DS not re-settling | ExpatWoman.com
 

DS not re-settling

157
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 08 March 2011 - 16:50

DS is 9 weeks old and I've finally been able to get him to have daytime sleeps. Trouble is, more than half the time I have to go into his room and help him re-settle between sleep cycles. Sometimes he wakes happy and others grizzly. He won't re-settle unless I give him my pinky finger to suck on. Patting and susshing does not work for us! He's also at the stage where he's sucking his hand so when he wakes, he sucks it, and from what I can see is trying to find his thumb but gets frustrated so won't re-settle. I watch his tired signs before putting him down and try to get him down as soon as I see rubbing eyes, yawning, sneezing etc. He's BF and also doesn't seem to be spending much time feeding now compared with what he used to.

What can I do?!

157
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 March 2011 - 10:36
I am SO excited... DS for the last two nights has slept from 7pm, dreamfeed at 10pm and up at 7am!! First night it happened I thought it might be a once off, but it happened again last night. I'm soooo happy!!! Only thing is, I think the months and months of little sleep for me has finally caught up on me and I'm now really tired!
914
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EW GURU
Latest post on 21 March 2011 - 10:17
Wow, go super mum! Now you have LO in a great routine you feel like you have your life back, well almost! The 4am feed will gradually shrink except during growth spurts till it disappears altogether. We let LO CIO at 4am for 1min for 3 nights, 3mins for 3 nights etc until she gradually slept through. Keep up the great work!
157
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 March 2011 - 23:00
Thanks Nutty, We've had a great week since I last posted. We have stopped the pinky sucking (which took a wee bit of crying and was SO hard for me to listen to my baby crying like that) and he now sucks his own thumb to settle. He's now going through sleep cycles on his own and for the last 3 nights he's slept from 7pm, dreamfeed at 10pm and wake at 3:30-4:00am for feed then up at 7am!! We have had him in a sleeping bag all week. Nap times during the day are so much better, having 2 x 2.5 hour sleeps and a nap late afternoon with little or no fuss. Like a totally different baby! No more standing over his crib for ages waiting for him to drop off and hoping like anything he won't startle himself awake!! Now I just hope he keeps up with it because I'm starting to feel semi human again with the extra hours sleep at night!!
914
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EW GURU
Latest post on 09 March 2011 - 21:08
Depending on weight you can stop swaddling if they dont like it and use a sleeping bag (1tog) or try swaddling from under the arms leaving them free. What ever you do to resettle LO be consistent. Every time i put DD down for a nap we close the curtains together and say goodnight to Mr Sunshine. Do you BF when he wakes several times in the night? How much does he take or do you think he might be doing it for comfort? If so show him his fist and not breast. Is he falling asleep at the breast? If so make sure you wake him( ie when you put them down let them stir dont actually wake them fully) before putting back in the cot or encourage him to finish the feed, harsh i know but you have to encourage good habits from the begining. I never let my DD fall asleep on me and she slept through the night on BF from 10 weeks. Also may not sleep long enough at night if not getting enough daytime calories to sustain LO. I used to cluster feed at 2pm,4pm and 6pm, bath 6.30 and bed at 7pm, dream feed at 11pm, 2am then 5am and then i would wake DD at 7am to start the day. Watch your diet in the afternoons as if your're not eating enough then LO will not be getting the good stuff. Try Almonds, porridge oats and non alcoholic beer.
157
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 March 2011 - 15:29
He's only 9 weeks so too soon to give him anything like stuffed toy etc to suck on. He's found his hand and I know he's trying to get to his thumb. He's done it once which was great as he resettled himself. I know the pinky has to stop, but having difficulty weaning him off it and I just can't take the crying that comes with him not having it! And with little sleep I just give in and do what I can to get him off to sleep again. He's BF so waking every 2 hours at night for feeding. He does the first sleep after bedtime 3-4 hours, then 2 hourly after that (resettling himself, I don't know how!) but the last 2 nights he's been waking at 4am, 5am & 6am as well. This morning I tried swaddling him again and closed the curtains in his room and he slept for 2 hours, resettling himself. I got him when he first sneezed so not sure if it was swaddle, dark room or getting him at the right time which has worked!
