"Just pat them off to sleep" WTF????? GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[~Bec~]

I'm so over having a constantly tired, cranky 13 month old. If I read or hear advice about patting them off to sleep I will throw something. How the frik do you pat a baby that simply refused to go to sleep??? She's tired, she's rubbing her eyes, I've given her a good feed and she won't feed to sleep, I hold and rock her and she cries and pushes against me, I put her in bed to pat her to sleep and she gets up and walks off. DS was exactly the same. Both were/are cat nappers. Even as a newborn DD would often only have 2 x 20 min sleeps per day (or less). She doesn't sleep at night unless she's being held, ever.

I am so looking forward to Tuesday when she starts childcare and DS will be in Kindy. Come on Tuesday!

Vent over (for now).

[bumMum]

I totally hear you. I have to take dd for a very speedy walk in a pram in the dark for her to go to sleep. She won't feed to sleep anymore unless I hold out on a feed and then she wakes up every hour to two hours all effing night. I have to say I have probably tried every trick in the book. She is the most impossible baby I am sure. Now she is crawling and we co sleep and let me tell you this does not guarantee more sleep. She may even be waking more lol.. Crawling over my head in the middle of the night..cheers.. Oh sorry this was your rant :/ just wanted to let you know..I geddit

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[headoverfeet]

:hugs: :hugs:


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[NancyBlackett]

((hugs))

I remember it so well. Am surprised I didn't ever beat someone over the head with a blunt instrument when they said 'just pat her off to sleep' etc.

[funnymama]

Haha. I tried the patting but after counting to over 1200 pats each time I gave up. I have no advice tbh as I have baby brain and forgot what I did with ds but I can give you some of these :hugs:and :fingerscrossed:

[MunchkinsMum1]

I agree with the WTF re patting to sleep. It just riles DD up and I'm at a loss on how to get her to sleep, other than feeding her to sleep!

[naebie]

I went to sleep school with DD at that age, we were sick of her not sleeping. We ended up going back to wrapping her for day sleeps, using a single bed sheet... It actually worked!

[duckduckgoose]

I understand. Mum and MIL say I should put DS in the cot and pat him or rock him. Yeah riiiiiggght. He thinks its hilarious to get up and rattle the cot bars (see avatar). Instead, up until a few days ago I had to stand and rock a screaming 14kg 1 year old for over 45 minutes till he fell asleep in my arms. Have had luck the last few days rocking him in the glider chair but yeah I understand your frustration.

[Bluest Blue Box]

Here I am thinking I'm the only one who can't pat my baby off to sleep. He just stands up as soon as I put him in the cot.
Co sleeping is a nightmare, he crawls all over me or just sits up and cries.

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[RaryGirl]

GBH Bec :hugs: She's just an intelligent little girl who doesn't want to miss out on anything by sleeping!



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[changethestars]

I'm pretty sure the person who came up with the patting advice had actually never tried to get a baby to sleep :-P


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[Witwicky]

:hugs:

The patting technique actually does work on my little guy, and it worked on my DS1 too. My sister uses it on her DD as well. *When I say technique, I'm not actually referring to a technique as such..I just pat his bum and he stops crying and falls straight asleep*.

I don't think there is one solution for all babies though.

[happygrl]

I hear you!!! It's never worked on my DS either.

:hugs: hope you find your solution soon

[Louisa44]

I was always told to pat to sleep, and by the time DD was 13 months old we were at our wits' end with getting up to her every hour and a half at night. We tried every book/system we knew and had two residential stays in a government sleep clinic. Nothing. UNTIL...someone put me on to the Dream Baby Guide, which involves role play and a radical change in communication around sleep. It took 2 days to read, a week to prepare, and then by night 2 DD was sleeping 12 hours straight at night. She is now 22 months and has slept 12 hours sleep every single night since. I cannot recommend this book highly enough-I know what you are going through and it really works, from a mum who tried it all!!! Best of luck with whatever you try!

[Bin13]

I reckon that book took me 2 months to read!

[jalibali]

I have 3 kids, patting worked on my DS only. I just patted his bum and his eyes literally glazed over and he went to sleep.

I tried the patting on my DDs and they would just sit up and look at me with this "what the heck are you doing mum" look on their face!

[Winterbubs1012]

Oh good it's not just us it doesn't work for!!!!
My son stretches his arm down and pats arm while I am patting his bum lol or he laughs at me.
It wakes him up more then anything.
I neeeeed sleep :(

[KAnn]

Doesn't work here either lol! Totally agree with your WTF on this settling technique, and all this time I just thought 'patting' was just another parenting skill that I sucked at ;)

[Bin13]

I works for me but didn't for the longest time. I had to start by getting my DS pretty much asleep some other way before finishing him off with the patting in his cot. Often I would have to pick him up and start again. We did this to get him to fall asleep in his cot. It doesn't help if you are struggling to find any way to get you little one to sleep. Sometimes also it's not really a pat but a back rub. Patting to sleep from wide awake never worked for me but now he's older after the bedtime routine a quick cuddle is all he needs before I can put him down. Good luck! Sleep issues suck, I've had my fair share.

[wannaBamumma]

Totally agree! Dd will not be 'patted' .... Now if I try she lays there saying 'pat pat pat' then pats me on the arm and gets all excited!
She goes to daycare 3 days / week and has no troubles going to sleep. They put her in her cot, sing a song and she's asleep in minutes with no protests! With me or dh it's an ongoing battle... I need to hire one of her daycare girls 24/7!!

[Berrie]

Totally agree! Dd will not be 'patted' .... Now if I try she lays there saying 'pat pat pat' then pats me on the arm and gets all excited!
She goes to daycare 3 days / week and has no troubles going to sleep. They put her in her cot, sing a song and she's asleep in minutes with no protests! With me or dh it's an ongoing battle... I need to hire one of her daycare girls 24/7!!

I used to work in ECL and I've had more than one parent ask me if I'll come to their house at 7pm. I think it's a pack mentality, they see the other kids go to sleep, so they go to sleep, they see the other kids eat, so they eat.
Mind you, patting definitely doesn't work on every kid. Some kids need a firm pat on the bum, others need to be patted on the bum with one had and their upper body rocked with the other, some need to be held firmly and rocked with both hands (obviously I only did this with the parent's permission), some need the cot rocked, some need the cot glided back and forth, some need to be sung to, some need to be swaddled well into toddlerhood, some need their back rubbed in circles, some need their face stroked ... and the list goes on :laughing:

[NancyBlackett]

It's awful to say this because I know it must have been hellish for them, but I was secretly pleased when DD wouldn't sleep at daycare either.

Between us all we eventually got her into some sort of sleep routine, but it was nice to know she even befuddled the 'professionals'. And essentially just started sleeping when she was good and ready.

[Californication]

Would stroking their face work? 2yo DS recently decided he wasn't going to sleep unless one of us was with him. He loves having his face touched, so I would stroke his forehead, cheek etc and found running a finger gently from his forehead to the tip of his nose worked the best. Made his eyes close a lot quicker. Had to keep doing it a while until he was properly asleep before I could leave, but was still only 10-15 mins before I could go.

It may not work for you ladies, but thought it would mention it incase it might!

[Bel0v3d]

What worked for my DS was covering his ear and striking his face. He very rarely was 'patted off to sleep'

[Boobycino]

I have no idea. If I'd ever patted jasper to sleep before he was about 2.5 years he'd have just been more distressed. But it does work for *some* babies.... Just not all. Jasper started getting patted to sleep at daycare & so it started kinda working at home. But he's much older & can be communicated with more easily.