12 week old no set pattern to naps

[skibunny]

Hi, for the past month I have been trying to get my 12 week old baby boy into a day time routine, with no luck.

I just cannot get any sort of proper pattern into the day time and I feel useless. Desperately trying to follow the EASY pattern.

Evening time is fine. Bath time at 6.15pm, then a bottle feed, then in his moses basket at 7pm. He falls asleep reasonably quick after some screaming and me calming him down by stroking his head and sometimes tummy.

I put him into his basket awake in order to help him learn how to fall asleep himself. Though it's been a month and he still screams when I put him down. But it's ok as he does eventually close his eyes and doze off.

But I feel lost and clueless about naps during the day.

Please can anyone advise as he gets so hysterical when overtired.

[anna*]

Hi there, welcome to the boards

When he goes down for his first nap in the morning, how long has be been awake? How long does he generally nap for? Can you give us an idea of what one sample day looks like in terms of times for eat, awake, sleep?

[skibunny]

Thanks!

Well he wakes about 8am (though he doesnt sleep through the night).

I change his nappy, have a cuddle and give him a bottle which he takes very little of.

About 9am (or an hour after he wakes), he gets cranky so I put him into his basket. He screams his head off so I stroke his head and he needs a dummy to get to sleep which I make sure he has.

He eventually will go to sleep and it can be anything from 15mins to 2 hours. So it disrupts the rest of the day as there's no pattern.

Until 6pm when I start the bed time routine and thats ok.

[skibunny]

Oh should have also said that I feed him every 3 to 4 hours.

I try to get him to nap after he has been awake for about 1 hour+half as well.

He suffers from very bad wind as well, which doesn't help. He's a very unsettled baby.

Tried Dr Brown bottles, gripe water, Infacol, infant Gaviscon and Colief. He takes the Cow+Gate Comfort formula. None of them made much difference.

Wondered if that affects his naps.

[anna*]

It sounds like wind/pain/discomfort may be the problem. Have you considered silent reflux?

http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=654.0

[skibunny]

To be honest I'm finding it so difficult with my lack of sleep and so much crying from baby.

Feel down a lot.

He's near 14weeks now and he's started crying a lot during the night as well.

Shush-pat doesnt work. Swaddling doesn't settle him either.

He used to sleep for ages in the pram out on a walk or in the car. But now he sleeps only 15mins or so in these scenarios.

It's driving me insane. He gets tired and screams and screams. Dont have the energy to calm him sometimes.

Have thought maybe he has a silent reflux as he brings up milk when he burps.

[anna*]

I'd get him along to the Dr if you suspect reflux - it's easily treated, and there's no way he's going to settle if he's in pain.

[julesdq]

hi
sorry you're going through this!
just tolet you know that my baby also has a lot of wind and tummy aches so i took her to an osteopath. since taking her, she has been sleeping so much better and the wind has reduced.
hope it gets better :-)

[skibunny]

@julesdq He is 16 weeks old now and his wind seems to be slightly less severe.

I arranged 3 weekly sessions with an osteopath after a friend suggested it last week.

First session is this week so fingers crossed it helps!

How many sessions did your baby need if you don't mind me asking.

[julesdq]

hiya
she has been to the osteopath 3 times. after the first session she was very cranky but slept well that night and it improved each day after that. we then went a week later and after that she slept 12 hours at night and has continued to do so (for the exception of the odd occassion) and then she had a 3 week break and had another session. we're going again in 6 weeks time.
the osteopath said that he could feel a blockage around the nerve to her gut and now says it feels much better. i think the treatment helps lots of different parts of their little bodies and can't harm them so when i have my next one i'm going straight away!!!
hope it helps your little one  fingers crossed!