Day Sleep

[Bellamyn]

I wonder if any of you girls can give me some advice.

My 4mth old little girl, just does not get enough sleep during the day. Some days it can be as little as half hour.
She sleeps during the night ok (still as the odd 4.30am bottle)
She is a very happy bright baby & has just grown perfectly.
She is extremly alert, has reached her little milestones alot sooner than she should.
But I really worry about her not getting enough sleep to help her little brain develop as it should.
She does get tired but fights it badly.
I try to put her down for a sleep but she won't have a bar of it.

Can anyone give me some advice.!

Thanks
Bella

[InSaneOne]

do you just put her in the cot by herself or with anything? do you hold her or feed her to sleep?

what do you do at night to get her to sleep?

[Bellamyn]

She often falls asleep after her feed. I do the Feed play sleep. She has been falling asleep on her play mat & the minute I pick her up to Put her in her cot she is wide awake & smilling!

Night time she is going thru a stage (the mums in my mums group have the some prob atm) she likes being rocked to sleep. Then put her in her cot & she is fine.

Bella

[InSaneOne]

what is wrong with leaving her wherever she falls asleep. my dd still goes and goes all day until she just falls asleep playing. if i move her she wakes up. generally i make sure she isn't laying on any toys and she is in a comfortable position. then let her sleep until she wakes up. she mostly lays on the lounge now with her bottle and blankie and falls asleep (sometimes she drinks the bottle and gets up to play)

a little tip: i have to cuddle my dd (1year old) to sleep at night - the sooner you stop the rocking and let her fall asleep on her own at night the better (and easier) it will be for you. trust me.

[Bellamyn]

Thanks Belinda

Today she sleeped for 3 hrs in the avro (making me out to be a lair)

I just hope she gets enough rest for her little brain to develop.

I didn't rock her to slepp tonight. Just let her hold my hand a little & then left the room & she driffed off to sleep without a peep.

Bella

[alanasmum]

My DD is a little younger than yours (9 weeks) but I'm having the same problem - she sleeps very well at night and only wakes once (sometimes twice) but has been refusing to sleep during the day and is not happy unless I'm entertaining her.

Today I tried something new - I kept her up after her 8.00am feed, we played, she came into the bathroom with me while I showered etc. I then gave her a bath at about 10.30, fed her at 11.00 and she went straight off to sleep. Even if I can get one long sleep out of her during the day I'll be happy. The bath idea might work for you? Just a suggestion... good luck :fingerscrossed:

[aimz]

my baby is 5 weeks old and WILL not sleep during the day. She is fussy, won't settle, cries unless i hold her and this is draining me. Come 6pm and feed and bath time occurs she is an angel, waking only twice for a feed before about 7am the next morning. we don't even need to settle her back to sleep.

i know this sounds like heaven for some, but i am so drained during the day trying to keep bub happy and not crying.

i am going to try the babywise method of parental directed feeding but just wondering if there are any other tips out there??

[alanasmum]

Aimz
My DD is doing exactly the same thing - sometimes not a wink of sleep during the day. The only thing that will settle her is a walk in the pram and sometimes a bath (as mentioned in my previous post). At night, she is the perfect angel. I hope that someone will post some suggestions for us. :fingerscrossed:

[the_queen]

If a baby is sleeping fine at night - even THROUGH the night - and is generally happy and well, why the push to make her sleep during the day? My 4 month old catnaps during the day, every now and then he has a long sleep (but that's usually if he's had a bad night the night before) but usually at night he's only awake 2 or 3 times. A baby will show you, by her actions and her general mood, if she's not getting enough sleep. Otherwise, just go with the flow, I say!!

[aimz]

the problem with my little one is that she's not happy during the day i have had 2 days in the last week where she has screamed all day long.... she only seems happy in my arms when i'm walking around.... she is unhappy until my partner gets home and we go through the night routine. i tried doing the night routine during the day yesterday and she wouldn't have a bar of it...

i'm going to try the bath thing today and we have organised to borrow a swing so fingers crossed.

i know we have been blessed to have a bub who is so good at night but it would be great to have even an hour during the day to make my lunch..... i'm just lucky that my partner understands and i'm able to let him take over when he gets home to give me a bit of light relief.

does anyone think that it could be the formula? she's on s26 gold. i had to give up breastfeeding 2 weeks ago as it turns out she had a tummy full of air bubbles due to the fact i wasn't producing (a hospital grade electric pump got 2 drops out - seriously) i had to be on goats formula when i was a bub... but if that was it wouldn't she be the same at night?

