Overtired

[Jenny_Jen]

I'm trying very hard to follow Tracey's advice & managed today to get in 2 solid naps, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, but then the dreaded bedtime came & my 7 week old wouldn't wind down, I'm sure I caught the window but one of my dogs started barking, he woke right up & then I couldn't get him to wind down again & he started freaking out, it's 9 pm now & my DH finally got him to settle after almost 2 hours of screaming & he is now sleeping on DH chest (I went out because I couldn't take it anymore).

Last night it happened too, but he was up from noon until midnight, 12 straight hours  .  I spent at least 5 hours yesterday afternoon in his bedroom trying to get him to stay asleep but he just kept waking up after 20 mins.  Once 6 pm hit he was a disaster & he didn't stop screaming until midnight when he finally crashed.

So my question is what do you do with a baby once they hit the point of no return?  My LO hits it very easily & then we are at a loss because nothing helps and we end up breaking down (pretty soon I'm gonna be crying).  I'm not sure if it's colic?  I don't think it is because if we have a good day where he gets his proper sleep then he is fine,  but without sleep he is a basketcase.

Help.

[JennŠ]

The few times dd did this at that age, a car ride did the trick.  Turns out one of those times she also had an ear infection that kept her up.  The only sign was a fussy Mouse.   When she fell asleep in the carseat, we just brought her into the house and parked it in our room with us until the next feeding.   

[¤ Efka ¤]

we have done it too, car ride. One day my LO was so out and just screaming, so i send my DH out for a car ride with him. Where he calmed down and finally took his nap.

[Jenny_Jen]

Car ride doesn't work, he hates his swing, bouncing chair, stroller or anything.  I can't get a break from my baby anytime.

[JennŠ]

Ok, let me sleep on this one.  Also will check with the other mods.

[colenliam]

Just a quick question, what kind of swing do you have?
Car rides and the swing would not work for ds either if he got to that point of no return, UNTIL , we bought the fisher prices Ocean Wonders swing.  It rocks either back and forth or side to side, with a little fishy mobile that played either music or nature water sounds.  Ds would only swing side to side.  As soon as we bought it, it was great.  I know it is not something you wanna get in a habit of doing but, whenyour desparte your desparte.  So it works that day until you can start over again.
Just a suggestion and you might already have that swing.

[teezee]

have you taken lo to the dr to rule out illness?

how is your lo when feeding? after feedings? does he do better being held upright..?

my lo was the same and hated everything we tried for a time - i think she just needed to be comforted and held upright for comfort's sake as she had/has reflux...not saying your lo has this..but it would be best to rule out any signs of it b/c if that is what it is there are things you can do/meds to give that will help...

[Mamastalawatt]

Hi,

You must be shattered   

I know this probably isn't the 'right' answer, but when my lo gets to that point, the only way I can calm him (other than a car ride) is to give him a quick breast feed. 

BTW my lo hated his car seat with a passion until he was about 3 months old - he would scream the moment we put him in it, for the whole duration of the journey, until we took him out again.  He seemed to grow out of it naturally and now is quite happy if we have some toys dangling from the bar.  I hope your lo does the same and then you might be able to use this way to calm him down....fingers crossed!

Hope it gets better soon - I've just been through exactly the same with mine... (see my post 'crying at bedtime')

Mama
xxxx

[Jenny_Jen]

THe swing I have is by fisher price.  I think he just doesn't want me to let him go.  He feeds fine, doesn't usually spit up & isn't really gassy.  He's putting on weight no problem too.

Today he barely napped again but I did manage to get him to bed at 7 pm hopefully he stays like that until his next feeding.  Nighttime sleeping is going ok since when he wakes at 2 am to feed he goes right back to sleep (thank gosh!)  It's the daytime napping that isn't working for me.  I don't think it's reflux because he doesn't have any signs.  I think he just wants to be Mr Social but he needs to sleep & thus gets overtired.

I can't take him anywhere either because if I say go grocery shopping he screams in his car seat, I can't take him for a walk either because he hates the car seat (it's a travel system) so I am literally stuck in my house most of the time.

[jayne]

is he a touchy baby??

my youngest was a touchy baby and now spirited toddler and when she reaches the point where she is overtired and wont sleep --i do ANYTHING to get her to sleep -- i will rock her to sleep or cosleep with her until(this is the important part) she is back on schedule and has has some sleep --then i start working her back to sleeping on her own.. when she is overtired and overstimulated she WONT sleep no matter what and she needs me to help her get her own clock back on schedule-- i  treat these times with her like i would if she were sick--when my kids are sick i do whatever they need until they are well again--so when gina has gone over the edge i help her get back on track anyway i can--

i also had a carrier for her so i could go grocery shopping because she hated the carseat--anything was too much stimulation for her-- so i would put her in the sling (i cant think of what is is called but like a baby bjorn but over the shoulder papoose thing) and i wore it around the house to get other things done..

i hope i have helped some {{{hugs}} i have been there and it is very tough

[SallyDom]

I had the same sort of problem wth my little boy in that he wouldn't nap and would get so overtired and grouchy that I just didn't know what to do. In the end before he got too tired I took him to his nursery, changing his bum, giving him a massage, then swaddling him and closing the curtains in his nursery - though I didn't put the blackout blind down, so it is dim but not dark - and either giving him a bottle (I know he shouldn't have a bottle immediately before sleep but it got us sorted!) or if I knew he wasn't hungry singing to him to wind him down, and now we use the shush pat method. Sometimes he goes to sleep now within a minute or two of shush patting. 
I have read differing views on naps that the baby should be downstairs during the day, hearing noises etc. so they learn night from day but my little one really can't sleep downstairs. He sleeps for 10 mins and wakes up so before long he is so overtired he is beside himself. Plus like your baby, he has always slept fairly well on a night so I wasn't worried he would get confused. 
If your little one is waking up after 20 mins could you go to him just before 20 mins and sooth him back to sleep before he wakes up properly. If you did this a few times maybe he would start to sleep through the 20 min mark?
Hope this helps, or if it doesn't just wanted you to know I'm thinking of you
Sally
x

[Mamastalawatt]

Sally's got a really good point there - I started going in about 5 - 10 mins before my lo usually woke up, and started doing pat/shh while he was still in deep sleep.  He would then stir and soemtimes even seem wide awake, but I just kept doing it, without talking to him or doing anything else, and it has gradually got to the point, over a week or two, where he now hardly even wakes up.  I can now pretty much guarantee that he will get through his first nap without even waking - usually 2 hours (he's been asleep 2 hours 20 mins now - I'm waiting for him to wake up!)

Stick with it...persevere...it *is* worth it 

[¤ Efka ¤]

I need to start doing it. My LO wakes after 30 min mark

[Jenny_Jen]

I'm not sure if he's a touchy baby, since right now he seems like a grumpy baby!  I am resorting to anything I can do to get him to sleep during the day, today I used the bottle which helped but still he doesn't sleep more than 1/2 hr in the afternoon & then he snacked all day too.

I try the shhh/pat but when he's up, he's up & I can't get him back down no matter how long I try for.  This morning we started our day at 7 am, he was up until 8 am then he slept for about an hour & I tried the shhh/pat but he started wailing so I knew it was a lost cause, then he got up for 45 mins & slept for another hour.  I managed to get him down 3 times this afternoon but each time he woke after 1/2 an hour.  At least he's not screaming tonight.  He is a real cuddler & loves to cuddle but LO doesn't understand laundry has to get done!

[jayne]

one other thing that worked for us was a side sleeper--gina seemed to wake herself up if she slept on her back--i would  also swaddle her