Sudden sleep problem at 11mths

[nat70]

Help - my baby boy has always been a great night sleeper, we never needed to settle to sleep and he never woke at night. His day sleeps were never great but it was Ok when he slept 11-12 hrs at night. In the last 4 weeks (he is nearly 1) he has been sick twice with gastro and then tonsilitus and now is a nightmare to get to sleep. It can take 2 hrs to get to sleep and then he will wake 2 or 3 times a night. I just dont understand how he can change that much ? Has anyone else had the same problem when illness has affected their hole sleep routine. I have tried the control crying thing and to be honest at 2am in the morning after 1 hr of it he ended up in our bed (a habit I said I would never do).
Please help!

[Kamaikia]

I'm having the same problem. From around 2 months my boy would sleep 12 - 14 hours a night - every night. He has been sick this last 3 weeks ( ear infection, then teeth, then roseola virus, then another ear infection) and his routine has gone. He is also waking around 3 times a night and wanting to get up at around 6am (he used to sleep to 8am - 9am.)
His daytime sleeps are better though - where he used to sleep around half hour at a time he is now sleeping about 3 hours through the day. I tried keeping him awake through the day but he still woke up all night.
I created a monster awhile ago when he was sick and having trouble breathing - I moved him into my bed so I could hear him if he had trouble breathing - and now I can't get him out. He will last a few hours in his cot then scream till I get him in my bed. What do I do?
I haven't and won't try controlled crying - my son has never been a cryer - now when he does its like it scares him and it takes about 30 seconds to get hysterical.
I've been so spoiled with a good baby now things aren't going so well (sleep wise) I'm a walkin zombie and struggling to cope,I'm doing this parenting thing on my own so I can't even tell someone else to take a turn one night.

[mariafresnel]

Hi there....I've just been reading (albeit a little later than wehn you posted). Sophia is 11 1/2 ;months and we had very similiar hitting that age...she had a reflux relapse, so this affected her sleeping, not to mention teething and a upper respitatory....after 6 weeks i have them all under control, but boy was it a tough journey. THe things I did in that time, look exactly, if not similar to what you did, i.e. put in bed with me at 2 am in themorning after she would just cry and cry, and cling to me....but that was ok for that night.

Some things I'm doing differently include:

* smaller and more frequent feeds (milk and food). Although she is very fussy with her food, and has a very limited diet.

* I'm wrapping her again, and when I put her down I put a sheet (imagine this) (folded in half, long ways, tuck it under the mattress, and then bring it back onto the mattress, I put Sophia on the sheet (wrapped), and then bring the sheet around her and tuck it under the matrress, so this prevents her from rolling and keeps the wrap tight (Tresillian technique),).

* giving that she has been teething and not weel, i have given her (thank the Lord they exist) Panadol suppositories jsut before night bedtime (only if she needs it).

* I make sure I put her to bed awake. After 6 to 10 minutes she is a sleep. She is now sleeping 2.5 to 3 hours in the morning and same in the afternoon...and sleeping from 8pm to 6/am.

The highlight was the wrapping, because I was not wrapping her and found that she would move around the cot and wake her self up and not know how to go back to sleep, so she'd start crying atleast 3 times a night/morning....I will unwrap her at some stage in the future, but for now I'm uisng a cotton cot sheet to wrap her as the baby wraps I used way back when are too small.

that's it for me.....hope your bub is doing well and that you're all getting some sleep...?

Maria
mariafresnel@yahoo.com.au

[mariafresnel]

Hi there, I was reading your note and felt so hard for you as you mentioned that you are doing this by yourself....I can only imagine......my husband doesn't come home til late at night, so sometimes I feel the same, and you just feel like 'who do I turn to for some relief'.....so just wanted to know if your bub is lseeping for you now or not.....I mentioned on the thread I picked up your not from what I've done with my bub (Sophia 11.5 months), as she did exactly the same as yours....anyway, if you need a pair of ears, I'd be happy to be them...

Take care
Maria

mariafresnel@yahoo.com.au

[Foxy]

Hi Maria,

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but did you mean that you wrapped your daughter using a sheet and then tucked another sheet over her? Would you mind spelling it out for a sleep-deprived mother?

