[Moo point]

Sorry for the essay!

DS is 20 weeks, and has been a fairly consistent catnapper since about 4 weeks old - roughly 2 hour feeds, with 45 min naps. We have a few methods for getting him to sleep for naps, the easiest being holding him to sleep - in the early days I would be camped out on the couch either feeding or holding him as he wouldn't sleep anywhere else during the day, but always in the bassinet at night.

His night sleeping is awesome - a few 10 hour nights, but for the last month or so a 7-8 hour stretch from around 8.30pm, one (2 max) wake up for a feed and up for the day between 6 and 7am.

But the daytime naps are an issue - for the last couple of months I've been able to hold him and pat to sleep, put him in the bassinet and he'd sleep for his usual 45 mins. The last couple of weeks he's even slept for 1.25-1.5 hours, bliss! We moved him into the cot on the weekend, as he is now rolling, again no problem, even a long nap on Sunday morning. But ever since Monday, he has refused to sleep for longer than 10 mins in the cot for some of his naps. His first 2 naps (8.30am, 10.30am approx) were fine, but the last 3 days he has slept a grand total of about 20 mins in 6 hours! In the afternoon I have let him sleep on me to get him to have a full 45 min nap.

He wakes up happy, seems to like the cot, night time is fine - what could be going on? I thought perhaps he might not be tired enough, but his giant yawns and increasing crabbiness after 1.5 hours awake say differently.

I think I need to get him to sleep in the cot, any suggestions? I am not comfortable with controlled crying/comforting or CIO. DS has always self settled during the night, we are VERY lucky and grateful for this. He is fully breastfed and we started him on a small amount of pureed vegies on the weekend, just a tablespoon once per day, which he loves.

TIA.

[PonyoLand]

I'll be interested in the responses too! DS is older (9mths) but won't nap in his cot either! Night time is no worries but daytime sleep he wakes as soon as I put him down!

[KRT]

Have you tried putting him in his cot awake? What does he do? When DS started to refuse to feed to sleep or be cuddled to sleep, it was when he started wanting to go into his cot awake and go to sleep by himself. Trying to pat, rub, shush just upset him. It's worth a try to see what happens!

4.5 months is just after a wonder week, and when their sleep starts to become more like adult sleep, so maybe it's just a reaction to that and will pass. However, it is the time that sleep associations can start to form so it's a good time to start putting in the sleep habits that you want to maintain. For example, if you don't want to hold DS to sleep when he's older, you could take the opportunity of it not working now to see if he can learn to fall asleep in the cot with you patting instead.

[Moo point]

Thanks KRT - yep I was hoping to be able to put him down awake and have him self settle at some point soon, but I didn't want to force it on him and let him cry.

After I fed him last night, DH spent about 20 mins gently rocking/patting him to sleep. He'd get him asleep but DS would wake up a few mins later. After another 10 mins DH came out of the room needing a break (from kneeling on the floor next to the cot) so I said I'd go in when DS gets noisier. But he didn't - he fell asleep all by himself! Sucking on his fingers, of course And he stirred at around 5am but went back to sleep and didn't get up until after 6am. Brilliant! Here's hoping I can implement this for his naps today.

I agree about the wonder weeks - he has changed so much in just the last week or so, able to concentrate, rolling with ease and babbling more.

PonyoLand - best of luck!

[misse10]

i certainly don't have all the answers as my night sleeps are crap, but i got DSs day sleeps sorted by getting him to self soothe...so he can resettle after sleep cycles.

Our routine is now: sleepbag on, sing a special sleep song then into the cot & I rub his tummy for a few seconds then i leave.
now there's no problems and i can just walk out. To start i had to do that and walk out, knowing he's start crying, at which point i'd walk right in again and start shush/patting until he was calm, walk out, pause, then back in again. if he got very upset i'd pick up and cuddle before repeating.
It got to the point where i would just have to pat without picking up, then there were no grizzles at all.

i'm also against leaving a baby to cry, but sometimes the grizzling is them trying to get themselves to sleep.

[Moo point]

Thanks misse10. I think I'll give that a go tomorrow. I was able to get him to sleep within 5-10 mins by patting/shushing in the cot for each nap today - his night sleep was completely different! Took my DH and I over an hour to settle him to sleep, possibly due to him being overtired. I breastfed him, he fell sound asleep, moved him to the cot, still sound asleep, woke up 2 mins later for a burp and was awake for another hour! So hard, but I'm on my second glass of wine seeing as I know he won't need another feed until at least 4am

Will try the putting down/walk in and out for his night sleep tomorrow too, we gave it a half hearted go tonight but we could be more consistent. Thanks