Hi,my Baby Is 4and Half Months Old But Has Not Been Able To Establish Any Fixed Sleeping Pattern As Yet.infact I Worry That She Sleeps Very Less.only Naps During The Day For As Little As 20mins Twice.sometimes Sleeps Longer After Bath For About 1-2 Hrs.she Used To Fall Off To Sleep Early Evenings And Then Have Disturbed Sleep After Midnight .i Tried To Change Her Habit And Tried To Put Her To Bed As Late As 9pm But She Still Woke Up Every Hour Or So In The Night Not For Feed But Just To Be Cuddled.my Helper And Me R Practically Without Sleep For So Many Days.pls Help With Suggestions.
Baby Sleeping Very Little
- Thread starter mugdha
- Start date
Firstly - poor you. you must be totally shattered.
You need to ask yourself some questions.
Do you feed her every time she wakes up.
Is her feed routine fixed?
Does she have a fixed evening routine - ie bath, massarge, milk and sleep at a certain time?
Unfortunately there is no easy way to make a baby know when it is time to play and when it is time for sleep or to eat They are born thinking that they can sleep if and when they feel like it and you will give them milk ever time they ask for it. It is very difficult to tell them otherwise.
You must set yourselves a routine and to give baby clear signals so that she knows that it is play time, feed time or sleep time as they are not born with this information - you have to tell them. It will take a week to get it sorted with some "tough love" (ie letting them cry with furry for a few mins.
I can't remember exactly what routine I had for my boy at that age but if you need help then speak to a health visitor. I think Yvonne Heavyside is great and really kind. She can help you to work out a routine and give you the confidence to stick to it.
You need to ask yourself some questions.
Do you feed her every time she wakes up.
Is her feed routine fixed?
Does she have a fixed evening routine - ie bath, massarge, milk and sleep at a certain time?
Unfortunately there is no easy way to make a baby know when it is time to play and when it is time for sleep or to eat They are born thinking that they can sleep if and when they feel like it and you will give them milk ever time they ask for it. It is very difficult to tell them otherwise.
You must set yourselves a routine and to give baby clear signals so that she knows that it is play time, feed time or sleep time as they are not born with this information - you have to tell them. It will take a week to get it sorted with some "tough love" (ie letting them cry with furry for a few mins.
I can't remember exactly what routine I had for my boy at that age but if you need help then speak to a health visitor. I think Yvonne Heavyside is great and really kind. She can help you to work out a routine and give you the confidence to stick to it.
Poor you! You must be very tired.
If you have the time and energy, there are some books that have great tips and ideas on establishing some kind of routine. I didn't follow these books to the letter but I particularly liked Tracy Hogg (Baby Whisperer and Baby Whisperer sovles your problems).
Good Luck!
If you have the time and energy, there are some books that have great tips and ideas on establishing some kind of routine. I didn't follow these books to the letter but I particularly liked Tracy Hogg (Baby Whisperer and Baby Whisperer sovles your problems).
Good Luck!
hi there,
my sympathies, sleep deprivation is the WORST so good luck with the following!
Aside from Tracy Hogg who is excellent, I found Gina Ford's routines for babies and her advice very spot on for my son (note : all babies are different and you may have to modify her routine to your son's preferences) - get her" Contended Baby book" and book on sleep and weaning too as sleep and feeding is all inter-related. Some pointers I found useful :
1. babies at about 4.5 months shouldn't be having more than 3-3.5 hours of day naps total (otherwise hard to settle to sleep at night)...for my son the magic number was 2.5 hours...the whole purpose of day naps is to rejurvenate them enough to not be cranky and to feed effectively...Gina Ford also recommends that the last nap should be more than 3 hours away from bedtime eg. if you want your baby asleep by 7.30pm, ensure he's awake from his last nap by 4.30pm (again, my son's magic number was 3.5 hours)
2.the more they feed during the day, the less they'll feed at night - you may want to consider cluster feeding in the early evening so babies go down on a nice full belly (I did this for my son from 3-5.5 months until he started solids)
3. routine : you may want to start a routine and have it as structured as possible to get your son on it eg. if you want him to sleep in his stroller in the mid morning while you walk/run errands, make sure you do this everyday so he begins to know what to expect.
