Help needed with A times and naps UPDATED We're in a mess :(

[cuckoochick]

Thanks! My DH is a star. It doesn't mean I am asleep while he is settling her but if I go into the room she wants a feed! :/ Unfortunately he works Saturdays so I can't get any rest just yet.

I know I need to start sleep training and desperately want to as it is what we all need. At bedtimes she is going in her cot drowsy but awake and then I put my hand on her shoulder and stroke her head (this is after I've rocked her until very drowsy though. No feeding to sleep for months!) Going to see GP on Monday (don't know if you've seen my thread on PPD) as I need to get myself sorted quick.

Thanks again for all of your support!

[Shiv52]

Posted on your other thread xxx

How long is it taking you to rock her until she is drowsy?  With M we worked on putting her in her cot quite awake but we did sit beside her rubbing her head until she was a big lump but she still managed to resettle at nights.  DOnt' put yourself under any pressure.  She's sleeping and that is most important.  I would probably wait until after you are off for the summer but I am a chicken!  I think once she's over her rolling obsession she'll go back to sleeping all night anyways and by that time she'll have been with MIL for a few weeks so naps will have been different anyways and it may be easier to work on sleeping independently then.

[cuckoochick]

Well I was thinking about leaving it until the 6 week holidays but really need her to start STTN again as I am so exhausted. DH will be having her for those 3 weeks that I am off so I will speak to him about what he thinks.

For naps, I don't always rock her, I cuddle her and lie down with her and she goes to sleep. Sometimes I need to rock her. At bedtime, it really depends, it can be a few minutes or 10-15. I always put her down and try to give her the chance but when she gets agitated (not crying which I know is wrong) then I pick her up and either pat her on my shoulder and sway or rock her again. If she is OT then I get her pretty much all the way to being asleep. Sometimes if she fusses, I just put her down and stroke her hair. I am not really very consistent as I just get so panicky and think you have to go to sleep!

I know in the next few weeks I have to put her down and leave her for naps. That is my target. So will hopefully do what I am doing at bedtime and leave.

[Shiv52]

Is MIL not having her anymore?

Even independent sleepers go backwards when they hit developmental milestones so maybe wait until the rolling has subsided a bit?

Does she sleep in a gro bag or with a blanket?  One thing that I did that helped was tuck M's blanket right under the mattress of the cot with both sides well under KWIM?  Then I put rolled up hand towels in between the mattress and the cot bars and it held the blanket really snug in place so once she was asleep it was harder for her to sit up and it helped with our NWs.

DH could save you the trouble and work on independent sleeping when you are back at work!!

[cuckoochick]

MIL will be having her from September so I have a bit longer to get the independent sleep cracked and hopefully move towards set naps. She still says everytime I speak to her that charlotte is sleeping too much in the day!  She means well though!

C is in a gro-bag but I had been thinking about maybe swapping for a light blanket to try and tuck her in more. C is doing the little sit-ups in her sleep sometimes too! I think that's one thing with the gro-bag too, that she's getting tangled up as it were.

I can see two teeth I am sure too. Goodness me!