How to resettle rolling baby without feeding?

[arabesque]

Hello friends
My Miss E is 21 weeks and has taken to rolling in the cot. She is a tummy sleeper so is settled to sleep on her tummy (I pat her to sleep...otherwise she rolls and cries). She can't roll from back to tummy yet, only tummy to back.

When she wakes early from a nap we can put her back onto tummy and generally pat her back to sleep to extend. However at night she's not keen to go back to sleep, without a feed . I know feeding is totally normal at this age - but if she feeds too early in the night, she then wakes early in the morning, and the whole day is thrown out

Two of he last 3 nights she's woken at 5am for a feed (following df at10:30). Then she goes back to sleep and we wake and start the day at 7. However if she wakes before 4, she's guaranteed gone up before 7.

Last night was 3:15, then 6:30, and she can't resettle. I'm especially keen to keep to a 7am waking start as it helps our whole day fit with the school routine.

Is there a better way to settle her than on her tummy and patting? I think we've made ourselves a huge prop By running in for naps/nights to flip her over and extend. How do we break this habit and teach her that she can go back to sleep on her back? I'd rather not introduce pu/pd as patting works and saves my back

Thanks for any advice
Bec

[donvitol]

I would try to give her lots of practice time during the day to help her get this newness out of her system!  Can you wedge a little blanket at her side at night so she doesn't roll just till she learns how to roll back?

[arabesque]

Thanks should I be trying to teach her she can sleep in any position? How do I do that? I also feel like I need to break the patting to settle/ resettle....but don't want her to wake other members of the family at night (and want her to take decent day naps) so I've been rushing in.

[arabesque]

Just had a thought..,would this be better on props board? Seeing I think my real question is about patting/feeding props linked with tummy sleeping? Maybe I should have posted there...sorry!

[arabesque]

I need help. Please

I said that she was going til 5am sometimes. Then that became 3am. First waking last night was 1:55 after 10:30 DF. I'm exhausted and emotional. Naps are awful again- 30 mins which I know is OT, but I can't get more than that at times. Now nights are similarly terrible.

Here's what's happened over last few days:
Thurs 29/1
E 7am
S 2min in car then into bed resettle patting 9:15-9:58, couldn't resettle
E 10:25
E 11:45 top up
S 12:15-1, resettle by patting slept until 2:10. I woke
E 2:10
S 4:10-4:50 hard to settle
E 5:00
Bath
E 6:30 fussy
Bed 7:10 fed to sleep
Woke before DF 10:05
E 10:08
NF 5:14

Fri 30/1
Wake and E 7am
S 9:10-10:08
E 10:30
S 12:13-2:06 in pram at shops
E 2:10
S 4:20-4:30???
E 4:35
Bath
E 6:30 very upset, fell asleep feeding
Woke before DF 9:55
E 10:07
NF 5:05

Sat 31/1
Wake and E 7am
S 9:12-9:58, out in car, screaming
E 10:40
S 12:10-1:05, resettle slept til I woke her at 2:05
E 2:05 seemed a good feed
Angry all arvo, bonjela, tried bed early, no go
S 4:13-4:50 already awake, on back
E 4:50
E 6:30
S 7:10 mum babysitting
DF 10:30
NF 3:15

Sun 1/2
Ew 6:32
E 7am
S 9:11-9-47, resettle til 10:25
E 10:35
S 12:40-1:50, resettle til 2:05
E 2:05
S OT fed to sleep 4:30-4:50
Solids!!
Bath
E 6:35

Mon 2/2
Nw 2:59 tried to resettle fed 3:40
Wake and e 7am
Into bed 9:10
S 9:28-10:05 tried to resettle
E 10:25
School drop off prek
S into bed 12:05, let her cry, went in at 12:25, S 12:35-2:05 I woke for school pickup
E 2:05
Fell asleep in car on way to school
Tried for 4:20 nap- ended up feeding to sleep again for only 5 mins
E solids 5pm
Bath
E 6:25
Fell asleep feeding and into bed6:55
DF 10:30

Today
Nw 1:55
Awake until I fed at 3
Awake for day 6:20am

Please move this thread where you think it needs to be. Thanks so much for any help. Xx

[katie80]

Hi Bec, (((hugs))), I'm sorry you've been waiting for a reply.  Are you most worried that you've got a prop now? Patting/feeding?

