Can you help me? Here's the info...
How old is your child?
5.5 months
What’s his/her daily routine?
4 hour EASY from 7 am to 7 pm
What’s nap routine?
15 min. before nap time we have a wind down with the white noise, quiet music, and pacifier. At this point she squirms and is happy to be put in the crib. I tell her the "Time For Bed Poem" as she stares off into space, happily sucks away for about 5 min and falls asleep.
How long are naps?
Nap times still vary in start time and duration depending on her cues.
Generally she will take a 1 - 1.5 hour nap around 8:15 am and wakes well-rested.
Then she will take a 1.5 - 3 hour nap sometime around 12:00 noon that she needs help consolidating as she can wake up at the 45 min. mark very fussy.
She will take a 30-45 min nap around 4:30 pm.
What's bedtime routine? Time?
Bedtime routine starts around 5:45 - 6:15 and is 45 min - 1 hour in length. It's very predictible and works like a charm! Feeding, bath, quiet music, bedtime story, white noise, swaddle, pacifier, I tell her the "Time For Bed Poem" as she stares off into space, happily sucks away for about 5 min and falls asleep.
Do you bottle or breastfed??
Breastfeed.
How much? or how long?
Around 7 am, 11 am, 3 pm, 6 pm, 10 pm DF
If breastfed.. one side or both?? (at each feed)
She drains one breast then I give her the other to top up
How many wakes per night?
Varies from 2-6 wakings per night, anytime during 12:30 - 7 am. It's different every night. I'm guessing she is waking after a sleep cycle ends and cannot go back to sleep. (I don't think she's hungry. If I do feed her she's not hungry in the morning. It helps her sleep longer with a "full tank" but I hesitate to do that because I don't think she needs it. I don't think she teething because it's not a pain cry and Tylenol doesn't change anything. Could be developmental? She started rolling over a month ago but nothing new since.)
What’s your LO like when waking at night? How long is he/she up?
She wakes up groggy and gives a tired cry. I use the paci immediately to help her consolidate her sleep cycles. She falls back asleep right away but she's starting to wake more frequently. I'm guessing the paci is turning into a prop.
When you go to him/her is she fussing or crying? Or is it a mantra cry?
If I give her time to get back to sleep usually the fussing turns into all-out crying.
What have you tried to settle??
Pacifier. Her cries seem to tell me that she is a poor sleeper and that she is so tired but doesn't know how to go back to sleep without my help. In the past I've tried the shush-pat and PUPD but they only seem to stimulate her and she wakes up fully wanting me to pick her up.
What do you do for A time and how long is it?
Tummy time, walks. No more than 3 hours. She usually fusses before then. LO gets her nap before she gets overtired.
Are there developmental issues such as teething or milestones?
I don't think so. She learned how to roll onto tummy over a month ago but can't roll back. I have her swaddled in a bolster to keep her from rolling. Without it she'll sleep on her tummy but the wakings still occur.
Have you introduced cereal? Why, how much, and how many times a day? (for LO’s under 6 months)
I did before but it was too early so I stopped 2 weeks ago.
Do they have a prop? If so what is it?
Pacifier, white noise.
Do they have a lovie?
Starting to get her used to one.
Up until now I have been "paci-ing" her up to try to keep her from waking up fully in order to get her to consolidate her sleep cycles. I thought it was working but now she seems to be waking up so much. Is she dependent on the paci now?
Ok, so what should I do?
1. Keep using the paci to consolidate nap times and nightime sleep? Will this work in the long run or am I just making the paci a prop?
2. Wean her off the pacifier and introduce a lovey? How long will this take and how should I start?
(I've tried weaning her off the paci but in the day, she can't get to sleep without it. In the night she wakes up fully and all hell breaks loose. I have such a hard time hearing her cry. How long do I let her cry it out while I try to soothe her?)
Thanks for reading this!