Won't sleep!

[megsgr]

My little one is 5 months old and does not sleep during the day. She is tired but fights sleep, she screams if I try and put her into her bed and has now stopped even sleeping in my arms after a feed. By the end of the day she is a screaming mess because she is so so tired. I just don't know what to do to get her to sleep, I am lost.
Does anyone have any ideas? I could really use some good advice. No one can believe that she does not sleep. She has never been a big day sleeper, but sleeps great at night. Everyone keeps saying how lucky I should be that she sleeps at night, but they don't know how hard some of our days can be.
Thanks

[Mother Goose]

Hi Megs,

A girl at Mum's group has a DD who refuses to sleep during the day - so I belive you!
Have you tried to introduce a routine during the day - similar to night time sleeping? My daughter doesn't have a "routine" for the day but her sleep cues are "Mr Bunnykins" (a little blankie with a rabbit head from Best and Less) and her dummy. I also look for her tired signs (which took me a while to get). Of course, there are days when she just WON'T go to sleep because she is over tired - so I chuck her in the pram and go for a walk. It usually works for DD.
Other than that - you could try playing some nice soothing music.

HTH

MG

[srv]

Hi, my 5 month old was exactly like that. Great night sleeper but from 7am till 9:30pm just fought sleep. What I tried to do was get into a bit of a routine. After he woke in the morning I put him back down to sleep a lot earlier than I used to. Usually around 1-1.5 hours after he woke. I put him down awake and to my amazement he put himself to sleep. It took about 20 mins but he didn't cry at all. Just made a few noises. He would always wake up after 1 sleep cycle and I tried to resettle him preferably in his cot. I tried a few different methods of resettling before finding one that worked for him. Then when he was next up I did the same thing. Initially putting himself to sleep got harder as the day wore on but pretty soon he got the hang of it. It took a couple of weeks for him to get the hang of reseetling himself after the 1 sleep cycle. I initially only let him stay up for 1.5 hours at a time and as he got used to this routine he seemed to be able to recognise tiredness better and his tired signs became more obvious. He soon became able to stay up a little longer. If he got to 2 hours without tired signs I would put him down awake anyway. I do the same routine whenever I put him down. Take him into his dark room. Tell him it's time for night nights and mummy loves him and give him a cuddle. Put him down and put him in his sleeping bag. Pick him up and cuddle saying the same as before. Put him down. Tell him "I love you, Have a good sleep. I'll see you after" while stroking his hair and kissing his forehead and then leave. He doesn't cry at all.

He's now used to his routine including that he is put down for sleeps roughly the same time each day. I've done this at various peoples houses too with the same routine and he will fall alseep. I'm stunned cause he used to be exactly like your little one.

BTW I used to get the comments about being a great night sleeper and to stop whingeing but it is so hard having a bubs who doesn't sleep during the day and gets crankier and crankier! Good luck.

[krisp]

I believe in routines too.

Watch for tired signs or just get into the habit of providing sleep cues. We do the following - bottle then song (Twinkle Twinkle Little Star during the day and Hush Little Baby at night), give him his sleep buddy (a furry bear), kiss on the forehead, "Mummy loves you see you soon" pop him into the cot awake and walk out.

It took a while for him to get it but we started when he was 9 weeks old and he's been a great day sleeper since. He only has one day sleep now for about 1.5-2 hours and goes to bed in the evening at 7.30-8ish and sleeps through to 6.30-7am. He's only been sleeping through the night for about 6 weeks though and the last two nights has woken up and needed a cuddle to get back off to sleep.

At 5 months 2-3 day sleeps are pretty average. Don't wait too long in the morning before you put her down as she'll get over tired. 2 hours after she wakes is plenty of play time and then try and get her off for her 1st day sleep.

The trick is routine, routine, routine. Let her know what to expect by giving her sleep cues ie same routine, same song, same sleep times, same good night message etc.

Good luck I hope you get her sleeping soon.

[megsgr]

Thank you so much Kris, MG and srv, that is very helpful advice. I think i am not consistent with a routine during the day. Do you use the same routine for day and night? Night time routine works well but will i confuse her if i use the same routine during the day?

[Mother Goose]

Our routine is fairly similar but not identical. Night time routing is solids, bath, bottle, into bed with Mr Bunnykins and dummy. Day time is into bed with Mr Bunnykins and dummy.

[Rachel]

hello. i so understand where you are coming from. My DD has been a fantastic night sleeper but a horrible day sleeper. She flat out refused to sleep in her cot in the day..used to do exactly as you described you DD does. We sleep her in her rocker in the loungeroom as we realised that she preferred to be around the noise and movement. Only in the last week have we started putting her into her cot in the day. At 5 months we would always watch for tired signs (yawning, eye rubbing and red eye brows) and would put her down straight away with her teddy that she absolutely has to have (won't sleep without it). If she hadn't shown these signs after and hour and a half we put her into her rocker and gave her the teddy anyway and she would go to sleep. When she does sleep in the days he is real napper, not long sleeps. she couldn't tolerate being up for more than an hour and a half.

I to got and still get comments about be thankful she sleeps at night, but I so understand where you are coming from, yes sleeping at night is fantastic, but she needs sleeps through the day too so that she is happy, otherwise it becomes a fight. Hugs to you and I hope you can work something out.

[megsgr]

Thanks MG maybe i will try to vary it a little so I won't confuse her.

Thanks Rachel. I wish Madeline had a toy or something that she will associate with sleep. She hates dummies. I have a disney glow worm on layby maybe I should get that off layby and give that to her to associate sleep with. I think it will just have to be trial and error to see what works.
Madeline likes noise too during the day.