Do you let your LO sleep in the morning or do you get him / her up? | ExpatWoman.com
 

Do you let your LO sleep in the morning or do you get him / her up?

276
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 16 January 2013 - 11:41

My DD is 6 weeks old and far from a routine as yet. Her bedtime the past couple of weeks seems to be settling between 10pm - 11pm which is a lot later than we'd like lol but we are going with it for the moment as she will not settle for the night before then. Depending on the night, she will go 2-3 hours between feeds.

In the morning though, she will quite happily sleep through til maybe 11.30am or midday, obviously waking for feeds in between - she will wake hungry and will fall back to sleep again.

Should I get her up for the day earlier than that? Some days she will sleep lots during the day and others she wont sleep at all.

Should I get her up, bath her, dress her etc or should I let her go as she is? I am afraid that if I do get her up earlier that she will not sleep during the day and will get overtired...

Any advice please?
TIA!

2782
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 17 January 2013 - 19:03
Mmmm did I read that you have switched from breastfeeding to formula? Have you found her worse since then. Reflux is often worse in FF babies, you could look into milk protein intolerance and maybe trial a tin of neocate if breastfeeding is no longer an option. Its best to try neocate sooner rather than later as many older babies will reject it due to the taste. Don't be afraid to medicate f she really is in pain but obviously great if making feeding changes can remove the need for drugs. I would try getting her up earlier but if she does o down earlier, make sure you do too, its tempting to stay up late and have some time to yourself but you do need that sleep!
75
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 January 2013 - 17:30
Mmmmmm sounds like my little boy is the same. He hardly sleeps during the day and when he does it only lasts 30 mins to an hour and he feeds every 2 to 3 hours and will take anywhere from 100 to 120 ml of milk. At night it's the same... For example last night he was in bed at 10pm as he fed at 9.30pm and woke at 00:45 and was fed at 01:00am but only got him settled back to sleep at 2am and he woke at 4:30am for another feed at 04:45 then slept at 05:15 to 06:45. He was stirring around 6am so I got up and had a cuppa and did the bottles before he woke up. He actually slept today the from 08:30 to 10:30 and has had a few half an hour sleeps and only just gone down. He will fall asleep on my then soon as I put him down he wakes screaming and I have left him for a good 20mins to scream it out before giving in as I get tears ? He just seems so unsettled all the time and it's heart breaking not knowing what's wrong when they scream in pain poor thing. Iam going to try the baby whispers easy routine and see how we go x
276
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 January 2013 - 12:19
Thanks ladies - all that is very helpful. My LO is 7 weeks tomorrow and still suffering very badly from reflux and wind. Her awake time is generally spent writhing in pain after a feed :( so is generally in my arms all throughout the day. When she sleeps, she falls asleep on me and then sleeps uneasily from what we gather is wind as she is also wriggling and moaning a lot - - not just newborn moans but really sounds like she is in discomfort. We are trying out lots of different ways to soothe her but it really is hit and miss. She has hit an all time high this week the poor thing with projectile vomiting! Its just so hard to see her like this and unable to help her. That's why I was wondering if it would be better to get her up earlier to see if she would settle earlier and maybe sleep better during the night as from generally 5am, she is very unsettled. I understand all babies are different and Im sure it's probably due to her tummy problems but this week she has been awake a LOT during the day. TDB, make the most of your LO's cycle! It sounds like heaven :)
2782
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 16 January 2013 - 16:34
yes I get my babies up. By "up for the day" DB I think Mmm means bring her downstairs and have interaction between naps. This is part of the "getting ready for a schedule" I guess. Pretty much from birth I would bring my babies downstairs and take them out into some natural light in the morning, to help set the day/night rhythms, and have them around the hustle/bustle of the household. Exposure to daylight has been shown to reduce colic, for reasons unclear, but possibly to do with melatonin levels/body clock. After "bedtime" then I treat wakings differently, with feeds and changes as necessary but no chit-chat and with low lighting. Even if you do wake your baby/get her up you will probably find within an hour or less she is ready for her first nap, and its fine to let her have it, you can have your sleep then too. I was lucky in that my husband doesn't need to leave for work until quite late and so he used to take my son when he woke at 7am (after his feed( and hand him back to me at 8am for his nap, so I could stay in bed the whole time and get up for the day after that nap. With my daughter we get up for the day at 8am or if she hasn't woken I wake her by around 8:30am. She still goes down for the night at around 9:30/10pm though, I think my son at the same age went down maybe at 8pm, by the time he was 5 months he was into a 6:30pm to 6:30am routine (with night feeds) and 3-4 naps during the day.
186
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 16 January 2013 - 13:01
TDB the is no right or wrong... i think what the OP was saying her little one goes to sleep at 10/11 therfore is that the reason why she is snoozing for a longer period in the morning..... sounds like you are doing really well... i went back with my little one was 5 months old and by 3 months he had daily naps times as with going back to work i preferred knowing when he was sleeping and that when i get home he is in a good mood to play, have dinner etc... that worked for me but every family is different.. as i said previously also my DS didnt sleep in the day and would go down until 10pm by that time he was fretful, over tired and colicly. <em>edited by Mrsg1 on 16/01/2013</em>
186
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 16 January 2013 - 11:59
5 weeks i started and that was purely because he NEVER slept in the day and would only sleep when out then he would sleep for 4-5 if out but then be awake until midnight sometimes with colic... i followed the Gina Ford bedtime routine, but only the timings not the 'dont look baby in the eyes etc...' and it really worked for us. i wasnt breastfeeding although her routine is based on that.
276
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 16 January 2013 - 11:54
Mrsg1, What age did you start trying to put him into a routine? Did it work by getting him up earlier? Im not sleeping much myself so her late sleeping gives me a chance to sleep a little more then get ready for the day but if I thought it would settle her earlier in the evening then I would def give it a try....
186
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 16 January 2013 - 11:50
I used to wake my DS at 7am yes as i wanted to get him into a routine as i was heading back to work. but if i wasnt i probably wouldnt have :) he is 7 months now and i wake him at 7am during the week so i can see him before i go to work but at the weekends i let him sleep in and he wakes 8/8.30.. also i found waking him earlier he would go to bed earlier, 7pm. <em>edited by Mrsg1 on 16/01/2013</em>
 
 

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