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Hmmm I dunno.. if I want to resettle DD I just put the dummy back in her mouth and sometimes she goes back to sleep.. sometimes.. I usually only get 40-45 minutes out of her every sleep that she has, but since we feed every 3 hours, its not a huge deal (and sometimes she will fall asleep on her bottle at the next feed).
You could always just try doing it, and if it doesn't work - strike that one off your list as well.
Keep your chin up lovey - you're doing a great job there
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Hey hun.
Jesse i use to have to resettle the same way.. was the only way that worked. It wasnt until he was about 6 or 7 months that i could get him to settle on his own. Keira is the opposite.
My only suggestion other than a dummy, is perhaps some soft music. We have a FP Ocean Aquarium which plays a soft lullaby and i use/d that with both DS and DD with great success on resettling. If you havent got something like that, maybe a CD?
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Sorry ladies, I forgot to mention that I already use a dummy and she has a CD player that plays some soft lullabys. Even if the dummy is still in, she still wakes up. She also feeds 4 hourly so just one 40 min sleep every 4 hours just isn't enough. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to get her down a second time in those 4 hours, but not always.
Just don't know what to do anymore.
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Maybe try putting her down before you see her tired signs? I know that Miss M has a fine line between tired and able to self settle - and overtired - and its usually when she starts grizzling is when its too late and then I have to settle her..
Maybe if you put her down a bit earlier, she might stay asleep ya know cos she might put herself to sleep - if that makes sense? If she can put herself TO sleep, she might re-settle easier...
I know what I'm trying to say, but brain is mush today.....
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not too mushy...I understand what you mean.
The thing with DD, if I try and put her down before she is ready, she isn't happy, and will tell you!!! I'm fairly quick with catching the tired signs, then it's a quick wrap, quick cuddle and then down when eyes are closed, but not asleep (cause if they are still open, she sees me and it's game over!). The whole process doesn't usually take more than 5 minutes. It's just the re-settling. She just doesn't, without help from me.
Well shes stirring now after another 40 min nap.
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Sorry - I have no more advice!!!! I think mine settles easier cos she sleeps on her belly so ... I dunno!!!!
Sorry mate.
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Sorry Pink Lilly I lost your PM and haven't had a chance to respond.
With the 40min sleeps is she happy in between? How long is she sleeping for at night? Are you getting at least one decent block? I know some babies which sleep all night and only have short sleeps during the day and have now extended them themselves. If she is happy I would go with it, so not worth the angst. If she isn't which I imagine that's why you are writing here keep persisting, it may take a while.
Basically just keep trying the resettling at 30mins, even pick her up. As someone said you can only try it if it doesnt work you know then. I try to resettle but it doesn't always work, if he is wide awake I don't even try. I have found if I get to him before he makes a cry he goes back to sleep. That is where my baby monitor is good - if it clicks on a few times and no sound I go and check on him as he is usually stirring. I have been able to extend him this way a few times. Few quick pats and dummy back in.
PinkLilly....like I said my DD went through a really strange stage at 4.5months. She wasn't like it for long but NOTHING I did settled her. Tried music, wrapping, dummy (didn't like it), everything you could think of. Did you get a hold of the "Wonder Weeks" book...perhaps someone in here can tell you if they go through a stage at 16 weeks??? I hope it gets better soon...
Sorry ladies, I forgot to mention that I already use a dummy and she has a CD player that plays some soft lullabys. Even if the dummy is still in, she still wakes up
Just don't know what to do anymore
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Well we have turned a corner....a BAD corner. Now she fights me EVERYTIME I try and put her down - not just to re-settle. I've tried wrapping her tighter (she was never wrapped very tightly anyway), un-wrapping her, tucking her in tightly without the wrap....you name it.
I'm in tears evertime I try and put her down. She crys constantly!!!! As soon as I start towards her room to put her down it starts. She's fighting me...
I'm sitting here just sobing...
BellyBelly Life Subscriber
PinkLilly - hugs.
She is of an age where these things tend to change...
DS was the same at that age - he was extremely overtired from not sleeping enough day or night. We broke the cycle by carrying him in the hug-a-bub all day (do you have one or a sling or somethign you could try?) and after a few days of 5-6 hours of sleep during the day, he began to catch up to the point where we could implement the solutions in the no-cry sleep book. It worked, for a couple of months,,...
Re resettling - do you start before she wakes up or wait till she's already stirred? Sometimes if I creep in 5 mintues before he's due to wake and put my hand on his chest his eys flutter and he sleeps on....
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I wish i was there to give you that in person!!!!
I find, if DD is seriously fighting sleep - either one of three things works -
1. I sit her up on my shoulder and burp the hell outta her;
2. I wrap her tightly and turn her inwards towards me, with her dummy stuck in her mouth and let her wear herself out by fighting and screaming against me; or
3. I put her down.
Sometimes, we have found, we have been holding her too much, and quite frankly - she's sick of us.. lol
So sometimes if she is really cranky and NOTHING seems to stop her - I just put her down next to me on the couch, and she stops grizzling..
She isn't wrapped to sleep anymore though since she sleeps on her belly...
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PinkLilly I really hope it is just a short stage. DD was doing this a bit last week and a bit this week too, to put her down at night I had to wrap her really tight and hold her against me, rock her, shush her, try to keep a dummy shoved in her mouth with my breast all at the same time. She would fight for about five minutes before even calming down to a point where she could be settled. Thankfully it didn't go on for very long (touch wood) and she does sleep through the night. She is teething too and bonjela has become my best friend.
ETA - I've just put her down for a nap and she fought for about five minutes.... I put her in the rocker, with some chillout music on really quite loud and rocked it. she was crying but protesting crying, not hysterical crying. After about five minutes she went into vacant stare and then finally conked out. I guess if you know she's tired you just have to persist through the protests. Not easy though,
Last edited by thepixie; November 18th, 2008 at 03:40 PM.
PinkLilly, can't you just hold her whilst she sleeps? Just until she gets over this phase she is going through. Like I have said in my previous 2 posts, my DD also did this at 4.5months and I just slept with her everytime, she eventually came out of it but it will give you rest in the meantime. Do you really have to put her down in her cot at this time? You poor thing...I know exactly how you are feeling.. xx
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Pixie & Mel - I do hold her against me, dummy shoved in and try to wait till the fight goes out of her...but I'm talking 30 mins! She's just super stuborn! I've also tried putting her down. She just keeps working herself up and making it hard to settle her.
Queen - I don't want to get into the habit of having to hold her while she sleeps. I think it may just set me up for more dramas later if she gets used to it.
I have called Karitane in desperation and am going to try and get a home visit from one of the volunteers for some ideas. If no luck there, a stay at the sleep centre may be in order
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