Sleep and EASY Support for spirited babies

[becj86]

Sorry this is my first kid and since she is not sitting or crawling yet I am not sure what did you mean when you said explore? 

Sorry, roll around on the grass/floor then?

Oh yeah, baths were great for L - I'd just put him in 2 inches of water and he'd be happy in there for hours

[NewMum79]

As Mum to a fellow spirited one I sympathise, my DD isn't crawling yet and reading your posts remind me to make the most of that fact 

We too have had the car seat phase and it lasted for about 5/6 weeks, full on tantrum every time no matter how long or sort the journey. Thankfully just before Christmas it stopped as quickly as it started. It has scarred me though and I still wouldn't dare take DD in the car for much more than an hour for fear of it coming back!

The bath and actually just stripping DD's clothes off works for us too, during that difficult hour (5-6pm) just before DH gets home from work and when we have already exhausted every toy and game I resort to taking some of her clothes off and putting her on the bed so that she can roll around and play with her feet and she LOVES being tickled and having raspberries blown on her body. Failing that just putting her on a towel on the bathroom floor works (don't know if it is the lights or the anticipation of a bath).

It's always good to hear what others are doing to keep their spirited ones entertained and pacified as I am always looking for new ideas! Has anyone tried a jolly jumper or similar? I am thinking of trying as DD is 5 mo now.

[Lindsay27]

Have you a local library or something where he can go for an explore?

We do and on Wednesday's I take him to Baby Reading Group at the library which is a baby reading class.  It's a lot of fun - the read stories, sing songs, play with puppets, books, bubbles, and get to interact with other babies.  The last session ended in mid-December but starts again this week, which will be good

Are you totally housebound with that much snow? We don't get snow here, so I'm not sure what it means for you. Can you go for drives?

We aren't totally housebound, no...unless the weather is bad of course.  I live in a small town, so there just isn't really a whole heck of a lot to do here in the winter.  He's pretty good in the car, but generally falls asleep so if we go anywhere worth while (usually at least a 30 - 40min drive), I know he's going to fall asleep in the car and it makes our naps messy.  Even still, it doesn't bother me too much if he has 1 messy nap day.  We have a great park, beach, and splash pad which was great to utilize in the spring/summer/fall, but in the winter...just feeling housebound and a little trapped some days.  At least if we had a mall or something we could go and just walk around, but we don't!

Bath time used to be our favourite time, but now...ugh.  He is constantly trying to crawl in the tub, or he stands up and tries to climb out...which is slippery and dangerous.  Now that he's crawling he doesn't want to sit on his bum, so bath times are pretty short these days.  They usually last until he starts horsing around and then I take him out, because constantly fighting with him to sit on his bum usually results in screaming fits.  I want bath time to be a happy time, so out he comes when the funny business starts!

I used to take him swimming at the indoor pool when he was younger, but as he got older and went down to 2 naps, the time the pool was open for him really interfered with his morning nap, which is the one I try to keep the most consistent.  It's hard to be bound to naps sometimes too and not have that flexibility.  But, we all know how important they are! 

Anyway, I am going to try to find something for us to do today so I don't go completely bonkers

[lily_layne]

Has anyone tried a jolly jumper or similar? I am thinking of trying as DD is 5 mo now.

I just bought a Fisher Price jumperoo for my DD (she's 4.5 months) and she loves it.  She hasn't quite figured out how to jump yet, but likes the bouncing/swaying movements she can make in it.

[lily_layne]

A big tight hug from you will help him let some of the pent-up energy go (we added it to our WD).

Lindsay - This is a great tip.  Spirited LOs of all ages benefit from tight hugs and firm pressure on their bodies.  Although DD is my first child, I'm a teacher so I have lots of experience with spirited kids.  Because they are easily stimulated their insides are often "buzzing" and a tight hug can go a long way to helping them settle down.  A heavy stuffed animal (one with beans or something similiar) laid on the shoulders, back or tummy can also help.

[Lindsay27]

Has anyone tried a jolly jumper or similar?

We used a Jolly Jumper and DS LOVED it!!  It was a great way for him to burn off some energy but remain in one place.  We started it when he was 6 months and he knew exactly what to do.  Every time I got it out he would squeal with excitement, and he would go for honestly 30 - 45mins and he would just be laughing the whole time.  He doesn't like it so much any more, but it was great while it lasted!

