I think it's official - Baby is no longer the super-sonambulist she once was. At first she was such a good sleeper that neither foot-tickling nor cold, wet flannels did anything to awaken her; now she seems to be hard to put down to sleep and even harder to keep asleep. Evenings are routinely fraught with the two of us trying for hours to calm her down enough to fall asleep, and now mid-mornings are the same.
Funnily enough, putting Baby in the buggy really helps. In desperation this morning, I put Baby in the buggy in preparation for a nice long walk, in an attempt to get her to fall asleep after two hours of unwanted wakefulness - she stopped squawking and closed her eyes as soon as she was strapped in and before the buggy's wheels even moved.
It's now been two hours since she fell asleep, including an hour walking around the shops. What a pity some bastard has just started to mow the lawn next door.
8 comments:
The sleep thing seems to be quite common with some babies - mine could be bathed without waking. Midwife said that if we didn't waken her at some point she'd have to go back into hospital since she wouldn't be feeding properly.
Then she discovered the 'awake' thing and sleep was a distant memory for about 6 months. Bless.
Apparently, when we were babies, Dad used to start playing the piano as soon as we were asleep to get us used to sleeping through anything.
I don't think this is a strategy to try - I wake at anything!
I gave Z. a dummy to get through the difficult early evening phase. It probably saved my sanity. My mother in law was appalled at my poor parenting but I was the one trying to look after an unsettled baby in a sleep deprived, hormonal half crazed state so I didn't care. And Plunkett said there was no harm in it for a young baby. I didn't let Z have it all day- just when she was in that constant crying unsettled but not hungry state. I stopped giving it to her at about 3 months with no problems.
You should hurl dirty diapers on the lawn mower's lawn to teach him a lesson ;)
gekko: oh, joy...
eb: putting Baby in the stroller didn't work last night, though it still works a treat during the day. Evenings are definitely more challenging.
editter: We normally just keep the telly on, which Baby sleeps through during the day. I haven't figured out whether she's more sensitive to stimuli at night or what.
mtnw: the midwife suggested using a dummy too. I suppose it's okay as long as you always sterilise it before using it, and only use it when the baby's unsettled.
jon: I'm sure there must be a law against that, and if there isn't maybe there should be!
i wish i could sleep when somebody straps me into a buggy... but alas no.
no milk please
I think you have found the solution with the buggy. Just walk around with baby in the buggy for about 16 hours a day..
eb: me, be boring? Utterly impossible! (Just joking)
no milk: so, you've tried eh?
happyandblue2: ...and the additional side effect would be dramatic increases in calf muscle size.
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