What do you do with your baby below 12 months during the day?

F

FShah

Registered User
Hi ladies!


Do need some thoughts on this, lately my daughter who is almost 9 months old - who is very active - has been waking up at night at around 10pm just so she could play.
She doesnt fuss or is cranky just that she wakes up & simply loves bopping up & down in her crib & refuses to sit or lie down. She goes back to sleep almost midnight or slightly after. She has been sleeping through the night since she was 2 months but now the sudden change has just left me flabbergasted. :)

Is this because she doesnt do enough during the day? She is very active & is up & about, mostly on her feet during the day. She plays, occasionally sees other babies & goes for often walks.. she sleeps at most an hour half during the day. She has a big appetite too.. Am just wondering what else should i get her to do during the day in order for her to be so tired at night to get her all night sleep... She is almost 9 months & i wonder if I am not doing enough with her during the day? What activities do you guys have with your little ones who is less than 12 months old the whole day? I'm hoping with your ideas i could incorporate soemthing new for my lil one.. she is so active, I wonder if it's something I ate (i'm still b/f) or was i so active during my pregnancy that now she is following suit :haha:
 
You sound like you're doing more with your baby in the day than my little guy does so I wouldn't worry! He naps in the day (2-3 naps, totalling maybe 3 hours) but the naps are getting shorter. Sleeps at about 730 to 630am. Maybe it's a phase she's going through? Or I find that a short swim really knackers my little guy out - he has a long sleep after :-)

But to go back to your question, my little guy is very active. He goes for walks in the stroller, sometimes sees other babies, likes standing up in the cot or playpen(supported), likes crawling, going for rides on his ride on toy, likes making a mess & destroying things....

I was very active in my pregnancy too!
 
I think all babies wake in the night. It's just that some settle themselves back to sleep without assistance and some don't. Has your little one just learned to crawl? I read that when babies first begin to crawl they have difficulty settling themselves back to sleep because they force themselves wide awake in order to go off exploring the "world" using their new found crawling skills!
My baby certainly went through a period of being unsettled at night when he first learned how to crawl. I don't know what explains the last 3 nights of night waking with mine though!!
 
plumtree, ure so lucky he gets his 2-3 naps! mine limits herself to just 1 so she could play, & thing is she climbs about everything & destroys most things that im the one whose knackered when the clock strikes 7pm!

sherwes - I guess mine is one of those who needs more than just assistance to get back to sleep! She actually skipped the 'crawling' phase. She was able to sit by 6-7mths & then she went to sliding from one place to another using her bum then standing n going from one spot to another by holding onto something in a standing position. Now all she does is stand in her cot all night when she wakes up. They do know how to choose the timings to "explore the world"! :p She gets grumpy when i put her back down to lie down or sooth her by my shoulders to sleep. I'm wondering how long will this last as this has been going on for a month or so now.. How & how long did you settle your baby back during this period?
 
Fshah - my 5+ month old does the same, starting at 3-4am - he has not yet learned to crawl or push himself up to sitting but boy does he squirm!!! using his bum like an inchworm, he scoots his way up to the top of the bed, and often rolls over, wide awake, wide eyed. so far this hasn't been a huge problem as i'm able to roll him back and pat him back to sleep after a minute or two. but if it's after 6am and getting light in the room, he won't settle back and is usually happy to just play in his cot til closer to 7am.

Does light seep through into the nursery during the night? I find that when my LO sees light it is a signal that it's day time and thus play time. I wonder if it is pitch black in your baby's nursery when she starts to wake and want to play?
 
Ah ha! That might just be it! Yes some light does seep through into the nursery since the living room is parallel to it. I'm gonna test this out & see if its pitch dark during the times she wakes up,will she or wont she play. It has been going on for so long, i'm sometimes so cranky as its those times when she goes to bed i catch up with the rest of the things around the house & what nots. I dont have the heart to just leave her inside alone, as she would start wailing.

Also during the day most times when she plays, i have to be there probably 95% of the time. Does any of your babies have this "clingy" personality? Sometimes I do get so riled up having to look after her the whole day, & now during this "exploring" times of 10pm till midnight or later.... I feel bad for being selfish..
 
