Author Topic: Why won't she sleep??  (Read 1047 times)

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Offline Pusskin

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Why won't she sleep??
« on: January 16, 2006, 21:41:16 pm »
during the day she naps really well and then we get to the 4pm feed and she just won't go down to sleep afterwards and I have taken to letting her just chill out on me as she gets more rest that way than she does lying in her cot crying.

We do bottle bath bottle bed (cluster feed) starting at 6pm with a goal of bed at around 7.30 - 8pm. It never works, we can shhh pat until we are blue in the face and she just looks up at us like this:  :shock:. On a good day she will take another feed and go to sleep at 9pm on a bad day (like for example right now) she rejects feeds and just won't sleep  :cry:  :cry: . I am at my wits end and just don't know what to do with her.

Please please please help me
Puss & Phoebe


Offline spudballoo

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Why won't she sleep??
« Reply #1 on: January 16, 2006, 23:00:20 pm »
Dunno but hello mate!!! We're rubbish at sleep in our house but wanted to say hellooooo and can't wait to meet Phoebe on thurs! Hope someone helpful is along in a minute x

Offline Kimberly®

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Why won't she sleep??
« Reply #2 on: January 17, 2006, 02:09:05 am »
If I read your ticker right your LO is about 2 weeks old right?

If thats the case then I wouldn't worry too much about the &;30 betime just yet. :) At that age they're not quiet ready for it. You can still start doing a bedtime routine based around that time, but don't be suprised if she's resistent to a 7:30 bedtime.

That said I'd agree about needing your bedtime routine, nap routine, and daytime routine. They might help us help you.
Kimberly

Offline Pusskin

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Why won't she sleep??
« Reply #3 on: January 17, 2006, 07:54:27 am »
HOw do Spud... naughty HRH! I can't wait to see him too (BOy is sulking that he isn't coming for more cuddles lol!)

Karita, she is 6 weeks today and last night she didn't go to sleep until midnight  :cry:  :cry:

this is her routine:

7am Wake up and bottle
7.30 am: Activity
8 am sleep
10am bottle
10.30 am Activity
11 am Sleep
1pm Bottle
1.30 Activity
2pm Sleep (usually in pram as I try and go out for a couple of hours at this tims)
4pm Bottle
4.30pm Activity
this is a good day
5pm snooze on me (if we try cot it is met by banshee style protest)
6pm bottle (clusterfeed)
6.30pm bath and massage
7pm bottle (clusterfeed)
7.30pm bed
9pm: Wake up and bottle
11pm: dreamfeed

This was last night (or any other bad night really)
5pm: lie wide awake on me, quiet but definatley awake
6pm: Bottle
6.30pm: bath and massage
7pm: refuse bottle
7.30pm: Husband starts trying to settle her
8pm: offer bottle which is refused and she still won't settle
9pm: see above
10.30 offer what should be a dreamfeed, it is guzzled
midnight she finally goes to sleep


We are all totally knackered today and rather at our wits end with her :(
Puss & Phoebe


Offline Katet

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Why won't she sleep??
« Reply #4 on: January 17, 2006, 08:55:02 am »
it is actually very normal for babies under 3mo to have an unsettled period & this often happens between 5pm & 10pm (unless you are unlucky like I was with ds#2 & it was 2-4am  :twisted: ). So it isn't really anything you are doing wrong, just nature...that said, it could also be that one hour awake time is too long... while "guidelines" tend to give an awake time of about an hour at 6weeks old, for some babies, 45mins is about all they can handle, so maybe try putting her down for naps at around the 45-50min mark... as overtired babies do tend to have "worse"unsettled periods
dc1 July 03, dc2 May 05

Offline cymonguk

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Oh dear
« Reply #5 on: January 17, 2006, 16:18:27 pm »
We were at your stage 9 weeks ago, both of us fed up, tired and wondering why we bothered! It does get better!

But to the matter in hand I would suggest that you try to get her into a calm period after she has been awake about 30 mins, thus you are giving her 30mins to calm down and go to sleep before she gets really grumpy.

Im not sure what you are trying to do to calm her down, the only way I found worked if she didnt nod off during feeding is to pick Phoebe up cuddle her and shhh and pat her back, gradually she would calm down to a very relaxed state and then lean on me to go off to sleep, I know this is contrary to BW but sometimes you have to do what you do, she is a baby and needs your help and you and your family getting sleep is more important than following a book! Any problems can easily be sorted. You dont have to slavishly follow the book in the worry you are somehow abusing your child! (I know how it feels, you just want to do the best)

Our Phoebe is now getting much better at going off on her own, but when she is overtired she still needs a cuddle to get off sometimes.