Hi all, my daughter is 12 weeks old today and fights her sleep all day and night but it's particularly worse in the evening/night. I always put her down as soon as she starts to show signs of tiredness (yawning, rubbing eyes). I put her to sleep by rocking, bouncing, patting her bottom, etc. As the day progresses, it is increasingly difficult to get her to sleep and stay asleep, so by the time the evening/night rolls around, she is extremely fussy. Our nighttime routine consists of a bath, pajamas, swaddle, nurse, and rocking. We start this routine around 6pm and will get her to sleep at 7pm. I get to her to sleep but she will wake up 30 mins later and we do this about 4 times until she's finally asleep for the night 2 hours later. Is this something that Is normal for her age and she will grow out of or are we doing something wrong? Any advice is greatly appreciated!
@momto1andahalf: my little one is EBF. Tonight I'll let her fuss a little to see what she does. I feel comforted knowing that this is normal behavior and we are not doing something wrong.
It is pretty normal for that age group, You will find that her pattern will change a lot in the first year. I find just going with the flow in the beginning to be a lot easier, and really having no expectations when it comes to sleep.
Around that age I had to nurse my baby for 4 hrs straight once to get him to go to sleep, its normal. Are you bf? They sometimes cluster feed during growth spurts. You could try swaddling and putting her down for a few minutes see what happens. My dd would always cry for about 5 and pass out, my ds would work himself up into a complete frenzy and it would take even longer to get him down. Try letting her fuss a little and see what she does.
It sounds like you are doing everything right. Just keep with your routine and hopefully it will get better.
Anything is considered "normal" at this age.
All babies have their own sleep patterns and just when you think you have one figured out, it will change again.
Not to be a bummer, but it's true.
Just keep trying different things. For instance, some babies do better without too much fussing around with them before bed. In other words, if at all possible, can you try the bath earlier in the day? Some babies might find a bath relaxing, but this young, it may actually be overstimulating. My daughter, as an infant, was not really a fan of being rocked in the evenings.
Also, I noticed that she cried a lot when I was trying to cook dinner. I eventually figured out that she could smell the food and it made her hungry. So, putting her down and trying to make dinner didn't work well.
You will learn your baby's cues, and like I said, they will change. You aren't doing anything wrong. Remember that your baby doesn't know what time it is or when she's "supposed" to sleep at this age.
Hang in there!
Congralations!
Best wishes!
She's a clever girl! Focus on keeping baby awake-I know it is difficult but it may catch her off guard-to change her strategy-you first have to change yours.
Get the book Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. This book was my "Bible", and I still refer to it often for friends and as my son transitions through his stages. The book talks about a lot of common mistakes that parents make in regards to kids' sleep, importantly infants' sleep and if you try the strategies and stick with them, the results are AMAZING!!!!! I am SO glad a friend recommended this book to me and I recommend it to anyone on here that mentions any type of sleep issue! :-) Good luck!!! :-D