[alanasmum]

For me, there are two reasons why I'd like her to get even a couple of hours sleep during the day:

1. for my sanity! As mums, we give so much to our bubs but not having even a few minutes to myself is absolutely exhausting. Not to mention that absolutely nothing gets done around the house.

2. for their development and growth - from what I've read, day time sleeps are really important.

I'm really hoping this is just a phase she is going through :fingerscrossed: - I'm trying to be patient.

[rubyruby]

Hi aimz, my 4month old is doing exactly the same and i am breastfeeding. It got to the point where she wouldn't stop crying unless i held her, rocked her, walked with her and sang to her all at the same time! It drove me crazy. I started being strict with a routine (eat, play, sleep) and settling her without assistance (other than ssshhing, patting) in her cot. It's taking a lot of perserverance but she is learning to settle herself in the cot and is sleeping longer during the day. I think what used to happen was that I'd put her in the cot after she fell asleep in my arms - she woke up after 20mins and discovered she was no longer in my arms. The Baby Whisperer book by Tracy Hogg really helped.

[aimz]

its great to have someone finally understand!!! i have been trying so hard to do the routine thing - following the babywise theory.... she has had a few daytime sleeps the last few days but only with me beside her and not for longer than 45 minutes.... my mother in law is spending the week with me though and we are determined to get the whole feed, wake, sleep thing sorted. hopefully with her by my side we can perserve and get this lil one sorted!

it just seems strange to me that she is so good at night time.... you honestly do not need to settle her after a night time feed, i tried recreating the whole routine thing during the day including a second bath but it still didn't work. i have had a few minutes of peace today though as my girlfriend has lent us a swing and chloe loves it. i really don't want to get her in that habit though of falling asleep in it.

someone said to me the fact that she constantly wants to be moving is due to my job (i was constantly on the go until 2 weeks before she was born) so from 8.30 to 5 she would have been rocked to sleep.... (this is the time that she settles down as well).

[alanasmum]

After my day today I can honestly say that you just cannot predict what babies are going to do!

My DD has been absolutely exhausting me the last couple of weeks refusing to sleep during the day and then going down for 9 hours like a perfect angel at about 5.00pm. Today, she slept the WHOLE DAY only waking for feeds and then heading straight off to sleep again! :smiliedance:

I can only assume that this is just a huge time of growth and change for her and I just have to go with the flow. Who knows what tomorrow will bring!

[rubyruby]

My DD is a great night sleeper too. After feed and bath, down without a problem, sleeping in 5 hour blocks. She still wakes up at night for a feed, but no settling is involved so I don't mind so much.

At 4 months, she is really aware of everything and quite easily becomes overstimulated during the day. I have kept her toys to a minimum and no bright colours for too long. I avoid excessive people contact too. This probably sounds horrible, but it has really helped with settling her. As soon as I notice the first signs of tiredness, I wrap her up, sit beside her cot with her in my lap and read her a story. I continue reading after I place her in the cot. If she has been napping well previously, she will fall asleep quietly on her own. However, if her previous sleeps have not been good, then it can be a nightmare to get her to sleep especially if the overtiredness has built up.

With the routine thing, I found it worked better for me when I became more relaxed with it. Initially, I was too focused on getting it perfect. I just became frustrated and disappointed on the bad days. I have learnt to be more flexible with it and to go with the flow.

[the_queen]

I highly HIGHLY recommend a Hug-A-Bub sling. If bubba is just wanting cuddles all day long, a sling will let you do that, while still having both hands free. Also, most babies just love the Hug-A-Bub and fall asleep very quickly in it. Mine certainly does. I think it's got something to do with the rhythm of your walking, listening to your heartbeat, the closeness and snugness of the sling.

http://www.hugabub.com and you can probably pick one up from ebay.

