Don't Know What To Do Anymore

[Jenifer]

Sorry but this is long …

My daughter is 5.5 months old and up until now we had a decent routine going.  She was sleeping through the night, awake time was 2 – 2.25 hours long, she napped for 1.5 - 2 hours in the morning and had two 45 minute naps in the afternoon.  I wasn't thrilled about the 45 minute naps, but they continued no matter what I did (ie: W2S, down earlier, down later).

Well, nowadays I feel like I don't know what's going on anymore.  If I put her down 5 minutes too late she's up 30 minutes later.  If I put her down 5 minutes too early she's taking 45 minutes to go to sleep and then may wake up 30 minutes later.  It seems as though I can’t find her sleep window.

Some history: For naps I used to have a little routine that ended with me holding her and rubbing her back for a few minutes while she rested her head on my shoulder and then I’d just put her down and walk away (and it worked about 90% of the time).   However, lately she’s been wide-awake while holding her (and so then I hold her longer) and then not going to sleep when I finally put her in her crib (even though she would be looking ready for a nap when I started the wind down routine).  For bedtime we would read to her in the rocking chair.  Early on she would fall asleep while we were reading to her and I didn’t have a problem with that because she knew how to fall asleep and stay asleep on her own (naps).  Well, about a month ago she started staying awake for the whole story and would still be laying there looking around.  So, I started just putting her down awake and she would either go to sleep on her own or roll around a little bit and then eventually cry.  When she cried, I would try to soothe her in her crib for a little while and if that didn’t work I would just rock her until she was drifting off to sleep.  The last few days though, I’ve needed to soothe her to sleep (either rock her or rub her tummy in her crib) because she can’t get to sleep on her own.

Developmental milestones: She’s started rolling and is trying to sleep on her tummy, which is affecting her sleep.  I also think she’s teething, however she doesn’t seem to be waking and crying from teething pain.

I’ve tried PU/PD – not sure if I’m doing it right (will post about that in another thread) – she just gets more worked up.

I have always struggled with “wasting” time getting her to sleep.  Whenever she’s gotten up early or had trouble going to sleep I would give “teaching independent sleep” a good effort but if too much time had passed or she was getting too upset, I would rock her.  I've also tried to be mindful of accidental parenting and not digging too big a hole to get out of ...

Anyone have any insight?  Is it time to extend her awake time?  Is it time for me to be more vigilant about independent sleep (and forget about trying to get a good amount of sleep)? 

Thanks in advance – again, sorry its so long!

[Missy Lou]

that post is by no way too long.  there's really no such thing here.

my LO is just a little over 7 months and we had a time from about 5.5 months until just recently.  i'm waiting for this book someone recommended called the wonder weeks and it talks about different fussy stages babies go through.  one of them being weeks 24 to 30 (i'm pretty sure that's the weeks; that's it generally at least until i can get the book and make sure).  my point is that your LO is probably just very normal. 

I don't think she needs longer A time.  average A time is 1.75 to 2 hours for 5 month olds.  someone may have another opinion about that.  i'd say try a longer A time but if it's too much, there could be an overtired LO and a meltdown. 

from personal experience when LO seems to be uncomfortable with her gums - i.e. fussy or whining - i just give hylands teething tablets.  they're homeopathic so i don't feel bad giving them when she doesn't have a fever.  but that's just me and a possible suggestion.

is LO in bed and done with winddown by the 2 hour or 2.25 hour mark?  i see that her A time has been this so you don't think she's overtired? 

melissa

[Jenifer]

OMG - funny you should mention that book!  I looked into it the last time she was acting out of sorts!  I forgot all about it.    I didn't end up buying it because I found out that if you go to amazon.com you can read the table of contents and a bit of the first chapter that shows you all the weeks and what they correspond to.   

Where do you get Hylands tablets?  I've never seen them before.  How do you give it to them?

I aim to get my girl into her wind down routine about 5 minutes before the 2 hour mark.  It used to be that it would take her 5 - 10 minutes to go to sleep - but like I said earlier, lately she's been taking WAY longer than that.

Yesterday she was going down ok.  She's trying to sleep on her tummy now (which is taking some getting used to on her part - she keeps bobbing her head up and down), so I just started rolling her over when I put her down and rub her back for a few minutes.  Seemed to calm her down.

[Missy Lou]

i like your LO's name.  we thought about hannah grace as a name or grace rose.  i think it's so feminine.

anyway, i had to buy the book on ebay because barnes and noble and amazon didn't have it in stock.  i guess it's popular.  hopefully i'll get it this week and see what it says about those weeks.

i don't know about your LO but i need to give mine 15 minutes to fuss about in her crib.  she doesn't really like a winddown with me - like rocking or cuddling.  so i kiss on her a bit and then next to her crib while she talks to her bumper or mobile, tosses around and moans/whines/talks whatever.  i notice that if i put her down 15 minutes before nap or bedtime she'll settle herself.  maybe with all that she's learning to do, she's really active during A time down and may need a little more time to transition and calm down.  it can't hurt to try i don't think.

i bought them at Albertson's I believe (i don't know if you have them but they're a grocery store).  i'm pretty sure i've seen them at CVS or Rite Aid.  they're little tablets and you put the tablet under their tongue.  my LO's gums are really sore now and she won't let me touch them but before they were so sore, she liked for me to rub the tablet on her gums.  i tasted one and it doesn't have much of a taste and didn't make me feel bad or anything. 

my LO has never been able to sleep on her stomach.  she hates to play on her stomach too.  she'll spend her time pushing up or looking around.  she's never associated stomach with sleep.  i'm sure you rubbing her back is comforting.  i remember my mom rubbing my back at bedtime. 

after i get the book, i'll post about it.  post with anything you still have questions about.
melissa