Fighting sleep during the day
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Printed Date: 29 August 2025 at 8:49am
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Topic: Fighting sleep during the day
Posted By: E&L+1
Subject: Fighting sleep during the day
Date Posted: 28 February 2010 at 2:58pm
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Esme is almost 4 months old and has begun over the past 2 weeks fighting sleep for all or most of her daytime naps. Usually I can put her down and she'll either go straight to sleep or grizzle for 5 minutes then drop off which she still does sometimes(I always go into her when it turns to crying) so I know she can self settle.
But now she will scream even if I pick her up and give her a cuddle, I was using the shh pat technique but she won't tip onto her side any more and gets more worked up or thinks it's time to play. The only way I can get her to sleep when she's like that is to cuddle her holding her arms down and rocking, this can take 10-20minutes! And then I have to try and put her into bed with out having to start again or getting her up and trying again in 15-30 minutes. She doesn't always do this for all her naps and she is obviously tired as she will be yawning and rubbing her eyes. I've tried putting her down earlier but that makes it worse trying again later seems to be the best way but she gets grumpy and it can backfire on me! Any ideas on what to do, I want to find something that I can do that doesn't involve lots of crying or rocking/feeding. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Replies:
Posted By: jano1
Date Posted: 28 February 2010 at 3:28pm
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Does she need more awake time during the day? I remember DD fighting sleep at around 4 months and we worked on her awake time (slowly). ------------- http://www.thebump.com/?utm_source=ticker&utm_medium=UBB&utm_campaign=tickers"> |
Posted By: E&L+1
Date Posted: 28 February 2010 at 4:43pm
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She's up for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours at a time now. The fighting can start when she's already been up for 2 hours so that can stretch out to 3 hours some days. Our other problem is that she only sleeps for 30-50minutes at a time. She won't settle again once she's awake but generally wakes up happy. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Joscia
Date Posted: 28 February 2010 at 6:44pm
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DS did exactly the same thing at exactly the same age. I don't have much advice I'm afraid - except to persevere with what you're doing - as everything I tried only worked to an extent - we didn't find a magical solution. I think it's just a phase - as he came right within a few weeks...
Alternatively, you could always try the plunket family centre - if you have one near you - I took DS along for the day when he was doing this, and if nothing else, it reinforced that I was doing everything 'right.' ------------- http://alterna-tickers.com"> 
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Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 28 February 2010 at 6:46pm
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At about 4mths babies start to develop sleep associations. Is there something that has happened recently that has caused her to associate rocking with settling to sleep? I didn't know this when Jack was a baby and he got a cold at 4mths and was so tired would often fall asleep feeding which then developed into an association
Ben has been a little difficult to settle lately as well which for us has been a combination of teething and the heat. As soon as we got some cooler or not so muggy weather he was easier to settle. Jack was a 45min napper and woke happy so it is possible that is all she needs. Although with Ben his naps have always shortened when I needed to change something about how or where he sleeps. When he was born he slept in the hammock during the day, all of a sudden he would often only sleep for 10min or so before waking, I eventually moved him to the cot and his naps lengthened again. The last 2 times this has happened it has been when I have tried weaning from the wrap. We will go for weeks of 30min naps until I get sick of it and introduce the wrap again and they lengthen out to 1.5hrs+. Maybe there is something you can change or have changed that has caused this? ------------- Lindsey 
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Posted By: Jaxnz1
Date Posted: 28 February 2010 at 9:25pm
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Wow, I could have been reading my own story here! Am going through exactly the same thing. And DD just started doing it all of a sudden. She went from one day sleeping perfectly during the day, doing 3 sleeps and a short nap, to only sleeping 30mins at a time........absolutely nothing had changed in our environment or routine. And I doubt she would need less sleep just like that!
Today she had about two or three 30min naps and had a screaming baby most of the day! I am trying anything and everything.....white noise, darker room, rocking, sling...the works. Nothing is working  Once she's woken from that one sleep cycle there is NO getting her back to sleep, but she is also rubbing her eyes and yawning, so obviously still tired.
I think DD has reflux, but am even doubting that some days....its just like a trigger went off in her that stopped her sleeping during the day! Unexplainable really. For both our sakes I dearly hope this is a phase and a short one at that  it's no fun that's for sure. ------------- 
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Posted By: E&L+1
Date Posted: 01 March 2010 at 8:28am
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I very very rarely let her be rocked to sleep, lately for some of her sleeps it is in desperation after she has been crying for 20minutes (with me there). At night she goes to sleep no worries usually, a few nights lately her teeth have been bothering her and she's needed some more help but that is if she wakes after going down. Feeding to sleep is another thing that hardly ever happens too.
Like Jaxnz1 said it was like a trigger! One day she just stopped wanting to sleep. The closest Plunket family center is about a hour and a half away in Hamilton, I'm in Waihi and it's on the otherside of Hamilton. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Emmecat
Date Posted: 01 March 2010 at 9:49am
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I can't help sorry cos Clodagh is still doing thisbefore just about every night time sleep A) I think it's cruel, and B) it's totally ineffective cos boy oh boy can she cream! And for aaages lol. It just doens't stop so I'd rather soothe her and have her associate her cot with pleasant things IYKWIM? Argh babies who don't sleep are so hard -------------   http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: E&L+1
Date Posted: 01 March 2010 at 10:44am
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Emmecat I totally know what you mean! I can't leave her for more than 5 minutes (I have tried) I don't think it's fair if she's crying it's because she needs something. Even if she needs sleep if she's crying it's because she needs help to get it!
How do you pronounce Clodagh's name? ------------- http://lilypie.com"> http://lilypie.com">
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