I'm hoping someone might have a suggestion for us. My daughter has been doing a big sleep (seven or eight hours) at night for the past few weeks, but this week she has changed her routine a little. Now she begins her last full feed between five and six each night, plays for a while, gets tired...and we spend ages settling her, having her doze intermittently, but not really fall asleep at all. Then, about two-and-a-half hours after she last fed, she has a little top-up feed, I suppose, and falls fast asleep at the breast until 4am or so. We're trying to figure out what to do between her earlier feed and her top-up feed, as she doesn't really seem to want to sleep, despite being tired, and we end up wearing ourselves out. swinging the hammock for over an hour without actually putting her to sleep, running back into our room ten minutes later when she wakes again, and starting all over. Not to mention the fact that she cries quite a bit during this time - I would rather she feel a little happier during this part of the day! I don't want to send her to sleep on the tail of trauma and tears!

If she's tired and not actually sleeping in the period after having her 5-6pm feed, regardless of whether we put her down when she first shows tired signs or wait a while...is there any point us trying? We thought maybe we could brave the bath at this time (usually she finds it quite stimulating, but we thought we might try introducing at night to see how she goes); so, have her big feed, play a while (or some other activity that signals sleep is approaching - we haven't worked that out yet), bath, top-up feed, and then sleep for the evening. Do you think this new routine of hers is actually her way of leaving a space for us to initiate a wind-down routine? Previously she was falling asleep in the period after her last proper feed (though waking up between 2am and 3am to eat again). Do you think her body clock is trying to establish more of an adult sleep pattern, almost, where she is waking closer to day-break? It's not a big problem at all, but I'd just like to make things a little nicer for her whilst this pattern lasts. Also, our arms are about to drop off from all the hammockry.

Thanks so much!