Another Sleep Issue

Since DS first started teething (about 2months ago) his day sleeps have turned to slop!

He was always a great sleeper but something has just happened

He sleeps no problem at night - 7pm to 7am. I put him back to sleep around 9.30am & he only sleeps for 20 - 30mins

I then put him back to sleep around 1.30pm and he again only sleeps for around 30mins

He wakes up crying so I try to re settle him by patting him but he just cries louder & louder until he becomes hysterical

I have tried leaving him for up to an hour to see if he'll go back to sleep - He never has. He will however, sleep if I lay down with him. He will sleep for up to 1.5 hours if i'm in bed with him. So obviously he is tired, he just won't re settle. The other day I rolled him onto his side (which he normally falls back to sleep, but once I roll him on his back he wakes, or, he'll accidently roll onto his back & wake within a few mins) & patted him bottom for 45MINS! He finally fell back to sleep, but woke 10mins later!

When he gets up, he's so grizzly & whingy, just like he doesn't want to be awake cause he's so tired. It takes about 10 mins for him to 'get over' it

He self settles to sleep, EVERY time. I just put him in his cot & walk out. He may cry for a few minutes, but NEVER needs help to get to sleep. So why can't he re settle himself?

I have tried dropping the morning sleep & putting him to bed a little earlier for his lunch sleep, but he still only sleeps for 20 - 30mins

I have tried to give him a comforter that I have worn to get my scent into it, but that doesn't work either.

I have tried to get him up as soon as he wakes to give him the indication that if he wakes he's up, but he doesn't get it.

After all of this, he refuses to take another afternoon nap, unless his in the car, he will fall asleep.

Please, please, please..... Does anyone have any tips on how I can get him to sleep longer? I'll try anything

ETA : I should mention that he is only 7 months is corrected age. I'm sure babies of this age should be having more sleep than he is

Georgi,

:hug: just wanted to give you a big hug and hope that this passes soon and it's just a phase he's going through.... I know our babies are different ages but just recently I had a terrible time with DD's day sleeps where I couldn't get her to sleep longer than 20-30mins it was doing my head in! I know how tiring it is to have a baby who doesn't sleep during teh day.... And I was getting very tired (as I am still feeding 3-4hrly in the night too) so need the rest during the day! And I wasn't getting anything done! This went on from week 11until 5 days ago. The last 5 days she's been falling asleep and can sleep for longer than20mins now.... no idea what we have done differently but all of a sudden she's a better sleeper.... :dunno:

Hopefully its' just a phase/developmental thing he's going through. Hopefully someone can give some good ideas/tips.

Wow, that's great news Ren. Hope she continues that for you! Can you get Ava to give BJ a call & give him some talking to??

Yep - sure thing... we'll have to arrange it ;) hehe these babies sure know how to surprise us huh...

Maybe while he's doing this (cos hopefully it is just a phase!) he might like to have a few more short sleeps in the day?Have you tried keeping him up longer before that first sleep, or does that just make him overtired?

I hope he settles down for you!

Hugs Babe, I cant ofer any advise as Bella is nealy the same. She sleeps 12-13 hrs at night straight through but during the day she will have 3-4 small 30-45 min sleeps. Like You I have tried eveything but now I just go with it. She is never grizzly tho and rarely cries - only if she get super over tiered.
During the day as SOON as I see her rub her eyes or grab her ears I put her in her cot and turn on her mobile, give dummy and a kiss and leave - I may have to go in a few times to put her dummy in but she will soon fall asleep.

Maybe our bubs just dont like to sleep long during the day? I used to get upset and Bella did too but now that she sleep so well at night I just let her do her thing during the day = and some days she has way more sleep some days less... she is always happy and content so I just go with the flow.

Maybe try that?? But if bub is sleepy all the time maybe take for a walk? Bella will always go to sleep in her pram and then I just pop her in the bed room in her pram and she usually sleep at least an hour in her pram.

Not sure if I have given any good advice - but want you to know I know how you are feeling!

Kate

Snugglybean - Yep I've tried keeping him up later before his first sleep & I've tried giving him a few more sleeps but he won't go to sleep again. If I've been out for the afternoon & if I'm heading home after 4pm, he'll nap in the car. But I don't go out that often & if I do, it's only every a 15min drive. I leave him in the car, in the garage when I get home but he normally doesn't last long

Kafergirl - I have tried to put him in his cot when I think he's tired & not according to the routine times, but he just screams blue murder so I guess he doesn't want to sleep. It takes around 30mins for him to fall asleep in the pram, if he does at all, but once I get home he wakes again

I hope this is just a phase or I hope I learn to live with it! The past two nights he's woken at 2am. I've left him in his cot hoping he'll go back to sleep but DH went in last night to try to re settle him & that just triggered him off, crying & screaming, so I fed him & thankfully he fell back to sleep. Though he did wake again at 4am & 5am (but re settled himself) so i'm thinking it's his top tooth causing grief (it's buldging through ready to cut) *sigh*

Awww Georgi hun

You have read that from day to day Zander seems to change his sleep times and it is all a bit unpredictable. My #1 was very routined and that worked for us whereas Zander just has to go with the flow being #3 - but that means that I have to as well.

So, good or bad and for the sake of my sanity, if he had 30 mins, I dont persist with resettling anymore, I get him up and sometimes put him back after he has been up for only an hour when he starts rubbing the eyes etc - sometimes it is another 2 - 2.5 hours. Maybe that is something you could try?

You have done such a wonderful job so far, dont doubt yourself.

These little rascals do keep changing and growing and keep us on our toes. Teeth, tummy pains, mummy - i know how frustrating it can be when you know they just need to sleep but fight it.

If he is sleeping well at night (which Zander does from 7ish - 4ish minimum most nights) - thats pretty good in my book. If a quick feed is all he needs and back to sleep - great for us all.

You said he is happy enough during the day? Run with it for now and tomorrow you will prob be back saying - BJ just slept for 2 hours lol.

Zander slept yesterday 45 mins, 2.5 hours, 40 mins - and today 40 mins, 30 mins, 40 mins - shocker by comparison!!

Just another thing - your day shockers have coincided with solids so mebbe he is just getting used to the feeling of it in his tummy, or mebbe he is getting more hungry too and it is unsettling him?

If all else fails, I will send my other two up over school holidays for some distraction :ROFL:

Thanks Sam.. You're right. I'm now thinking it IS cause of his teething. As you know, his 4th tooth cut 2 days ago, and guess what's happend this morning...........

Drum roll >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

HE'S BEEN ASLEEP FOR 1.5HOURS THIS MORNING..... YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I am soooo thrilled. I can't remember the last time he has slept for longer than 30mins.

I don't know what has done this.... I don't care.... I'm just so happy!!!!!! :dance:

Teething is the great enemy of sleep. It is the Sleep Slayer. Add to that learning to crawl and the beginnings of separation anxiety and nice sleep seems to become a rarity. It seems like most of us go through this really bad sleep stuff from about 7-8 months old until.....well, I don't know when until but I hope its soon!!

But, as you have discovered, they seem to have their good days/nights as well as their bad. Just when you think you can't take anymore, they will pull a great sleeping patch of one or two days out of the bag and its magnificent, you feel like you've won a trip to Hawaii.

I know its terribly hard, we've been there (still are there) too. I wish I had known that sleep somehow deteriorates the older they get!! I'm sorry I don't have any great advice beyond trying to roll with it and try whatever seems to work. Just know you're not alone and you're not doing anything wrong. You've done an awesome job in getting him to be such a good self-settler. My only little piece of advice on that is try not to loose that. Our DS was a great self-settler, then his sleep went horrible too and we started having to rock him to sleep again- which was both really nice and really difficult. I wasn't consistent in encouraging him to self settle when his sleep got difficult, so I had to essentially re-teach him that, which was hard. Although I did love rocking him (so sweet!), in retrospect I would have tried a few other things first. But he is back to self-settling very well now. (now I miss the rocking!!! urgh, can't have it both ways!!!)

I can relate to that Georgi!!! :hug: Yay! Well done Byron.. it's such a great feeling when they finally sleep longer than 20-30mins!!
These babies are always amazing us!

AMBER Gosh, you're so right on the self settling... I have done a good job there :D And thanks for keeping it in perspective. You're so right. I need to make sure I keep it that way.

RENSTAR Hope Ava is also being a good little lass