Baby doesn't get drowsy

[newbiem0m]

Hi

My baby doesn't seem to get drowsy unless she's waking up.
She goes from happy awake to eyes wide open but sullen so I know she's getting tire, to fussing, and then crying.

If I put her down into the crib at the eyes wide open stage she'll just eventually cry.
We've been rocking her because it was the only way to smooth her when she starts crying but if we stop she'll cry.

DD is 2 months old. I wonder if she'll have a drowsy state when she gets older.
I was wondering what other people do for this type of baby who doesn't seem to have that drowsy state and can't be but into the crib still awake or else they cry and you have to pick back up again.

Right now I've decided to play a lullaby the whole time I rock in hopes that she'll associate that to sleeping in a week or 2.

When I Google it seems like most people wait until 4 months to let them cry it out. I would really like to avoid that if possible.

Thanks

[*Ali*]

No one here will suggest cio so don't worry about that.

Have you tried shush pat? That used to help my DS2 zone out.

How long has she been awake  when you try putting her down typically?

[newbiem0m]

She's 2 months old, I try for 1hr to 1hr 15mins when I start to put her to sleep.
If I'm already wearing her in the carrier i find she passes out at 1hr 15 mins ish without too much of a fuss
But sometimes she doesn't stay asleep for 40 mins.
If I try to keep her up so she's a bit more tired then lots of fussing.
But if I take her out of the carrier to put her into the crib or if I stop holding her and put her into the crib she'll fuss and cry.
I can't put her down awake...and she doesn't get drowsy unless I rock her....I was just reading up on Dr Sears and spirited baby and it describes her very well.

Seems like i'm supposed to expect a hard time getting her to sleep
I was hoping someone can share how they managed to do the drowsy but awake for a spirited baby when I don't seem to have that state.
She goes from happy to cranky

[*Ali*]

You can do shush pat in your arms instead of the cot at this age

[cath~]

I was hoping someone can share how they managed to do the drowsy but awake for a spirited baby when I don't seem to have that state.She goes from happy to cranky

my DD1 was like this and never really (still doesn't) get to the drowsy but awake stage.  The cranky bit didn't always mean she was tired though - I think often she was just getting bored.  Because of these things, it was quite hard to gauge her A time!  The best way to judge was from experience and how easily she would nod off for a nap. 

Do you have a winddown routine?  I found mine couldn't be too long but introducing one and keeping it consistent each time really helped her learn that sleep time was coming.  I would swaddle her (or, when she got older, put her in a sleeping bag), walk around a little with her singing/humming a lullaby, and then lie her down in her moses basket and shh-pat until she fell asleep.  If she got really upset I'd pick her up and carry her around until she got calm again (she needed the motion, just sitting and holding her wouldn't work), then put her back down.  She would never fall asleep on me unless she was in a carrier.

I found it easier to put her down for her first nap of the day and the others were harder.  So I started with just the first nap in the moses basket, and the others were in the pram or a carrier (I did a lot of walks with her!).  Then as she got older and things we going ok with the first nap, I'd try for later naps too.

Not sure if that helps you, but that's what I ended up doing!