I know the feeling...but then I tell myself that time flies and soon they'll be teenagers, too cool to talk to mum. (and there are some times, I wish time would fly faster! ;-)). With my little monkey, it's not so much that he can't stay alone. He can sit in his cot and play for quite a while (up to 20 mins sometimes). It's just that leaving him anywhere else isn't safe as there's no knowing what he'll get up to. I have these baby proofed areas in the house where I can leave him, pop off to do something, shout something to him so he hears my voice, run back to check. That's the only good thing about small HK flats!
 
my baby is 7 months, doesnt like the cot, and i put him there when i need to pee ;)

so he's always on the floor in the living room with me. (with those padded floor foams) he's quite happy for now to creep around, explore and play with his toys but i have to be around to keep an eye on him. while he does his thing, i read a book or surf, like now.

i try not to hover around and just let him be as long as he is safe. i try to change his position or attention every 30 - 45mins, this keeps him from being frustrated. so it can be from tummy to sitting in his bumbo to read him a book, or standing on my lap and doing some jumps or i'll carry him and do the house chores together in an ergo.

so yea... clingy??? i think you can put it that way :D
 
Hi there, I have read a lot of research which suggests that babies come into a light sleep and can wake up around every 45 minutes during the night. The trick is for them to learn to put themselves back to sleep. If not they will wake up and wait for their parents to rock them, hold them, pat them to get back to sleep again. Which can then happen many times during the night.
It sounds like your baby may have just got into a pattern of waking up at this time perhaps due to teething, light room, unusual sounds or something else and is now in a bit of a pattern. Does she still nap during the day ? Maybe you could cut back on one of these naps if she is.

What do you do when she wakes up ?

It sounds like you are doing some good stuff during the day but you can also try varying the things you do during the day to see if that makes her a little more tired. Any kind of physical activity will probably help. I find swimming is a great one for making my little one tired. He always sleeps really well after a swim or an outing. You can also go for walks or a play on the beach or in the playground. Even young babies can sit on playground equipment as long as they are held. Ball games - just rolling and kicking are great for practicing their body control. If they are sitting up you can roll the ball and standers can try kicking it. I also try to vary my day with him. I do a range of activities with him even though he is only 7 months old to make sure all areas of his development are being covered.
We have some time where we sing along to Nursery Ryhmes and songs. I sing (badly) and he jabbers away too. I also read him lots of stories this will help his language skills develop. There are many creative activities you can use with young children too. If you want some ideas you can email me at www.ladybirdlessons.com
Hope this helps.
 
Thank you so much for all your invaluable insights on this.

Well, she naps twice during the day, once at 1030 for half an hour and another at around 230 for an hour at most. So there is not much that I can cut back on for her nap times.

You are right fhurley, she is definitely in some pattern now & I'm trying everything I can to get back to her old habit of sleeping through the night. Everytime she wakes up, she goes straight to a sitting position then stand by her crib, THEN she'd make some noise to announce she's awake. I've left her for about 10minutes (watching her though out of her sight) after which she would start wailing for me to come to her. I'd normally just rub her forehead, cheeks or back and encourage her to go lie down, but alas she would just refuse and instead bop up & down. I'd then pick her up and lie her on my tummy for her to sleep but she would just squirm and start playing. She is not teething at the moment, so...? Should I try any other way of putting her back to sleep?

I'd try swimming for sure, though we do not have any pool by our estate so I'd see which public pools are closest to our place. Our days are varied, mostly walks, playground we do play 'soccer' at home (catch-throw like you mentioned) and she loves books & story time. yes Nursery Ryhmes & songs come second too (though a tad squecky!). Just that sometimes I'm so brain dead to think of anything else new for her............ Thank you fhurley, I would definitely look you up for some more ideas!
 
Hi FShah, just to answer your question - my baby went through that stage in the 3 weeks that he was learning to crawl. He was awake for up to 2 hours at a time. After 3 weeks we actually did controlled crying which I know isn't to everyones taste. You do need to have the stomach for it...
The level of activity during the day doesn't seem at all to affect how long my baby sleeps. Strange but true.
 
Fsah,
Are you talking about my baby??? She is coming 9mths too and very clingy and hates to sleep because she is afraid of missing out any fun. She is a very active and curious baby, loves to bounce up and down now in her crib and standing up most of the time.
Her naps last like only 30mins sometimes and she wakes up at any slightest noise.
As for sleeping at night, these days she must sleep on her tummy, put her down, she rolls over right away. And when she wakes, lifts right away, crawling a bit, usually crying for me.....These days, she only wants me and cries easily asking to be carried at slightest things...
I know how you feel, I need to be around 24/7... the other day, I turned my head like 2s away and she slipped and knocked her head...luckily it was minor
As for daytime activities, I am trying to do some teaching, flash cards, listen to songs, singing together, oh she has got a walker too, though she refuse to sit on it sometimes. I don't take her out too far as she can be very vocal and cranky, so usually to the shopping malls nearby.
I will really love for her to meet more babies her age,like an informal playgroup, trying to organize a get together...

If you have good ideas what to do with your baby do share with me!!
 
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