Hello All

Question for you: Archie-lad does not sleep in the day. He only cat naps or "power sleeps" :D ie he goes to sleep - literally zonks out - for ten mins then he is up again and awake. Sometimes thats enough, other times he is literally shattered and wants to go back to sleep, and the same thing happens again. He will sleep for as long as he is in his car seat in the car or in the pram, but bring him in the house and he's awake again within seconds! At night time he is good, he goes to bed after his bath then usually sleeps for 4 hours, then every 2/3 until time to get up...but day times are exhausting for both of us with no break.

Anyone got any ideas how to get him past this ten minute waking stage? He did used to sleep for a couple of hours at a time, but thats all stopped now!

Will mail a piccie to Aunti Mel for the group :)

PS - I can't let him cry it out - he really suffered with wind and I am not sure if thats not what started this routine off. However, I cannot bear him crying under any circumstances.

PPS - I think he has me trained beautifully :D

I suggest you get your vet to refer you to a qualified behaviourist ;) :D :p

I seem the remember The Boy was a very wakeful baby, who needed to be carried (vertically, not lying in my arms) everywhere so he could see what was going on. If you sit on the sofa (or wherever) holding him when he crashes out, will he stay quiet with you, just resting, when he wakes? If so it might just break the cycle.

Like Jeangenie, I think it was Nik who would not sleep, and needed to be carried all the time :( .    Now I do appreciate that with Archie you are going to have to be a weightlifter, but maybe the baby carrier might work - do you have one?   Sarah had one that she (or Chris) strapped on, & Jared was carried around in that - we climbed up to the temple in the Jungle at Borabodur, in Indonesia with him in that, when he was 8 weeks old - but he weighed a lot less than Archie must do!

As a mum of 4 who were all under 10, I do appreciate the pressures on you from all quarters, but what Jeangenie says makes sense - if you can take time out, lie on the sofa with him, on your front when he crashes out, it might do you both the power of good!

Shall I come up & take over the rest of the household :D :D :D??

Margot

I've got a babycarrier, but its too tight for him - he must be 15lb now - and its uncomfortable for both of us :( I've only got to use it a couple of times which is a real shame cos I love it :(

He will sleep if I sleep with him, but the temptation is to get up and do stuff and I think he wakes and wonders where I am - even just at 7 weeks! I think I just need to lie with him the next few times as reassurance really -as JG and you say to break the cycle a bit.

He's such a happy baby now he can cope with the wind better - he has such a gorgeous smile :)

I used to find that my son slept like an angel no matter when (night or day) we put him down for a nap, as long as he was in his cot, curtains drawn and it had a nighttime atmosphere :)

May not work for many babies, but it sure worked for me.

  .....I am sooooooooo broody  :D

I think I might try that now aswell... he definitely knows "night time" - so perhaps that might work now

My youngest wouldn't sleep during the day unless she was in a sitting position.  When she was a few weeks old I'd had enough and went out and bought a wind up swing (I think they are mains operated now) it ran for 20 minutes at a time.  It was the best thing I ever bought, when I needed a break I popped her in it and wound it up (often more than once).  The seat was shaped like a car seat if that helps.

I've got 3 and they were all different.  The first one was just like your Archie.  I would spend afternoons walking the pram just to get some peace but the moment the pram entered the house she was awake.  I don't know how old your babe is but when mine was about 5 months old she started waking literally every other hour through the night.  I would check everything i.e. too hot? too cold? thirsty? wet/dirty? but none of these.  The health visitor said that what might have been happening is that where adults turn over or adjust their sleeping position as they come out of a deep sleep to a lighter sleep my baby was waking up.  Now I was a very silly person because I would always rock her to sleep at night just to get some peace and quiet and the health visitor suggested that this was the problem because she was going to sleep with me rocking her but waking up and I wasn't there and so she would cry literally for me to come and rock her back to sleep.  It was tough but what I had to do was let her go to sleep without me rocking her which meant that she did cry herself to sleep for the first couple of nights and believe me, my husband had to virtually hold me back from attending to her but it definitely worked.  2 or 3 nights and she was 'cured'.  Does any of this sound familiar?

Archie is only 7 weeks, and more often than not falls asleep on me - but no rocking. He's my 3rd and I learned that one with my first :D He does like the comfort and the company though - he sl;eeps really well in the night at least!

Hmmm - I've seen those swings.... I might try him with one of those, I think he'd like it :)

He is too young then to leave to cry bless.  At least he is good at night, would be worse if he was good all day and kept you up all night.  Early days are hard but think on, my baby is 15 years old and I have to reach up and grab him by the ear to get a cuddle sometimes. The time goes all to quickly

Yep. My eldest is 11 and I know that feeling! Its definitely getting easier though from the first days :) I think I will try a swinging chair for him - it will be useful even if he is just awake - he's so alert he wants entertaining :)

He cried at Willis today = bless. Willis was chewing his way through the baby gate and A took one look and started mWHHHHAAAA-ing :D

Know nothing of babies and can't offer any help but have read all the world's great leaders were insomniacs :)

I found with both of mine they wouldn't sleep if the house was too quiet :)  (well the first one hardly slept at all for the first 4 years but thats another story ;) )   but its surprisingly difficult to keep just the right type of noise going :)

We have a fan on in Thomas' room pointing away from him so it doesn't cool him down any, the noise just drowns out any other noises, and 9/10 he sleeps through now - he is coming up to 4 years!!! :( I could never leave him to cry when he was a baby, but we have payed for it now!!

I think that the rocking swing is an excellent idea - car seat shaped, either the wind-up or electronic timer one (Sarah had that in Tokyo) - with that one, the swinging gets gradually sloower and slooower as babe drops off - think Sarah's one went for 15 mins or so.

As long as YOU aren't getting too stressed with it all :D  He really is such a lovely looking little chap!

Margot

Hi Chloe,

My baby number 5 never slept during day very much now hes 8 month old im lucky if he sleeps 15-20
mins max and he only just sleeps through the night now ,however he has Reflux milk and lactose intolerant, I guess some babies just dont need that sleep during the day if theyre sleeping well at night,and if hes feeding and gaining weight hes obviously thriving,however its more annoying as when they sleeep during the day thats when you can catch up on sleep or jobs.As he gets more active he will perhaps wear himself out more naturally and take those longer naps.Harris has only just turned 15 lb at 8 month but hes had a few problems and us completely next to no sleep until now.

With Harris it made know difference what we did,we had the added problem he had tobe kept at least 45 degrees and and he would only sleep max 1-2 hrs at a time at night.However in contrast previous 4 slept through the night  number 1 baby 3 wks
                                                             2        10 days
                                                             3        3 wks
                                                             4         from day 1 (bf)

Hopefully he sleep some during the day soon bless him.

Briony ;-)

I dont have my own babies, but now regularly babysit for my friends triplets, now 16 weeks old. Because there are 3, naturally they cant all get attention simultaneously, so I have to find ways of settling them without holding them. They all respond really well to loudish music ( they like Andrea Bocelli :D) May be worth trying Archie with different sorts of music :)