I give up - why won't he SLEEP!!!

[RedPanda]

DS used to be such a good night sleeper. He still sleeps well once he gets to sleep, but GETTING him to sleep is becoming a major issue. Every night is becoming a battle. He's so tired, but just screams the moment I put him in the cot.

Usually I take him out of the cot and let him roam around the house with me until he's so tired he can't lift his head, but I'm starting to get annoyed. I feel as though I should be setting guidelines and routines, and at the moment, he's ruling the roost. It wouldn't bother me if he just wasn't tired, but HE IS!! He's constantly rubbing his eyes, and crying but won't go to sleep. He's never fed to sleep (apart from when he was a brand new baby) so that rules that out. He's also not a baby who can be cuddled to sleep or rocked to sleep.

Any suggestions? It's driving me mad, and I'm getting less tolerant each night :crying:

[floggadog]

How old is he?
They do this at various stages & you may need to experiment a bit to find the soloution.

[RedPanda]

Oops, sorry :o Forgot to put his age in!! He's 8 months.

[floggadog]

.
My other 2 used to try & shake the cot to bits at that age.
I think we tried the going in every 5 minutes thing (really hard) Sometimes it took 40 minutes to get them to settle & some may completely disagree with this method but I was the same , at my wits end.They should be awake for 3 - 4 hrs before sleeping again (evening) When you go in you don't pick them up. You just tell them you love them & give them a gentle stroke on the cheek.then leave. Don't pick them up , replace the dummy or lay them down.I think it's 3 mins, 5 mins, 7 mins 10 mins etc.
It takes strength to use this method & you should only do it if you feel comfortable with it. The Robin Barker book Baby Love has more details.
Good Luck:thumbsup:

[TLCC]

My DD used to go through stages where she would need to go to bed earlier and we wouldn't realise and would have a lot of trouble getting her to sleep simply because she was overtired.

Can you try putting him down earlier and see how that goes when he isn't exhausted. We found a routine of reading stories before each sleep also helped set the scene for bed (if you know what i mean). She often would go to sleep the best when we actually thought she could last at least another 1/2 hour. If we waited that long she was a nightmare to get to sleep.

If you can i would try not to take him out of his room once you have decided its bed time because that may stimulate him even though he's tired and he might be staying up just to see whats going to happen.


good luck, i hope you have some improvement soon as I know how frustrating it is when they just won't sleep even though they are soooooo tired.

[Two Little Buggalugs]

Hi Hazellew,

My dd is just about to turn 8 months. Her sleeping patterns have really changed and some days she'll have 2 day naps, others 4. But she generally always goes to bed about 7/7:30pm.

Trying to get her to sleep became tricky when she figured out how to crawl out of her blankets. Many times I thought she was asleep, but she was sitting or standing in the cot playing with her blankets :banghead: .

I have some small squares of muslin and light cotton jersey (about 30 x 30 cm) which she plays with while getting to sleep. If she needs help I lightly brush the cloth over her face downwards and it encourages her to close her eyes. It seems to help her realise she's tired and eventually she gets too tired to roll or keep her eyes open. It works with a hand too or if I run a finger down between her eyes.

I've heard other people swear by music or 'white noise', comfort toys, bath and massage before bed etc. Cues for bed seem to help older bubs recognise and anticipate bed time.

If I get desperate, I'll wrap her like when she was younger and that will often work when nothing else does!

Hope you find something that helps you too, good luck!

[kerrin]

Trying to get her to sleep became tricky when she figured out how to crawl out of her blankets.

I know what this is like - since my daughter (11mths) worked out how to stand in the cot she immediately crawls out from under the covers (usually while I am still trying to tuck her in) and sits/stands up. I have been immediately lying her back down and telling her it's bedtime - I had to do this 79 TIMES (yes, I counted) one afternoon before she eventually stayed down!!!!

[suemp]

wen i got desperate with my boys id take them for a drive. it always made them nod off and theyed stay asleep wile i transferred them

[floggadog]

I know what this is like - since my daughter (11mths) worked out how to stand in the cot she immediately crawls out from under the covers (usually while I am still trying to tuck her in) and sits/stands up. I have been immediately lying her back down and telling her it's bedtime - I had to do this 79 TIMES (yes, I counted) one afternoon before she eventually stayed down!!!!


Hi Hazellew,



Trying to get her to sleep became tricky when she figured out how to crawl out of her blankets. Many times I thought she was asleep, but she was sitting or standing in the cot playing with her blankets :banghead: .




Just wondering why it's so important for you to have them under blankets before they fall asleep. If you can dress them to suit the conditions ie sleeping bag PJs or thick all in ones, then they shouldn't need a blanket in the cot at all. Or take the blankets out , let them fall asleep & then put the blankets on.I've started this from 4-5 months old.One less thing to worry about!;)

[Two Little Buggalugs]

Just wondering why it's so important for you to have them under blankets before they fall asleep. If you can dress them to suit the conditions ie sleeping bag PJs or thick all in ones, then they shouldn't need a blanket in the cot at all. Or take the blankets out , let them fall asleep & then put the blankets on.I've started this from 4-5 months old.One less thing to worry about!;)

For me, it's mostly that she will crawl around and stand in the cot, she doesn't fall asleep when roaming free. She seems to recognise the sheet over her means bed time and if she's tired, that can be enough to stop her from trying to roam.

Her room is quite warm in summer so she usually sleeps in just her nappy with only a sheet over her, no blankets. I've thought of trying a sleeping bag and no sheet, but I think she will still be able to stand in it.

[pookiesossige]

Oh you poor thing :hugs: How simply frustrating!! :banghead:
I'm finding that 8 months is a good time to start with regular cues for sleep time. Ariene has had sleep issues from 4 months old until just a few weeks ago (10 months) and I found a predictable routine immediatly before bed fantastic. Just the 30 mins before bed, because they are still pretty young.

The 30 mins before Ariene goes to bed is the same everynight and it signals 'sleep time'. After her rowdy, splashy bath with her brother, DH takes Ronan downstairs while I shut myself in Ariene's room with her. I put cream on her, put her nappy on and dress her. then we talk in the mirror. Then I sing her the same song I've sung to her for months. While I'm singing I'm putting her in her growbag (another great sleep cue- a sleeping bag, and no covers to throw off!) and then sitting in the rocking chair. She has a feed and then I put her in the cot and walk out.

I really believe that she knows what this time means- sleep time. I know this because every time I zip up her sleeping bag, she all of a sudden grabs at my boob with her mouth open because she knows that a feed is the very next step!

Good luck :hugs: