i don't know what's going on, but it feels like Leane is back to being a month old again..... she'd been sleeping through the night since she was 2 months old, with the odd night where she had a tummy ache or something. But the last few nights she's been up all night... This is our usual nightly routine: She goes to sleep around 9-9:30, and she stays out in the living room with us until it's time for bed. We then put her in her crib when we go to bed so her dad and I can have some cuddle time. She's usually passed right out, so we just let her sleep until she wakes up for her diaper change. After I change her, I bring her over to our bed for the rest of the night. We've been doing things like this since she was 2 months old.... NOW, she won't go to sleep at all....we were up till midnight again last night. When we finally got her to sleep, and all seemed well, I put her in the crib because Cody wanted some "couple time." About an hour after we went to sleep, she woke up kind of freaking out again. So, I changed her, and brought her over to our bed. nothing would keep her happy. Generally in order for her to sleep, she needs to be swaddled so tight she can't move and needs a soother for a while until she spits it out. When she refused to do any of that, we just unwrapped her, and she slept like that for a couple hours. (which we're happy about, cuz she's not needing the swaddling as much(she's out-growing all her blankets)) But when she woke up after that, there was nothing I could do to help her. When I offer her some milk, she doesn't want it. We hadn't been wrapping her in her usual blanket for the last few nights because we didn't know where it was. However, last night at 4 in the morning, I went on a mad hunt for it, found it and when I wrapped her in it, she slept through until 8:30....which is around when she usually wakes up. She then kinda layed there for a couple more hours with me kinda in and out of sleep. (could the blankie be the source of all our problems?) Yesterday, her naps were really long (her earily afternoon nap lasted from 11:30-3pm and her evening nap lasted from 5:30-7:30). She usually has 3 naps, one from 11:30-12:30, then she wake up for her food, then goes back to sleep from 1:30-about 2:30 or 3, has some milk, and has her last nap from 5-6, then has her last milk and food........ She totally blew that outta the water yeaterday.....if she does it again, should I wake her up? I wanted to let her sleep because of the hard nights she's been having. I've heard about kids having trouble sleeping at about 6 months....Leane's also got her first tooth now, and I was thinking the teething could be keeping her up, but even when we give her some gripe water, which usually helps, it does nothing now. what could be causing this!!!??? -sleepless kirsten
oh so many things could be (and is) causing this. the teething, maybe she's getting ready to crawl, maybe she's becoming increasingly aware of herself and her enviornment and is just interested in what's going on. maybe you've introduced a new food? maybe she's simply transitioning from 3 naps to 2. the thing about infants is, even though they thrive on routine, they change theirs` very often. if this were my situation and i only had on kid and didn't work outside of the home, i'd just follow her lead, letting her sleep and wake when she wants. or, if i had a need for her to be on more of a schedual, i'd not let that second nap go so long.
Yeah, because you or daddy are always around, just let her straighten her schedule out. It's a big transition. She's hitting "that age" and that new awareness and all of the body changes are just mind-boggling, I bet. Let her work through this. While it's leaving you so exhausted, it won't last too awfully long *even though it feels like forever now*. And then you'll have your baby back. With maybe some new skills
how would getting ready to crawl affect her sleep? I really don't think that it's the intrest in things around her....she's more mad than anything. I thought about the food thing, but she's been eating the same thing for quite a while with no side-effects. I should have seen something in the first 3-5 days, right? So I don't know if it would be that or not..... I'm generally trying to follow her lead, but between her dad going to school and working, and me working when he's home and he's got loads of homework to do.....it can be hard going through a night with no sleep.
you know, I should have learned this by now, but for some reason it seems like it's going on forever when you're running on next to no sleep.
I know. When I was watching my god-daughter during my senior year (kept her 6 days/nights a week), when she got no sleep, I got no sleep. And I remember thinking that the days dragged on forever. And that I'd never sleep again (looking forward to that feeling again, haha). But all too soon, it's gone...and then you've got this little pint-sized walking talking human asking you neverending questions and pulling away when you want to hug them...*sigh*... They need to sell childhood in a bottle.
I was talking to a former friend of mine a few months ago, and she was talking about how frustrated she was watching this 3 year old for a couple weeks because of the no-sleep factor, and how she doesn't think that she could ever do that on a constant basis. I had never so much as held a baby before i had leane, so I've learned a lot in the last 6 months and throughout the pregnancy......I'm sure I'll be looking back on these days with a tear in my eye in a couple years.....I already do that with some things she does.....although, she is getting more and more exciting everyday, too.
check out sleep issues on the dr.sears site mosdt babies have weird sleeping habits right before the reach common milestones...teeth, crawling, pulling up, walking, talking. i don't know why, but ask nearly any mom and they'll agree. i didn't realize you were working. this phase shouldn't last long, but limiting the evening nap might help her to be tired at bedtime.
It is so amazing how universal things are! A friend told me the same thing when C started having sleep problems. He had it before he crawled, walked, talked, ran....ALL the miletones. Hang in there Momma, sleep changes are probably the hardest part of parenting, like going from three to two to one to no naps. (((((Hugs))))) Tiffany
oy...i've been reading the dr sears sight since you posted this......my head is feeling a little over-run at the moment..... understand the reason why she might be awake because of the developmental milestones now...
Oh! The joys of motherhood!! Sounds like little Leane is "over stimulated" during the day. That's what the Dr.'s used to tell me. They becaome well aware of their surroundings during the day, and when night falls, they realize all the wonderful things they love to do. Whether it be playing, or being with mom and dad. Teething sounds to be the culprit too.! Trust me mine(twins)never slept through the night until 18M, I was ready to scream! They grow out of it. She will be fine. Maybe try to keep her a little more busy during the morning so she will take one long nap, and maybe she will just need a little snooze before dinner time. And after dinner I always give the girls a bath to "wind down" maybe try some lavender bath, and play hard with her to get her laughing and all her energy out, so when little Leane's bed time rolls around she will be exhausted!! Hang in there , sweetie... things will get better. She is just too smart for her own good!
funny that you say she may be over stimulated.....I always feel like I'm not stimulating her enough! Like i'm never proving her with enough attention or playing with her and her toys enough......
If she has been sleeping with that same blanket that you lost for awhile, then that very well could have been a factor in the messed up sleep. It seems like she can't sleep without it but by nap time during the day she is too exhausted to care. But I dunno...
well, last night was a bit better... I let her nap from 11:45amill 2pm yesterday, and then I kept her awake until about 5 or so when we took her out in the car and she passed right out for about 20 minutes. After that, i wore her around and went for a short walk with her dad and then put her down to bed at about 9 or so, how we usually do it. she slept all swaddled for about an hour (this time in her favourite blankie) and then was unwrapped for about an hour........ She slept fine until about 11 or so, when she woke up crying again. i was beside her the whole time she was sleeping, which usually comforts her, but again, as the past few nights, she woke up angry. I swaddled her back up again, and after walking laps around the floor and rocking her for about an hour, she settled back down. I never used to have to do that......it's odd. She slept fine after that, waking up at 4 am for her diaper change and i brought her over to the bed again, as usual. I followed our normal routine while trying to work around her being upset, and it seemed to work out ok........ I just wish I knew why she's waking up for this one period during the night totally mad...she hardly cries all day, this is about the only time that she seems so unhappy. I wish I knew how to help her......