Honestly, the EASYs really don't look that far off.  I'm wondering if she's needing more help sometimes because she's actually UT rather than OT?  You were getting some longer, straight naps in the last few weeks with longer A times, right? 

should I be trying to teach her she can sleep in any position? How do I do that? I also feel like I need to break the patting to settle/ resettle....but don't want her to wake other members of the family at night (and want her to take decent day naps) so I've been rushing in.

I think yes... if you want to break the having to flip her and resettle pattern, then you need to start settling her in whatever position you find her in.  It won't be easy and will take some time to begin with, but ultimately that's what will make a difference.  It does sound very devlopmental to me.  You have the option to continue with the flipping/patting and practicing rolling during the day as PP said, but there's no guarantee that she will flip herself back at that point either.

S into bed 12:05, let her cry, went in at 12:25, S 12:35-2:05 I woke for school pickup

And, of course, I do need to say, we are against any period of crying alone here.  I know you're frustrated and not sure what turn to take, but leaving her to cry is not likely going to help. 

[arabesque]

Thanks katie

Maybe you're right with the longer A times, I'll work on that. And resettling in the position I find her, thanks And I should have said mantra crying, not full on crying, very start stop. I thought that kind of cry was ok to leave?

[katie80]

Oh yes, mantra/stop-start crying is fine to leave... sorry!

[arabesque]

I feel a bit silly asking this, but how do I settle her on her back? She's unwrapped now and is find on tummy, bit on her back she has zero control of her arms and flaps about like a dying cockroach. What do I do?! I've had tummy sleepers for so long I can't remember. Not going well in the nw dept, not sure if she's rolling then waking, or waking then rolling to play.

Thanks katie for all your help so far!

[katie80]

So, she can't get from her back to her tummy yet? I guess firstly, lots of practice during the day. Strangely, all of mine rolled from back to tummy first and then always flipped to sleep on their tummies.

Before mine could roll, I settled them with shh/pat on their back, but rolling them partly on their side and kind of propping them there with my other arm holding across their chest (they were swaddled at this point, but maybe you could tuck her arms in there ). I've heard of some who gently lay an arm across the body from one hip to the other shoulder and then pat or tap the shoulder, or you could do that with one arm and stroke her forehead or pat her hip with the other. 

Would she hold something in her hands, like a lovey? Otherwise, you might have to decide which is the lesser of two evils... always flipping her back to her tummy until she learns to do it on her own or finding a way to settle her with the arms flailing a bit (I would think she'd figure out decently quick what to do with them if you're persistent with it).

[arabesque]

Ok thanks. Part of me isn't sure she actually wants to go back to sleep when she rolls now...she's getting harder to resettle. I'm going to give it a try teaching her to sleep on her back/side... It's do much more handy when they can sleep any position! I tried for nap 3 today which was a total fail, but will continue to try for the shorter naps

[katie80]

Good luck! Hopefully, she'll get the rolling out of her system soon! Do you think she needs a bump in A time if she's not resettling as easy?

[arabesque]

Thanks lovely. I could have sworn she needed a bump in a time, but them in the morning is struggling to get to 2hrs. Then seems to be able to do longer a time from there, is that usual? We are trying to teach her back to tummy rolling- she finds it amusing that we are trying do hard. Mr 4 has demonstrated several times! I've been trying for naps to settle her on her back/side...will keep trying. She's only gone down so far on tummy. Thanks for all your help

[katie80]

LOL at DS2 teaching her how to roll, so cute! It is definitely normal for A times to get longer during the day.