MSE Newborn to 1 year (& beyond!) baby club 2

lazywife

Hello, interesting to see all the blw stuff. A few months off yet, but nice to hear everyone's experiences.
I'm trying to introduce more of a regular feeding, napping routine. Generally feeds 7, 10, 1, 4, 6.30, 8.30-9.30 then to bed. He'll roughly stick to that, +-1hr, which gives me a bit of flexibility if we've got to be somewhere at a certain time. Night time he goes down relatively well ( into grobag at last feed then bed after feed, he sucks at his hands a bit but fairly content and drifts off).
Daytime however he will nap for 10mins a couple of times, but does tend to need a good hour at some point or he is groggy. He will sleep on me, or in the carseat I'd we've been out, but will not be put down at home which means a crabby baby, or an hour+ just sat with a sleeping baby on my lap.

Do I need to be strong and put his down for a nap and let him cry it out, or wait until he's a little older to push napping on his own? ( he's 9 weeks old)
?
L.xxx

turtlemoose

Hmm fluff I had had 3 rekorderlig ciders and a 660ml bottle of beer - I was defo a bit tipsy! I could have defrosted freezer milk I suppose, but the smallest quantity in there is 4 oz and as my milk is nearly done I didn't want to waste it (harsh mummy!). He had 2 oz cows milk - I suppose in theory that could be how much he normally has? I have no idea obviously - but he wasn't very happy as he still isn't right after his jabs and yet again this morning, up at 4, screaming, inconsolable, got OH snapping at me that he is "attention seeking"....after a few hours, full body tense and a vile-smelling stream of diarrhoea. Hmm yeah, attention seeking. *sigh*

I'm knackered after 3 days of getting up for the day between 2am and 4am, pleeeeeeeease let him be better when I pick him up from nursery and pleeeeease let him do a normal night's sleep (7:30-6:15).

lazywife we all do things differently, but for me, by 9 weeks I had realised that I found it futile enforcing a routine on my LO who had no intention of sticking to it I just went with the flow, and then dealt with it when he was bigger - by which time he had a totally different routine of his own anyway, they like to keep you on your toes

fluffnutter

Ooh, 9 weeks is very early to be trying for nap routines, lazywife. But then I'm more of a baby-led parent so I'm not going to give an objective view. The only thing routine I ever did at that age was put him in his cot at the same time each evening, awake or asleep.

Sleep routines aren't recommended below six months. Your baby just needs you and it's not unusual for them to only sleep on you (or in the car or whatever) when they're that little. I'd say give in to it. I know that it's hard work and you want to be getting on with stuff but it won't last forever.

*Nutella*

My LO was at least 3 months old before she'd nap anywhere but on me, on OH or in the buggy... I watched a lot of rubbish daytime TV in those days!

Mrshaworth2b

lazywife wrote: »

Hello, interesting to see all the blw stuff. A few months off yet, but nice to hear everyone's experiences.
I'm trying to introduce more of a regular feeding, napping routine. Generally feeds 7, 10, 1, 4, 6.30, 8.30-9.30 then to bed. He'll roughly stick to that, +-1hr, which gives me a bit of flexibility if we've got to be somewhere at a certain time. Night time he goes down relatively well ( into grobag at last feed then bed after feed, he sucks at his hands a bit but fairly content and drifts off).
Daytime however he will nap for 10mins a couple of times, but does tend to need a good hour at some point or he is groggy. He will sleep on me, or in the carseat I'd we've been out, but will not be put down at home which means a crabby baby, or an hour+ just sat with a sleeping baby on my lap.

Do I need to be strong and put his down for a nap and let him cry it out, or wait until he's a little older to push napping on his own? ( he's 9 weeks old)
?
L.xxx

I went through the same thing, my lo would only sleep in my arms for a long time, and when I told my sister about it she said to let him cry it out, I tried it once and left him for 25 minutes. I felt like a very cruel mummy and never did it again.

I agree that they change so much, it was only at 12 weeks I realised we were in a routine with his sleeping, feeding so just keep at it for a little longer and I promise your lo will find their own rhythm, there are days now that I wish he would sleep in my arms because I miss the cuddles lol! I cherish when he falls asleep on my shoulder if he's knackered after his last feed!

*Nutella*

It's sooooo hot! We've had a couple of really bad nights - she struggled to sleep and was just getting more and more tired and miserable as the hours went by. Bought a fan for her room today, and am really hoping that'll do the trick.

Turtle, hope you have a better night tonight x

sunshine_1988

Same here - I had about 4 months of a baby who would only nap on us or the pram. As long as I had my phone and the remote I was all set for the duration!

X

sunshine_1988

*Nutella* wrote: »

It's sooooo hot! We've had a couple of really bad nights - she struggled to sleep and was just getting more and more tired and miserable as the hours went by. Bought a fan for her room today, and am really hoping that'll do the trick.

Turtle, hope you have a better night tonight x

We did the same thing Sat hun, fan from Tesco at 9pm! It did seem to help and was alot cooler. Only thing is its a little loud, which luckily doesnt bother him. xx

lazywife

Thanks everyone. Just what I wanted to hear. I love him sleeping on m, just didn't want want to be bad mummy giving him bad habits!x
P.s.confession, I actually quite like daytime telly esp e4!

martafdz

I don't have a schedule, and she's 6 and a half months. I do the bedtime routine around the same time every day, but that's it. At 9 weeks she used to stay awake for no more than 2h, generally 90 min, so she would wake up, then I fed her, we played or just walk around, and then she needed to sleep again. At 16 weeks she could stay awake an extra half an hour, at 20 weeks would stay awake 3h and now anything between 3 and 4h+.

I would not let your lo cry it out, I'm not a fan of it at any age, but definitely not under 6 months. Your lo might just learn you won't respond to her cries if she's in the cot, and stop crying for hunger, heat, cold... Your lo doesn't know that you want her to sleep, all she's going to understand is that you don't go back if she cries and if something else is going on, like being too hot, or being ill, she might not let you know. After 6 months they manage longer hours without food and can generally move to get cooler or do other noises to grab your attention, but now crying is her only way of communicating with you. At least that's how I see it. It helped me to log every feed and nap, I use an app (babyconnect) and I could see her routine and adapt to that, instead of forcing her to adapt to mine. I find it easier because as she gets older, she also changes her routine, so I am always tuned to what she needs.

Edit: just realized your lo is a he, not a she!! Sorry!