Hello everyone -
I am new poster and would love to hear some of your advice on getting my little angel boy Ben to stay asleep when he goes down to bed.
We have very little problems putting him in his cot awake but drowsy. But, he tends to wake on average 3 - 4 times a night. I am back at work and even though DH and i take turns we are totally suffering the effects of consistently broken sleep.
I've attached answers to the standard questions in the hope I can get some help!!
How old is your child? 7 months and 5 days
What’s his/her daily routine? woken up at 6am to go to my mothers; she changes his nappy when we arrive at 6.30 and they both go back to bed for about 1.5 hours; he really loves his big breakfast of ready brek and pear at about 8am or 8.30 am; play for about 30 mins and he goes for a short sleep - maybe 45 mins; has lunch around 12 or 12.30; some activity time and maybe a walk in the pram which usually puts him to sleep again; can sleep up to an hour; has little afternoon meal at about 4pm and snoozes off in my mothers arms in front of TV; I collect him at about 4.45pm and he is ready for the trip home and a play with us; Has a snack of pureed fruit and a little pot of yoghurt at about 6pm; Play for a while again and when he shows signs of getting tetchy, we change nappy, pop into sleepsuit and settle on the sofa for a bottle. When we have enough of that Mom/Dad get a kiss and we head into the bedroom, close curtains and switch on the nightlight - all the time chatting softly. We sit in the rocking chair and have another drop of bottle, burps and move slowly to the cot and place in there drowsy but awake. Take a few minutes of Shhhhhhhh for him to really go asleep. he is down between 7 and 8pm every night.
What’s nap routine? morning nap in my mothers bed or in our bed at weekend; afternoon nap in travel cot in my mothers or in the pram or on her lap. At weekends naps are in the cot or in the car seat.How long are naps? 45 minutes to about 1 hour. Weekends though they are shorter bursts as we are usually on the go.
What's bedtime routine? Time? Has a snack of pureed fruit and a little pot of yoghurt at about 6pm; Play for a while again and when he shows signs of getting tetchy, we change nappy, pop into sleepsuit and settle on the sofa for a bottle. When we have enough of that Mom/Dad get a kiss and we head into the bedroom, close curtains and switch on the nightlight - all the time chatting softly. We sit in the rocking chair and have another drop of bottle, burps and move slowly to the cot and place in there drowsy but awake. Take a few minutes of Shhhhhhhh for him to really go asleep. he is down between 7 and 8pm every night
Do you bottle or breastfed?? Bottle
How much? or how long? About 22 oz per day
How many wakes per night? 3 - 4 times
What’s your LO like when waking at night? How long is he/she up? can be up for about 30 minutes each time - cries hard - settles sometimes but when i go to move away can start again even though i might wait about 7 minutes after he is settled. The PU/PD takes a long time - I tend to only manage 20 and then my back kills me and i try another thing such as leave the room with him or give him something to help with possible teething pain.
When you go to him/her is she fussing or crying? Or is it a mantra cry? Crying - not sure i know the mantra cry, but if i leave him the crying escalates so i feel I have to go in.
What do you do for A time and how long is it? Can be quite long - he is handled alot - i carry him around a fair bit, play on the rug with his toys, he travels alot in the jeep with us at weekends. 30 miutes at a time for playing until he becomes tecthy then I see if he is tired or hungry depending on EASY.
Are there developmental issues such as teething or milestones? Thesedays his cheeks can be very red - i know is is teething as he wants to chew on everything - but no teeth have appeared yet.
Have you introduced cereal? Why, how much, and how many times a day? (for LO’s under 6 months) He has a good range of solids - veggies, fruits and cereals such as oats, rice..
Do they have a prop? If so what is it? uses a soother during the day but we have stopped using it at night. It hangs out of him all day and he pops it in at will. takes it out himself as well quite often
Do they have a lovie? Have tried to get him to snuggle into a favourite teddy for night time so he doesn't feel alone when he wakes up - it seems to make no difference to him.
Appreciate any help - it is all very wordy I know, but I thought the more detal the better.
Huig