I am trying to stop my 7 month old from having far too much fun in his cot (rolling, hanging out the side etc) and would like to start wrapping him again (I stopped around 4 months). I have not had much success, but your technique sounds like it could do the trick.

Thanks for your help.

Michelle

[mariafresnel]

Michelle! I hope that this wrapping helps...our babies sound like they still don't know that the cot means sleep, and unfortunately (for them) and fortunately for us wrapping is a key to solving this until they learn how to sleep without playing or crying.

ok, let's see if I can explain the technique.

1. cot is made up as normal i.e flat sheet and then top sheet. I leave the side that i put baby in, undone, so that i can put that top sheet on top of baby plus the wrap around sheet.

2. the wrap around sheet. I fold it long ways, so that I have enough to put under the mattress (roll/fold a bit of the sheet at the tip of where you will tuck it under the mattress and pull it so there is a bit of grip when tucked under the mattress. this is important because when you pull it across the baby to do the final tuck under the mattress you want to make sure it doesn't come out from under the mattres). Once you've tucked it in under the mattress (pref the side that you put the baby in), you flatten the sheet out across the bed, so if you were to put your baby on it, their back would be in the middle (head and feet out). Once you've put them in the middle you will bring the excess over across the baby (adjust baby as pullng tis wrap around sheet tilts them a bit) and tuck under the mattress. I wrap my baby on my bed or sometimes in the cot, and then put them in the middle of this wrap around sheet, pull the sheet over and tuck it under the mattress, then pull the top sheet across for double secure grip.

3. I wrap Sophia in a cot sheet these days (as per Tresillian do), as it makes sure I have enough to go around her, and length on her feet also.

The benefits of wrapping are (for us sleep deprived mums):

1. Given that our babies are stronger and smarter than when they were tiny babes, they can wiggle their way out of the wrap (that's why we need to use a sheet).

2. the wrap around sheet makes sure that they dont' roll which makes sure it's safe for our older babies.

3. they are able to sleep for longer periods, without the temptation of rolling around and playing, and therefore not sleeping when they should be.

Downsides:

1. SOmetimes with the amount of sheets and top sheets etc I've got on her, she gets hot, so what i've resorted to is always (no matter what the weather) only put her in a jump suit (legless). If it's colder I add 'light' blankets for warmth, otherwise she gets to hot and sweaty and wakes up. Colder nights I put long sleeve one and warmer nights, short sleeve. So we've got this one under control now.

2. Sometimes may cry and want to get out. I gage the cry, only if it's a hysterical cry (not many of these any more as she now knows that this is the way she goes to sleep), I pick her up and unwrap her, give her a cuddle, offer water, then re wrap and put back down, and walk out after giving her a kiss.

she's just awoken....so must go , let me know how you go, if you need call me xxx (edited out phone number)



3. Before you

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[Foxy]

Hi Maria,

Thank you so much for taking the time to explain this!

I am looking forward to trying out tonight.

Thanks again,
Michelle

[Ky]

Hi

Take a look at what stage of development your little one is at. You may find that instead of sleeping, there is a real excitement at a new skill and this is causing a lack of sleeping due to wanting to practice all of the time.

Most of these phases will stop within a few weeks ... if you are having a problem getting back into routine, just start slowly, let your little one know what you want and then start back on your preferred settling program.

You will find that this isn't the last time that you will have to deal with this ... sometimes even as toddlers thier little brains are going non-stop with a new challenge and they have difficulty sleeping.

Take heart ... it is not forever!

[Foxy]

Hi Maria,

Just wanted to let you know how great your technique has been for me.

I used during his day sleeps yesterday and as a result he had 2 x 2 hours of quality sleep with only a tiny amount of fuss in going down instead of the usual battle to get 3 x 40mins!! He also slept from 6:30pm to 5:30am without a peep and when I went in this morning he was in exactly the same position that I had put him.

As you can imagine I am feeling pretty good today. As Kyra mentions above, I know it may change again, but for now - you have saved my life!!!!!

Thanks!!
Michelle

[mariafresnel]

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. I went to bed thinking of you......and I couldn't wait to read your post this morning as to how it all went......I can imagine how you feel, and I'm happy you had a long overdue sleep......well done! Speak soon....Maria