When will normality(ish) return?

something_girl

My first daughter slept loads as a baby, was a joy to take out and about, like abroad on holiday or out at night, no problem at all.... the next daughter never slept during the day, ever, if I laid the pram right down when we were out, she would just struggle to sit up and look out, she just didn't want to miss anything. Much harder work and is much the same now, needs constant attention.

All kids are different.

Lillibet_2

My son was 5 months old before he fell into any kind of pattern, napping morning for an hour and a half & afternoon for 2-3 hours. Prior to that he ate & slept randomly. He was 7 months before he consistantly slept through the night.That said, he is now nearly 3, still naps for 3 hours every afternoon & goes down like a lamb in the evenings & sleeps until 8am.

Probably nothing in it but I have noticed this seems to be the case with parents who demand fed & napped their babies rather than those who tried to stick to the routine recommended by books from early on. I let my son lead me with his routine & still stick to this today, my friends who insisted on a 4 hourly feed-sleep pattern had many more tears & tanturms both early on & now several years later, their children are tired in the afternoon but don't have naps & are picky eaters & scream at bedtimes. That said, most of their children did sleep through the night much earlier. But I could never, and still don't, see the point of giving him dinner when he isn't hungary or putting him to bed when he isn't tired, as it just makes him fret & causes tantrums when he is hungary/tired. I'm not saying I let him dictate to me, I just let him show me how his body clock works then I structure around it. No point in fighinting wars you can't win, or for causes you don't believe in! As I said, probably nothing in it, just what I have observed.

Good luck;)

PS : if you're panicking that 5 or 7 months is an age & you'll never survive, trust me, I felt like that sooooo often but I did & it went by really really quickly! And now I manage much better than some, even with PND!:D

moneypooh

Both mine didn't sleep during the day from about 4-5 weeks. My DD only slept solid for 4 hours in 24, the rest just cat naps - a real killer for me and OH. We took shifts during the night.
My DS did sleep during the day until he caught menigitis, and after that awake all day too (knocked out of routine by his week hospital stay).
We bought a battery swing for my son and it worked a treat. He'd have a sleep morning and afternoon for about an hour - bliss!
We did do the 'car trips' too but that was when petrol was only 60p/litre!! Couldn't afford it now.

moneypooh

quick note: it DOES get better...

trouble I have now is getting my teenage DD OUT of bed!!!!!:rotfl:

vwcampervan72

Ive got two girls, eldest NEVER slept in the day but was very good at night time, youngest slept for average 22 hrs per day, course i panicked and phoned the midwife and told her shes sleeping ALL the time and was told "thats what babies do lol" enjoy the time with little one as they grow up soooo quick

shirefairy

Being a new mum can be an emotional roller-coaster. Please don't worry and don't compare you and your baby to anybody else. Every baby is a unique precious gift. Enjoy her for who she is....what a boost to her self esteem for when she's older!

My son would only sleep while feeding and I would never be able to get him to lie down by himself. At first I resented it because I felt pinned to the sofa all day while he fed then slept, fed then slept. But then I just learnt to accept it, there was no point trying to change it as it would only have caused him upset. I just set myself up with the remotes, a good book, drink and snacks and made the most of it. Now he's a toddler I miss all the sitting still!

Also remember not to impose an adult world on your new baby. They have no idea about day or night or the benefits of napping. They will eat and sleep when they need to regardless of any routine. Be careful of routines as if you don't stick to it one time you can make yourself feel a bit of a failure.

rainmac

Congratulations on the birth of your daughter 1st of all! Completely agree with shirefairy, new mumdom is an emotional roller coaster and is really hard - as well as being loads of fun! I have two DS and neither were in what I would call sleep routines as young babies. I sort of let them tell me when they were tired etc. My youngest is now nearly 18 months old and does often rebel against being put to bed in the day - even though he is shattered and needs a nap! I would try putting your little one down for a nap in a darkened room and keep going in, picking up to reassure, put her down and see if she'll drop off. We bought a Fisher Price vibrating chair for our DS2 for about £20 in Toys R Us and it was the best thing we bought as it is supposed to mimick the movement of the car and our son always fell asleep in it - giving me time to scrap round with a bit of tidying, making dinner or just having a break! Good luck, it will get better...

Rachie_B

gt568 wrote: »

Our 7 week old daughter doesn't really take naps in the morning or afternoon, she'll only really sleep if we take her in the car....shouldn't she be having a kip in the morning or afternoon or when do babies start doing this?

Try putting her down in a darkened room when you think she is tired,fed but still unsettled ,bit whingy etc

sometimes babies get overtired and this makes things worse!

I am a Nanny ,and a baby i looked after last yr,wouldnt sleep for her parents in the day ............ but i soon had her sleeping for good chunks 1-2 hrs in the morning & afternoon

and she still slept 12 hrs at night so she obviously needed her sleep

it made for a much happier ,contented baby

If she wont be put down ,just try taking her into the darkened nursery / bedroom and having quiet time in your arms,you may find she drops off

at this early age i dont think personally, its too bad to allow baby to fall asleep in your arms or being rocked in the pram

see what routine fits in with your lives, and works best for you

xx

pulliptears

When will normality return?

Round about the time they leave home....