[YogiBear]

Hi there,
My daughter Brooke is 10 wks old and I have been having the exact same problem, I was on a 4 hour routine from when Brooke was born and she used to sleep for about 2 hours blocks straight during the day. Now she is sleeping really well at night ie 630pm to 330am for quick feed and cuddle then back down until 730am. During the day as soon as I see the tired signs we are off to her room and swaddled and cuddled and then placed in her cot awake, which she promptly (most of the time) falls asleep but then about 30 - 45mins later she is awake. Now I realise that she is proberbly going through into a different sleep cycle but after waiting a short while for her to reslettle I go in and she is so wide awake, and sometimes is even just smiling at me, (and how can you resist picking them up and cuddling them when they smile at you :hugs: ). I do try to resettle her but she has none of it and just seems to want to be seeing and doing things, and is quite happy hanging out with me until her next feed. (which makes the Feed Play Sleep routine hard to follow!)
I too am worried that she is not getting enough sleep as she will only have about 3 of these stints during the day and has only started doing this over the last 2 weeks.
Do you think that sometimes maybe they just need less sleep???:confused:
Alannas mum I can fully sympathise with the sanity thing, though also feel bad complaining as she is also so good at night and has been from about 4 weeks.

[stellarella]

Im so pleased that I found this post as my little boy is 8 weeks and has hardly had any day sleep since he was about 5 weeks old. He seems way to interested in what is going on around him and although I can tell he is tired he resists closing his eys and drifting off.

He probably has around two or three 20 min sleeps between 7am and 6pm. Thats it!!!

Having said that, he puts himself off to sleep at 6pm on the dot and does not wake again til around 1am. He then has a dream feed and continues to sleep til 3/4am when he has another dream feed then wakes at 6/7am to start another day.
Sometimes I get worried that his head will explode from lack of sleep :confused: but he doesnt get distressed or cry much, only grizzles a bit. Maybe I should just think myself lucky that we get so much sleep at night....

[EskimoMumma]

I cuddle my DD forher sleeps, only way.. (unless ig ive her a bottle in her cot for a nap..) Of course, she is 9months old now and mi still doing it but I do not mind.

[lucyrose9]

I had the same problem when my little girl was young in the end i put her in the pram went for a walk, she would fall aslepp and i would just leave her in the pram in the lounge.
I also found giving her a cloth or blanket to hang on to when going to sleep really helped.:)

[Buddha Bubbas]

i had the same problem with my son starting from about 6 weeks. i was losing the plot as he would stay awake for 8 hours in the day and at night would cry for hours before he eventually wore himself out. :banghead: babies need to be taught to sleep they same way they need to be taught to speak etc.. i called karitane helpline sydney 02 9794 1852 or outside sydney 1800 677 961 (free call) or you could look at their website www.swsahs.nsw.gov.au/karitane (http://www.swsahs.nsw.gov.au/karitane) if you call have a pen and peice of paper ready and explain the situation and the nurse will go through everything with you step by step. i was on the phone for and hour so call when somebody is there with you.

my ds son is 14 weeks and pretty much
feed at 7am back in bed by 8/8.30 sleeps for 2-3hours
feed at 11am back in bed by 12/12.30 sleep for 2-3 hours
feed at 3pm back in bed by 4/4.30 sleep for 2-3 hours
feed at 7pm then bath back in bed by 8.30pm
dream feed at 11.00-11.30pm sleep till 7am (sometimes has a feed at 4)

i now know if he wakes up crying he hasnt had enough sleep so i go in and once he is settled come back out.

bubbies need routine and trust me it doesnt always work out like this, their will be days when i need to go out and stuffs the routine up but i try and leave the house as soon as he has had a feed so then he can sleep in the pram for a couple of hours. i took me over six weeks for him to be able to be put in his cot and get to sleep himself but it does get worse before it gets better and in the end it was worth it cause now i actually get to have a shower in the morning :thumbsup: and clean up etc. this is just a suggestion, it worked well for me but it may not be what you want to do. goodluck:fingerscrossed: and let me know how you go

[rubyruby]

Hi, what do you do if he wakes early and it is not yet time for his feed? With my DD, if she is crying when she wakes and it is not yet time for her feed, I try and re-settle her. If she is not crying and I think she has had enough sleep, I get her up and she has some mat time, but by the time the next feed comes around, she has already tired herself out which means she doesn't last long after the feed.

[aimz]

Hi Jake and Ta Tas mum

did you follow the babywise method? also when you were getting into the routine did you let your little one cry for a while before trying to settle? how long did it take to work?? i have been trying so hard with the feed play sleep routine but by the time i get chloe to have a sleep it is only a nap (usually with me beside her) as its almost time for her next feed!!!!

