Support thread for raising touchy babies - part 2

[weaver]

  It helps to have the reassurance to feed her to sleep - I am so used to thinking to try and avoid that if possible when my other ones were little.

I always did at BT, particularly while still in the fourth trimester!, and tried to avoid during the day unless we needed to.  The thing with AP is that APOP also exists - Accidental Parenting on Purpose This is where you have a couple of tricks up your sleeve if all else goes to pot.  BFing I have found to be the ultimate secret weapon! It really helps to think of it that way, so you have a few things you know you can do if you need to.

I was so happy she napped in her car seat today for an hour!  Small victory as it was not the carrier so I could do some things around the house while she slept.   

Hurrah for small victories!  I think that's maybe a sign that she's feeling better rested all round, so she was able to take a nice nap.

For wind-down we did the classic 4S as recommended by Tracy -
What does a good wind down consist of (Includes 4S ritual)
You can tweak as need be - not all babies like sh-pat, some prefer just to be held and a hum, or a back rub and a quiet song, or whatever.  Just something that becomes the cue for relaxation and sleep.  My LO1 loved his dummy, it really helped him relax and sleep.  Of course it comes with its own potential difficulties, but if it helps her at this stage, it's worth a go, I suppose.  In fact, he kept it rather longer than I would've liked (til age 4 ) and the moment we got rid of it, he started sucking his thumb!  It's just another way of a sensitive person calming themselves down, just as a grown up might have a cup of tea or go for a walk or whatever.

Have a great weekend with your tiny person (and bigger ones too!).

[~Jen~]

Tough day today. Caia is just so hard to read. I can't figure out her cues and she cries hard now before every nap - even in the carrier - which is new.    she took 2hrs to settle at bed. Even when I try to feed her to sleep; her eyes pop open when she jolts. It seems rhe harder I try to reduce OS/ the more it creeps in. The APOP isn't even working today 

[newkidontheblock]

Thank you for the support and ideas, Weaver. Sorry it took me so long to reply

[~Jen~]

Just remind me this does get easier... I am already so tired of fighting her to sleep and she is just 8 weeks. And then she never takes a long nap. Not sure I can keep this up... 

[~Jen~]

I had to feed her to sleep again...  after all the jolts finally stopped she was as peaceful as an angel.  I wish I could help her more during the day to be so calm. 

[weaver]

I know hun, it's hard enough with a touchy baby, and must be really tough with two more in the mix.  I really wouldn't feel too bad about APoPing at this point.  She's still so tiny, and so sensitive, you've just got to do what you can to help.  Try for what you'd like to happen but don't beat yourself up for making life easier for *her*. 

((HUGS))

[~Jen~]

Thank you Anne.  What kind of APoP worked for you? ive got the carrier and rocking her.  Both very physical on me.   Nothing else works. she screams in the car, car seat, pram etc.  Always short naps in the cot after rocking impossble to extend...  so it is really just the carrier to get  a good nap. 

[weaver]

Do you have a sling library anywhere near you?  A good sling shouldn't be too hard on your back, particuarly at this age, you should almost not be able to feel she's there, if you see what I mean.   Failing that, a good baby stuff shop should have a range of carriers for you to try. My two APoPs were carrying and BFing   I used a baba-sling and an ergo (still using ergo with my 2.5 yo tho not for naps).  LO1 if you remember wouldn't go into his buggy for love or money, no chance  of naps in there!  After a short nap in the cot, will she go back to sleep again if you put her in the carrier?  Just a thought?  There was a great thread about babywearing a while ago, let me try to find that for you.

Have you tried swaddling her in the car seat?  I think this is possible and might help?

[~Jen~]

Yes she LOVES the ergo and so do I. It is my saving grace. She just took 2hrs this morning in it.  So I use that all the time but mostly need to walk out of the house for it to work. Good to get out I guess when not raining  .   BF'ing I use at night for BT and whenever she wakes. It does scare me to think we have to reverse this at some point! I try not to feed to sleep during the day for naps. Id rather rock her if possible. I am finding she is stRting to really fight the rocking to sleep now. I think she would prefer to always sleep in ergo. I can pop her into it when she wakes.  I have a sling I will dig out and see how that goes.  Did you ever try a dummy? I've been trying and I really think it stimulates her?

[weaver]

Anyone want to chat about babywearing?
You might want to look through that ^^ but the ergo is amazing IMHO!  Yay for that big nap

LO1 had a dummy from 3 days old.  He *needed* it to relax and it worked a treat for him, wasn't a prop (ie I never had to wake up to replug).  Why do you think DD2 finds it stimulating?  She perks up? 

[~Jen~]

Thanks for the link.. Will read. I think that because every time we try it and she falls asleep; she gags and spits it out. That part seems to wake her; she stirs and eyes pop open. Start all over. Then she is often cross and takes more convincing to take the silly thing. Is that just part of her learning how to do it? I know she is late to the "dummy" game at 2 months and my others never had one so I have no idea how to get her used to it. She gags and chokes and I am using the newborn  small ones..

[~Jen~]

Anne, did your LO1 get VERY attached to sleeping in Ergo? Caia seems to be protesting sleeping anywhere but...

Did I mention she also has reflux? Making things so much harder. I think another reason she loves Ergo. Is it worth introducing sling to break from Ergo or just stick with what works?

[weaver]

Ah I didn't know she had reflux.  No wonder she loves the Ergo!  Has she meds for it if she needs them?  I think I'd stick with what works, that'd be my instinct.  Have you seen this by any chance?
Sleep and the reflux baby.

LO1 loved being in the ergo but I had the time to spend helping him sleep in the cot so he mostly slept there and was in the ergo a lot when we went out. He was very sensitive to stimulation so it was a great spot for A times.  LO2 did a whole lot more sling napping. But she wasn't touchy so would also sleep in the buggy sometimes, which was amazing.

[~Jen~]

Her GP started her on Ranitidine but I'm also taking her to see the GI who helped DD1 with her reflux.   DD1 had terrible reflux and food intols so that is when I first fell in love with the Ergo    She wasn't touchy though so I could easily get her to sleep in her cot for great naps.  She just screamed in the evenings from the reflux pain.   
CAia is a whole different level - I've never seen a baby get this OS so easily.  A while back you said a rock solid routine helped - was it rock solid with the timings? i.e. feed and sleep same time everyday or just the general pattern of how you did the same wind-down each time?

[Tracy_reid20]

I have a touchy 4m/o girl -startles and cries if the dog barks too loud, crinkles up her eyes if she goes from a dark room to a bright room etc.  Most difficult part I find though is that she wakes very easily if we make any noise while she's napping.  We have about 10 mins where we can make noise (from about 20 mins after she goes down until 30 mins - while she's in a deeper sleep).  Does anyone have a good recommendation for white noise? I bought a Homedics soundspa machine but I (being a touchy personality myself) have already found a strange background noise in it that has a loop sound pattern to it.   Is it possible that she would pick up in it as well and disrupt her sleep?
Any advice would be helpful.