple of weeks. I read online somewhere that babies his age are meant to sleep 10 hours at night ging down between 7 and 8.30, napping 5 hours in the day divided by three naptimes. Today he's had about 2 and a half and hes currently on his mat screaming blue murder. OH wants to put him to bed at 10pm like we usd to and he would sleep through til 6, i dont kjow if its of pure exhaustion though? He wouldbt wake up once. Now when he wakes in the night he doesnt seem to cry much but just wants his dummy and once he falls asleep he wakes up about half an hour after. My OH suggested keeping him awake til ten for a week with only 2-3 hours of napping, waking him up at 6 in the morning then gradually getting earlier, but then I dont know what to do about his 10pm feed if I bring the bedtime earlier do I still wake him uo for that or leave him? Arghhh stressed if I put him down at 8.30 or slightly earlier he wakes up at 3 and wont go back to sleep properly if I keep him up I get him being grumpy and screaming all evening....I'm unsure whether to feed him at 3am when he wakes up to setlle him down, or to leave it as he dropped that feed himself and then he may just keep waking up at that time.....

 

[Sarah13]

We're having sleeping problems too. I think some babies just don't need so much sleep, Kynon has about 10-12 in 24 hours only 9 max at night which is very broken where he wakes to feed every 2-3 hours. They do go through a 3 month growth spurt so maybe he's going through that just now. I would put him down when he's ready for sleep if that's 8.30 then try and feed him then with the bath bottle bed routine then try various ideas to get him back off at 3am like keeping it dark, soft voices, white noise, dummy, blankie, rocking etc. Does he cry at 3 once he's fed or just babbles away to himself? We have a light show I put on for Kynon and I try to go back to sleep while he lays looking at that chatting to himself then he often goes back off or I feed him again!

 

[littlemiss83]

Sounds like your LO is over tired. If you try & deprive them of sleep to get them to sleep longer at night for example, it only has the opposite effect. Babies need lots & lots of sleep & if they dont they get really crabbit & dont settle well at all. Have a look thro this website, even if you chose not to follow the program, have a read anyway coz it gives some really good advice on how much babies your LO's age should be sleeping, and some good tips, it helped me with Kaydens naps, he wouldn't sleep during the day & really struggle at night, now he's sleeping more during the day, he's perfect at night, 12 hours & needs woken in morning.

http://www.boswellbunch.com/simone/Babies/3_Month_Olds....html

 

[Jayceesmumma]

The more sleep they get the more they want.. If he's settling better from 10 then do that and gradually work your way back down to 7:30-8.. If he's used to 10pm and its suddenly got earlier it may have thrown him off..
I put lilyanna to bed at 10 but I need to get her up there earlier I really don't want to disrupt her so gonna gradually make it earlier by the half hour.. I'll start by waking her earlier for a feed in the morning to start the feeding pattern..
It's hard work but you'll get there babe hang in there!!

 

[prettypenguin]

Thank you for all your comments, I will check out the website tomorrow. So this evening we went to OHs dads and got back at half 8, bubs was wide awake, he got a bit niggly so even though he'd been fed between 6 n 7 I fed him at 9 and he was half asleep in my arms and went straight down...which was a change from his crying and fussing for an hour last night when I put him down at 8... I was thinking that maybe it was too much of q change for him... Jayceesmumma if lilyanna goes down at ten what time does she get up and how much sleep does she get in the day?(hope you don't mind me asking). I'm thinking of keeping it ten o clock waking him at 6, giving him 3/4 hrs napping, gradually reducing it but then what do I do about his feeds do I wake him up and feed him or leave it and just feed him however much he will take before bedtime and see if he lasts the night? (sorry to be so full on with all my questions, just totally confused myself these past few weeks, think I've confused Charlie too bless him) xxx

 

[Sarah13]

Sounds like your LO is over tired. If you try & deprive them of sleep to get them to sleep longer at night for example, it only has the opposite effect. Babies need lots & lots of sleep & if they dont they get really crabbit & dont settle well at all. Have a look thro this website, even if you chose not to follow the program, have a read anyway coz it gives some really good advice on how much babies your LO's age should be sleeping, and some good tips, it helped me with Kaydens naps, he wouldn't sleep during the day & really struggle at night, now he's sleeping more during the day, he's perfect at night, 12 hours & needs woken in morning.

http://www.boswellbunch.com/simone/Babies/3_Month_Olds....html

Interesting reading, going to use some of the suggestions, sounds like Kynon is getting over tired and having too much stimulation x

 

[Jayceesmumma]

Lilyanna is a very sleepy baby so she goes from 10-10am.. Even if she wakes on the school run she will sleep in the car ride home and not want feeding til ten.. Then she will go back to sleep after or stay awake for ten mins then doze off.. She's hardly awake in the day, the more sleep they get the more they want so day time naps will help.. She's only awake Mac two hours spread thru the day.. Jaycee from about 4weeks was like clockwork, up at 8am with a dirty nappy, fed, nap at 10, up at 12, fed, nap at 2, up at 4, fed then she'd stay up til bath and fed and down at 8pm.. She was so routined!
Every baby is different but I do believe the more they get the more they want.. Start with the bedtime routine and work from that in the day.. Figure out what's best for u and work baby around your day.. I want her to sleep earlier at night but having her feed at ten allows me to get the school run done..
Don't worry bout too many questions babe it will all settle into place soon enough

 

[Jayceesmumma]

Babies do get over tired and they can be stimulated too much at times, I was debating setting a play time for lily as I think she might be sleeping too much, she never plays on a mat or anything just happy in her chair n dozes off.. Tried a mat yesterday but she fell asleep on it lol!