[Buddha Bubbas]

Hi Jake and Ta Tas mum

did you follow the babywise method? also when you were getting into the routine did you let your little one cry for a while before trying to settle? how long did it take to work?? i have been trying so hard with the feed play sleep routine but by the time i get chloe to have a sleep it is only a nap (usually with me beside her) as its almost time for her next feed!!!!

hi, i did let him cry for a little while :( well wouldnt call it cringing, more just unsettled and a bit whingy, i would go in before it turned into a cry. it took agggeeeessssss and after my post yesterday we has a bad day sleeping :banghead: (go figure). the first couple of days were really the hardest so i would feed, play a little then bath and a massage so he was really settled and happy to go off to sleep. mind you we has days were i was just over the whole thing and just wanted to bring him out of the bedroom and let him fall to sleep in my arms.:D it has taken over 6 weeks to get to were he is happy to go in his cot and fall to sleep by himself most of the time. goodluck:fingerscrossed:

[alanasmum]

I've finally had some success with getting DD to sleep during the day. I've taken bits and pieces of advice and put them together and this is what I've been doing:

I have different rooms for different activities during the day. The lounge is where I feed her, my study has her play mat and I keep her room fairly dark so she knows when we go in there it's time to sleep.

If she wakes and is not due for a feed, we play until she's hungry and then she's usually ready to go down for a sleep shortly after the feed. If she wakes hungry, I feed her, then she has a play. I think the trick is, as soon as she gives me a tiny little whimper to say she's getting tired, I scoop her up, go to her bedroom, wrap her, dummy and cuddles in the rocking chair. Within 5 minutes, she is calm and quiet, no longer needs the dummy and I can put her down to sleep. She's been sleeping anywhere from 1-2.5 hours.

Hope the other mums are doing okay with their bubs. Hang in there. :hugs:

[MJ]

I have a 10 week old that has simular ideas to day sleep! He is great at night and sleeps from 7-7 with 1 or 2 feeds and goes straight back to sleep which is wonderful.

During the day he gets soo tired and fights sleep and will only catnap in my arms. The second I try to put him down he screams - If I go out for the whole day he sleeps in the car and pram ... but what happens when I get sick of going out all the time!!??

I wrap him etc but think I'll try the bath during the day?? (we do a feed, bath, feed routiune every nite and he never ever makes a peep!) so maybe a bath will settle him during the day too?

Is it ok to bath them during the day and at nite?

[aimz]

Hi There

i completely understand about the whole going out thing, chloe is an angel when i'm out and the only thing i can think of is she can hear the sound of my voice whereas when i'm at home alone she's bored. one thing that has saved my life is an electric swing she absolutely adores it. my partner and i are a bit hesitant to try and change her routine though as she is so good at night. she goes down by 6.30 after the same routine, feed bath sleep and doesn't wake til about 1.15 then 4.30 and goes down without any settling.

i tried the whole bath in the morning thing but it didn't work for me. i guess she knows the difference between night and day.

[bindiloo]

I found the best thing for helping them with sleep is to teach them to settle themselves otherwise your fighting a losing battle. My DD now self settles herself and has a sleep after every bottle and now sleeps through the night.she is also 4mnths old but i used to have her awake all day before trying to get her to sleep and it was my interferring with her winding down that was stopping her drom sleeping.
Her day now consists of

Bottle around 7am
playtime
bed around 9am
sleeps sometimes 1hr sometimes i wake her for next bottle
bottle around 11am
playtime
bed around 12.45pm
usually sleeps till 2.30-3pm
bottle around 3pm
playtime
bed around 4.30pm
wake her and bath at 6pm
bottle 6.30pm
bed around 7.30pm
She normally kicks up a stink when i first put her down but after awhile i go back in and put her dummy back in and if she spits it again i leave her for longer and i start to hear her cries break up till she puts herself to sleep. At night she sometimes wakes once or twice but i just reposition her and she goes back to sleep. I guess she just gets uncomfortable like we do.

[rosebaby]

Have you tried a white noise CD? They're absolutely brilliant. 90 percent of the time my DS will drop straight off when I put it on, or at the very least he will lie quietly listening to it. He doesn't sleep for a long time during the day either, but I figure having a rest is still pretty good, and it gives me some time for rest myself. I got my CD from a mothercraft nurse called Sally Hall in Sydney, but I'm sure you can get them elsewhere. Good luck!

[Diddles]

We used Sally Hall with my first baby when he was 8 months - she had my bub sleeping through from 7 till 7 after 2 nights. He used to wake about 6 times a night! She suggested white noise for me too for during the day and I use it on my 3 month old now and it works a treat. It helps him self settle if he wakes after those 45 min sleep cycles that babies seem to have.