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sometimes the crying is how they wind down. If it's not a screaming distressed cry, and it's only for a couple of minutes I'd say it would be ok yeah?
RR is good for emergencies so not really the remedy for this, but change the routine around a bit and see how that goes first. Are you putting her down easlier at night?
ETA, it won't change for the better overnight though, hang in there xoxoxo
Lu - we've been putting her down at 7 instead of 7.45 (cos really that is the earliest we can get her down, DS farks around so much and holds all the routine up at every opportunity) and it still takes a good 90 minutes to 2 hours to get her down - but at least *most* of the time she is asleep at 8.30 - which is better than 9.30!!!
Still - it doesn't give us much time for ourselves cos once she is down then we do the housework (or I surf on BB in between doing the dishes haha) and then we have to get the other miss up for a feed then we eventually get to go to bed ourselves.
ETA - which usually isn't too bad, like, you live for your kids not yourself at this age, but when I have to move in less than 3 weeks time and I've only just started packing - I need the nights to pack and clean!!
Very true chick - and it IS important to have your own time to wind down at the end of the day too - but you have already gained an hour! Keep at it because it takes about 2-3 weeks to consolidate a new sleep routine
Hey darl.
You know what we found - that us touching (patting, rubbing etc) Jazz was actually keeping her awake. It kept her all buzzed up, she has NEVER fallen asleep by being patted on the bum or having her back rubbed. Also, if we make eye-contact with her then she suddenly becomes wide awake and engaged. Same as any noise. If we talk, we're back to square one.
It sounds terrible, and when I was pregnant I distinctly remember tut-tutting parents who didn't make eye-contact or who didn't use touch or soothing voices to put their kids to sleep but Jazz will not not NOT wind down if you give her any stimulus at all. She's just that kind of person. Anything visual, anything physical, anything auditory and BAM her brain just seems to fire off and she's wide awake.
She'll also not fall asleep if we aren't in there with her. Oh... well she'll whinge/yell/cry herself to sleep if we leave her but she doesn't sleep well after that so we prefer not to, only did it a few times as a last ditch of desperation, not really worth it in our house cos she wakes up after a few hours :doh:. Dunno what it is but if we turn off the lights except the monitor night light, lay on her bed (she's on a double mattress on the floor now, not in a cot) next to her, but not touch her or pat her or talk, just lay there pretending to be asleep, and after a bit of fluffing around, crawling around the bed to find the 'right spot', she lays down next to us and eventually she falls asleep. We had to perservere though, because the first few nights she was just stoked we were in bed with her, she just wanted to poke our eyelids and tickle us, but she worked out that nup, we're boring no play, no noise, no movement, just laying there with our eyes shut.
It's hard not to get frustrated and say "Oh for goodness sake go to SLEEP" but it just wakes her up more so we'd be shooting ourselves in the foot :wall:
Dunno if this is helpful, but if nothing is working and you haven't tried this either then its worth a shot.
DD can be so over tired and take for ever to go to sleep , and actually stay asleep . i know how it feels , I have been seeing a dietician for other reasons and she suggested calcium tablets or tissue salts . the calcium makes the hormones that makes you sleepy . Worked much better than phnergan (gp gave us a script and wouldnt help us) as DD wouldnt react to the phenergan , not even a yawn , but the calcium does , i crush it and put it in her bottle .....
Maz dont worry i have been to hell and back with both my kids and sleep , DS had me nearly in the nut house , the gp gave me sleeping pills and ds phernagan and it worked wonders too ... ds woulndt go to bed before 11 some nights !!
intolerances are hard to diagnose unless there is a reaction , i had DD on the "fed up" diet and it helped with her crying for what seemed like no reason . and woke up to 10 times a night , now she'll sleep through unless shes eaten something shes intolerant too ... then the screaming starts . !!
dont worry about the crying 2-5 mins isnt bad at all , its a way of "getting things off their chests" its good for them , the release of the day is gone after a big whinge and they can settle to go to sleep . some babies bang their hear etc . sometimes if one of mine is feral i just hold them and not try to stop the tears , i just know when they need to let it out ... maybe its her way of clousre for the day ?
its not like she has a husband to take it out on yet , so its gotta come out some how ;)
Hiya,
I don't have any personal experience to add (my DD is still a young baby) but on the subject of natural remedies for sleep:
Rescue Remedy SLEEP formula (not the one you take in emergencies) is suitable for children.
Also the 'leg twitching' you mentioned often is a sign of magnesium deficiency but for young kids it's probably more effective to give a 'celloid' or 'tissue salt' of magnesium than a full on magnesium supplement. There's definately a Blackmore's Celloid with magnesium for children's sleep but I can't remember off the top of my head which one it is - if you go to a health store with a naturopath on board they'll be able to tell you which one :) It probably isn't the 'magic bullet' answer but it may reduce the restlessness that stops her from nodding off completely.
HTH....