 

[prettypenguin]

Went to the health centre yesterday to have him weighed (15.8lbs fatty!) And spoke to health visitor about his sleeping routine, and out of akk the ones I have spoken to she has got to be one of the worst..said just go with the flow with him, dont wake him up from his naps in the day and if hes up all night just deal with it....sorry love have you ever had kids?! Tried him on hungry baby milk on his last feed for the last two nights and its not made any difference...bought some rusks today but unsure whetger to use them as hes not quite 4 months yet...so gonna keep plodding on i think when he wakes in the night ill see how he goes with just water as he might be thirsty rather than hungry, hes had a cold and has been teething from 9 weeks (hv said its far too young to be teething at 9 weeks- pffft!) But never mind its the weekend and daddy can give me a hand at last hope everyone has a good weekend xx

 

[Jayceesmumma]

God babies can be born with teeth so where has she got that from?? Keep doing what ur doing babe ur doing a fab job!
Tbh I agree with not waking from naps unless they're due to be fed.. The more sleep they have the more they want as I've said in previous threads.. You can try calpol at night if he's teething see if that helps? Good idea with the water don't make it too cold or it will wake him up..

 

[prettypenguin]

I might just see how long he naps for tomorrow then, and hunt you down if hes up all night! Haha kidding, actually his dads off so if he is up all night I'm taking the sofa x

 

[Jayceesmumma]

May as well try it out while u have ur OH about!!
Hope it goes well!x

 

[Bunnykins]

That health visitor sounds useless!! my LO started teething at 6 weeks, and its been on and off since then, they can teeth from any age it just means the tooth is moving around under the gum, and it can definately affect them sleeping. I had a great routine with my LO but when he hit his 3 mth growth spurt it was all knocked out the window for over a week, so that could be why your routine is suddenly up in the air???? We just perservered as best we could and rode it out!

He was originally going to bed at 11pm but we gradually moved it earlier and earlier by 15 mins every few nights until he is now anytime between 8.30pm and 9pm, we are not massively rigid at his routine he has kind of set it himself, he wont go to sleep unless he's tired and I have noticed if he hasnt napped at all during the day or hasnt napped for long then getting him down at bed time is a nightmare. Some babies will routine pretty well at bedtime and others wont, I think I am lucky I have one who will, but defo try to reduce the stimulation for a good hour before bathtime then do the final feed in a dark calm quiet nursery so they know its bed time!

 

[prettypenguin]

Last night was horrendous, he was screaming around 7 so had no other choice but to let him sleep, woke him up for a feed at 8 then got hin back down for 9-9.30...then we went to bed at 10/10.30, OH making loaads of noise which really peed me off, its always me that gets up with him in the night has always been that way n he just thinks its ok to wake him grrr. He didnt wake anyway but me and OH were grumpy by then and he went and slept downstairs...charlie woke at 3, gave him 2oz of water, 5 of mlk, dummy, music but no that was it up for the day hes had around....4/5 hrs sleep today, just woke up from his nap but half asleep on me, gonna try this baby rice tonight n fx hell go down at 9 wake at half 5 earliest, little bugger!

 

[Jayceesmumma]

Sorry to hear u had such a rough time OHs really have no idea do they hopefully things will settle soon for u xx

 

[prettypenguin]

Thank you last night was a bit better, gave him some baby rice as oh reminded me that the rusks arent gluten free and he might be coeliac like him, his brother and his dad, unfortunately for charlie he didnt like the rice!! His face was a picture! So I tried some and it was horrid. So, he spat most of that out, had his bottle and bed at 9, stirred at half 2 so I fed him whilst he was still sleepy, and he webt straiggt back to sleep, same again at half 6 and he slept again until half 8 this morning his tummy rumbled at half 2 so im guessing he must just be hungrier now, although he still doesnt finish his milk in the day. But I guess its much easier and less stressful for both of us to just feed him and he drinks it much quicker with no breaks when hes half asleep too? Weird. So, I guess Ill just carry on with the night feeds til hes ready to drop them again.. bloody men! Haha. But you were right Jayceesmumma, the more peaceful and quiet sleep he has in the day the better he is at night, usually between half 8 and 9 he will niggle and cry, then as soon as I wrap him up and keep repeating bedtime hes practically asleep halfway up the stairs!! glad I listebed to you and not my OH, who's plan was to keep him up most of the day :l xx

 

[Jayceesmumma]

I'm so glad it worked for u babe!! Sounds like your both doing really well
Rice is gross just listen to ur baby (like you have been) and he will let you know what he wants

I'm so pleased things have got better for you x

 

[Jayceesmumma]

Also I've worked her back gradually to 8pm so far and she STILL sleeps thru til 10am!! Went out sat night and she went from 9pm to 11am which was brilliant for me lol!!

 

[prettypenguin]

Haha, give you chance to chill out in the morning then!! I'm dreading going out, waking up with a bad head and having him grumpy all day. So I'm kind of getting there with him and a routine, took him swimming today for the first time he loved it! Lots of effort, 2 buses there and back, spent an hour packing, 4 quid, the effort of getting dressed again without flashing anyone, all for 20 mins! Haha but worth it anyway xx

 

[Jayceesmumma]

Blimey that's effort!! Aww glad he enjoyed it! I doubt lily would she HATES baths!!
Yeah I was very glad of the lie in! Especially as my mum had my eldest two! Glad she went that long coz she didn't want the bottle I expressed for her so I had to feed her myself in the end but I had my last drink at 1am so it shouldve been okay.. Can't imagine how she would have been if she woke in the night