i don't know what i am doing wrong | ExpatWoman.com
 

i don't know what i am doing wrong

283
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 January 2011 - 09:55

I don't even know how to start! DS is 6.5 mo old. All was fine till the beginning of this year. He used to drink well, sleep well, was in a good routine, used to sleep wherever and however when sleepy, not fussy at all. Fortunately, did not have major problems or issues apart from initial couple weeks and growth spurts and the fact that he gets bored pretty fast and needs to be continuously entertained! He left bottle when he was 3.5 mo and has not taken that yet, despite many attempts.

Now, it seems like those times never existed! I started pureed fruits and veggies one month back along with some finger food and then moved on to cereal, he used to enjoy it. Now he doesn't want it! As soon as i try making him sit in his high chair, he throws a tantrum! And every 2 hrs he wants b00b. It's just impossible to put him to sleep. Neither will he settle by himself nor will he want me to calm him down. I know when he is tired, he pulls his ears and kind of rubs his eyes, so i lie him down, try to tell him a story or pat him or something but he just keeps kicking and punching and becomes more active. Even after massage and bath, he takes a lot of time to settle down, that too not without assistance. I have to distract him, rock him, or do whatever to put him to sleep to avoid over-tiredness.

He goes down by 8, waking almost every 1.5-2 hrs, and totally wide awake by midnight and won't sleep for next couple hours. And this time, he wants either me or DH to play along, if left alone in his cot he cries. We are sleep deprived beyond imagination and irritated all the time! I'm not an advocate of CIO, but still gave it a shot over last 3 days without any success, rather DS is coughing since last evening.

I don't know what to do, I don't know what not to do! I felt so helpless, lost last night that i broke down. DH didn't know whom to console, crying DS or crying me! :(
<em>edited by presam12 on 23/01/2011</em>

