Hi, Ive just joined the site as partner sent me the link to help with our son...the sticky says to answer the following questions first then ask my question so here goes
How old is your child?
11months
What’s his/her daily routine?
wakes up anywhere between 5am-7 am
put him in his piano (so he can't move) while I make myself a coffee without talking to him, then I go to him pick him up and say 'good morning did you have a good sleep etc.' change him, put him back in his piano while I wake up with coffee - do housework
8am - breakfast - weetabix, banana and bottle
play with him (dancing, walking up and down house, singing, general carrying on)
10.30 snack time...yoghurt, animal crackers ..change and dressed
play
lunch - 12 - remainder of last nights supper (i home cook all meals)
nap
I get dressed, then we spend afternoon out (rain or shine) walking with dog for hours (sometimes he sleeps in buggy but not so often now he is more active)
4pm bottle change and partner comes home at 5
partner plays with him, either makes supper or he baths him and I make supper
feed at 6pm (home cooked meal)
7pm banana and milk or yoghurt or rice pudding and half a bottle
hold him cuddles til sleep at 8pm
-------
8.30 - up
9pm - up
9.30pm - up
sleeps til 1/2am - up
3am - up and I take him in bed with us
What’s nap routine?
He sleeps after his lunch for anything between 15mins to an hour on his mat in living room with my housecoat on him (only ever in cot at night) and sometimes sleeps late afternoon while in buggy (not so much now) but more so now when we are driving back from our long walk in his carseat for about an hour
What's bedtime routine? Time?
bedtime routine is
pre bed snack to fill him up (as advised when his night wakes were every 15mins and I was losing the plot) of banana or yoghurt, bottle while in bed bag and cuddles in living room, then when he asleep we take him to cot...this is by 8/8.30 pm now but was alot later (sometimes 3am) before I learned that you had to train a baby to sleep
Do you bottle or breastfed??
I stopped breastfeeding at 10wks due to milk stopping..he is on bottles now
How much? or how long?
He has 3 210ml during day...3 210ml during night
How many wakes per night?
Average of 6 but down to 5 with taking him in to our bed but now he is starting to act up again so back up to 6 or more
What’s your LO like when waking at night? How long is he/she up?
He screams like he has got a scare or had a nightmare - he looks terrified. Now he is standing up at bars and howling. He wont go back to sleep until I cuddle him. Tried the whole shhh thing and patting him and only at the start of night (his first wake up half hour after his bed) does this work and he rolls over and sleeps after a while otherwise he howls with terror in his eyes and now has a 'sonic boom' scream that sounds like he is doing his vocal chords damage!
When you go to him/her is she fussing or crying? Or is it a mantra cry?
I always wait until he sounds properly crying before going to him..few times Ive heard him making noises but left him and he has gone to back to sleep but if it is the terror screams then I cant leave him
What have you tried to settle??
Ive tried - patting, shhing, bottle, cuddles, sleeping on sofa with him (as partner works), leaving him (that made us both cry), laying by cot holding his hand (which infuriates him), moving away from cot slowly
What do you do for A time and how long is it?
Dont know what this is
Are there developmental issues such as teething or milestones?
He has always been like this....we are super active during day and if he wanted a nap, I would let him...his teething didnt make any difference as it was just same old same old...he has improved from early days but that is because I learned you had to teach a baby to go to bed at a certain time - I just thought baby would do what they wanted, when they wanted
Have you introduced cereal? Why, how much, and how many times a day? (for LO’s under 6 months)
He eats like a machine (always has done)
Do they have a prop? If so what is it?
He has never liked dummys or teddys..tried to put a teddy in his cot and it terrified him to screaming...he now gets a cuddle and a bottle from me or partner during night and now because I am tired (after 11 months of living an active life on about 3hours sleep) I have reverted to taking him in bed with us with a stock up of bottles to stick in his mouth whenever he wakes up
Do they have a lovie?
I dont know what this is
Our son is the absolute love of our lives and we love how big, strong, healthy and happy he is - he has an awesome temper lol...but it is very elemental and short lived...he knows his own mind and isn't scared to let us know...we are constantly playing with him and since he was born he has been perm attached to my hip - I give him my undivided attention 24/7 (prob stemming from having a neglectful mother myself) and its only just recently I have allowed myself breaks by keeping him in his piano with baby tv on while I sit by him doing 'nothing' ...Ive been without him 3/4 times overnight as I have learned to let him stay at his grannys (partners mum) and she says he gets up during night (he sleeps with her too) .
I didnt know his sleep routine was 'odd' until we started to go to a baby music class and I spoke to other mums...they were all shocked by his night routine and said they couldnt cope if theirs still did that...they asked questions like what does he eat? naps? active? have I tried this and that method?
My son is incredibly healthy and strong...he eats like he is the hulk (always been this way) and it always has been home cooked meals with heaps of veg....he has, what I would think, good length of naps when he is tired ...he drinks plenty of milk (hates water and am not keen on giving him juice) , we have spent every single afternoon out regardless of rain, snow, wind, sun with dog at the beach or a park walking since he was born...I made sure his routine was rigid - more for my sanity due to sleep deprivation...but now that we are all starting to relax and am becoming aware that his nightime is unusal this is when I am starting to say 'hey! let me get a full nights sleep please..its been nearly a year' lol...I didnt give this much thought before I went to baby class...I just thought thats what mums do and thats the end of it...however, if I am doing something wrong (which sounds like I am) and its not serving my son properly then am open to changing it for both our sakes
I guess I am baby led (from what I have come to understand of the term)...I just listen and watch how son is then act on that...and the in bed with us is fairly recent due to running out of ideas/methods
the bed thing is now affecting partner as our son is now kicking him during the night (like he wants his attention or wants him ou t the bed lol) and pulling my hair...so back to square one but this time with him in between us. ..he has even burst my nose with blood pouring out as he sat up and wham, his head cracked into my nose...so yeh, not peaceful lol
he is a fun loving baby, very happy and content...great little personality
oh and his temper...he will stop immediately once we cuddle him but one time we decided to let him vent without us cuddling him (to make sure we werent creating it) and he sat there (we tried to get on with other stuff in house while not letting him see we were watching him) with his little hands in fists, face red and sonic boom screaming (sounded sore) and he roared and roared in such an almighty temper ...he didn't let up and shook his fists in the air, rolled about, sat up...proper tantrum ...for about an hour then we couldnt take it anymore as he started sweating with his energy...we picked him up and he managed to calm himself back down ....also, did that when I tried to teach him how to feed himself with a bottle - took a day of him being highly offended that I wanted him to hold his own bottle - his sonic boom, fists and screaming when I tried to place his hands on his bottle ...partner came home and I told him to do the same as me and our son, when realising that partner was wanting him to feed himself his own bottle, repeated the screams and outrage....after an hour he then calmed down and took bottle but think it was cos he ran out of people to get him to do things for him lol
Dont know if any of that helps...do I just have a very stubborn baby? Am I a soft touch?
Thanks amy
