Hi all,
I really need help. My 15wk DS has always had an issue with going to sleep but over the past 4 weeks it has got a lot worse. It takes me usually around half an hour to get him to sleep and he will start to cry the minute I put his sleeping bag on at the start of his wind down time. He has also started waking in the early morning (between 5 and 6) and will take a full breastfeed (he is combination fed) before going back to sleep.
Our day looks a bit like this (currently on a 3.5hr EASY):
E: 7:30am (breastfeed)
A: Nappy change, get dressed, say goodbye to Daddy and then about 20minutes in his play gym whilst I eat breakfast and read the paper.
S: 9:10am.
E: 11:00am (breastfeed)
A: Nappy change and then activity downstairs
S: 12:40pm
E: 2:30pm (breastfeed)
A: as above
S: 4:10 (I always struggle with this nap)
E: 6pm (bottle)
A: bath time and chat with Daddy
E: 7:30pm (breastfeed)
S: by 8pm usually
E: DF at 10:30pm
Our wind down routine looks something like this: I usually take him upstairs about 20mis before his nap time and we play quietly on my bed for about 10mins before we go into his room (he now has his naps in his cot), I put him in his sleeping bag, we slow dance to music before I read him a story (usually only get a page in before he starts getting really cranky) and shh/pat until he is drowsy. Then I lay him down in his crib and he will start crying, I shh/pat (patting his chest) anywhere between 5 and 30minutes.
He will usually sleep anywhere between and hour and 2 hours but if he wakes midway through a nap I can never get him to go back to sleep. If I can't get him to sleep by 30mins I usually give up and we will do some low key activity and try again half hour later. This means I then have an OT baby who gets progressively more tired and more cranky as the day goes on.
I know I am really lucky that he has been STTN since he was about 6wks but it is exhausting having a fight with him everytime he needs to go to sleep. I really need some advice as its really getting me down.
I'm hoping to progress him onto a 4hr EASY as he will go 4hrs between feeds but is not able to stay awake long enough at the moment.
I really need some advice about how to make his sleep time easier so that he can learn to sleep without my intervention (I think I've managed this about 3 times since he was born!) and also about how to extend his naps as I cannot get him to go back to sleep if he wakes.
Any advice would be gratefully received as my partner and I are at a loss of what to do.
Claire