4. the later a baby sleeps doesn't mean he'll sleep through the night OR wake up later in the morning (Gina Ford recommends sleep at 7pm but my son is more 7.30-7.45pm even at 12 months old)
5. Subject to baby's doctor's advice, have you considered introducing solids slightly earlier? (bigger babies need solids earlier as milk just doesn't fill them up) doesn't have to be anything funky but rice cereal with formula or breastmilk......
hope this is helpful!
my sympathies, sleep deprivation is the WORST so good luck with the following!
Aside from Tracy Hogg who is excellent, I found Gina Ford's routines for babies and her advice very spot on for my son (note : all babies are different and you may have to modify her routine to your son's preferences) - get her" Contended Baby book" and book on sleep and weaning too as sleep and feeding is all inter-related. Some pointers I found useful :
1. babies at about 4.5 months shouldn't be having more than 3-3.5 hours of day naps total (otherwise hard to settle to sleep at night)...for my son the magic number was 2.5 hours...the whole purpose of day naps is to rejurvenate them enough to not be cranky and to feed effectively...Gina Ford also recommends that the last nap should be more than 3 hours away from bedtime eg. if you want your baby asleep by 7.30pm, ensure he's awake from his last nap by 4.30pm (again, my son's magic number was 3.5 hours)
2.the more they feed during the day, the less they'll feed at night - you may want to consider cluster feeding in the early evening so babies go down on a nice full belly (I did this for my son from 3-5.5 months until he started solids)
3. routine : you may want to start a routine and have it as structured as possible to get your son on it eg. if you want him to sleep in his stroller in the mid morning while you walk/run errands, make sure you do this everyday so he begins to know what to expect.
4. the later a baby sleeps doesn't mean he'll sleep through the night OR wake up later in the morning (Gina Ford recommends sleep at 7pm but my son is more 7.30-7.45pm even at 12 months old)
5. Subject to baby's doctor's advice, have you considered introducing solids slightly earlier? (bigger babies need solids earlier as milk just doesn't fill them up) doesn't have to be anything funky but rice cereal with formula or breastmilk......
hope this is helpful!
wandasmart
New member
actually i'm hving a problem with sleep as well. my 4.5 month old baby would have 2-3 naps ofr 45min-1yr each day up until 2 weeks ago. now she refuses to nap and also she would go to sleep in the evening any earlier then her last feed which is before 10. she sleeps through the night, but surely she needs naps during the day?
any advice on this?
thanks!
any advice on this?
thanks!
I agree with the tips and suggestions (esp. about routines), but also want to add my experieneces.
Some kids just don't sleep as much as others.
My son never slept for more than 2 or 3 hours at a time until he was well over 6 months old. As a newborn he was excruciating - he'd nurse for an hour, and then WOULD NOT SLEEP. Instead, he would want to be held and be in motion for about an hour and then be ready to nurse again and then NO SLEEP, *must be held with motion*.... He knew what he wanted
As a toddler, he would *maybe* have a 1 hour nap in the afternoon. His bed time was 7:30 pm and he would wake up at about 4:30 am.
He stopped napping daily when he was about 2 1/2.
He never slept past 6am until he was over 5 years old.
He is now almost 8 years old. He "goes to bed" at about 8:30 (after bath and story) and likes to read in bed until almost 9pm (ocassionally even later). He usually wakes up (without an alarm clock) between 6am and 6:20 am. Never naps.
My daughter, by contrast slept through the night when she was about 6 or 7 months old and took regular naps until she was 3. She goes to bed at the same time as my son, but she would easilly sleep past 7:30 am if we let her.
Some kids just don't sleep as much as others.
My son never slept for more than 2 or 3 hours at a time until he was well over 6 months old. As a newborn he was excruciating - he'd nurse for an hour, and then WOULD NOT SLEEP. Instead, he would want to be held and be in motion for about an hour and then be ready to nurse again and then NO SLEEP, *must be held with motion*.... He knew what he wanted
As a toddler, he would *maybe* have a 1 hour nap in the afternoon. His bed time was 7:30 pm and he would wake up at about 4:30 am.
He stopped napping daily when he was about 2 1/2.
He never slept past 6am until he was over 5 years old.
He is now almost 8 years old. He "goes to bed" at about 8:30 (after bath and story) and likes to read in bed until almost 9pm (ocassionally even later). He usually wakes up (without an alarm clock) between 6am and 6:20 am. Never naps.
My daughter, by contrast slept through the night when she was about 6 or 7 months old and took regular naps until she was 3. She goes to bed at the same time as my son, but she would easilly sleep past 7:30 am if we let her.