[Oysta]

Hi,

My baby is now 3 months old - he really struggles with sleep; that is falling asleep and staying asleep. Every nap we need to rock or bounce him until he is drowsy before we can put him down - but for some reason at 7pm (his main sleep) he will only go in his cot if he is asleep? This can take anywhere between 45 mins to 1.5 hours...??? Then after say 20 to 30 mins he will awake again? And we do the whole routine again?

Can anybody suggest anything? We have a bedtime routine of bath, feed, lullaby. Bubs has 3 naps during the day - his morning nap he sleep for about 2.5 hours, his afternoon nap is about 1 hour and his final nap is around 30 to 45 mins?

We are planning to attend sleep school? Has anyone tried this? We are looking at the O'connel family centre in melbourne? Thoughts?

Will he eventually grow out of this?

Many thanks

[Guest_divineM_*]

Yes I have tried sleep school and it was very helpful when DD was about 4 months. It's not unusual to struggle at the age your LO is now and they may or may not grow out of it. Although to be honest none of the babies in my mothers group grew out of any sleep problems. Everyone had to take some steps to improve sleep. Some just waited longer than others. My experience has also been thatDD's sleep habits evolved and changed many times. And we have had to adapt and change our approach many times but then again DD is a challenge in the sleep department.

[KRT]

I found sleep school very helpful. Usually you have to call and go through an assessment questionnaire and they'll let you know if/when you can get in.

However, your day naps sound pretty good for a baby of your DS's age, as does the bedtime routine. It sounds like you're doing the right things.

I would think about trying to settle to sleep a little bit closer to the last nap (so earlier), as they tend to get tired more quickly later in the day. I wouldn't re-run the bedtime routine if your DS wakes after bedtime, but go in only if he starts to get upset and try to calm him down again without getting up. The usual suggestion for calming them down is patting their thighs and shushing, but that never worked for DS.

You could also try the MCH Line for suggestions.