So, good news...I signed B up for swimming lessons on Thursdays   They are from 9:30am - 10am so *hopefully* we can get away with that timing and have him take a nap when we get home.  Even if he takes an OT nap, I can usually re-settle him.

Lindsay - This is a great tip.  Spirited LOs of all ages benefit from tight hugs and firm pressure on their bodies.

Thanks for the tip I'm going to try it!

We have been working this week on independent sleep, because I never taught it until now because rocking worked so well and he'd go to sleep flawlessly (bad BAD Mama!).  It's been going surprisingly well so far, though sometimes he flights to sit up instead of lie down in the crib.  Everyday seems to get better though, and the last 3 nights he's gone down completely independently at BT.  Naps are a little tougher, but we are working on it.

[tweetie]

Sorry this is my first kid and since she is not sitting or crawling yet I am not sure what did you mean when you said explore? 

Sorry, roll around on the grass/floor then?

Oh yeah, baths were great for L - I'd just put him in 2 inches of water and he'd be happy in there for hours

That was I thinking but I was not sure  . We got so much snow that I could hardly walk to a small grocery shop (and I live in the downtown of the capital  ). No way of exploring  at this time point . However I took her with me in the Baby Bjorn and she was enjoying. Got pile of the snow on the nose and the edge of the paci  (I forgot to take umbrella). She woke up crying and after that walk she is so happy and calm.
My DD also loves to bath and we give her a bath her each evening .

I will need to check library I am not sure do we have something for such a small babies....

Regarding the car seat - this phase lasts since she was 4 month old - God that 4 month destroyed us completely, everything went downhill... the same is with the long NW since then... so refusing car seat and NW phase of 3.5 months and there is still no signs it will end  O and also it started with the stroller - for sleeping ok, but for driving just for the short time

[becj86]

Because they are easily stimulated their insides are often "buzzing"

Quite literally - we could feel L shaking with excitement even 2hr after DH got home

We don't go to classes at the library - just the kids section is great here

[Kirsten~]

Hi ladies, I've been doing some reading along on this post since my DD is also spirited. I underestimated just how important it is for things to remain consistent for her. We had 5 days in a row of her STTN last week (after a lot of work to get there!). My ILs came back to stay with us for a couple of nights, and they freed up DH and I to go out for dinner. We were home for BT, but just having us gone and her usual routine be different led to a 2+ hr NW that night. I couldn't believe that just that small change would upset her so much! Ugh.

As for daytime stuff...I work FT, so I'm not very good with suggestions, but my DH has been stranded at home with DD some days because we currently only have one car. He's been giving her a lot of bath time because she loves it and has a ton of fun and it kills a lot of time since he can't go anywhere. Another idea that I'm going to work this weekend is a ball pit. My sister did this for my nephew. She bought a small inflatable baby pool and bought a bunch of those little balls that they use in the ball pits at places like Chucky CHeese. She just filled the little pool with the balls and he loved it! Granted, he'd throw the balls all over the place, but it was hours of fun.

Lindsay, I saw your note about Ben trying to climb out of the tub. You could try giving him the whole tub and not using the baby tub. We bought a non-slip, rubber pad for the tub, and no longer use the baby tub. That has made bath time even more fun for her and made her much less frustrated. She does still pull herself up on the side of the tub though, but I can be right there to make sure she doesn't slip.

[ChloesmomJing]

Hi ladies,

First I'd like to say that I'm so glad to find this forum here. There are so much information that really helps me a lot to understand my DD. DD is a week from 6mo and such an energetic and spirited baby.
I used to work full time and only got to stay at home since this year. I found her cues are really hard to read, her feeding is a mess. She only eat when she's asleep and only on me no bottle no paci or whatsoever.  And her sleep -- at least 5 NW plus EW is the best we can get. and only after I read BW and I realised how many props we created. We are accidental parenting to say the least of it and it really makes me feel horrible. Since this year I tried really hard to get her on a EASY schedule and we still have so many problems to solve. (lately Ive been really careful not let her sleep while feeding her except for the DF and it is getting better). and before she's always bounced or walked to sleep. I thought I'd deal with it till she out grow it yet things just gone worse fast. She was able to sleep up to 6 hr at 3 month yet the regression hit bad and eventually she's wake up every 45 to 90 mins. I felt bad thinking that her sleep quality is so bad. So just since last friday DH and I decided to use shh/pat and PU/PD to teach her how to sleep on her own as her prop is getting so worse that she'd wake after only 20 min and it is harder and harder to put her down. things are progressing but we still don't have the gut to deal with naps. that is we only teach her sleep during the night but let my ILs to bounce her to sleep during the day. I'm wondering if that will reverse her hard work during the night.. ANy thoughts? ALso, I had questions about her night wakening. So when I read about this thread it seems to me that spirited baby can use more A time. About how do you ladies do to stretch the A time without OT or OS her? If she'd wake up 40 mins after put into bed is that a sign of OT? or UT?