4
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 08 March 2011 - 21:51
My son used to do the pinky thing too. He was usually this cranky when he started cutting a new tooth. Also, we got him a stuffed lion and he started sucking on its tail instead. Yucky I know, but beats hovering over the cot till he calms. Also made him a bit more self reliant in terms of putting himself back to sleep.
914
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EW GURU
Latest post on 08 March 2011 - 21:45
What does DS do during the night to settle himself between sleep cycles? I showed my dd her fist and later she found her thumb herself. Great that you recognise the sleep cues but are you recognising the first one's, i ask because i found that with DD she would sneeze ten mins later would rub face and then 5 mins later would yawn. If i didnt catch her between sneeze and face rub then it would be a struggle and would wake early from her nap as she was already overtired before i put her down. Also found it helped to get the first sleep of the day at home but if didnt get it then rest of day would play catch up. Try to wait a bit before going in as its tempting to go in and get them back off but you might end up with them only being able to do so with your help. Try blocking out any stimulation in room ie cot mobile's etc Good luck!
1861
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 08 March 2011 - 20:18
I know some people are very precise about how long their children sleep for during the day, but I never have been. I'd put my two down for a nap when they showed their signs and let them sleep until they woke up of their own accord. Sometimes they'd be grumpy waking up, most of the time happy... I know this is going to sound harsh, but giving your DS your pinky has to stop and that's that. If he's still sleepy, he'll sleep at some point without it, and if he's not, he'll wake up. That's the start of training - it's up to him to decide if he wants to sleep or not. Daytime naps are flexible - by the time they're 2 or 3 (or 4), they won't be having any daytime naps, but will still be having bedtimes, so get your bedtime and night routine sorted and don't worry about what form naps take during the day. Look at the overall number of hours sleep over a 24h period to determine if he's getting enough sleep - but never forget that, as always, the guideline are just that, for guidance and based on averages. I honestly wouldn't worry about the length of his naps. If he wakes up, pick him up, feed him adn play with him. He'll soon tell you if/when he's ready for another sleep. I hope this helps! -------- oh, and re: the pinky - have you considered a dummy or other comfort-object? My son loves sucking but never got into a dummy, so instead sucks a favourite toy - again, what's "Best" is what works for you and your baby. Needs must - but it has to be something you're willing and able to continue for months. <em>edited by Hello.Again.Kitty on 08/03/2011</em>
157
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 08 March 2011 - 19:36
Thanks for the reply HAK. If we don't give him our pinky to suck on he won't fall back asleep. He normally starts fussing around the 40-45 minute mark. Sometimes he can go through to the next cycle but most of the time we have to help him. I notice sometimes when we just stand back and watch him he's occasionally happy when he wakes, so should I just get him up and not worry about trying to get him to have a longer sleep? Alot of the time he cries after his 45 minute nap. I have read that some are just happy to have shorter sleeps - just want to make sure I'm doing the best for him and it's not something I can 'teach' him to do, to sleep longer.
1861
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 08 March 2011 - 18:30
He's growing all the time and so will change his preferences to suit (re feeding and spending more time awake/aware and /or playing)... With regards to his re-settling, one thing that isn't tenable is him needing to suck your little finger, so unless you are happy to spend a lot of time beside his cot having your finger sucked, then you need to find some kind of alternative asap. What is he like if he doesn't resettle? You mention his sleep-cycles - how long are they? Have you considered that maybe he's just a baby who only needs short naps? Always remember that every baby is different and no book or bit of advice was specific to your DS. He might coincidentally fit in with some patterns but not with others... and that's fine.
 
 

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