2937
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 24 January 2011 - 13:55
It does :(. How about one of those high-chair attachment things you can attach to a dining table? Or a booster seat? Travelling with small people is such a lot of work!
283
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 January 2011 - 12:04
I forgot to add his dreamfeed at 11pm :). Be firm with relatives and friends if you think what they're doing will mess up his routine further. I wish I had been! And as for the co-sleeping, if you really don't want to do that, look for a Samsonite bubble cot. I just borrowed one from a friend for while my dad is here and it's brilliant - less than 3kg and pops up into a decent-sized cot. I have a Bumbo if you want to borrow that to use as a high-chair while you're away. thanks DC, will surely look for the cot you mentioned! and thanks for offering the bumbo. We've it but we're in fix to take along or not, it takes a lot of space!
2937
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 24 January 2011 - 09:51
I forgot to add his dreamfeed at 11pm :). Be firm with relatives and friends if you think what they're doing will mess up his routine further. I wish I had been! And as for the co-sleeping, if you really don't want to do that, look for a Samsonite bubble cot. I just borrowed one from a friend for while my dad is here and it's brilliant - less than 3kg and pops up into a decent-sized cot. I have a Bumbo if you want to borrow that to use as a high-chair while you're away.
283
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 January 2011 - 07:34
thanks ladies! We're not upto any major changes since we're travelling next week for 20 days. Changes+travel wrecks havoc! And we'll have to co sleep and there won't be any high chair etc back home. Adding to that would be relatives and friends who will spoil him further! sigh! :( He did not take any solids in the last 3-4 days at all. Am up and ready for wat today has in store for me. :\:
179
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 January 2011 - 21:06
Hi Presam, my ds is a bit older than yours (9mos), but we've been pretty much on this schedule since 6 mos, so maybe it can help. We're doing blw, so no purées, maybe ds would enjoy feeding himself more than being fed? The nap times are all give or take 30 mins, ds really varies how much he sleeps during the day, though bedtime is sacrosanct. He still isn't sleeping through the night, but is a really good kid and is otherwise happy and eating well so I can live with it. He goes right back to sleep after nursing in the night. We did cio at about 7 months and I must admit that it made our lives much better. I think it took about 5 nights for ds to really get the hang of it and now cries less than 2 minutes (and often not at all) when we put him down. I think it's really important to fix a bedtime routine before cio-ing so the baby knows what's happening. Ours is : pajamas - nurse - bedtime story - lights out and rocking in my arms while I sing a lullaby - into bed. Up around 7:00 (we're trying to move this a bit later) 7:30 breakfast - usually fruit and arabic bread with cream cheese or a scrambled egg. 8:30 nurse 10:00 nap 11:15 up and nurse 12:30 lunch - some meat or fish and veggies 15:00 nap 16:00 up and nurse 18:00 nurse 18:10 dinner pasta with butter, root vegetables, we're trying to fill him up with carbs to see if he can sleep through the night at some point :-) 19:00 pajamas, nurse, bed time stories, turn out the lights and rocking while singing a song and into bed by about 19:30 1:30 nurse 5:00 nurse
2937
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 23 January 2011 - 20:48
DS is now almost eight months so I'm not sure if this will help you, but here's what we're currently doing. We didn't have much of a routine before and he was a terrible sleeper, both at night and in the daytime. While timings of our day vary depending on when he gets up, this is what we do in order; Wake up and have breakfast - cereal, yoghurt and fruit Breastfeed Morning nap Snack - rusk and/or fruit Lunch - something like chicken casserole followed by yoghurt and/or fruit Breastfeed if he's interested Lunchtime nap Snack - rusk and/or fruit Pre-dinner nap (with breastfeed beforehand if he really wants it but I try to avoid it) Dinner - something like chicken casserole followed by yoghurt and/or fruit Bath Breastfeed Bed We try to avoid letting him stay awake longer than two hours, but sometimes he's fine with it so awake times are stretched a little. Pre-dinner naps don't always happen and if they do, are sometimes super short. I'm also planning to stop breastfeeding soon so I will be replacing breastfeeds with formula feeds one by one. I know what you mean about feeling lost. I lost all my confidence a little while ago, as DS was such a poor sleeper and I was exhausted, so we went to see Cecile and we are now back on track. FWIW, we had DS's six-month vaccinations today and I checked with our doctor at home if being this late was a problem. She said no, it's fine.
3
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 January 2011 - 20:40
Sounds like you are really having a HARD time.. in my experience babies never fuss and cry for no reason.. You are right to follow it through even if turns out nothing more than difficult teething.. Welda teething powder is a wee jar of mother happiness.. not sure if you'll get it here.. But i was RN for years and carried a jar of that and colic powder in my pocket while on duty. Is he sucking correctly? It was discovered at 20mths on my boy that he had tongue- tie. Perhaps a cranial massage by osteopath.. sometimes even little bodies need a hand..and this is the course i would suggest good luck
3220
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 23 January 2011 - 20:31
Teething perhaps?
3
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 January 2011 - 20:26
tahm563, thanks for your reply! We got him checked yesterday, after he started coughing, and no, there is no infection. hello.kitty, i never let him be awake for more than 2 hours, i agree he is at big developmental stage, hoping it will not last long. Not sure if he is tired, but me and DH are for sure!! And its his vaccination tomorrow (we're running 15 days late per his birth date) and i am dreading next couple days too! Also, it would be great if somebody could share the routine (solids+ milk+ nap-time etc) they follow. Right now i'm just lost, not sure where else to look for info! TIA
3
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 January 2011 - 20:26
tahm563, thanks for your reply! We got him checked yesterday, after he started coughing, and no, there is no infection. hello.kitty, i never let him be awake for more than 2 hours, i agree he is at big developmental stage, hoping it will not last long. Not sure if he is tired, but me and DH are for sure!! And its his vaccination tomorrow (we're running 15 days late per his birth date) and i am dreading next couple days too! Also, it would be great if somebody could share the routine (solids+ milk+ nap-time etc) they follow. Right now i'm just lost, not sure where else to look for info! TIA
283
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 January 2011 - 20:09
tahm563, thanks for your reply! We got him checked yesterday, after he started coughing, and no, there is no infection. hello.kitty, i never let him be awake for more than 2 hours, i agree he is at big developmental stage, hoping it will not last long. Not sure if he is tired, but me and DH are for sure!! And its his vaccination tomorrow (we're running 15 days late per his birth date) and i am dreading next couple days too! Also, it would be great if somebody could share the routine (solids+ milk+ nap-time etc) they follow. Right now i'm just lost, not sure where else to look for info! TIA
192
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 January 2011 - 10:42
aww, hun! It sounds like tiredness is at the root of all these issues. Have you tried putting him down for a nap *before* he starts rubbing his eyes? Try also starting his bedtime routing 30 minutes earlier so that he's relaxing, rather than overtired. There are lots of things that could be going on too - growth spurt, teething (the dreaded molars!!) and also just generally him becoming aware of his own personality and independence. Not much help to you when you've had so little sleep, but it's a vague consolation. The thing is, he knows how to sleep - you did well by teaching him that - and he hasn't forgotten it. He could also be in the process of dropping a nap, but hasn't quite worked out his new schedule yet. Lastly, it's the beginning of when you need to set boundaries, because he's becoming aware of them. If, once you've tried helping him, he still refuses or lashes out, it's time to be kind, but stern... if he's going to be grumpy, at least he can be nice about it!
184
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 January 2011 - 10:28
Are you sure something is not troubling him, e.g. ear infection? My DD had similar symptoms when she had ear infection. Make sure you get him checked out. Also, babies go through phases. Both my DD's sometimes refuse to eat well for 2-3 weeks, then bounce back. It can also be teething. WHile some children cruise through teething, some others have a realyl tough time coping. Whatever it is, I hope it gets better for you soon. Lots of hugs xoxoxo.
 
 

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