Thank you so much! I was thinking to post to other section but feel that our problem cover many part and here seems to fit.

Jing

[ChloesmomJing]

Oh and I forgot to mention her daily EASY schedule looks something like this:

6-7ish wake up breastfeed for 5-10mins (she never eats well during morning..)
7:30ish 1TBSP cereal
8:30-8:45a nap1 for 30min-1hr
10:30 or 11a E
11:45ish nap 2 for 45mins or so wake up cry and MIL put her back to sleep and lately she can sleep anther 1.5-2 hr till 2:30ish
3:30 ish E
4:45 CN normally 20mins
5:15 some apple
6:15 bath and wind down
6:30-6:50 E
6:50-7p BT routine
7:05ish put to bed
10:30ish DF
2:30a ish another DF

[becj86]

Hi Jing

Its best to post your EASY question on the EASY forum - you'll get plenty of help there, I promise.

Having said that, you'll probably find that a lot of what you're experiencing with sleep at the moment is developmental to an extent. At 6 months, there is a big mental leap http://www.thewonderweeks.com/index.php/about-the-wonder-weeks/your-babys-10-leaps/mental-leap-5 and this is when DS also started to really depend upon being in the same environment as he fell asleep if he was to resettle, so if he fell asleep or was too close to asleep in my arms and then I put him down, he'd not resettle once he woke but if he went to sleep in his cot and roused during a nap, he could see where he was and would go back to sleep better.

[ChloesmomJing]

hi becj86

thank you for your suggestion. I'll post there as well. But I find DD is easily OS during her A time. Any suggestions for A time without OS? As I'm suspecting that sometimes she is UT for nap so I try to stretch A time a bit yet she's either get bored easily or go all the way to OS (feels like she needs more A time than average..).

[NewMum79]

Hi Jing,

My DD is just a few weeks younger than yours and we are also stretching A times at the moment to get good naps. Something I picked up from this thread, possibly from Bec I think, is to keep the last half hour of A time low key and it seems to work. We do any stimulating play, tummy time, etc. near the start of the A time and keep the last 30 minutes for playing with soft toy, looking at a book, etc. in a quiet room. By doing this is have managed to stretch the A time by nearly 30 minutes in the last couple of weeks. Also I found switching the TV off helpful. HTH. 

[Tecike]

Hi everyone! Haven't been on here for a while - lots have happened since I got a read! 

Jing, re sleep - I'd post on the sleep boards, the ladies there are always very helpful!  One thing only, when I sleep trained my DS I was sticking to the same principle at all sleep times, naps and night as well. IMHO LOs can get quite confused if you react differently in the same circumstances - it was especially true for my spirited DS2. I had to dedicate the time needed for a technique to work, otherwise it would all go to pot in a very short time...
And I agree with PP, it's best to have quiet time at the end of the A times! If she gets bored a change in the scenery can work well - take her to another room, or take a  short walk or something. My DS liked to simply look out of the window and I would talk to him about what was happening in the street.

OK, anyone having an irregular eater??? The past few months here have been quite strange - DS is having less intense tantrums, he's screaming less but he has become very irregular at eating. I don't know what changed, but now he has breakfast an 1-1.5 after he wakes up and then eats only small portions, he doesn't snack but has soup before his nap and the rest of lunch after and again eating very little. Then for the afternoon tea he eats loads, and for dinner again just a few bites. He has a BT bottle after bath. To be honest, he tasted chocolate during the holidays and now he demands it for each meal time - of course he doesn't get it! Do you think I should rearrange meals and give him  the main meal in the afternoon? I just don't understand how he doesn't seem hungry for such a long time...