Baby can't sleep, waving arms keep him awake

pipsta

I have found a routine to be a bad thing, We got our little one into a routine and worked well up until we got "out of sync" due to a weekend away. He would want everthing done in same order otherwise he was fussy. Sorry if it is not much help but sometimes i think routine is not always a good thing if you cannot stick to it religously

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

From having more than one child, I found that the second was a great sleeper during term time, as she had to be woken up at 2.45pm every weekday to be taken down the school to pick up her big sister. She then had big sister to entertain her whilst I got on with doing tea/Daddy coming home and the like, so was then ready for the bedtime routine to start at 7.

So I would try keeping the LO awake after 3 and see if that makes a difference.

lauren_1

I put ds's arms in his sleeping bag or if like tonight it is too warm i put a small pram blanket over him and tuck it under the moses basket mattress to keep his arms close to him.

Maybe that could be worth a try

daska

McKneff wrote: »

Sounds as if she maybe a bit cold, also please get your OH to stop holding her arms down,
I certainly couldnt go to sleep if someone was holding mine down.

Probably just a phase, just go with the flow.

Both my boys responded well to being swaddled and having their arms held when they were overtired it's just reducing their ability to move around, constricting them like they were in the womb to help them feel safe and secure. As adults we've grown used to the freedom so we respond differently.

DeeMarie89

My DS has always been a good sleeper, luckily.
We had to go through a week of putting him in his cot and leaving him to cry. After the first two nights of an hour of screaming, we had two nights of half an hour, then no more problems.
It's horrible to do, as you have to leave DS alone until he goes quiet, and its stressful for you, but it works. I would also recommend a lullaby light show to project above DS's cot while he drifts off. My DS loves his.

lilac_lady

You could try a lullaby cd playing softly in the background when he's put into his cot.

esmf73

I second swaddling - we swaddled ours and it was great - they both slept like logs - in fact I remember oversleeping myself one morning and rushing in to see my first baby who was still sleeping - until I woke him up, worried that he was dead!! Fortunately he wasn't although now he's almost 7 and I wish he'd sleep in past 6am!!!

mrs_marty

Hi my DD is 6 months old and we are having a similar thing, my husband actually has given her the unfortunate nickname whacky joe the poor wee soul , swaddling for us doesnt work as she hates being restricted. Our DD has eczema on her face so we think part of it was wanting to scratch. Now I think it's earache related to teething, so Im going to try another teething remedy with the hope this stops her being disturbed. Mabye it could be the same with your wee one?

Our routine is she has a short sleep in the morning, a shortish one in the afternoon, a sleep in the evening 6-7 she then plays etc has her last bottle at 8 - 8.30 she then goes down and sleeps undisturbed until 7 - 8am, well she did until this movement/teething gathering pace.

starjumper

Thanks everyone for your replies and suggestions.

He's had a few funny days but we've changed his bedtime routine a bit and that seems to have helped a bit. He naps around 3 times a day for no longer than half an hour and by say 5pm is knackered so in order to get through bath and bed without him going beserk he gets his third nap of the day. He always sleeps in his cot if we're at home but is pretty happy to sleep anywhere if we're out and about or if he's tired enough.

He really hates being swaddled with a passion so we gave that up after a couple of months and only have to hold his arms down if he's really going off on one, I'm glad reading through other posts that we're not alone in having a thrashy baby.

I have to say he's incredibly happy and healthy in every other way he's just hating going down at night at the moment. I've told OH it's just a phase and we'll keep reviewing the situation.

Thanks guys x

jetta_wales

Does he wake from his naps or are you waking him? Just wondering as mine never napped for less than an hour. You shouldn't wake them from naps they need to complete their natural sleep and wake when ready to get the benefit from it.

The flinging arms out is a mora reflex and we had to swaddle ours especially the first as it was so strong. It's because they're not used to not being cramped up anymore.