sprited and touchy sleepers

[scucci1979]

Wondering if anyone can give me any tips for wind down. I think my lo is a little spirited when it comes to sleep. 

[Sam-n-Max's Mommy]

Hi Sabrina,

Our bedtime and nap routines are pretty similar.  For bedtime, DS chills in crib with a toy for a few minutes while I put his PJs and sleep sack out, and run his bath.  He then has his bath and then I diaper him, give him a short massage with baby lotion, put his PJs on, and then his sleep sack.  We have soothing music playing in the background during this whole time.  Then once he's in his sleep sack, we sit in the chair and we read books to him.  Oh we also dim the lights pretty low once we go to the chair.  Then DH leaves the room (if he's home to begin with), I hold him and rock him a bit and sing a lullaby and then put him down in his crib with his lovie (which we just started with and he can take it or leave it lol).  Naptime looks the same minus the bath and PJs.  I still put him in his sleep sack though.  We don't do as many stories at naptime.

Up until a few months ago, we always ran white noise in his room.  We stopped because we also run a humidifier in his room and it has a dull hum, so it achieves the same purpose.  However, I'm not sure it even matters because the humidifier goes on and off and night.

One thing I will tell you that might help -- if you are already doing stories or begin to, I found that with my DS it helps to read as many as it takes (within reason) until he really starts to look sleepy and relaxed.  Usually if he yawns or rubs his eyes, we finish the story, sing, and put him down.  This wasn't an issue until DS reached about 9 months or maybe a little earlier, but I found that it makes a difference.  Sometimes he will squirm and seem to not get tired no matter how many stories and then I eventually call it quits.

Hope this helps!

[*Liz*]

For my spirited sleeper it was short and sweet - story, say goodbye to thing in the room, upstairs, into his sleeping bag, into bed and hand him his bear and cloth. Walk out of room and that is it - all done. 3 mins max.

I did used to make sure the last part of his A was not full of noisy toys or rushing all over if I could.

Very different from my textbook sleeper who I sing nursery rhymes and have a cuddle with!!

[~Emma~]

 Hi hon,

 I am on your other thread too but havent had time to check it out tonight yet. Off to bed in a sec! Anyways, DD and DS are both very spirited, DD a little touchy with sleep too and I asked in your other thread as I suspected A was too.

 Top trick....keep it short and to the point. Same stuff, same songs, same stories, same order of things. These kids like to know whats coming. I use white noise for naps and A has to be spot on otherwise its just a total bust. We have in fact gone more set these days to ensure an afternoon nap.

 Got to run. I've hit MY sleep window and need to make the most of it!

[trimbler]

My DS is a bit spirited with sleep too! Maybe this is weird, but we've found we need to change what we do with him from time to time, since just when we think we've found something that relaxes him, he'll suddenly start to find it all too exciting! At the moment we try to make sure he has sufficient physical activity and stimulation at the beginning of his A time, then before the morning nap I'll take him out for a walk in the sling for 20-30mins. When we get home he's nice and relaxed and basically I just pop him in his sleeping back, he yawns, I put him down and he's off We have our main outing of the day before the afternoon nap, so again, the trip home helps him relax (unless it's too long and he gets bored and whiny!) and he usually goes off again without a fuss. Bedtime's a bit different in that he has a bath and recently a short book (the same one every night) - but he's often a bit OT so that doesn't always work quite so well...

[DSAN]

We just keep it really simple. When he yawns I say 'sleepy time for a sleepy baby,' diaper change (if needed), lights off, swaddle while singing his lullaby, paci, quick cuddle till he's relaxed and into bed. If I prolong it or try to do things like stories he screams to sleep. Bed time is bath then it's a race to get him into bed before the OT screaming starts (depending on how naps went). But is basically the same, just a lot more crying involved